First there was the trend to eliminate roaming charges on cell phone plans: Cingular and AT&T Wireless both have done so with their newest plan offerings. Now Sprint is trying to simplify matters another way with its "Fair and Flexible" plan. No more ridiculous overtime charges of 45 or whatever cents per minute--the plan automatically adjusts in increments of a few dollars depending on usage within a range of 25 minutes.

This is good if you really have no idea what your usage will be. But it won't be for everyone. My cell phone usage is stable on business days because I hardly ever use my cell phone. The only variations are on weekends when I have unlimited time anyway.

Still, the trend toward simpler pricing and no roaming is overdue good news for everyone.