Using iPhone but keeping flip-phone for phone!

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Using iPhone but keeping flip-phone for phone!

In the next week I plan to buy my first iPhone and switch from Sprint to AT&T. I'm excited to own and iphone (have been experimenting/playing with iphones of friends for a month or so). For personal reasons not worth going in to, I want to continue living the 'flip-phone life' and keeping the iphone as a sep. device for everything else.

I want to get 2 phones from AT&T - One iPhone for computing/photo/internet/great fun apps/messaging (but not phone calls) and a second (flip phone) for phone calls.

How do I do this? Does it all get controlled through AT&T? Do I get a 2 line family plan and make the flip phone my main cell phone number (that I want to bring over from sprint)? Perhaps the iphone can just have a skype number attached to it, but no phone number. Does all this sound feasible?

Anyone taking this approach? Thoughts welcome....

thanks
bc

MacBook Pro 15" (never glossy), Mac OS X (10.6.1), MacBook, MBP 17", iMac 20", Aluminum PBook G4, iBook G4 14", Tbook, Wallstreet

Posted on Oct 29, 2009 10:17 PM

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Answer 1

Oct 30, 2009 3:51 AM in response to bluecool

If you get an iPhone, you need to sign up for a voice and data plan for it (or pay the extra $400 for an unsubsidized/no-contract iPhone). So, your iPhone will have a phone number and have a voice/data plan regardless. You can sign up for a family plan with 2 lines and get a flip-phone for one line, and port your current number to that phone.

If you won't need constant internet (3G) access and can live with Wi-Fi access only, consider an iPod Touch instead of an iPhone.

FWIW, my wife and I switched from flip-phones to the iPhone with no issues. Without delving into your personal reasons, you might try it for a while. The phone is easily locked, slips into a pocket/purse and won't unlock itself, etc. One suggestion - keep your Sprint flip phone for a little while, buy an iPhone and use it for a bit. Make some calls on it. Give the number to one or two people. Then, if you get used to it and can live without flipping out, so to speak, dump the Sprint phone and you can port your number to the iPhone account at that point. Else, change your AT&T account to a family plan at that point, and port your number to the second AT&T (flip) phone.

I don't know of too many people who would want to carry multiple phones. Personally, I told my employer "no" for a couple of years to the free BlackBerry they told me I needed to carry, and waited until IT started supporting iPhones, to avoid the need to carry two devices.

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Answer 2

Oct 30, 2009 8:52 PM in response to bluecool

I don't think you can get around not signing up for a plan unless you pay the unsubsidized fee.

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