3G phones

You can get prepaid Android phones at supermarkets and pharmacies like CVS. The phones cost you almost nothing since they lock you into the plan. I got a pretty decent LG phone that way for something like 20 bucks.

The plan I use is Net 10. They are the same company as Tracphone, just a different name. They have several different plans. The one I use is their $40 Unlimited plan. That's $40/month, for unlimited voice and text, plus a GB of data at high speed, then unlimited at lower speed. (I just look at webpages and never download huge files like movies, and rarely go over 500mb.)

It's the Android operating system. Don't let it intimidate you, it's easy to learn. (The complicated stuff is mostly for teenagers and geeks, useful to know but not necessary to work basic functions on the phone.) If you can work a PC, you can work Android, it's very similar. Go to your local library and check out one of those 'Android for Dummies' books if you want to explore the features. You power up the phone, it takes a few seconds to boot up, and then you get a homepage screen with lots of little icons on it just like your PC (you can swipe it to get even more).

A phone icon, for making outgoing calls (it brings up an on-screen keyboard), incoming calls will make the phone ring and go to a phone screen automatically so you can identify the caller and push 'answer' to talk. A message icon for text messages. A browser icon that works just like on your PC (you can look at Degreeinfo wherever you are). A camera icon. and lots more, some of which you will never use.

Net 10 works with prepaid cards just like your older prepaid phone (it's the Tracphone company) or you can set up an 'autopay' function on their website that debits a bank account automatically if you don't want to buy cards. You can buy multiple cards and pay several months in advance. I think that the other prepaid companies are just about the same in what they offer and their prices.