I have been a customer of Cingular (nee AT&T Wireless) for about 12 years. I have to phones with them and spend about $400/month. I have decided I will get one of those smart phones--a Blackberry or something like that. I settled on a Treo 750: they're new, they have everything, I have colleagues in Europe who love it, I like it. Since I bought two phones with Cingular in March, I am not entitled to an upgrade.

So, for new customers, they get to pay $499.99, with a $100 rebate and a two year contact. Since I have a two-year contact on an existing phone, I get to pay $649.99 (I think I get a rebate, but am not sure). The $150 difference is exactly the charge for me to exit my existing contract.

I have never thought about switching to another carrier until today. I plan to switch one phone--the one that runs a bill of $350; the other phone is used for personal calls. I don't understand why Cingular doesn't give a better deal to its existing customers.

At the moment, no other companies offer the Treo 750. That's not a big deal to me. I need to find a smart device that is GSM capable, has Windows, and can do e-mail. So, I guess I am now left with research Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint/Nextel. This Forum is a great help in my search.