Do You Love Your Cell Phone?
I do! Last summer my two boys moved to Virginia with their mother which is several states away since I’m in Ohio. Because they would be so far away I needed to find a convenient way to stay in touch when we couldn’t be together, and because they were ages 11 and 12 at the time I decided it was time to get them cell phones. I went with a prepaid plan through Virgin mobile at first, because the regular companies wanted to charge a deposit.
We all got the same phone, and they boys loved them. We were able to call each other on weekends and through the week after 7:00 PM for free since I got the unlimited plans, and Virgin Mobile works on the Sprint Network. We also had 600 anytime minutes each, so calling was never a problem, plus our phones had cameras so we could send pictures. While this was pretty convenient, it wasn’t all that cheap, because Virgin Mobile doesn’t allow for shared plans or minutes. Each plan was separate, and cost about $60 a month, plus tax. 
Around November I started thinking about Christmas, and hatched a plan to get the boys some awesome cell phones, while saving Dad some money at the same time. I decided to go ahead and pay the deposit for a regular cell phone plan through Verizon since the cost of the deposit was about the same as a good cell phone anyway. I did have to pay a deposit for each line, but I’ll get that back next year; with interest! I got they boys each a Motorola MOTOKRZR K1, one black, the other fire. They loved them, but what Dad got for Christmas was the coolest cell phone on the planet, the Samsung SCH-u740 black! I also got a cheaper cell phone bill.
What’s really cool about my cell phone other than it’s Bluetooth capabilities, and the fact I can use it as a modem for my laptop, is that it is duel hinged. When opened normally it looks like a regular flip phone, or the Razr, but it can also open horizontally like the popular LG enV, and has a full QWERTY keyboard, just like your PC keyboard, only a lot smaller. This makes sending important text messages to people you would rather not speak with in person a snap. 
I really like Verizon wireless service too. One big perk to having gone with Verizon was they allow me to have my kids on the same family plan even though they are in a different state than I’m in. This was brand new at Verizon when I inquired about it, and was one of the key factors in my decision to go with them for my wireless carrier. Other cellular providers did not offer this option in my area. To top it off, Verizon has the New Every Two plan, where every two years you can get a free, or discounted cell phone. I wonder if there will be something better than my Samsung by then. 
Sprint did have a plan in my area that was slightly better since unlimited nights started at 7:00 PM, and with Verizon you have to wait until 9:00 PM for unlimited talk, but Sprint wanted more for a deposit, and I wasn’t able to get my kids on a family plan through Sprint with them being out of state anyway. I did have to pay a little money up front for the cell phones, but it’s nowhere near the cost of having to buy these phones outright. I also had to agree to a two year contract, but in the end I’m saving around $40 a month on my cell phone bill, and I can talk to my kids anytime, so hey; sign me up! Oh, and did I mention? I really love my cell phone too!!
February 29th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
Can you believe it, I do not own one! Yikes so last century (okay maybe the century before that lol!). I’ve had numerous but got tired of paying each month for something I never remembered I had (and hence turned on). Also, after reading Stephen King’s Pulse… LOL! Just kidding. Enjoyed myself, thanks!