"The era of the subsidized phone is coming to an end. Will that also end the reasonable ability to get a new iPhone, Android smartphone, or Lumia every two years? The surprising answer is no -- if everyone on your plan already has a smartphone.

I ran the numbers to see whether now is the time to get a subsidized smartphone while you still can from AT&T or Verizon, the major U.S. carriers. They'll be largely ending these subsidies in the next month or two. (Some people will still be able to get them directly from the carrier, but it won't be easy.) (...) Instead, you'll either pay the full price up front for your smartphones, or you'll pay for the smartphone on installments, with the pro-rated cost added to your bill each month. Yes, I know that's how the rest of the world has long worked, but in the United States this is a big change.

Read more...

Source: Infoworld.com