[Carruthers]

Well, I've finally been dragged, kicking and screaming, into the age of the smart phone.

For years I've had a PAYG phone which was OK as far as it went, but calls were a crippling £0.40 per min.
That's about $0.60, so a twenty minute call would set me back the equivalent of $12.
Texts were £0.14 each. That was with Vodafone by the way.

Today an iPhone 4s arrived which I know is not the newest model but I got a pretty good deal, as these things go, so I'm quite happy with it.
There was no 'up front' cost for the phone and £15 ($22.50) per month on a two year contract, buys 500 mins talk time, 5000 texts and 500mb of data.
The network is Talkmobile which is a virtual operator and piggy backs on the Vodafone network.
It's better value than going direct to Vodafone on a similar contract.

I'm still getting to grips with all the settings although I made my first call to Sundae this evening and that went well.
The old phone will remain in service for a day or two until I get a protective wallet for the new one.
I tend to have all manner of detritus in the pockets of my outdoor clothing, usually dog biscuit shrapnel, so I need some method of protecting it.

I just hope it doesn't go wrong!