Good morning friends,
Not of utmost importance nor particularly political, but today I turn to you, my extended family, to find out what kind of cell phone you have and who your service provider is.
After 4 or 5 odd years of toiling along with the exact same phone and the exact same service provider, I find it is time for a replacement. I come to you with lots of questions and if I know anything about Kossacks, it is that you are not shy about sharing advice!
So my Samsung SPH-A400 has finally crapped out on me. The battery terminals are getting green with corrosion, and it shuts itself off everytime I flip it closed. I have had Sprint as my provider which has dropped more calls than a bingo worker.
My needs are simple. I make about 25 calls a week, mostly personal. One peak month for work I make or take 400 calls in a week. This makes "rollover minutes" alluring, since I could bank a bunch of time all year long then not get stuck with a $150 for one heavy week of use. Scandalous! But is rollover legit? Are there restrictions?
I want a plan rather than the buying phone cards or a prepaid phone. I don't like to shop, and would not be very good at buying additional minutes on a regular basis. If I ran out of time while on the road and my car broke down for instance, I would be pissed. So I choose to pay a monthly fee for reliability and in case of an emergency.
Are there any red or blue service providers? I am leaning towards Verizon since they offer an employee discount that may put them ahead as far as cost. Again, rollover with Cingular is appealing.
What about where to buy it and subscribe? Internet? Best Buy? Again, red or blue companies?
Since my needs are simple, I could certainly get by with a "free" phone. I might look at the Razr or Chocolate, but only with the bored curiosity of a teenager in an art gallery. No blue tooth, MP3, or even a camera is necessary. I may "have" to get one with a camera, since that may be the only thing on the market right now, but I vow only to use it for pootie pics or protest thugery in action.
Treo, Palm, Blackberry? No. I don't want to take yet another class just to learn how to use it. Plus, $200 to $400 or more is much more than I care to invest in. Hell, I don't even text message, and I have never ever even downloaded a ring tone.
And as a disclaimer, I vow:
Not to hold anyone here responsible for my decision with retributive troll ratings.
**NOTICE TO NSA**Just because I live in Michigan, have photographed the Mackinaw Bridge, and am looking to buy a cell phone, it doesn't mean that I am a terrorist. Really.