Hi Paul (of 1:387/710),
On Thu, 08 May 03 at 00:09 o'clock, you wrote me:

 PW> That's one reason I recommend to others they do what I've done.
 PW> Find a good used phone for sale cheap from someone or a
 PW> fleamkt/thrift store and have the provider use it instead of taking 
 PW> the phone they offer.

I've wondered about that.  I know one person who obtained their Motorola
MicroTac 650 that way.  Apparently, he got it for next to nothing and he
got some the charger from somewhere else.  As an added blessing - it has
turned out to be the more reliable than the new phones some of his friends
have.  He's dropped it many times and the unit keeps working great.  It
originally had a meagre NiCad 600mah battery,  but I found a good supplier
of a 1200mah Li-ION for his unit and now he's apparently using it all week
before he needs a recharge.  So.. his savings are are just getting better.

But now it seems that the activation fees for
"pre-owned/existing" phone can offset the benefit of bothering to
pay for an old phone at all.  I think the minimum activation fee is
something like cdn$50.  

One company, Telus, was offering a slick little model that would normally
cost $100, but they offered a $125 mail in rebate!  So they pay YOU $25 for
the phone.

Another example, the Rogers Nokia 8390 GSM Cellular Phone  is available at
Future Shop. Mail in the $125 Rebate, and the phone just costs 3 cents. 
Walk in the store to get it, or buy online - shipping for everything at the
store is free.

The electronics (to stay on topic! ) for cell phones is so cheap
to manufacture.  It is only recently that companies realize that if a
person HAS a phone, THEN they have a CUSTOMER and a regular flow of usage
fees.   I have been tempted many times to go for a cell.  If I lived in an
apartment and needed some kind of phone service, I would likely opt for a
cell phone. 


 PW>  I bought several in the hospice thrift store here not that long ago
 PW> including a motorola m70 analog/digital capable that I only gave $1
 PW> for. It was made in late 2000, has a li-ion pack, and is still able
 PW> to link up to cingular for digital access and a diff company for
 PW> analog.

Here in Canada, we're limited to barely a handful of cell phone companies:
Telus, Fido, BellMobility, Rogers/ATT.  And some of them even have
subsidiary companies that make it appear that there are even more.  And
among all of these companies coverage and cost can vary greatly.


 PW>  Down here you can use any cellphone, activated or not, to call 911
 PW> so it's worth the looking.

That is a blessing.  But here in Canada, it would still require an
activated phone that is "linked up" with a specific provider, and
that would mean that there is an activation fee, plus a minimum monthly
"prepaid card" required.


...August

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