I did google around for several prices, but maybe they were all launch prices.

That one seems to be locked to Vodafone (tho I'm not sure if that's a problem, or how much that locking is "worth" in dollar terms).

Ah, I missed that, sorry. You can get them locked to Virgin for $80 from DSE, or on ebay unlocked for around $120.

I recently bought the next model along in this series, the Huawei Sonic, which DSE sell for $188 unlocked. Very happy with it, doubly so considering the cost.

I got mine (Ideos) for $AUD 129 unlocked. Very compact for a smart phone.

For using it as a laptop/computer, the display width is a limitation. At 320x240, that's 53 chars along the 320 edge. 80 chars would be ideal for an xterm (which larger phones can do, with 480x320). Do you think it's usable as an xterm (with a plug in keyboard)?