I ALWAYS come to DU for advice, and I need some now. Tired of my nephews and

[Honeycombe8]

66. I advise: Do not enter into a time contract. Do not buy an expensive phone.

Sounds like you do not need what's called a "smartphone."

I've had $20 phones and up to a $50 phone. I have friends with blackberries and iPhones. The cheap phones work just as well as the expensive ones, if not better.

With the expensive phones you get the ability to sync with your work e-mail, load game apps, and things that you probably don't need.

I have a $50 LG touch phone. The screen is fairly large. The touch part works great. I can easily text and call. The reception is good...not as good as my $20 Motorola flip phone was, but good.

I have never had a lost call, even once.

I advise a prepaid phone, with a cheap phone, to start.

Things to decide if you want:

Camera? (I have one but will never use it. This is a PHONE, not a camera, to me.)

Bluetooth? (I have the capability, but not the bluetooth gizmo yet. With info about cell phones causing brain cancer, I will be getting the bluetooth. Bluetooth is just a name brand of ear plugs that connect to the phone, so you don't have to put the phone to your ear.)

Internet? It's not really very useful. It's expensive to use (it eats up the minutes), and the screen is so small. Even if a cheap flip phone has the capability to have that feature, it probably only lets you download more air minutes or access a couple of sites. And it probably won't work well. My touch phone is much better in this regard, but I don't expect to ever use it.

How many minutes do you expect you'll use a year? Each of the prepaid companies is targeting a certain useage of minutes. Compare to see the best deal for YOU.

Big keypad so you can see the numbers? Or touch? There are phones for older people who have a phone mainly for emergencies. Jitterbug and such. LARGE keypad. Cheap minutes, if you only need a few a year. I had a small keypad on a flip phone, and now have a touch. The touch is easier to use.

Do you need a car charger? Or just a plug-in to a regular socket at home? The regular plug-in usu. comes with the phone, while you usu. have to buy separately a car charger.

Good luck! I know what you mean about not wanting to get into the various electronics. It can be expensive, and it takes a lot of time to learn the things, and it complicates life. But a cell phone is good for emergencies.