Refurbished Blackberry Curve's are affordable used cell phones

If you haven't upgraded to a smartphone yet, you should. A GPS capable phone could save your life in an emergency. If money is an issue, used cell phones are a great alternative to pricey new cell phones.

How can used cell phones with GPS capability save your life? When you place a 911 call, a computer can use what's called "Phase II" tracking to get your location to within a few feet. It used to be that cell phones were only located to the nearest cell phone tower, but technological advances have now reached most local law enforcement.

This means that if you get into a car accident, you can use cell phones to get help, even if you can't say, or don't know, where you are.

If you're reluctant to get an expensive new cell phone or don't want to shell out for a fancy cell phone, used cell phones are a great alternative. Even keeping (charged) used cell phones in cars could save lives (it's still quite a bit cheaper than most in-car plans offered by car manufacturers, which charge per month regardless if the service is used or not).

If you're looking for solid used cell phones, Blackberries are quite durable, as are Nokia, although not all Nokia phones, although they may not all have GPS capabilities.

Used cell phones can be purchased without a carrier plan, so for use in emergencies it may be easiest to get a prepaid phone card and pre-load the phone with the number so that it is ready to go.