What type of cell phone should I get?

Finding the right cell phone actually depends on the specific person.  There are too many variables and too many new things you can do on a cell phone for me to just recommend one type of phone.  In fact, when I was working as a Sales Associate at an electronics store we were told constantly to qualify the customer and see what type of phone fits his/her needs.  So I'll try to answer this question as generally as possible while at the same time giving you some specifics on what to look for.  Cell phones can be split into a variety of groups namely: Smart Phones (blackberrys, palms), Texting Phones (LG Rumor2, Samsung Propel), Touchscreen phones (iPhone, Samsung Instinct s30, Samsung Impression, LG Vu), basically your normal everyday cell phone, and prepaid phones.
Smart Phones aren't physically smart but they allow synching between a computer and the phone.  Basically if you have your life on the phone and the day to day schedules and meetings and you use MS Outlook to control your appointments and e-mails.  This would be the type of phone for you.  A Smart Phone is very practical for business users who need to check e-mail on the go, download documents, and that type of thing.  Smart Phones have a full keyboard aka a "QWERTY" keyboard so that inputting information is easier. 
Texting Phones by the same token also feature a full QWERTY keyboard.  This is because texting is a lot quicker and more proficient when done a full keyboard.  LIke the type of keyboard that's on a computer.  Most of the younger generation have been brought up on a computer and are very familiar with where the keys are.  It's more efficient because you don't have to press one number 2 or 3 times to get a different letter.  There really isn't much use for a texting phone other than texting.  They still have the capability of going on the internet and checking e-mail but aren't built for it like Smart Phones.
Touchscreen Phones.  As the name implies, these phones have a touch screen and are completely touch sensitive.  There really isn't much difference between these and texting phones but I felt that  I should make a distinction since touchscreen phones (especially the iPhone) are more practical for internet usage.  It is strongly recommended that you get a data plan when purchasing one of these phones.   In fact, Sprint won't allow you to buy the Samsung Instinct or the Instinct s30 without a Simply Everything Plan, because that phone comes fully loaded with GPS Navigation, Internet, Texting, Phone calling, Music player, etc.  With all of these features, and very tempting to use too, Sprint doesn't want it's customers to get overages for going online or using the Navigation so Sprint made the the phone require a data package. 
Regular Phones, unfortunately, in this day and age, phones with contracts simply don't have very simplistic, user friendly phones.  Phone companies are targeting the youth and business class, so finding a phone with just a camera on it is almost impossible to find.  With that said, it doesn't mean you can't find a phone that still has all those features and yet is easy to use.  A simple slider phone features the optional texting and data plans but you don't need to get it.  The simple slider phone (or flip phone) will allow you to end calls simply by sliding it down (or flipping it down) and receive calls by sliding it up (or flipping it open).
Pre-Paid Phones:  These phones are for people that want the basics out of the phone and absolutely refuse to be on a contract.  These phones would probably be best used by people that only want to use a cell phone in case of an emergency.  In the long run it's actually cheaper signing up with  a 2 year contract with AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, or T-Mobile than paying for airtime minutes every few months.  In addition, the airtimes minutes if unused expire after a period of 90 days.  Boost Mobile offers a $50 per month unlimited talk, text, web without any contracts however Boost Mobile (although it is backed up by Sprint's cell towers) doesn't have a strong signal and you get a lot of dropped calls and I've heard that you can going into roaming pretty easily. 

I hope this helped you on deciding on what phone to get.  If you have any more specific questions please feel free to contact me and I will help you further.

I would suggest getting one that has 12 tactile keys on it, a handy built in microphone and speaker with a nice back-lit LCD. 

I think this question rates right next to where should I park my car tomorrow?  Try to be a little specific, eg: I have these needs; I'm a student; I need Internet access, ect...