Android data usage VS Blackberry (BIS)

[Shake&Bake]

Well I go through 5GB a month on Cell C with my SGS.

My phone is my primary internet conncetion.
So I do everything on it:
Email, MyBB, Facebook, twitter, Google Latitude, read manga series, mp3 downloads, ftp downloads from my friend in the UK direct to my phone, youtube, other video streaming, skype, gtalk, mxit, news24, engadget, CNet and goal.com are my basic web related functions.

That along with the apps' updates and whatever the hell else I do - chows through my bandwidth.

To put it this way - in January I only made it to the 12th of the month and hit my cap
Feb I made it will the 27th.

But I've had to train myself to switch off my HSDPA connection on the phone's modem when the phone is idle.
There's alot of background activity which could chow through your data if you're not monitoring it.

For 2 and some odd days my remaining data is 4704.82MB

It must be noted that I won this 5GB package here with MyBB and CellC - sure I would be monitoring my usage more vigilantly if I'd paid for it myself

 

[phoneJunky]

More like Redtube

500MB a day is about what my family ADSL line does.

First off, what's redtube. Not going to look now as I am on work pc and myBB are dodgy.

I do about 40gig a month on my adsl (equates to 1.5 gig a day) so I just think my appetite for data is higher than your family and even though you don't have your adsl you still want to do the things you normally do.

 

[rorz0r]

I use about 100mb but have WiFi at home and at work. I don't particularly constrain myself when on 3G but wouldn't do video and app downloads unless I really needed them.

 

[Maddmatt]

First off, what's redtube. Not going to look now as I am on work pc and myBB are dodgy.

Smart choice It's like Youtube, but with porn.

 

[MyWorld]

The problem is the unmonitored traffic, apps syncing and updating. It takes a while to get to grips with all the bandwidth hogs.

Use this widget to make sure all GPRS data connections are severed and stays that way until you enable it again:
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.curvefish.widgets.apnonoff&feature=search_result

Check out the rest of his widgets, pretty handy indeed.

 

[Shake&Bake]

The problem is the unmonitored traffic, apps syncing and updating. It takes a while to get to grips with all the bandwidth hogs.

Use this widget to make sure all GPRS data connections are severed and stays that way until you enable it again:
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.curvefish.widgets.apnonoff&feature=search_result

Check out the rest of his widgets, pretty handy indeed.

Personally I use MySettings.

http://www.appbrain.com/app/jqsoft.apps.mysettings

Quickly able to toggle plenty settings, including data packet usage, screen brightness,etc.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using MyBroadband Android App

 

[opinionhated]

You aren't comparing apples with apples (should i have used ginerbreads?).

Most high end Androids are HSDPA - your capacity for large bandwidth is much higher than a BB on Edge.

You can only use the BB browser on BIS which is a ridiculously terrible experience (BB users won't know it - ignorance is bliss).

So on the Android you will use much more data than you would on a BB coz of the improved browser experience (to say the least) - so even without BIS your cost on Android would be probably double BB. BB usage is primarily email and chat - I doubt you can get to 50MB on that.

I use on average 350 MB a month. So I buy a 600 MB data bundle for every 2 months which comes to R95 for internet pm + a worlds apart internet/connectivity experience. You need wifi at home though for app updates etc. or you need to double that to 600 Mb a month to be safe.

 

[GreGorGy]

hi

wondering what you guys are using data wise on your android phones. and here I mean the bigger touch screen ones, not the toys

What's a toy? Probably my Wildfire but I will add my 2c anyways: I use it MAINLY for email and not that much at a time. The way I use it is according to my needs and YMMV but I am on TopUp which means, when the money is gone its gone. It also means I load a bundle according to my expectation and when it is depleted, I just load another. 75MB lasts typically from one week to 6 weeks, depending on my usage. The advantage of this method is that I do not get screwed by OOB rates. Expires, new bundle, that simple.

 

[bwana]

You can only use the BB browser on BIS which is a ridiculously terrible experience (BB users won't know it - ignorance is bliss).

I must be imagining the Opera Mini browser installed on mine . . . or Bolt that my missus uses daily.

 

[Maddmatt]

I must be imagining the Opera Mini browser installed on mine . . . or Bolt that my missus uses daily.

Compared to browsing on Android it's still crap

 

[kingrob]

Compared to browsing on Android it's still crap

+1

And not to mention the horrible small screen & the fact that most BBs only support EDGE, not even proper HSDPA!

 

[phoneJunky]

You aren't comparing apples with apples (should i have used ginerbreads?).

Most high end Androids are HSDPA - your capacity for large bandwidth is much higher than a BB on Edge.

You can only use the BB browser on BIS which is a ridiculously terrible experience (BB users won't know it - ignorance is bliss).

So on the Android you will use much more data than you would on a BB coz of the improved browser experience (to say the least) - so even without BIS your cost on Android would be probably double BB. BB usage is primarily email and chat - I doubt you can get to 50MB on that.

I use on average 350 MB a month. So I buy a 600 MB data bundle for every 2 months which comes to R95 for internet pm + a worlds apart internet/connectivity experience. You need wifi at home though for app updates etc. or you need to double that to 600 Mb a month to be safe.

okay first off, I have an android phone (my new one) and my old phone is a BB Bold. The high end curve, Bold series, storm and torch all are hsdpa capable. The highest you go on BIS though is 3G I think. I have downloaded more than a gig in one day one my BB, and when I used it I used the internet much more freely than I do with my android. BIS isn't terrible, it is just not as good as browsing through the normal APN. In the BB forum they say that there is a filesize restriction on files, but I have been able to download 60meg clips from youtube through vuclip before, but only in a 3G area. It times out in an edge only area.

The BB is still the best option for the average middle class south african in my opinion, but if you can afford to let your data 'run wild' on an android, android is obviously faster browsing.

And I used to do everything on my Bold that was why my data usage was so high. Now I have adsl so I use less data on my phone.

 

[opinionhated]

I must be imagining the Opera Mini browser installed on mine . . . or Bolt that my missus uses daily.

Thought you would get charged outside BIS when not using the native browser. No?

Sent from my HTC Desire using MyBroadband Android App

 

[Tsepz_GP]

hi

wondering what you guys are using data wise on your android phones. and here I mean the bigger touch screen ones, not the toys

thinking jumping ship to android, but my concern is that I'm gonna need a huge data bundle to replace BIS which currently costs me R60

thoughts?

I buy a 2.3GB data bundle for my X10 biggie, that's cause i do a lot of web browsing, download HD720p YouTube vids with jetVD YouTube downloader app, download tons of music with MP3Downloader, tether with my laptop, app updates, downloading and updating 'HD' games and ofcoarse FB, Twitter and WhatsApp.

You'll be fine with 500-600mb data bundle though, i just like things too much

 

[phoneJunky]

Thought you would get charged outside BIS when not using the native browser. No?

Sent from my HTC Desire using MyBroadband Android App

Some other browsers do use BIS.

 

[bwana]

Thought you would get charged outside BIS when not using the native browser. No?

Sent from my HTC Desire using MyBroadband Android App

Nope, it's all included in BIS.

 

[Tsepz_GP]

Why does it matter anyway ? All browsers available to BB are pure crap compared to the Android browser, i'd rather pay more for data and have an excellent browsing experience.

 

[techead]

this isnt sounding good.... I dont use my phone a lot for internet. I use bbm to chat, which I will replace with whatsapp, and I sync my gmail account. the odd browsing but nothing else really.

a 300MB bundle is like how many hundred rand a month??? :erm:

 

[viishrugged]

this isnt sounding good.... I dont use my phone a lot for internet. I use bbm to chat, which I will replace with whatsapp, and I sync my gmail account. the odd browsing but nothing else really.

a 300MB bundle is like how many hundred rand a month??? :erm:

Three words... Red Bull Mobile.

It includes 500mb because they know what giving you a smartphone entails. Data costs in this country are absurd and we finally have someone catering to us.
I'm getting that now, moving from my 200 airtime contract on MTN.

 

[techead]

Three words... Red Bull Mobile.

It includes 500mb because they know what giving you a smartphone entails. Data costs in this country are absurd and we finally have someone catering to us.
I'm getting that now, moving from my 200 airtime contract on MTN.

RBM200 ? Only problem is then you stuck with one of their phones? :erm: