Well, I'm finally going to buy a mobile phone. I've never owned one and am so far quite bewildered by the process. I walked in to a local carphonewarehouse and there was an entire wall of phones, each with half a dozen providers, each with half a dozen plans. The sales staff there were NO help at all. Another local store is giving away an Xbox and a 'free' phone to sign up with some plan. This leads me to believe that I'm about to get ripped off . I don't need an Xbox, but would be happy with the cash equivalent!

So what do I (not) need?
- LOW use. I'd be surprised to talk an hour a month most months.
- Mostly for use when traveling, so needs to work here, Europe, NA, India.
- Durable and lightweight. I'd like to have it in my jersey pocket when cycling in case of emergency.
- I need neither bells nor whistles (camera, MP3, etc), but want good sound quality with increasable volume.

Most of these points seem to be provider-independent. Is that true? Do I want PAYG or monthly plan? If PAYG, do minutes expire when I reload? Do I need an unlocked phone?

Is there a decent website that explains all of this?

I know nothing. I am a true newbie when it comes to mobile phones, so any advice is welcome.

Thanks,

Dr. PITUK