I use a Nokia 8260 cell phone on AT&T's TDMA network. I went with AT&T because my company has a special deal with them where I get a cheap monthly plan. It's been good service for the last year and a half, but my phone says "not charging" when I plug it in now, so I'm thinking either the battery or the phone is dead. Of course batteries are $80 because they want you to buy a $100 phone instead of a reasonably-priced battery. I'm really pissed that this thing already stopped working after less than 2 years, but I guess this is pretty common.

So I'm thinking now might be time for me to look at new phone and provider options. I saw some GSM phones at the AT&T store today, so I guess AT&T uses both GSM and TDMA networks nowadays? Is GSM better than TDMA?

I could think about switching providers but I'd need to find a real sweet deal to beat what I'm getting through work with AT&T. I don't need nationwide coverage or free long distance or anything, most of my calling is local. As for phone, I love little geeky toys and crap, but I need it to be about the same size as my 8260, which is really small. Should I focus my search on GSM or TDMA? Are there any good sites which will make this decision easier? Also, can I save money by buying an "unlocked" phone from someone other than my cell phone provider?

Thanks for any help as I try to figure this crap out.