AntiVerizonitis

The screen dented itself with the help of my keys the other day, and Verizon wanted $50 to replace it with the same model - or tell me to wait until January to save $100 on a new phone and another two-year contract. WHAT?! With as much money as we're spending with them every month, I didn't hesitate when I walked into a competitor's store and picked up a less frustrating phone, service plan, and contract. Ponzi and I have cut our montly cell phone bill in half by walking away from Verizon and into Cingular. They seem to be the lesser of the two evils, actually - and we're only stuck with 'em for the next 365 days if things go awry.

Sprint Verizon T Mobile Cingular cell phone wireless carrier smartphone

I wanted to get the Audiovox 5600 SMT, but she appreciated the MPx220's clamshell form factor. I looked at both units, and they seemed pretty much equal - but the MPx220 has a higher resolution crappy camera, so it won me over quickly in the store. Plus, with both of us owning the same phone, we can use each other's cables and car chargers. It's something I miss by not owning a Nokia, but the Smartphone's easy Outlook integration keeps me with the Windows Mobile Platform (for now). I wasn't going to wait for the next-gen phones in a couple of months; we both needed replacements ASAP.

Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile, Cingular... they're all evil, equally. I think it's insane that we're still required to sign contracts of any length with any one of 'em. I should be able to use any phone with any network at any time (provided I have a subscription somewhere). I'd love to stop owning a cell phone altogether, but that's just not possible anymore. Prices have to come down, though - they have to come down. Thank goodness for family plans!

I don't know if anybody takes in slightly damaged Pocket PC phone units, but I've got one that'll be doing nothing but collecting dust from here until eternity. My Samsung i700 had its screen slightly dented at the top when it rested against keys in my coat pocket. I'll likely try to turn it into a piece of art and sell it for a million dollars on eBay or Craigslist or something. I'm glad the unit had run its course, though.

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Yours Digitally,
Chris Pirillo