Current Phone: Nokia 3650 “The Worlds First Smart Phone”

I like to thing of myself as something of a geek (minor hacking skills) and enjoy messing around with electronics in general. The iphone is apparently the perfect cell phone. But many of us are with another carrier or are not ready to buck up 400 for a new phone AND 2 year contract. So what else is out there for phone ninja to use? I have a few requirements for my list of almost perfect phones.

1. Cheap - Under $150 and preferably closer to half that.
2. Sim Card of course, its just so easy to swap and go.
3. Bluetooth is not a must but almost, makes it easier to type!
4. Qwerty keyboard is another thing I really want, but could go without.
5. Camera - Ive used it on phone a lot more then I thought I would.
6. Some Cool Factor! Does it look cool or does it look like a calculator?
7. These would be nice: unlocked, wap browser, pop3 email, IM capable

If you start searching for bluetooth, camera & qwerty the list is pretty short in my price range.
Here are few models I like - Getting one of these in my price range is the challenge. Models like the a630 and Nokia 6820 can be purchased under$150 on ebay anytime but a rumor or a 9500 is going to break the bank.

• Motorola a630
• Nokia 6820, 6822
• t-mobile shadow
• Samsung Blast

These phones almost made the list (to expensive or wrong feature set) and I would buy them if I found them at the right price.

• Nokia 6800, 3300, 9500, wing, sidekick
• LG Rumor or Voyager