I got it!

I managed to walk out of the T-Mobile store only $50 poorer (for a deposit), with a free phone, an unlimited talk/text/data plan, and protection for the phone. It's a very low-end Android, the T-Mobile Comet, like I had planned on getting. I love it so far.

So far things it won't do but that's okay because I've never used Android:

• Multi-touch pinching to zoom in and out.
  

Things I've figured out how to do already:

• Make a call.
  
• Take a call (hey, it is a phone primarily, right?)
  
• Download music from my computer to the memory card.
  
• Use the music player.
  
• Use the FM radio player.
  
• Use my Gmail.
  
• Use Twitter.
  
• Use Facebook.
  
• Use the camera.
  
• Check the news and weather.
  
• Use Google Reader.

Applications I added:

• Google Sky Maps (although drat, it's cloudy)
  
• Compass
  
• Advanced Task Killer
  
• Amazon Kindle
  
• Antivirus Free
  
• Barcode Scanner
  
• ColorNote
  
• Dictionary
  
• OnTrack (Diabetes monitoring)
  
• Pandora
  
• Google Reader
  
• Wikipedia
  
• Plus a battery consumption widget

It already came with most basic applications like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Weather/News, etc.

The phone is tiny, good for my hands, but still easy for me to read what's on the screen (thank the Gods for bifocals, I guess). I've learned to use the Swype keyboard pretty easily, although let me tell you, going through the tutorial on the bus was fun, with the bumps. :) It will change orientation from portrait to landscape, has a GPS, etc. The main drawbacks are no flash for the camera, no pinching zoom (you can tap twice, though, or use the zoom buttons on the display). Since I'm going from a feature phone to my first Android, I don't find those particularly annoying. It's certainly not fast, but I found mine more responsive than in the review videos. The phone was free with contract, $125 without, so for an Android 2.2 system, I think that's great.