Could I finalize my mobile phone contract tomorrow?

When I was a college student, one of the lecturers has told us that mobile phone is depriving freedom from people. You are normally asked to give your mobile phone number when you try to join online networks. Then, what if you don't have one? The answer is that you are not allowed unless you get a new number.

Thesedays, mobile phone has become troublesome for those who are not particularly interested in other functions in it. As for me, there is little time to utilise a number of apps in smart phones, so I don't pay attention to the latest smart phone. Instead, the quality of phone camera is quite important because I want to memorise my daily life in Oxford. Even if I need to take pictures with no plan, I can't carry a camera all the time since it's heavy, bulky and probably more fragile.

I'm currently using one of the cheapest phone with no camera, so planning to purchase new one or contract a pay monthly. The criteria are now clear.

1. It has to be a major telecommunication company, so either O2 or Vodafone. For some reason, signal is extremely weak depending on regions, and Oxford is not a good place for this aspect. The first priority should be strong signal, and hence I prefer those companies.

2. It should definitely have a camera. As a result of the research on current mobile phones, 5 megapixel seems to be reasonable, so I would be happy with the camera with the resolution of over 5 MP. Paradoxically, some phones provide good cameras with no flash, so I'll have to double check if it has flash function.

3. Deciding mobile tariff is quite tricky and difficult. The best option seems to be either 18 months or 24 months, and I don't like either tariff. How could I possible know which phone is better unless I actually use it? Contract over 18 months with no experience is oppression by major companies and must be abolished. Having said that, 24 month contract offers £10.5 a month, and particularly Vodafone offers 100 minutes call and 500 texts.

I guess I should choose the cheapest one because most of my phone call is international call, and this is not included in the £10.5.

4. I don't need a smartphone for the time being. It might be neccessary to keep myself away from the internet at least on the street or in Tesco because I have to spend significant time with the internet for my work.

I've decided to let myself left behind the cutting-edge mobile phone for the next a couple of years. But, instead I need to pay attention to the progress of mobile phone technology as a PhD student working on MEMS.

Now it became more clear which tariff and which phone I should choose tomorrow. Be decisive and quick with no hesitation.