Shane’s Drivel

There’s a lot of jubilation today over a California state court ruling that says it is illegal (in California) for cell phone companies to charge a fee for early contract termination. Now I like sticking it to the man as much as the next guy.

Call me crazy, but I think cell phone contract terms are a great idea. It is precisely those terms which so many people complain about that are the reason all of us can buy cell phones at reasonable prices. The AT&T’s of the world can get away with charging $199 instead of $599 for an iPhone because they know they’ve got your business locked up for a couple years. Take away that “gotcha”, and get ready to pay $599 or thereabouts for your iPhones. Same goes for more modest phones – get ready for $200 instead of free.

Full disclosure – I have a Motorola Razr. I’d much like to have a Blackberry or iPhone with no data plan. A data plan is like a extra cell phone bill. No thanks. Give me a gadget with wi-fi and I’ll simply enjoy it around my home, office, and endless hotspots. (BTW, it appears zero iPhones and exactly 2 models of Blackberry are are wi-fi capable and available sans data plan.)