Audiovox Vox 8610 (Virgin Mobile)

Pros: Pay $5/mo instead if $46/mo. Oh yeah! Receive free text msg

Cons: Teen oriented. Phone is cooler than I am.

Summary: What's great about this phone is not the phone; but Virgin Mobile. I dumped by SprintPCS $39/mo plan (which really cost me $46/mo). I only use about 20 to 30 minutes per month. Now with auto top-off, I can get it down to $15 every 90 days. So only $5 per month. Only sales tax applies, none of those extra charges.

SprintPCS is Virgin's carrier, so my service remained exactly the same. (OK, but not great).

Receiving text messages are free, something not true under my $46 plan.

It's too obviously for teens, and tries to be too cool. No big deal, but my phone says "later" instead of "good bye". I don't really want to download Animated Spongebob ringtone, but there's no harm in offering.