New Phone Poll

[marcusmarcusrc]

I keep procrastinating on getting a new phone, because mine does everything I want, I occasionally wonder about iPhones and Crackberries, and I'd have to decide whether getting a large new-phone discount is worth entering into another 2 years of contract with the Evil Verizon, and I worry that my new contract might be more expensive than my current one...

However, the hinge on my phone seems to be disintegrating now (I guess the phone is 3 years old or so), which forces my hand. So, quick poll:

Assuming that I want another flip-top phone, minimal features, any recommendations?

Verizon vs. CREDO vs. other provider?

If I stick with Verizon, do I get a new contract, or just pay the phone costs?

And do I want an iPhone or other such email/web phone? Do I really need the ability to look up weird facts on Wikipedia from anywhere? Would it fit in my pocket as comfortably as my current phone?

Comments

[arcanology.livejournal.com]

You should check to make sure there isn't a new contract which offers more at the same price if you stick. If you've got a really low number of minutes there may not be one as cheap as your present, but if not they're almost surely offering more for less now. They do at least post their service options on the web, you can just go read them.

I found AT&T to be good until they merged with cingular, then they turned off a bunch of towers so I switched to verizon to get coverage.

[marcusmarcusrc.livejournal.com]

Good point on checking plans before going in. Though, having checked, my current plan charges me less than the minimum "basic plan" Verizon offers... I got a good MIT rate discount last time (which I am worried I'll lose now).

I do note that they have raised the text message cost from 10 cents to 20 cents a message, which is kind of ridiculous for something which should be effectively nearly free...

[tanatoes.livejournal.com]

My phone pre-dates phones with hinges, keypads and color screens, so I may not be the person to ask, but if you don't already have an iPod touch I highly recommend the iPhone. I use my iPod touch ALL THE TIME as a calculator, notepad, timer and watch. I check my e-mail and gaming blogs using wifi hotspots. Oh, and the iPod can play music (and video) as well. The added benefit of it also being a phone would, I imagine, make it even better!

[arcanology.livejournal.com]

Text messages are the big cash cow of the networks. They charge because they can. They are in fact close to free for the providers.

[marcusmarcusrc.livejournal.com]

But... economics tells me that if one person overcharges for text messages, a new provider will come in that will offer text messages for less, and then everyone will switch! Are you telling me that economics might be... flawed? No, say it ain't so!