Not much choice in the USA... I got the cheapest plan possible for my Samsung Captivate, and its still $55 a month! Sadly this is cheaper than buying a phone unlocked (Galaxy S or N900 are basically the only choices in the category) and using it on T-Mobile as I got the phone subsidized for $50.

I do not need 450 freaking minutes! I mostly use Skype and stuff like that for my chatting, and my family all has At&t so its free mobile to mobile. However I half applaud them for creating tiered data. Its so much cheaper for me ($15 a month less) as my campus has blanket WiFi. 200mb is more than enough for when I am off campus...

I did not like the article too much, I did not understand why it blamed Google and the manufactures and even Apple and the carriers. You do what works and makes the most money, not what is some random persons ideal situation...