Getting a new mobile phone

[editor]

From what I've seen cell rates in other countries are dirt cheap compared to here; whether or not you want to owe it that our cell infrastructure is incomplete, they're constantly updating, or they're still making payments on a cell tower in Denver. I don't know. But I hope rates are dropped as more people are using them as their primary phone.

So there!

Thanks for the backup. I bet if more people were contract-free, then the cell phone companies would HAVE to lower rates to be more competitive. Or at least offer more features. Someone I work with got one of those "free" RAZRs from Verizon (or some other big company), and guess what -- Bluetooth file transfer is disabled! Guess why? So he's forced to buy ringtones and wallpaper and stuff from the company's store instead of just sending pictures from his home computer.

As for rates in other countries, in my travels I've noticed that cell service is cheaper in most European countries (where changing phone companies is as easy as changing your SIM card), but more expensive in Asia, especially Japan (where they have SIM-less phones like in America).

A friend of mine in Japan pays $64/month for 100 minutes of talk time. He says that's typical; and after visiting probably a dozen cell phone stores in Tokyo, I'm pretty sure he's right. Sure, the Japanese have the neatest toys, but they pay for it through the nose. He also says the expensive talk time is the reason Japanese use text messages so much -- it's cheaper.