Samsung i730 and Data Usage...

I am thinking about purchasing a Samsung i730 primarily for its WiFi and PDA abilities. I asked a verizon rep but they couldn't give me a straight answer, so do any of you know the answer to this:

If I am accessing the internet through a WiFi hotspot (I DO NOT want to put a data plan on this phone) will I be using any data services through Verizon and thus racking up charges?

Thanks for any help!

No. Wi-Fi is a totally seperate feature from the data plan. However, you will not have much luck buying a new i730, as it has been discontinued for a while. You might want to consider the Pocket PC XV6700, which is the only current PDA phone to include wi-fi.

Thanks for the response. The i730 can be had for about $150 on ebay these days so I think I might go that route now that I know I can get my Orb cast anywhere on campus. Thanks a bunch!

Sorry to follow-up, but I had pretty much the same question and just wanted to be doubly sure.

So you can get an i730 (or any wi-fi capable Verizon phone) and NOT get a data plan and the wi-fi still works? It seemed logical, but given Verizon's habit of disabling certain features I wasn't sure if the wi-fi would still work unless you ponied up for the data plan (which I don't need since I have wi-fi connectivity where I'll be using it most.)

I was thinking about possibly waiting for the SCH-i760 and getting that (without a data plan.)

I have done more research on the topic, and without the data plan you CAN still use WiFi, plus you can use Verizon's free 14.4kbps service that charges to your regular phone minutes (it is automatically set up on the i730 I believe, the QNC or something network). It is slow, but should be useful for checking emails, etc. And like I said that uses NO data services, only minutes.