thinking of getting iphone 3gs

[Sento]

moving into college and been using parents phone but now getting my own.

I been using android device (g2), now interested in iphone 3gs.

so i can get for free with 2 yera contract, 450 mins, and 15$ data for the minium plan....but as for text, it will be hard cuz 20$ extra for txt seems a bit much.

is there anyway to txt free with iphone? ie: on my android i had google voice which had a google number and i could txt over data with no charges...is ios like that too?

also my friend said u can use AIM and use it to sms for free...is that true still?

also will i get used to touchscreen? cuz my g2 has a slide out keyboard which was very useful i think, but with iphone is the touch screen board pretty good to learn?

thanks

 

[Lifeisabeach]

is there anyway to txt free with iphone? ie: on my android i had google voice which had a google number and i could txt over data with no charges...is ios like that too?

also my friend said u can use AIM and use it to sms for free...is that true still?

also will i get used to touchscreen? cuz my g2 has a slide out keyboard which was very useful i think, but with iphone is the touch screen board pretty good to learn?

There are several apps on the App Store that offer free SMS texting services (you'd have a separate number for texting) as well as a variety of IM clients, including AIM. Although I should point out that the AIM app has a very low rating from users. In that case, there are 3rd party IM apps available that support AIM. Now, these do use data, which won't affect your 3G data allotment if you are on wi-fi. They should have a trivial impact on your data usage when you are on 3G.

As for whether or not you will get used to using a touchscreen... obviously a lot of people are used to it and like it. Whether or not you will ultimately depends on you.

 

[Sento]

so u guys think the 3gs is best for someone like me? a good cheap smartphone solution?

 

[_Stormin]

No. I think that the 4 is the oldest phone that I would go with. It's only a generation behind with the chance of being two generations behind by the end of the summer.

You're also going to see a big level of changes going to the 4. Much snappier processor, retina display, etc... The phone will be supported for longer when it comes to iOS updates as well.

 

[chas_m]

While I haven't tested every "free text" app out there (and most of them are, btw, scams that want money at some point), nothing beats integrated texting (though iMessage can help).

Explain to a COMPANY (not franchise) rep what kind of plan you think you'll need and that you're a student and they'll likely find a plan that will work for you.

By the time the contract's over you'll be itching for an iPhone 5 ... but I would think for such a short-term contract the 3GS is still a solid choice (which is why Apple still offers it). If you can stretch to afford the iPhone 4, sure go with that.

 

[Lifeisabeach]

so u guys think the 3gs is best for someone like me? a good cheap smartphone solution?

It's only cheap in the sense that you are getting it with no upfront fee. You are paying for it over the course of the contract in terms of inability to use pay-as-you-go options and mandatory data plans. The iPhone 4 is a better model and if you can scrape up the $100 for it, it'd be a much better option. If you can't scrape it up, then perhaps you should consider if you finances are better suited to a non-smartphone that can be used on a cheaper plan. Of course only you can decide that and it may well be this is the best way to go for you.

That said, my 3GS was upgraded to 5.0.1 and it performed very well. Not as well as the iPhone 4/4S, but it's very much usable. It's also worth mentioning, assuming you are in the US, that AT&T now only has unlimited texting plans. If you aren't on a limited plan now that can be grandfathered in, you will need to account for handling this. You can go pay-per-message, which will quickly add up; pay the unlimited plan fee; or block texting outright and use an alternate app/IM service. No matter what you do, it will cost you money or convenience. And risk inconveniencing others if they have to juggle different numbers to call and text you with.

 

[RavingMac]

I still have the 3Gs, running IOS 5. And, while I would like a 4 or 4s the perfomance and feature gain hasn't been enough to spur me to upgrade . . . yet.

Having said that, I would definitely look hard at the 4 or 4s if money isn't too tight.