- Streaming Video or Videoconferencing: Video is definitely one of the hottest things in mobile right now, but beware of how much time you’re spending on YouTube. Just one minute of video can eat up 2 MB of data, so if you’re on a standard 200 MB plan, this can get you into trouble fast. The silver lining: if you can hop on wifi you won’t use up your data and can watch as much video as your heart desires.
- Streaming Audio: While significantly less of a drain on your data at half a megabyte per minute, streaming audio can sneak up on you and exhaust your data plan quickly. Just 10 minutes a day streaming music from Pandora will break the bank if you’re on a 200 MB plan. Switch to the old-school radio when you can .
- Photos: The occasional photo every now and then won’t hurt you, but both sending and viewing photos eat up your data. Posting 10 photos a day can tip you over the edge of a 200 MB plan, not to mention, probably overwhelm your Facebook friends.
- Maps: Smartphones are God’s gift to the directionally challenged, but using your phone to look up directions can use up to a megabyte per minute. And because you’re more likely to use maps for an extended period of time, these applications can actually end up being more damaging to your data plan than any other activity.
- Web Surfing: While it depends which websites you’re surfing, pages with lots of pictures, video, or animation can drain your data quickly. However, if you stick to text-centered sites, you should be fine.
Posted by Nicole Hall, Account Manager with Mobilize Worldwide. Mobilize Worldwide develops mobile apps, mobile ad campaigns, mobile websites and just about anything else related to mobile marketing for brands interested in growing their sales and revenue using this new and emerging medium.