There are so many different kinds of cell phones and cell phone plans these days that it’s hard to know what to get.

Should you get a regular phone or a smart phone?  A monthly plan or pre-paid?

Smart Or “Dumb”?

One thing to think about that might help you with your decision is to try and figure out what you’ll be using if for.

If you only want to make phone calls and don’t care about getting online then you probably don’t need a smart phone.

If you do a lot of texting you’ll definitely want to get a phone with a full qwerty keyboard.

Of course, if you’re going to be using it a lot for email or the Internet, then you’ll definitely need a smart phone.

Experts in the tech business are constantly talking about a post-PC world.

What they mean by this is that more and more people are doing their computing from a variety of mobile devices rather than from traditional laptop or desktop computers.

While there is no way to completely replace a powerful desktop computer with a smart phone, people who have put these mobile devices to use find that they offer them a unique combination of functionality and

convenience that makes it easier to do everything from finding directions to staying in touch with friends and family from all over the world.

How Much Talking Do You Plan To Do?

Although there are lots of service providers out there, there are really only two types of service to consider: monthly contract or pre-paid.

Once again, you’re decision is going to be based on your needs.

Pre-paid plans are good if you don’t make a lot of phone calls or send a lot of texts, or if you just want your phone for emergencies.  It’s also good if you’re just entering the world of cell phones.

And believe it or not, there are still some people out there who don’t have cell phones.

With pre-paid you buy a certain amount of minutes and don’t pay for more until you’ve used them up.

Many pre-paid providers now have phones with Internet so you can actually get a smart phone with a data plan without having to get a monthly contract at prices that are competitive with monthly contracts.

If you’re looking for a phone with lots of bells and whistles, or if you’re planning to talk a lot or use a lot of data, you’ll probably want to consider a monthly contract plan.

As the name “contract” implies, you will be tied into that service for a specified amount of time, usually two years, so be sure you find the service provider and plan that fits your needs.

One Last Consideration

One more thing to think about when making your phone choice is how much wear and tear your phone is going to get.

Most people are not going to be tossing their phones around, but if you spend a lot of time outside, or

have a job that involves a lot of hard, outdoor work, you might want to look into a tougher phone model.  It’s either that or invest in a heavy duty cover for your phone.

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Stephanie Frasco wrote this article about finding the right cellphone. She is also the community manager on the www.myreviewsnow.net website.