TRACFONE has a new ten cents per minute prepaid service called Net10. It's GSM and you can apparently use it anywhere on "their" network and the cost is always $0.10/minute. As you'd expect they've got two low-end Nokias and two low-end Motorolas. Kind of cool, I guess for prepaid. Pretty much, though, that's par for the course as far as prepaid per-minute rates.
I also have seen the commercial. Here is a link that Dan posted in April about the service: http://forums.wirelessadvisor.com/showthread.php?t=8011
Not sure exactly how, but it has been mentioned a few times over at HoFo. I think the phone dose some of the functions the SIM normally dose, so you need a Tracfone with a Tracfone SIM.
Actually, they have 7 different phones on their site, I think. There is a camera phone, but it's not a flip phone.
They do now, but when this thread was orignally posted back in June of 05, there were only 2 phones available.
I signed up for Net10 Service in November 2005. I bought the least expensive phone that they offered the Nokia 1100 (OK, I'm a simpleton...what can I say!). At that time I paid $300 for the minutes and air time (3000 minutes and 1 year of service). Total bill with taxes shipping and their low-end phone was $363. This year, November 2006, the rates were reduced - $150 for 1500 minutes and 1 year of service. (I noticed that they're no longer offering that phone). If I can live on 1500 minutes then all the better for me. This is not a program for those who talk a lot on their phones. For me it works... 3000 minutes for one year was more than enough. -I like that I can have heavy use months and low use months (i.e. no such thing as going over my minutes). All my unused minutes were carried over from one year to the next. -Coverage is good. I was recently in Fairbanks, AK - my phone worked. My husband's Sprint (long story) phone had no coverage. -Add additional minutes on line - submit payment and voila - 2 seconds later the minutes on the phone have been renewed. I will soon be able to report back on the TracPhon - which I just signed my Mom up for (she's a GrandMa who likes to have a cell phone for emergencies)...she's been paying Cingular around $24 for the past 2-years. TracPhon is offering a 2006 end of the year special: Nokia 1100 phone - (nothing fancy!) -one year service -450 minutes $99.00 - seems like a good deal... it will be interesting to see how their coverage and service will be (SF Bay Area).
