For deaf individuals or for those with primary hearing loss, cell phones can still be a great way of staying in touch. By choosing hearing aid compatible cell phones, those with a mild to moderate hearing loss can often make use of these handy transportation devices especially when a neckloop, amplifier, or an induction coupler known as Hatis is added. For deaf individuals or those with a more severe hearing loss, the potential to use text messaging features is primary and the use of voice calling frustrating or useless. In such instances, paying for costly voice plans makes no sense when the individual can only make use of the data features.
Fortunately, some of the major Us cellular providers now offer data only plans that can be purchased without any voice plan required. T-Mobile offers the Sidekick Data Plan which offers unlimited e-mails, messaging, web surfing, and instant messaging for only .99/month. Aim comes installed on the phone and users can download Yahoo!Messenger. Users can also sync up to three of their Pop3 e-mail accounts to their cell phone and they receive a free tmail.com catalogue with 6Mb of storage. Voice calls, if needed, would be expensed at 20 cents/minute.
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At&T offers the Text Accessibility Plan (Tap) for iPhone. This plan includes unlimited Sms messages, unlimited data usage (e-mail and web) as well as optic voice mail for /month. Any voice calls would be expensed at 40 cents/minute. The At&T site indicates that inherent users need to unblemished a Disability Certification form, sign up for quarterly iPhone activation via iTunes, and then sense At&Ts National town for Customers with Disabilities to turn their service to the Tap plan for iPhone. Availability is sparse in Alaska as well as parts of the western Us.
Sprint provides the Sprint Relay Data Plan. This .99/month plan provides unlimited e-mail, internet access, instant messaging, domestic text messaging (Sms), and unlimited Phone as Modem. Incoming and outgoing calls are blocked to avoid any unwanted expenses. This block can be removed by the user and voice calls would then be expensed 20 cents/minute for local calls and 40 cents/minute for long distance. Users can get this plan only via the Sprintrelaystore.com site.
Us Cellular offers a whole of data only plans. They have a "Standard Wireless" plan for .95/month which provides unlimited text messaging and, if needed, voice calls for 25 cents/minute within area and 69 cents/minute when roaming. For those concerned in a plan without a ageement or any credit checks, they also offer a Prepaid Plan. This .95/month plan also gives users unlimited text messaging but any voice calls are expensed at 50 cents/minute in area and 69 cents when roaming.
For those wanting supplementary data services, Us Cellular offers the Blackberry Plan which provides unlimited texting messaging for .95 and e-mail and web service for an supplementary .95/month. Any voice calls are expensed at 99 cents/minute. Users get not only text messaging but Yahoo!Messenger, GoogleTalk Messenger, and Blackberry Messenger as well as the potential to link up to 10 personal Pop3 e-mail accounts. The final gift is their Windows movable plan which provides unlimited text messaging for .95/month and Windows movable e-mail and web for an supplementary .95. Users get the Microsoft Os with Internet Explorer web browsing, Msn Instant Messenger and the potential to link up to 8 messaging and e-mail accounts.
Data only plans make sense and admittedly there are at least a handful of options available; production cellular based transportation a more affordable option for the deaf and hearing impaired.
Cell Phones For the Deaf - Data Only Cellular Plans
