Trapped by SmartPhone Obsolescence?

The next generation of smart phones is already available.  However, your 2-year contract may have over  a year to go.  What to do?  You can pay the early termination fee or buy an unlocked phone. However, if enough consumers made their frustrations known the carriers might make it easier to change phones sooner than every two years.

Are You a Prisoner of Your Phone Carrier? | Retrevo

Retrevo’s Technology Life Cycle analysis engine looked at smartphones from March 2010 to March 2011and found that smartphones increased in power and added new features that moved many of last year’s phones one phase over from new to mainstream. At the current rate, we expect to see new smartphones with higher resolution displays, faster processors, and other new features displace the current phones by this time next year.

Perhaps you will want to try prepaid phones without contracts next time your contract lapses.