By switching carriers at the end of every cell contract, I’ve managed to never pay for a cell phone, until this week.  Even without switching carriers, I could have gotten a completely free phone from Verizon with a 2-yr contract extension, but ended up paying $100 for the new LG Decoy.  Now, there’s lots that this phone doesn’t do, but one thing that no other phone does: It has a built-in Bluetooth headset on the back. This isn’t as impressive as some of the things the iPhone does, but it does meet a real need for me.  Now that it’s illegal to drive and talk on a hand-held phone in NY and CA, I decided it was time to start using a headset.  But I don’t drive often enough to need a great one (if there even is such a thing), and though I’ve gotten a number of free headsets with my last few phones, could never be bothered with having to deal with a separate device and charger.  That’s the singular brilliant innovation of the Decoy.  You always have the headset, and it charges in the phone.  Plus the phone itself has gotten decent reviews.

VerizonWireless sells the phone for $149 with a new two-year contract, but you can get it for $99 at Amazon.com.