Hi Katrina:
A year ago I was using a tin can and string type of cell phone, too.
My husband brought me a used HTC phone running android. We paid $150 to get it fixed (the ribbon that ports data from the screen to the swing out keyboard was a little ripped.) I've been running my guttering business and my life on that phone ever since.

I like the qwerty keyboard and swing out screen, which flips the orientation of the screen. I love the touch screen. My particular phone does not have a jack for me to listen to calls with a headset and that bugs me. My particular phone's camera doesn't take good quality photos, but my phone is old with no flash or zoom. Bright daylight photos come out blue. Indoor evening shots come out black.

I love the integration with gmail, as I get notified by a flashing light and/or a sound when new mail arrives. There are tons of apps in the "Marketplace" and I put Google navigation on my phone; priceless. It says the street names, gives ample warning time before you have to make a turn.

I dropped my phone and the screen cracked. The guy who fixed it the first time refused to fix it again, claiming that this phone is the hardest of all to take apart and put back together. It wasn't worth his time to fix! He suggested I try a newer blackberry because it is more suited to running businesses with.

So, I can still use my phone with the cracked screen. If I were to shop for a new one I'd get a blackberry phone with a real qwerty keyboard because it's kind of a hassle to click a number three times on a screen to find a hidden letter when you're typing.

For the last two years (well, almost 2 years), I've been using the Motorola Q Global.  In August (when my current contract expires) I'll be switching to the DROID by Motorola.

A coworker of mine has one, and I've used his on occasion, and I LOVE IT!  I can't wait to officially get one of my own. 

Thanks! Still using the tin can and doing research. Decided to wait for the new Droid to come out this month and see if it is any better.