Unlocked / Unsubsidized Phone 4TW!

So I had the OG Droid for the last two+ years. About 3 weeks ago the touch screen started flaking out and quickly became useless. The only way I could use the phone was to be lucky enough to register a click on the AirDroid icon and then send/receive text messages through a webpage. Even when I received phone calls phantom screen clicks would disconnect the call. Funny how we put so much breakable technology on a product (phone) that when things get realz it no longer serves it's basic purpose.

So its time for a new phone! And I see the new google flagship, the Galaxy Nexus is soon to be released on Verizon. Ok, I tells myself, I can wait a week, get this phone and be movin' on up to the east side to an apartment in the sky. Well, if you're a super nerd you'd know that the Verizon release was delayed and delayed. To be fair, they never officially announced a release data, so technically they never delayed it. But to be real, Verizon knew the sort of Mountain Dew educed nerd-froth this news would stir up. So, with no real release date in site I start looking at alternatives, and one alternative being buying an unlocked phone from Europe and jumping over to a CDMA network (AT&T or T-Mobile). But what are the costs?

Number time:
Galaxy Nexus w/2-year Verizon Contract: $300
Galaxy Nexus CDMA Unlocked: $750

Cheapest Verizon Plan: $80 -- 450 minutes $40, 1000 txt messages $10, 2GB data $30
Comparable T-Mobile No Contract Plan: $60 -- unlimited talk, txt, 2GB data
Walmart (sigh) T-Mobile Special: $30 -- 100 minutes talk, unlimited txt, 5GB data

So wait, what? Walmart Special? You can actually get it from T-Mobile's website as well. But first, lets compare the comparable plans with the assumption you'd use the T-Mobile plan for two years as well.

Verizon: $2,220 = $300 + ( $80 x 24 )
T-Mobile: $2,190 = $750 + ( $60 x 24 )

So no real happy times. Truth be told though, the T-Mobile data rates aren't capped, but thats when the start THROTTLING your bandwidth. There is a $50 a month plan that throttles after 100MB, but would save you $240.

Walmart Special: $1,470 = $750 + ( $30 x 24 )

BOOTS UPSIDE YO HEAD! And actually, it's $1,500. Ok, so to get the plan you need to have a new activation AKA buy a new phone. So I bought the cheapest - a $30 flip phone which my roommate Willis is giving to his parents. Second caveat, you get a new phone number. That said, getting drunk-dialed from Natalie Portman can get old. Sike, it'd never get old. And if you read this Natalie, why don't you return my letters?

So I end up saving a good chunk of change at the expense of having to associate with Walmart, change my number, and going with T-Mobile. And really, my current Verizon bill is $100 a month for unlimited blah blah (which I don't use), and since I'm lazy that's probably what I would have ended up paying had they released the Galaxy Nexus on time, so that would have been $2,700 vs $1,500.

My only gripe with T-Mobile is I live in a rowhome, so no good reception in the house. But GrooVe IP says "That little guy? I wouldn't worry about that little guy"