Comments on: Strong Personal Finance Articles from this Week (Palm Pre Edition)

By: Kosmo @ The Casual Observer

Kosmo @ The Casual Observer — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:40:47 +0000

The new iPhones were announced yesterday. The “teleportation” functionality sounds cool. Cheaper than flying. Time travel not expected until next year, as they’re still working out some kinks.

Guess you can toss your Pre into the Bay now, huh? :)

By: Adrian

Adrian — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 03:31:43 +0000

Thanks for your posts. I wanted a smartphone and my work will be giving me a monthly credit toward one. I have a great sprint package ($40.00 two phones 750 anytime mins 200 texts) currently but if I can’t benefit from it I think I’d rather have the iPhone. Palm Centro would be the frugal choice but these phones look so cool.

By: Lazy Man

Lazy Man — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 18:28:51 +0000

I went through the same upgrade thing with the upgrade to Evdo with Treo 700P. I was able to retain my same rate with Sprint retentions.

This time I haven’t been so fortunate. Even retentions couldn’t do much for me as Sprint is getting away from complex plans.

As someone said recently, they are making it like cable – you get 500,000 things and you might only want two of them.

By: Toogie

Toogie — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:26:55 +0000

This is why I use the cheapest Nokia on a Tracfone account. (Yeah, they “upgrade” periodically too – forcing you to buy more minutes to keep the account going, etc.)

I currently have a Palm TX for the spiffy internet and PDA side of things. I will probably replace it with an iPod Touch eventually.

By: Erica Douglass

Erica Douglass — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 06:00:28 +0000

@Ben: Check out a Palm Centro; they work on the old Sprint plans and allow tethering through a program called PDAnet. That’s what I use right now, and it’s a great solution. There’s a facebook app, Google Maps, everything you’d want, really.

-Erica

By: Erica Douglass

Erica Douglass — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 05:59:38 +0000

Some PF author you are…not even researching before you bought the hot new toy! (Kidding!)

I did the research and I was looking at ~$30 more a month. That puts the cost of the Pre over $800 for me. Totally not worth it over my Centro. My contract is up January ’10, so I will do some more research then.

Sad, too; if Sprint would have allowed those of us on cheaper plans to upgrade to the Pre, I would have been right there in line with you!

-Erica

By: Ben

Ben — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 05:03:15 +0000

I found out the same thing when I tried to upgrade to the Instinct a while back. I would have to a switch to a different, much more expensive plan, if I wanted the Instinct. I also have a pretty old plan with low rates and lots of minutes so I didn’t go with the Instinct. I was thinking of getting the Palm Pre but should have realized I’d run into the same issue. Guess I’ll have to delay getting a touch screen phone :(