This is kind of my point, though. To me it sounds like it's basically a toy, and I can't see spending that kind of money on what amounts to a toy. I have internet and email and a camera already.
There have been a couple of occasions when we've had the kids with us and I've been glad they had their cell phones (the time we broke down in Tennessee springs to mind), and now that my youngest is going to college we won't have the kids with us any more, so I thought we should get phones. But cripes, that's a lot of money. And as you pointed out, Im, they rape you on the fees. That $140 is just what they quoted us. I'm sure by the time they get done adding taxes and fees it would be close to $200.
I think what we might do is just buy one of those prepaid phones with minutes already set on it when we leave for our trip down south in a couple of weeks, just to have on hand in case we need it. We probably won't and I'll probably wind up throwing it out.