Cell phones: Kids & Cell Phones - Somebody's Been There

craigs list and ebay

There's aren't many options here. Either your son learns how to take care of his toys, or you try to find more affordable replacement phones via craigs list or ebay. A GSM provider is nice in this regard since there are a whole slew of unlocked phones available. YMMV. I see the whole kids & cell phones issue as more of a privilege that can easily be taken away. Out of curiosity is your son old enough to have a small part time job like a paper route, etc.?

which provider are you guys using?

That way we can recommend specific handsets that are compatible with Verizon, ATT, etc.

I apologize for sounding harsh regarding your kid's phone habit. It's nice to hear he is learning some responsibility along the way and paying the bill. The older Nokia candybar style phones (for example) certainly were more bullet proof than the current models IMO and E. I can't count the number of times I dropped them while biking and they barely missed a beat. They didn't have the same features as the new phones obviously. Are the screens/displays cracking or is it the keys/keyboards that are going bad on your son's phones(?) It would also help to know exactly which ones he's going through to get an idea of what else might be (more) durable based on what's he's used previously.

cheers,
Pedro

Charging/Working with Lithium-Ion batteries

FWIW, the Lithium-Ion cells used in the razr and other devices do not have memory problems like older Nickel-cadmium battery technology. That said, it's not a good idea to run them down to near zero- that's what will help reduce the lifespan. Also, AFAIK the ideal way to charge a Lithium-Ion battery is frequently and slowly. That's why I tend keep my phone(s) connected to my PC(s) via USB as much as possible since it's a trickle charge vs the AC adapter to the outlet. There's more info on the various techs @ batteryuniversity.com

I wasn't aware that talking/texting while charging would be an issue per se. But perhaps that depends on the handset/OS. That's news to me anyway, but I honestly never did it when I had either a RAZR or v series Moto. Anyway, I just don't see the connection necessarily to the phone problems your son is having. I could however see the keypad getting trashed on a RAZR after a lot of texting though. YMMV.
Hopefully the Shine will hold up for him a little better(!)

(NT) Be aware that some replacement phones are refurbs (n/t)

Cell Phone Help Tip

I have a friend who went through the same probilum with his son going through 3 cell phones in less then a year,so he told his son that if he didn't quit being so hard on his phone that he wasn't going to get him another phone,and that he would just have to go without a phone until he could buy his own phone. Also try takeing the phone privilages away for a wile and see if that helps any. And when you or another family member gets a new phone just give him the old phone instead of getting him a new phone all the time,that should take care of him going through so many phones in such a short period of time. Most kids don't want an old phone to use,they always want that new phone,so if they get stuck with haveing to go without a phine or haveing to use someone elses old phone,they'll learn real quick not to be so hard on a phone all the time.

Comfortable Keypad phone Is the Option

Its already mention earlier that bill is not the question here, Handset which satisfy son demand is the main priority, I think Your son should use Nokia handset which are actually built with the mind of soft keypads, they are available at cheap costs.