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Project Fi by Google

fi.google.com

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Re: Project Fi by Google

#251

Post by modeless »

tacojuan wrote: post #235
modeless wrote: post #187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unlimited data plans are actually bad. The incentives are all wrong. Consumers and websites have no incentive to fix any problem that causes them to use unnecessary data, clogging the network. Carriers actually have a perverse incentive to discourage use of the network, because increased use doesn't increase revenue, it just causes more congestion. This leads to stupidity like extra charges for tethering, blocking of…

You seem to have the word incentive confused with the word discourage. Or it's an obnoxious euphemism. I have an unlimited data plan on T-mobile for 30 bucks. Paying by the megabyte would discourage me from using data, not "incentivize me to use less data". >There's no reason to block servers or VPNs or tethering. There's no reason to throttle BitTorrent or Netflix or terminate anyone's service for "excessive" usage.…

I'm sorry I offended your sensibilities, but this is a perfectly cromulent use of the word "incentive". If you look in a dictionary under "incentive", you might find an example sentence such as "The rising cost of electricity provides a strong incentive to conserve energy."

Re: Project Fi by Google

#252

Post by Raphael »

dntrkv wrote: post #81
kirinan wrote: post #8

This is insane. I can't think of an industry that google is not trying to compete in. Auto industry, space industry, internet of things industry (Nest), internet/media industry, cable/internet provider industry, automobile industry, robotics industry, software industry, smartphone industry, pc industry now the telecom industry. I'm starting to expect Google to launch an airline here pretty soon. How can they possibly…

They are not really competing in all of those industries, they might have a crazy project they are attempting, but they aren't really competition. Auto industry? I'm assuming you mean self driving cars, which, at this point, are still in the concept phase. Space industry? Did I miss something, is Google launching rockets? There are many other companies that are way more diversified than Google. http://en.wikipedia.or…

Satellite photography appears in Google Maps, so rockets are needed at some point.

Re: Project Fi by Google

#253

Post by cbhl »

tomhschmidt wrote: post #93
MBlume wrote: post #40

"We refund the data you don't use" is basically a way of saying "you pay by the megabyte for the data you do use" -- which is actually really great, I've been frustrated that everyone's settled on "all-you-can-eat" data as the standard, it doesn't align incentives well at all. And they really are refunding it: if you use 1.2GB per month, it doesn't matter whether you sign up for 2, 5, or 10GB, your bill comes out exa…

This plan actually makes no sense. Overage charges are the same rate ($10 / GB), so why am I buying a "plan" at all? Why don't they just charge $10 * x gigs / month instead of all this buying / refunding business?

Ting Mobile (https://ting.com/rates) uses this exact pricing model (1.5 cents per megabyte) above and beyond 2 GB of usage.

Re: Project Fi by Google

#255

Post by Dylan16807 »

athenot wrote: post #155
MBlume wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Know your data is safe Your data is secured through encryption when we connect you to open Wi-Fi hotspots. It's like your data has a private tunnel to drive through." So that's a yes ETA: Of course this does mean Google has the plaintext, but then, your ISP always has the plaintext unless you're bringing your own encryption, so this is really no different.

Google is also in a much better position to make use of that data & metadata than the typical ISP.

At the same time they're not going to invite shoddy monitoring/injection services like many ISPs have done.

Re: Project Fi by Google

#256

Post by derefr »

maxerickson wrote: post #181
untog wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you feel about services that require $650 phones? Broadly speaking, few do. There are a lot of cheap Android phones out there.

This service requires a $650 phone.

It does for now. Whether or not the tech filters down into other products, this exact phone won't still be $650 in two years.

Re: Project Fi by Google

#257

Post by emir_ »

yunong wrote: post #206

This is great. I was hoping the data charges would be cheaper. The T-mobile $30 prepaid plan gives you unlimited data with the first 5 gigs at LTE speeds. You also get 100 minutes. This works incredibly well for me as I mostly use my phone for data. If I need to make a call, I'll use google hangouts over LTE.

$30 for 5 gigs? When did T-Mobile start offering this? Why am I then paying $50 for 2 gigs?

Re: Project Fi by Google

#258

Post by nandhp »

laurencerowe wrote: post #220
smacktoward wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What I don't get is, what's in this for Sprint and T-Mobile? Currently a user of their network is a customer they "own" -- they deal with that customer directly. Now they have Google sitting between them and the user, which effectively commoditizes their service; Google could switch them out for another network down the road without the user ever knowing or caring. That's great for Google, and probably also great for…

Google is charging a significant markup over T-Mobile's existing rates ($30/month for 5Gb vs $70/month through Gooogle.) So Fi is really only interesting for people doing significant international roaming.

Except T-Mobile already has unlimited international roaming (text/data) on their postpaid plans. (Admittedly, the special $30/month plan costs less than the postpaid plans.)

Re: Project Fi by Google

#259

Post by untog »

maxerickson wrote: post #181
untog wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you feel about services that require $650 phones? Broadly speaking, few do. There are a lot of cheap Android phones out there.

This service requires a $650 phone.

Sure, but there's no reason it will always be the case. It makes sense to start with a limited number of hardware devices, and only ones under your control.

Re: Project Fi by Google

#260

Post by blisterpeanuts »

hughes wrote: post #204

Looks great for international travelers, but this would more than double my $30 monthly unlimited data plan from T-Mobile. I used 5.2GB last month, so that would cost me $73.

You must have a grandfathered plan.

I had a grandfathered plan with unlimited data, until I gave it up in exchange for Canada service.

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