Now that I have a tablet...

[cruzincat]

Could I save $ by switching to a dumb phone and going with a hot spot for my tablet/laptop. Right now I am using a Droid 1, and a data plan using PDAnet for the laptop. The tablet, a Toshiba Thrive, does not work too well with the Droid, using the bluetooth. It keeps disconnecting.

As far as the phone is concerned, I am getting tired of all the hang ups and other problems with all the stuff on it that is for anything but a phone. The phone aspect of the Droid, because of all these other issues, leaves it wanting.

I use the droid as a phone primarily, and the one app I use more than anything else is Google Maps for the traffic info. I figure I can get a mount for the tablet and use it for Google Maps, by way of the hot spot.

Generally speaking, my experience has lately been that, if you need a phone to be reliable, you don't want a smart phone. It's anything but smart.

I still have a contract until mid March, though, so I won't be able to make any changes until then.

 

[dezymond]

Sorry to hear about your experience with your smart phone.

I personally have a wifi xoom and an incredible, and I use both daily. Xoom I use at home and sometimes for maybe those 1hr car rides for some quick media like videos. Gonna take a roadtrip next month and that's when my Xoom will really be tested. Figure I would tether from my Incredible too for some light internet browsing on the xoom too while I'm on my roadtrip.

Sounds like for your personal use, you don't get much out of your smartphone except for tethering. I think you can go the route of getting the hot spot plan, plus I think you can get 4g with these so imagine the speed.