New cell phone. Think I've finally got to give in

Mine is 4-5 years old.

It's been fine. I don't really use it for much more than a few calls and the occasional text to my kid. I suppose it would be useful to have a camera around.

I'm not willing to pay more monthly for all sorts of fun bells and whistles. (Though I still don't get why my kid's Ipod can get free internet, but a phone can't... hrmmphh).

I'd like a big enough screen to read easily. (Not getting younger).

Ease of use.

Actually, not too small - I'm already fussing to find the thing in my bag. I think perhaps a slider would be more easy to find than a flip.

And I want fuss-free. No running to the store to get it fixed. No worries.

The Nokias I've used for a decade now have never given me a problem. But as I said, it's pretty old, and finally starting to give over. The headset I have doesn't work, and rather than invest another $25 in a new one, I think it's time to use my credits and get a new phone.

So... recommendations?

Having had the phone 4-5 years, if you're on a plan, you're definitely out of contract by now. Who are you with right now?

There's only 5 nationwide companies : Sprint/Nextel, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Alltel, though Alltel will become Verizon soon. US Cellular is big but not everywhere (mainly rural areas), and Cricket is big on name and poor on coverage (no coverage in CT). Anyone else you see is either a local cellphone company (some still exist) or they're reselling another network. I don't know of any local cell phone companies in CT, I think that's Verizon territory anyway.

How many is a "few calls"? How occasional is the text? How is the budget?

If your usage really is that occasional and you want a trusted name then it's either Virgin Mobile or Tracfone. Virgin operates over Sprint's network, Tracfone's dependent on phone type. If you pick Virgin you'll probably want the Super Slice, or maybe the Switch_Back models. If you pick a Tracfone, the Motorola C261 is for you.

For something more "cutting edge" you could check out this new entrant: http://www.totalcallmobile.com - Total Call Mobile. They're cheaper than Tracfone - $10 buys you 100 minutes ($0.10/min) or 200 ($0.05/text in or out) text messages that lasts for 90 days. They use Sprint's network. They only sell a handful of phones, all flip-phones. If you went this route you could pick up a Sprint compatible phone on ebay and connect with them.

If you're going with the big 4 and a traditional plan then any entry-level phone with a basic plan with maybe a text add-on will probably do you nicely. If you were going with Sprint, I'd say take the Samsung Rant (better than an LG Rumor IMO) and pair it with the most basic talk plan and ask to add on a text package to cover some texts for about $5 a month. If you work for a company that gets you discounts on Sprint service then upgrade to the next package because the basic basic package cannot be discounted, you'll more than double your minutes and since a lot of discounts are in the 10-15% range, that's enough to cover the cost of a text package.

Oh and I can answer that ipod question. That ipod is probably an ipod touch. In essence, it's an iphone without the phone part, but it has the gizmos to connect to the web wirelessly (wifi).

Hope this helps,

Mark.

Yes, I'm grandfathered into a relatively less-expensive monthly plan with AT&T now. I think I get 200 minutes a month - I rarely use more than 75, I'm sure. By a few texts, I think maybe the most was during September, and I'd guess that added up to maybe 10-12... Not many. If my college kid gets exciting news, lol.

The woman in the Radio Shack (she was far nicer and more helpful than the guys at the AT&T store) suggested I narrow it to 3: the Palm Centro, the Samsung A737 and the Sony Ericsson W760. At this point, I'm not looking to add to my plan and get into data plans, etc. I'll wait to indulge my online obsession until I'm home, I think. But I suppose it wouldn't be stupid to have a phone capable of that should I change my mind at a future date.

So sticking with AT&T will mean re-upping to another 2 year contract... without much incentive, I have to say. At least they used to give you a good deal on the phone. Now it's not such a deal - more of a deal for those they're hoping to entice into a new plan.

And I guess I'm just whining about the Ipod. There the kid is, with the fancy new toy (that came with the computer I paid for of course!), and internet access, so long as he can find a hot spot, is free. Why can't that be the case with the phones? I'm sure it *can*... I guess it's more why won't they let that be the case, whine, whine?

I suppose my other alternative is to go without a contract - my kid is doing Virgin Mobile with a monthly plan. Similar minutes, unlimited texting, and his costs about what mine does... without any obligation.

I hate making decisions!