Back to school: 5 hot pre-paid phones

Are your kids burning through your family plan? When it comes to eager (and tireless) young chatters, pre-paid and no-contract might be the best way to go. Send your favorite students back to school with the perfect pay-as-you-go handset.

For fashionistas: Sony Ericsson Z310a ($44, AT&T GoPhone, refurbished)
Your kid won't be able to play any tunes on this sleek clamshell, but the Z310a is quite the looker, what with its mirrored front flip and indicator lights that appear to float just underneath. Also included: a VGA camera, Bluetooth, a speakerphone, and instant messaging.

For music lovers: Sony Ericsson W580i Walkman ($99, AT&T GoPhone)
Sony Ericsson makes some of the best music phones in the business, and the W580i is no exception. This slider phone comes with a Walkman-branded music player, complete with stereo Bluetooth support for wireless headsets, a slot for Memory Stick Micro cards, and an FM tuner. The W850i also boasts "Shake Control," which lets you skip to the next track just by shaking the handset—nice. Rounding out the features: A 2MP camera, video recording, and quad-band GSM calling.

For texters: Sidekick Slide ($299, T-Mobile)
With its razor-sharp, slide-up display, full QWERTY keypad, top-notch e-mail client and full-on text and instant messaging abilities, the Motorola-made Slide makes for an impressive member of the Sidekick lineup. Yes, its no-contract price tag of $299 is pretty steep, but your favorite student will be one of the cooler kids on campus with the Slide in his or her pocket. (Note: The Slide isn't offered as a pre-paid handset on T-Mobile's Web site, but you can buy one at a T-Mobile store with a $7 pre-paid SIM card).

For the budget-conscious: LG Aloha ($14, or free with $9.99 of airtime, Virgin Mobile)
I'm not gonna lie to you—there's not much going on with the LG Aloha. It makes calls, it sends and receives text messages, it'll browse the mobile Web, and it has a color screen. Style-wise, well ... it's pretty boring. But here's the thing: It's free if you buy it with $9.99 of airtime. 'Nuff said.

For cutting-edge kids (or maybe just for you): LG Glimmer ($299, Alltel)
Got a kid who's demanding a touchscreen phone? The Glimmer comes with a roomy, touch-enabled display—no, it's not quite as cutting-edge as the iPhone, but it's reasonably close. The handset also comes armed with a slide-out numeric keypad, plus a full-on media player, up to 4GB of microSD memory expansion, a 2MP camera, support for stereo Bluetooth headsets, and GPS navigation. Pretty nice—in fact, maybe a bit too nice for anyone who hasn't graduated yet. You make the call. (Note: Alltel is a regional carrier—or at least, it will be until its proposed merger with Verizon Wireless is complete. Check Alltel's Web site to see if you live in its coverage area.)

Related:
Dollar-a-day pre-paid plans explained