My wife and I have phones on Verizon wireless.  She pays roughly 80 and I pay about 65.  We don’t have data plans.  I started looking at upgrading our phones and maybe even going towards data plans.  A family plan would work fine for us since she uses more minutes than I do.  I don’t even need what I have(my $39.99 plan with over 50% extra in horse shit surcharges).  All together with a two year contract, two droids, and a data plan, we’re looking at $200.  That’s even before the aforementioned surcharges and other hidden fees appear on the bill.

I understand why they cost so much.  Basically, it’s what the people will pay.  Same goes for cell phones.  I’m surprised that modern smart phones such as the Droid, Nexus, and iPhone cost over $500 considering you can get a less than terrible laptop for the same price.  For political reasons at work, they won’t pay for a data plan.  I’m probably the only admin left that doesn’t get email on my phone. 

At any rate, do you have a smart phone with a data plan?  Does your job pay for it or do you foot the bill yourself?  Is it even worth having a data plan when you get past the novelty and wow factor?