My dad, who's an Alltel customer in Alabama, is hell on cell phones. I think the antenna on his latest phone is held on with duct tape.

I'd like to get him a ruggedized clamshell phone like the Motorola i560, but I'm assuming that phone only runs on the Verizon network.

Any suggestions for a similar phone that he can use with Alltel and that I might be able to pick up without him having to sign up for a new two-year contract?

And as a GSM user, I'm used to being able to buy an unlocked phone on Ebay, pop my SIM card in and go. How does it work with Alltel?

Thanks!


jb