Preparing for iDay: Plans & Activation

The plot thickens as we approach iDay and more details become available regarding price plans, activation, and iPhone syncing. Chris Null covered the cost of the three basic service plans concluding that AT&T is offering some decent prices. All plans will include unlimited data, unlimited nights and weekends (except the cheapest plan), unlimited mobile-to-mobile, roll-over minutes, Visual Voicemail, and 200 SMS text messages. You basically have to choose a plan based on price and minutes which are: $60/mo (450 min), $80/mo (900 min), $100/mo (1350 min), $120/mo (2,000 min), $170/mo (4,000 min), and $220/mo (6,000 min). There will be a one time activation fee of $36, and you have to sign a new two-year contract. The phone itself sells for $499 and $599. It's going to be expensive.

We finally got some idea of how this whole activation process works too. Today, Apple revealed in a statement that users will be able to activate their new phones from the comfort of their house or office instead of waiting for activation in a store. A video on Apple's site walks you through the process which they say will only take a few minutes. You might want to download the video, since the streaming version was really slow for me earlier today.

If you know how to use iTunes, then you'll have a basic idea of how to activate your phone. If you've never used iTunes, the software will guide you through the process which looks pretty seamless. You'll need a credit card and social security number if you're transferring to AT&T, or a check code you'll be getting at the store. Once your iPhone is activated, it'll sync all calendars, music, email accounts, book marks, music, photos and TV shows, just like it does when you dock your iPod. I'll post more updates as they become available.

More iPhone coverage on Yahoo Tech:
Real Cost of iPhone: Service Plan Revealed
iPhone: Whole Lotta Touchin' Going On
Preparing for iDay: iPhone Launch Details