Ask Techland: How Should I Replace My Ancient Cell Phone?

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An Alternative Option

A lot of people are surprised to find out how much more the monthly plans cost when switching from a standard phone to a smartphone. If you want a total no-screwjob smartphone plan that may even end up costing less than your current plan, I’d look at something from Virgin Mobile. The company offers prepaid, no-contract plans that work on Sprint’s network.

Virgin Mobile doesn’t carry the iPhone, but you could get a BlackBerry for $250 upfront and then pay $35 per month for the plan. That includes unlimited data, messaging, and 300 voice minutes.

That’s a steal compared to the cheapest iPhone plan and, again, there’s no two-year contract. You can’t go over on your texting or data use, and if you go over your 300 minutes, each additional minute is 10 cents instead of 45 cents. The downside is that you have to shell out $250 for the phone.

The phone isn’t nearly as “cool” as the iPhone, but it does web and e-mail and you can download plenty of apps for it just like you can on the iPhone. It beats the pants off of any phone with a Cingular logo, too, that’s for sure.

 

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