I've had cell phones for several years and have never given much more than cursory thought to the cost of having one. As long as it was 'affordable', I'd take the bait. Well, the phone I've had for over two years was ready to finally give up the ghost so for two days I've agonized over what kind to get, which provider to use, etc. Jiminy Christmas, one would think I was about to hand over millions by the way I agonized over this decision!
I researched companies and phones and read reviews until my eyes were about to fall out of my head. Okay, the eye thing is an exaggeration but y'all know what I mean. It's no easy feat to decide on a provider, phone, plan, etc., especially when there are just so many choices out there. Cost is certainly a major factor but so is reliability and the customer service track record of a company.
I really, really want an iPhone but the monthly cost is prohibitive. I can afford it but I don't want to pay that much for a phone, even one as beautiful as the iPhone. 
The $45 a month plan from MetroPCS is appealing because of the low cost but there are too many complaints about them. I travel a little, mainly around Texas and Louisiana and a phone that works where I go is good and MetroPCS doesn't have coverage in most of those areas.
I called AT&T, Sprint, and some others and wound up getting a Blackberry Curve 8330 (a slightly older model) with a pretty basic plan from Verizon. I've been on my mother's Verizon plan for almost four years and their overall service is the best I've found so sticking with them just makes sense. My line is a $10 line so the monthly cost will be around $45, the same as MetroPCS with much better service, and less than half of what service for an iPhone will cost.
No, a Blackberry isn't an iPhone but it's definitely an upgrade from my old, cracked, worn out Razr v3 that turned itself off and on at will, and its affordable. And hey, I discovered last night that I can turn it off and it turns itself back on in the morning to ring the alarm! That really is a SmartPhone and I think I'm a smart cookie for getting it ;.)
Agonizing over a cell phone!
December 1st, 2009 at 12:58 pm
December 1st, 2009 at 01:18 pm 1259673510
That way, I still have the smartphone functionality of the iPhone, but would much cheaper in terms of minutes, which is where the bulk of the cost comes from.
The arrangement is working out great so far, although the obvious downside is that I have to carry two devices.
December 1st, 2009 at 03:22 pm 1259680942
Really, what's holding me back is that we're only a year into our two year contract. I'm hoping that when this contract expires I can find some reasonable compromise, or just realize that wanting a smartphone is not the same as needing one.