[georgepa]

2-yr. contracts are for the birds.

Sprint's pre-paid arm, Boost CDMA, costs $46.33 TOTAL per month (incl. taxes and fees) and gives me:

Unlimited talk
Unlimited text (SMS and MMS)
Unlimited 3G web
Unlimited GPS
Unlimited Tethering ability
Unlimited use of Sprint Navigation, Sprint NFL, Nascar, etc.

No Contracts

I can choose one of their phones (Boost) or move a Sprint-branded phone in. Caveat is that they won't allow the most recent phones (i.e. Hero, Palm Pre) but there are tons of smartphones to choose from. I use my HTC Diamond with it, others are using HTC Touch Pro II, various Blackberries like the Curve, Tour, Samsung Intrepid, etc. Yes, I have to look for deals on phones on ebay or Craigslist, and a TP 2 costs about $250, but having no contracts and getting all the services on the Sprint 3G network for under $50 per month make it a worthwhile investment (I paid under $100 for my HTC Diamond.)

I guess some are ok with paying double or triple per month for the same or lesser services (T-Mobile was my previous provider, they stink) just to get a latest-model phone, but I can wait an extra year to go from my Diamond or Touch Pro 2 to the Hero or any other device Sprint comes out with (if I feel I need it.)