| New Phones, New Plans
By Allan
Keiter
If you are in the market for a new cell phone and or plan, here are a couple recent developments that may be of interest.
The LG VX8500, otherwise known as the LG Chocolate has just been launched for Verizon. Part phone, and part MP3 player, this phone is meant to be a direct competitor to the Apple iPod --- down to some of the same design elements. In conjunction with the release of this phone, Verizon has updated its pricing scheme for the VCAST service, which is its bundle of various data services. Formerly priced at $15 per month, it is now a pay-as-you-go arrangement. Music downloads are $1.99. The LG Chocolate is currently $149 with a two-year contract.
Verizon has also introduced the Samsung A990, the first 3.2 megapixel camera phone for sale in the United States. Although stand-alone digital cameras now mostly have between 5 and 7 megapixel resolution, 3.2 was the best one could get not that long ago. With this much higher quality, the Samsung A990 may represent the beginning of a true convergence between camera and phone. Over time, people may decide to only carry one device, and the phone will win out in that scenario. The Samsung A990 is about $250 with a two-year contract.
On the plan side, T-Mobile has introduced the FamilyTime Back-to-School promotion. This is the lowest priced two-line plan out there, just $49.99 for two lines, with up to 3 additional lines available for $10 each. Users share 1,000 anytime minutes, and unlimited calling to any T-Mobile subscriber. Long distance is included, and there are no roaming charges. There are not unlimited nights and weekends in this plan, however, which might make it less practical for students who do most of their talking during those time periods.
Allan
Keiter is president of MyRatePlan.com.
Founded in 1999, MyRatePlan
offers unbiased content,
filters and calculators
to help consumers make
more informed decisions
about the products and
services they research
and buy online.
|
