New Verizon Phone

Recall I paid-up for the Droid smartphone 2.41 years ago.

So when my phone, the display anyway, stopped working on Monday I was upset but relieved that my 2-year plan was up and I was due for an upgrade.

First I tried to have the guy at Verizon fix my phone....but that was to no avail.

Then I took a gander at the latest cordless cell phones - which spanned from $200 - $300 or so.

On these upgrades I always get at least $100 free towards a new phone.

BUT the dude told me that IS NO LONGER THE CASE - and hasn't been for about 2 years.

I was entitled to a mere $30 towards my new phone.

Say WHAT?!

Furthermore, Verizon was actually assessing an *upgrade fee* of $30. Meaning that -$30 + $30 = a big fat ZERO DOLLARS toward my next phone.

The *good news* he mentioned, was that I was *grandfathered in on the unlimited data plan*. Of course I don't need that (2GB) as I only use 167 MB per month. I'm no Moronic teenager, sitting around watching Netflix on my phone!

All this bummed me out as I wasn't planning on spending $200+ for one of the latest phones.

BUT the salesman steered me toward the phone he was using personally - an LG Lucid 4G Android.

It was pretty awesome. Fast, sleek, and scratch-resistant which the guy demonstrated by rubbing his car keys on it.

The best part was that it was only $79!

Sold!

As I was paying I got to talk some more with the salesman and one of his co-workers.

They said that the iPhone was dead right now because it wasn't on the faster 4G network. In general, he thought the iPhone was too expensive, too frail (shatter-prone screen), and too often a target of theft. He said that almost every day someone comes in having to buy a new phone because their iPhone was stolen.

They said that the Ice Cream Sandwich phones (new Android platform), the more expensive ones I was hoping to buy, were absolute battery-hogs. A salesgirl there said her phone needed to be plugged in all day long.

I don't follow this phone crap too closely....but I figured that my $79 phone was probably as good as the iPhone when it as going for $500+ a couple years ago.

The more knowledgeable Verizon salesman corrected me, "Your $79 phone is actually a lot more powerful than the iPhone..."