On Fri, 18 Jan 2013, Brian Wood wrote: > There are tracfones. > http://www.tracfone.com/ > I think mine is around $12/month. Dr. Laura > http://www.drlaura.com -- turned me on to them Wow. Dr. Laura. Giving tech advice. My mind is officially blown. Tracfone is not an alternative for us heavy data users. It's fine for people who think of a cellphone as a, well, phone. To me, it's not. It's a mobile computer which fits in my pocket and has a constant internet connection. It's the friggin hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy. It's the kind of decide that's been the realm of fantasy since I was a kid. I very, very, VERY rarely make phone calls on it. Mike was complaining about the service from T-Mobile - they clearly overcharged him for a phone that Google were selling directly for $350, and ignoring their OWN advertisement. He wasn't complaiing about the quality of the experience he was having with the device itself, and for this kind of device you need unlimited -- and fast -- data. Now, if you want an alternative to T-Mobile (or other providers) and you have an unlocked GSM phone (which I do, and which a Nexus 4 should be especially if you get it directly from Google) I'd recommend Simple Mobile. They're a pay-as-you-go no-contract cellular provider, and for $50 a month you get unlimited voice and data. They just sell you the SIM card, and you refill it how ever often you want to. For us heavy data users, that's a fantastic deal. Oh they're happy to sell you a phone too if you need one. --