Lookin' fer a newfangled cell phone

[Cerb]

I need to get a cell phone.
It will be AT&T.

I want:
- flip phone
- as few external buttons as possible
- a 2.5mm headset jack (BT? PITA!)
- decent durability
- fairly cheap
- the ability to unlock/delete files, and edit menus (all the phones default to items for you to go buy stuff--rubs me the wrong way)

I'll probably be mooching off my parents' plan for awhile, but that depends on the discount I'll get on the phone v. buying one elsewhere.

The last item is one I know I can do with Motorola's by buying software and a dongle, but the only brand new motorola listed on AT&T's site that holds any interest would be the V365, and I'd prefer cheaper (but cheaper means buttons on the side that can cause noises--bad!). If I can manage the last item on others, the Samsung A517 also looks good, again, save for the possible price, and the Nokia 6555.

So, can such editing be done on other brands of phones, and if so, with what, and where do I start looking? What are some good older phones that might be had at good prices on ebay, FS&FT, etc.? And so on.

 

[JDub02]

I've had good luck modding Motorolas, but you already know about modding them. Although, I've only ever needed a standard mini USB cable .. no dongle.

My suggestion is to check out howardforums.com Lots of good cell phone info there.

 

[dougp]

Have you checked ebay for anything? I'd rather go that route and just get the SIM from Cingular, unless you already have it.

 

[onlyCOpunk]

I think the most difficult feature you're going to find is the jack for headphones. I would first search for phones with that then narrow down. www.phonesource-usa.com has a pretty good selection of phones to browse through. And let me just point out that the new Motorola only take mini-usb headphones.

 

[JDub02]

I just bought a VZW motorola and it has a 2.5mm headphone jack. Which is great, because I love my Shure headset.

 

[dougp]

You might want to check out www.phonescoop.com to do a search and narrow it down also.

 

[Cerb]

Originally posted by: onlyCOpunk
I think the most difficult feature you're going to find is the jack for headphones.

I know, and I've been able to take some out of the running from that, but have seen conflicting info on many.

Originally posted by: dreadpiratedoug
Have you checked ebay for anything? I'd rather go that route and just get the SIM from Cingular, unless you already have it.

Yes, but I need to find more on the phones for it to be useful. I'll take whichever option is economically better for me...but see, I'm getting a cell phone because I pretty well have to, now. Not having much interest in them as gadgets, I'm starting nearly from scratch, in terms of current knowledge. eBay was a major overload.

Thanks for all the links! Howard forums especially looks like a great resource for me to dig through. I may or may not be back with more questions