My guess would be Cyclamen, as well. If so, the Cyclamen is found in the Mediterranean, Israel, over to Iran, and even in parts of North Africa. It is the national flower of Israel. I just learned that there are some very hardy varieties that can handle 5°F....and even colder, if they're covered in snow. Cyclamen grows on the forest floor, where it receives dappled sunlight. The flower stalks will wilt almost immediately when the plant needs water...but they'll perk up immediately, too. (The plant in the picture needs to be watered, for example). Josh

No. The phone and the plan have to be tied together. You may luck out and have a phone which can be activated on a pre-paid plan with another carrier. But, as a Cingular customer with old phones, luck is not on your side because Cingular is updating the old AT&T network, and many old phones electronically will not work on the new network. The key to choosing a provider is coverage. T-Mobile has probably the smallest network of the national providers. If they happen to provide good coverage in the places you are, then what they offer is a deal. But if you live in an area where T-Mobile coverage is spotty or non-existent, it doesn't really matter how good a price they give you. I just got my mother (a very occasional cell phone user) a TracFone. Most people I've heard of have been happy with their service. The odds of her ever using the phone outside the metro area here are almost astronomical, so coverage is not an issue. The phone cost a whole $20 at Target and came with 20 minutes of service. It was the best deal I found for someone who just wants a phone for now and then. You might want to check out their coverage map. I should throw in that I have no relationship with TracFone other than being the son of a satisfied customer and that I don't benefit from anyone else signing up. Here is a link that might be useful: TracFone coverage maps

Verizon, Spring, Cricket, and other) use a cellular technology called CDMA (vs. GSM of AT&T and T-Mobile). CDMA phones lack a SIM card need to be programmed by the carrier. It may be possible for a carrier to reprogram a CDMA phone from another carrier. It's likely going to depend on the carrier and that specific phone. Of course, most carriers with give you a free phone or sell you an inexpensive phone with a 2 year contract.

Another thing I really like with prepaid is if you want to change for whatever reason, it doesn't cost you an arm and a leg. I tried out several different companies before settling on TracFone. For me, $70/month is significant, fer cryin out loud my service costs 1/10 that LOL, plus I only pay one bill a year instead of 12! Less fiddling around. But to each their own. A friend of mine will turn his phone off too. Don't understand that. I realize that if you just use it to call people and don't want them calling you back, fine. But when you are meeting someone and want to contact them that you might be late or something, it's a bit rude to not have it on. I keep a charger in my vehicle to keep it charged. Charge it while I'm driving if I forget to charge it at home, which I often do. This one goes much longer than my other phones did. Oh and I buy cell accessories on fleabay. Much cheaper than retail.