Beginner’s guide to smartphone data plans

Enticed by the iPhone or that sexy BlackBerry Pearl? Well, unless you’re fine with simply chatting and texting, prepare to fork over more each month for the privilege of firing off e-mails and surfing the Web.

A data plan is one of the extras that many chatters don’t count on when they snap up their new BlackBerrys, Moto Qs, and Palm Centros, and when you’re talking $30 a month—and that’s for a basic, "personal" data and e-mail plan—that’s an additional $360 out of your pocket each year.

Of course, you could always forgo the wireless data and just use your BlackBerry for chatting—and believe it or not, I know plenty of people who do just that—but why pay extra for a smartphone without using its data features? Beats me.

Anyway, here’s a quick summary of what you should expect to pay for Web surfing and e-mail on your smartphone.

One thing to keep in mind: When talking about BlackBerrys, there’s "personal" e-mail (such as Yahoo! Mail and Gmail, which you can access via POP or IMAP), and then there's BlackBerry "enterprise" mail, which includes the instantly synchronized e-mail, contacts, and events that corporate workers crave. Needless to say, the enterprise flavor of BlackBerry data costs more than the average personal package.

And one more thing: These plans don't include the ability to "tether" your smartphone to a laptop for on-the-road Internet access, a feature that'll cost you extra ($30 a month or so, depending on the carrier).

AT&T

Smartphones (Windows Mobile, Palm):
A few bundled voice and data plans (which include unlimited Web browsing, personal e-mail, and texting) are available: $75 gets you 450 minutes a month, $95 includes 900 minutes, and $115 gets you 1,350 minutes, while unlimited chatting plus data goes for $135. You can also get you Web/e-mail/data a la carte (a.k.a. "PDA Personal") for $30 a month, although the a la carte data plan doesn't include texting.

BlackBerrys:
The bundled voice/data plans (for Web browsing and personal, not enterprise, e-mail) are a little pricier: $90 a month for 450 minutes, $110 for 900 minutes, $130 for 1,350 minutes, and $150 for unlimited chatting. The a la carte BlackBerry Personal plan (voice minutes not included) goes for $30, while the enterprise BlackBerry plan costs $45 a month (or $35 for just 4MB of monthly data, which you'll burn through pretty quickly).

iPhone:
Data for the iPhone is baked into the various calling plans: $60/month for 450 minutes, $80 for 900 minutes, $100 for 1,350 minutes, and $120 for unlimited chatting. Note that while these voice/data bundles are cheaper than AT&T’s standard PDA bundled plans, the iPhone (for now, at least) is only using 2.5G EDGE data, versus the speedier 3G data available on AT&T’s other smartphones; also, each plan only includes 200 text messages a month.

Sprint

Smartphones (Windows Mobile, Palm):
Sprint calls its voice/data bundles "Sprint Everything": $70 a month for 450 minutes, $90 for 900 minutes, and $100 for unlimited chatting, data, and texting. You can also get the a la carte "Sprint Power Vision PRO Pack" (unlimited texting, data, personal e-mail, and instant messaging) for $30 a month.

BlackBerrys:
The same voice/data bundles apply to BlackBerrys on Sprint, or you can get the "Sprint Power Vision BlackBerry Pack" (including Web browsing, Sprint’s navigation service, and access to 10 personal e-mail accounts) for $30 a month, a la carte. For enterprise-level BlackBerry service, you’ll have to pony up $40 a month (with a two-year contract and a voice plan) for unlimited data.

T-Mobile:

Smartphones (Windows Mobile):
T-Mobile doesn’t do bundles for voice and data for non-BlackBerry smartphones; instead, you can tack on the T-Mobile Internet for Web and e-mail access ($19 a month, with a voice plan), or $40 a month for wireless data without a voice plan. Text messages are extra.

BlackBerrys:
Several different options are available: You can pick a voice plan and tack on unlimited personal e-mail ($10 a month), unlimited data and e-mail ($20/month), or unlimited enterprise-level BlackBerry service ($30/month). Also on tap are a few "personal" bundles ($60/month for 1,000 minutes, $80 a month for 1,500 minutes) and enterprise bundles ($70 for 1,000 minutes, $90 for 1,500 minutes). Or you can get enterprise BlackBerry service a la carte for $40 a month.

Sidekick:
This one’s easy—a flat rate of $20 a month for unlimited data and e-mail. Take it or leave it.

Verizon Wireless

Smartphones (Windows Mobile, Palm):
Bundled voice/data plans include: 450 minutes for $80, 900 minutes for $100, 1,350 minutes for $110, and $130 for unlimited chatting (not included: texting). You can also opt for an a la carte $54 plan that includes unlimited data, e-mail, texting, and instant messaging. Finally, Verizon just introduced a $30 Web/e-mail-only plan (no texting) for three of its phones—the Verizon Wireless SMT5800 and XV6800 (Verizon’s version of the HTC Touch), plus the Motorola Q9m—with other phones to be added in "the next few months."

BlackBerrys:
Verizon doesn’t offer bundled data/voice plans for its BlackBerry phones; instead, you can get the a la carte $54 plan for unlimited texting, IM, personal e-mail, and data, or you can add Web and personal e-mail access to a voice plan ($30 a month, texting not included) or Web plus enterprise BlackBerry service ($45 a month, and again, no texting included).

Yep, it’s a lot to take in, and it gets worse: The carriers change their plans constantly to stay competitive, so make sure to double-check online before you buy.

So, what do you think: Are the voice/data bundles more enticing, or would you rather get your data a la carte? And who out there only uses their smartphone for chatting and/or texting? Just curious.