Track your mobile data usage with DataMan Pro for iPhone, $2 for a limited time
My post on the AT&T class action suit for "systematically overbilling" iPhone customers really hit a nerve with you, and many wrote to me asking for solutions to fight against the telecom giant.
With recent news that Verizon will be axing its unlimited data plans and AT&T may be offering bundled plans across multiple devices soon, the days of frivolous use of cellular connectivity on mobile devices seems to be over. Arming yourself with data on your mobile data usage may be the only sure-fire way to protect your wallet against questionable charges on your bill. Of course, there is an app for just that.
DataManPro monitors and manages your iPhone's data (3G/EDGE/GPRS) usage in real-time and works on all carriers (AT&T and Verizon); it even tracks invisible data activities running in the background that you may be unaware of. The app keeps stats on and geotags your usage every 10 minutes, plus it can also generate daily, weekly and monthly reports on your data activities directly on your iPhone. That said, the developer XVision does acknowledge that the geotag function can drain your phone's battery so it can be disabled.
According to the press release, "[DataMan Pro is] also the only app that warns you in real-time when you exceed your custom usage thresholds." This can make all the difference in preventing unnecessary overage charges from appearing on your upcoming bill. This latest version also enables you to export your usage data to a spreadsheet program for further analysis.
Using this app unfortunately requires a bit of work. First of all, you need to download the app from the AppStore (available for $1.99 USD for a limited time) and set 4 levels of usage thresholds and 3 data allowances that reflects your data plan. (See below)
If and when you want to drill down on your data usage and compare the information against your latest bill (or even usage from month to month), you can export the statistics to Excel (or a program that understands CSV file format). First, select a date range within the app and then export the data to "iTunes file sharing", save the exported file (.CSV) using iTunes on your computer, and open it using your spreadsheet program of choice.
At $1.99 (or even the regular price of $4), this app may very well save you more money than it costs to install it on your iPhone. The real-time overage warnings alone make the DataMan Pro a must-have app -- too bad it's only for the iPhone. Look for the DataMan Pro in the App Store under Finance.
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