* Don't forget pricing when making comparisons
The Droid X is coming next week on the Verizon Wireless network, and there’s much talk about a Droid X vs. iPhone 4 smackdown. There are several places where you can find data sheets and articles comparing the two platforms spec for spec. But don’t forget to consider are the differences between Verizon Wireless’ and AT&T’s pricing models and acceptable use policies.
Mobile deathmatch: Motorola Droid vs. iPhone, side by side
* Pricing models
AT&T, of course, has turned to a tiered, usage-based data pricing model, which it says will save the majority of everyday users money while costing the heavy-handed users a bit more. Seems fair, if that is indeed the way it turns out.
Verizon Wireless, at least so far, hasn’t announced a similar model. The company did say at one point that it would likely introduce usage-based pricing on the open-access portions of its LTE network. But for now, the company still offers an unlimited 3G data option.
* Tethering
The Droid X, like many of Verizon’s phones, will be tetherable, so you can connect it to a laptop computer or other device and use it as a modem. That means you can use a single data service for both devices (instead of having to buy two data plan subscriptions). But you do have to pay for the tethering feature. The tethering pricing plans vary depending on the smartphone, according to Verizon.
AT&T also allows tethering of the iPhone for $20 a month.
* ‘Mi-Fi’
The Droid X, like the forthcoming Windows Phone 7, will have a built-in Wi-Fi hotspot — meaning, you can aggregate, via Wi-Fi, data from several local devices and share a single 3G WAN connection, a service called “Mi-Fi”. For the hotspot feature to be activated, you need to pay Verizon Wireless $20 a month. But the option frees you from being tied to one laptop as current 3G contracts do when a 3G connection is built into the laptop, supporting up to five devices.
In this respect, you’re out of luck with the iPhone and AT&T, as such aggregation is in violation of its acceptable-use policy. The carrier says that “plans designed for laptop and PDA customers do not allow aggregation across a common connection to the AT&T wireless network.”
For now, at least, there are more opportunities to resourcefully aggregate data sources over fewer subscription services with Verizon Wireless. And you can do it on an unlimited data plan, allowing you to calculate your monthly costs pretty easily.
But stay tuned, because anything could happen as the airwaves rapidly fill up and mobile operators continue to reexamine their pricing plan strategies.
