Please Help! Cell Phone Troubles

My parents surprised me in January with a new Voicestream Samsung phone for me to use at college. The problem is, the phone RARELY WORKS! I got NO reception in buildings (including my dorm room!) down in Jersey City, where my school is located. It's gotten to the point where for the past few months no one can get through, period (the phone doesn't work when I'm home in Northeastern NJ, either: Caldwell). Callers are told "Sorry, all circuits are busy" and "This call cannot be completed", etc. The phone is essentially useless. So, yesterday my parents surprised me a again by brining home a new phone for me to use when I move back into school tomorrow: A Verizon Kyocera w/ a pre-paid plan. Not only is this new phone huge, ugly, and over-priced, but the pre-paid plan STINKS! The area code (973), aka the area code where I normally live in and dial the most numbers to, has been used up, so all new phones boguht in the area have 201 area codes. My former cell, the Samsung, weas one of the last to get the 973 area code. Having a 201 area code on the pre-paid and dailing 973s is considered "long-distance" and sending/receiving text messages costs "5 cents" each time. I got the phone yesterday with 100 minutes and have only spoken on it for 9.5 minutes and sent 4 text messages and already I'm down to 42 minutes left: WTH??!

My question for you guys is: Is there any way I can keep the samsung phone and my old 973 phone number but swithc to another plan? I think I read soemthing along those lines here and you guys called it "unlocking" the phone: is this possible?! If not, does anyone have any advice as to what the best service and rate plan deal around here (northern and central NJ) is?!

Any help is greatly appreciated.