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SecretMethod70 · 07-17-2008, 10:37 PM

OK, new developments, and I'll likely be going out to get something on Saturday sometime...

The deal with minutes is that everyone else I've spoken to in a similar position to the one I'm starting either has unlimited minutes or wishes they had unlimited minutes. It seems unlimited minutes is the way to go. Texting is a more difficult proposition, but I know it'd be useful for the job.

What makes this interesting is that I need unlimited minutes through to the beginning of November, and then after that I probably won't need the phone for work anymore. Outside of work use, I could probably get by on 300-450 minutes easily.

I seem to recall that it's possible to buy a phone at full price and not sign a contract, making it easy to change plans or providers in the future. If that's true, one option I'm considering is getting a Palm Centro (extra bonus: the Palm OS would add another convenient work function since there's a particular app on it that we can use). The retail price is $349.99 while unlimited minutes and text would be $150/month. After November, I should be able to get by quite easily on 450 minutes and 200 texts a month for $45. That's over $100 less per month, and would make up the extra cost of the phone in only 3 months.

Is there something I'm missing, or does this seem like the best plan of attack for my situation? Does anyone know anything about the Palm Centro? Anyone used it? I went to the AT&T store tonight and played around with the smart phones there, and I was honestly disappointed by all of them, including the iPhone (it's really difficult to type well on that thing!). So, I figure if I'm not going to like the GUI on the phone, no matter which one I get, I might as well get one that I'm already somewhat familiar with and which could provide an added benefit for the job over the next few months. But I'm not totally decided, so any input on that is also welcome.

Thanks!

07-17-2008, 10:37 PM	#14 (permalink)
SecretMethod70 Human Administrator Location: Chicago	OK, new developments, and I'll likely be going out to get something on Saturday sometime... The deal with minutes is that everyone else I've spoken to in a similar position to the one I'm starting either has unlimited minutes or wishes they had unlimited minutes. It seems unlimited minutes is the way to go. Texting is a more difficult proposition, but I know it'd be useful for the job. What makes this interesting is that I need unlimited minutes through to the beginning of November, and then after that I probably won't need the phone for work anymore. Outside of work use, I could probably get by on 300-450 minutes easily. I seem to recall that it's possible to buy a phone at full price and not sign a contract, making it easy to change plans or providers in the future. If that's true, one option I'm considering is getting a Palm Centro (extra bonus: the Palm OS would add another convenient work function since there's a particular app on it that we can use). The retail price is $349.99 while unlimited minutes and text would be $150/month. After November, I should be able to get by quite easily on 450 minutes and 200 texts a month for $45. That's over $100 less per month, and would make up the extra cost of the phone in only 3 months. Is there something I'm missing, or does this seem like the best plan of attack for my situation? Does anyone know anything about the Palm Centro? Anyone used it? I went to the AT&T store tonight and played around with the smart phones there, and I was honestly disappointed by all of them, including the iPhone (it's really difficult to type well on that thing!). So, I figure if I'm not going to like the GUI on the phone, no matter which one I get, I might as well get one that I'm already somewhat familiar with and which could provide an added benefit for the job over the next few months. But I'm not totally decided, so any input on that is also welcome. Thanks! __________________ Le temps détruit tout "Musicians are the carriers and communicators of spirit in the most immediate sense." - Kurt Elling