Despite working in IT for the past 15 years and more, I'm not a geek. I've been coping quite happily for the past few years with my trusty Nokia 6310i on PAYG - I've never had a contract

It's been great, as the battery charge lasts over a week, and gets reception in most place. It's getting a little temperamental now though and keeps turning itself off in my pocket, so I'm reaching the point where I am considering - wait for it - an upgrade
Much as I'd love to get an iPhone 4s, an HTC FullOnThaiBodyMassage or a Samsung ReverseDutchSteamboat or whatever's the latest and greatest, I do have reservations about a couple of things. First and foremost is of course the cost - at the moment I reckon I spend under a fiver a month on PAYG calls and texts. Jumping to a £40 contract is not going to happen
However, I accept that if I want something all whizz-bang, it'll cost, and this is the second point. What do I want? I've never really used a smart-phone, hence don't know what I'm looking at and what my criteria should be. I don't even know if I really want one, or if I just want one because everyone else has one and they look cool. Remember, folks, Girvin Flexstems used to be cool too...
So, let's not get into "I've got this and it's the best so you should get one too", but what should I look for and what will it cost me? Does anyone have a "spare" smartphone I could borrow for a month to try it and see if it's the kind of thing I actually want? Does anyone work for one of the networks and can you get me a deal? Is there anything else I should bear in mind?

