Jim Fitzgerald wrote:I guess if I could purchase a cellular version without a cellular data plan, that's what I would do.
That shouldn't be a problem. I had an iPad for a while before I ditched it in favor of Android, and I just bought data from AT&T a month at a time when I needed it, typically when I was traveling in the US. At home, I have plenty of wifi options so I don't need data. Same story now with my Nexus 7. I buy data two or three months a year when we are on the road in the US and that's it.
It's actually a little more difficult to have a smartphone without data if you are with one of the big carriers. They usually cram the data subscription down your throat. Not so with the MVNOs. I have my wife's and my Nexus 4 phones on PureTalk with no data plan. Total bill is usually around $15/month for the two of us. We don't use a lot of minutes.