Over the last week I've been looking at upgrading my old Razr flip phone to a Smartphone. I need a phone that can connect to the internet so I can check email, Xomba and other websites.

My main need, or want, is to be able to surf the internet fast and effectively. A QWERTY keyboard is also a concern and something that has a little speed.

I use T-Mobile and do not have any intention of using any other service. T-Mobile works the best in Jacksonville. AT&T is horrible and Verizon is ok.

So, I carried myself to a T-mobile store and talked to an associate.

Please understand I am NOT a cellphone geek. I've never owned a pocket pc or a PDA. I think cameras on cellphones are a waste of money since I already own a much better digital camera. I just want to talk on my phone and surf the internet.

Yes, there are more than a few types of geeks as alluded to here in Brian's article. I'm the owner of Xomba, an internet website, therefore I am an internet geek. I don't think cellphones make you look cool nor do I think the Iphone is more than fancy marketing ploy on an already available phone.

Anyhow, little did I realize that I should have hired a consultant to purchase my phone for me.

There are so many choices out there I instantly got a headache. The T-mobile associate was great. She showed me a new upgraded plan that would do everything I wanted. She also narrowed down my smartphone choices to the Blackberry Curve and the T-mobile Dash.

My understanding of the differences are;
Camera quality -don't care
OS - Windows vs. Blackberry
Tracking ball

That's really about it. The reviews show the advantage going to Curve.

Sounds good right?

Well then I go home and look up unlocked phones.

Ahh, now I could get a pocket pc with phone features, but for hundreds of dollars. Actually, $1000 for some.

Yikes, this just got even more complicated.

So now I'm leaning toward the Curve, but also taking into account all the other devices as well.

If you are a mobile geek you need to start your own business in consulting. I would have easily paid $60 for someone to help me through this. I figure that's about 2 hours.