When evaluating cheap cell phones and cell phone plans, it is important to check out service provider contracts, as well as the equipment components themselves. Three popular low cost cell phones are the Motorola V188, the Nokia 7370, and the Cingular 2125. You can use a combination of user reviews, technical data, and comparisons to gauge the best purchase for your calling habits and technical needs.

All in one PDA devices like the Zire 71 from Palm, the Palm Treo 650, and various Blackberry devices may prove ideal for business travelers who need to send emails to clients throughout the day. It may be possible to work out an arrangement with a cell phone provider to get business rates on service plans or even on the phones and devices themselves. Bear in mind, however, that cell phone technology is changing rapidly, so today's state of the art might be tomorrow's dinosaur.

The Nokia 6016i is a relatively cheap phone that tends to link up with Sprint plans. It's got an exceptional battery life for its class and a voice memo capability. The Sony Ericsson W810 is lightweight, relatively compact, and easy to learn. The Samsung T809 comes with a lot of extra features, such as a mega pixel camera, an MP3 player, and Bluetooth tech.

Check out other features, such as GSM Technology, color modes, display types (most cheap models will be TFT), speakerphone capability, and display resolution (might vary from 176x220 to 240x320). Some modern affordable cell phones come music enabled for MP3 players--these include the Sony Ericsson W810, the Nokia 7370, and the aforementioned Samsung T809.