need help selecting cell phone/carrier & plan (etc)

[lisaray]

I need help. I have finally decided that I DO need to update my joke-of-a-cellphone (Think tracfone. Now downscale. I have a burner that cannot do voicemail, that I have to walk into 7-Eleven in order to add minutes. That's right. I cannot add minutes anywhere else or online. Only IN theri store.) Of course, I can onlu make calls and text, and texting is a HUGE pain! (remember hitting numbers multiple times for each letter?)

Anyway, after the convention, I've decided that I DO need a newer cell phone, preferably a smartphone. Yes, I'll try to win one, but barring that, I'd need to buy one. But I don't know enought to determine my needs. (Hint. I am cheap by nature, and greatly prefer to spend as little as I can get by with, while still having a phone that won't make me crazy.

I need recommendations regarding carriers. (I don't know enough to ask intelligent questions. Who is good and why? Who should I avoid and why?)

How about the phone itself? I DO like the idea of a keyboard, but it is not essential. (I gather that the phones that look more like a miniature tablet can be "typed" on the surface, like you do on iPads, etc.) I'm told that there ae phones that connect you to the internet via wi-fi, or alternately via cell towers. Advantages would seem to mainly be if you are somewhere where wi-fi is not available. (That brings up the question of a "portable hot-spot," but that wil be for another post.) Any disadvantages? (Other than cost, as I'm sure it costs more.) How well does this work?

(I'm also told that you can make cell calls from some tablets. How does THAT work? And, BTW, what exactly IS Skype, and how does THAT work?)

I have a small digital camera, but having camera on the phone could be convenient.

Finally, how does one determine the kind of plan one needs? # of minutes for calls/texting vs unlimited stuff... when you havnen't been using it, it's hard to determine what you need. and I feel like if I were to ask a salesperson, I would get the answer that's in the best THEIR best interest, not necessarily MY best interest.

I know thas was long, but I greatly look forward to finding out what others have to say.

[SweepstakesNinja]

Hi Lisa,

1. Here is a review of the 'top-10' carriers for cell phone service (although please note - this is an opinionated review by the site owner, and they ratings don't necessarily mean the best overall):
http://cell-phone-providers-review.toptenreviews.com/

2. Personally - I've found cell phone carriers have "designed" plans in such a way that there is not really any way you can pay "less" than $50/month. If you go with the "cheap" plan (say $20/month) - then they charge you an arm and a leg (literally) to do anything basic, i.e., text messages (like $1/text), or $0.35/minute over 100 minutes (1.5 hours) -- such that invariably -- you will end up paying *minimum* $50/month.

Personally - I'd probably go with Virgin Mobile (don't be fooled by the high scores of verizon on that page. The ratings are skewed to favor certain carriers over others simply based on coverage. But if you are looking for the best overall 'deal', then Virgin scores highest). I'd go with virgin because (a) I've read a number of books by Richard Branson (the one that owns the company), and he seems to have a good company philosophy. And (b) it looks like pricewise, it's the best deal you can get. (~$50/month as opposed to $90/month). Also - they don't charge "early termination" fees (which I don't like amongst cellphone as well as cable providers. Basically they 'penalize' you for choosing to go with someone else).

Another thing - in many stores - if you sign up for a 'yearly' plan (or 2-3 year plan) - they will "give" you a free phone. I'd shop around.

3. Not sure if you have it there - but blackberry tends to have keyboards. They are not as 'big' as they were 4-5 years ago - but they are very popular amongst the people that use them.

4. If the phone supports wi-fi - that simply means say if you go into starbucks, and they have free internet service, that you can connect to the internet for "free" as opposed to having to pay for it. (Many cell phone carriers limit your data transfer to 2-3GB/month, then start charging outrageous fees. These means you could watch 5 'full' length (compressed) movies on your phone, and then you'd start getting billed. But if you were in a 'free' internet cafe, you could watch more).

5. Portable "hot-spots" simply mean that you can connect to the internet from whereever you are (i.e., say to watch movies/youtube funny videos/etc on your phone). If you don't do that - then you don't really need it.

6. Yes, you can make phone calls from a tablet by using 3rd party software. "Skype" is one of the more 'well known' services (in some cases you do have to pay, I don't recall if "making" the phone call is free) - but there is other software and services that do the same.

7. Almost every new phone nowadays has a built in camera. Quality is "fairly" good. (I.e., good for viewing on computers, but not necessarily if you wanted to print them out on paper).

8. The "Standard" plan that the provider offers is probably best. They've designed things in such a way that you really can't get a "good" deal unless you *know* that there is no way you will exceed one of the limitations they impose on you. This means you'll probably be spending at least $50/month.