I've had some version of Virgin Mobile for about 4 years now. My new one (a year old) has internet, text messaging, and a camera.
I don't want to be tied to the damn phone like the young people, so I have a plan where I pay $20 every 3 months, adding more if I need it, such as when I travel. You can add thru the phone, so it doesn't matter where you are when you run out of minutes.
I don't want a $100+ cell phone bill, so this suits me fine. Most of the time I keep it turned off, anyway. It's for me to call out, not others to call in. I don't want to be that available to other people.
Ditto on the Virgin Mobile. Only accessory I bought was a charger for my car.
I too am a Virgin Mobile user.
And as radiohead said, i have a
"prepaid" contract too. I am rarely
away from a land line or broadband
so i don't use it much, other than
when traveling, playing a game while
waiting somewhere, or during blackouts.
So, the $20 every 3 months works good
for me, and i have automatic top off,
so that when i *do* go below $5 in my
acct, It will automatically charge my
credit card $20 more, and give me a
new 3 month mandatory top off date.
I is a comfort knowing i can get in
touch with help on the road, or
call someone to let them know i have
arrived, and am waiting for them
outside, so i don't have to go in
to get them.
And as i have only found one actual "dead spot"
in my city, where i can't make a call
from, i am quite happy with my Virgin
Mpobile coverage. And at roughly $12 a
month, i am way ahead of what Verizon
wants to charge me for their "better coverage".
Whatever phone you choose. be sure you
check the area of coverage the provider
offers you. You can all the bells and whistles of the cutting edge, but if you don't got signal..all you got is an expensiver piece of hand jewelry.
Me, I *am looking at the newer phones
that offer real time TV, for less that ideal
circumstances, or *power failures*, but until a
company starts offering *loacl broadcast
channels, multicast from local cell towers,
i'll probably pass.
Don't get me wrong, i like how they have
CNN, FNC, ESPN etc..(With they'd have added
TVLand, & Spike) but if i'm watching TV on a Smartphone/cellphone, it's because i'm stuck
somewhere or there is a power failure...
In wich case...thjw Weather Channel does't
cut it on local weather bulletins. I
need/want the local Big 3, with their doppler
radars, and road closure reports.