Complaining about the AT&T iPhone data plans? Be glad you’re not from Canada

While many rejoice the fact that new iPhone 3G will be cheaper out of the blocks at $199 for the 8GB device, most note that over the two years of the required contract, the phone will actually cost $240 more than its predecessor. A reasonable complaint. But be glad you don’t live in Canada, where Rogers – the official Canadian carrier for iPhone – customers will pay some $2,600 over the life of the phone, most expensive in the world. The lowest AT&T plan costs $70 for 450 minutes of talk and unlimited data for a two-year total of $1,879, including the $199 model. Text messaging can run you an extra. For $60, Rogers customers are only getting 150 minutes of talk and 400MB of data. That’s a royal screwing. Consumer Reports says some in Canada are thinking of a boycott. I would definitely be pursuing an alternative smartphone or hoping I lived close enough to the border that I AT&T coverage.