It's difficult to compare what you can get for how much money when you're trying to decide on the right personal telecommunications device, the right carrier, and the right data plan. The best way to start is by visiting the Websites of the major providers and figuring out what you need and which of them comes closest to your needs at the best price.

Apple has developed a table comparing services from Sprint, Verizon and AT&T, although you'll find that even at this site, exact comparisons are very difficult:

https://static.ips.apple.com.edgekey.net/ipa_preauth/content/catalog/en_US/index.html

Sprint, on its Website, offers a calculator that will give you a general idea of which of Sprint's plans fit your needs the best:

http://shop.sprint.com/content/datacalculator/index.html?ECID=vanity:datacalculator

AT&T offers a step-by-step system that lets you determine a plan, decide on how much data you need, and set yourself up, on this Website:

http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/plans/data-plans.jsp?WT.srch=1&fbid=IERUDW4dG52

Verizon provides thorough comparisons on its Website:

http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/explore/?page=unlimited

U.S. Cellular also gives comparisons of the major plans, on a multi-layered Website that offers extensive shopping capabilities:

http://www.uscellular.com/plans/planalizer.html?cm_ven=Google&cm_cat=HD_R_Services&cm_pla=data%20plans&cm_ite=1070667

Consider how much you'll use each feature. Most people will use 2GB of data a month; if you're the type who doesn't like to be disturbed when you're away from your desk, you probably won't need more than that. If you're always on your phone, look for the plan that gives you the most data for the cheapest price.