What does it take to use this just for 911 calls? What are the service, monthly, maintenance, etc. charges?

i think 911 calls are free. just need to keep it charged. for the plans and stuff you can go to the atnt website....

Can you use this on a regular ATT plan just by inserting your sim card in it? Say as a back up phone?

Unbelievable deal. In for 200.

Great deal for an emergency phone.

well just got home wit one of these phones. Current ATT customers can simply insert their sim card and use the phone as a "backup phone"

Unlock the phone and pick your own provider.

For light users, the best service, imo, is tracfone. Buy a year card with 1200 (roaming, text, etc.) minutes ($80) and a touch screen phone ($30) for $110. My financially distressed friends are paying $60 a month. I don't understand why more people don't do the prepaid thing.

Was thinking about getting one for a spare but read a large # of very negative plan/customer reviews. So not for me. I'll stay with the Virgin Mobile pay per minute plan that I and some of my friends have had for years. Costs $5/mo. to keep it "active" but minutes are charged against that $5 first and the left over money just rolls forward as long as you are a customer. That's about 5 years for me. No problems at all.

Bad phone. I though i'd get it for an extra pre-paid phone when foreign visitors need cellphones. But the thing is once you let it lapse without service. You can't add time to the phone and need to get a new sim card.
Lame. At least with Tracphone or Net10 (same company different rates) your phone will reactivate with no problem as long as its in their current list.

That virgin mobile though looks like also a good deal for minimal use but you need a phone with a known number around.