Contract Phones vs Pay-As-You Go

[TheSlyMoogle]

So I stopped in at radioshack today to get a new cell phone, because mine exploded. I think I've got electric flowing inside my body now of a higher voltage or something, anyway.

So I saw this:

http://plans.boostmobile.com/blackberry.aspx

It's fairly recent but for $60 dollars a month, and a one time payment of 250 dollars I can have a blackberry curve and all the features (Boost runs off Sprint's network btw)?

Now I realize I'm paying 150 dollars more for the phone than usual, but my contract with ATT before my term ended I was paying 110 dollars a month for the same thing almost, except with lack of unlimited anytime calls.

Does anyone else here not feel like you're getting ripped off by phone companies?

I'm anxious to see more deals like this pop up as pay as you go phones gain popularity with the recent economy hit.

Either way I highly believe that when I get back my tax return I might be replacing my current pay as you go phone, with the boost service with blackberry curve. Also it's a really cool phone model for the blackberry.

Also with PAYG phones, if you are late with a payment, or miss a payment, it's no big deal, they don't charge you late fees or do anything, you just lose service until you pay up. No strings.

So what about contract deals? Let's see if anyone can find some decent contract deal things to post up here. I think phones are a pretty hot topic these days. I used to be pretty against texting and mobile web etc. stuff. After I started using it though because I got it free for a month or had to pay for it to get a lower price on a phone. Anyway, I enjoy having mobile web and unlimited texting. Actually use my phone more for that stuff than talking, but it's always nice to have a phone just in case you need to call.