View Full Version : All I want is a phone that talks, texts and emails!
My Verizon 2 year contract is up in September (big Android phone). At first I was thinking I would wait until the iPhone 5 came out, but now I'm on the fence. I would be really happy with a phone that just talks, texts, emails, and Facebook would be nice, too! ;) I have a 4th gen iPod Touch I love for the other stuff (music, eBooks, etc.). I don't care about a camera because my iPod Touch has one.
There seem to be phones out there that aren't quite smartphones, but aren't "dumb" phones either. A smaller phone would be nice, too (the Android phone I have is large). I wouldn't mind going prepaid.
I'd appreciate suggestions. Thanks!
domestic goddess
6-17-12, 3:52pm
I think it should be doable. My phone just sends and receives calls, texts. I don't do e-mail, Internet on the phone, so I'm not sure if mine even does that. I do have a pre-paid plan, but I'm not sure if you can get all those features on pre-paid. I have found a camera handy once or twice, but I use it mostly to see if clothing I'm buying for the grandkids is satisfactory. Sometimes saves a trip back to the store. Good Luck!
I have a pre-paid phone that can call and text, I think the internet is available but I've not used it on my phone - such a small screen it would be hard to read anything. But, my phone was purchased for $15 at Target, and not the hundreds of an iphone, so I'm ok with that.
Simpler at Fifty
6-17-12, 5:30pm
Tradd I have a question for you. Seeing you are on the simpler side like me, why do you want/need a phone with email? I can't justify the cost for myself and DH. We have email at home. If someone needs to contact me urgently, they have our cell numbers. Most of my emails are not something that cannot wait until I check it once a day.
We are thinking of going to pre paid also. We have dumb phones now and want to keep something like that.
Simpler, I communicate much more via email (and FB messages) than I do via phone. For various reasons, I actually do a lot more urgent emails than calls.
fidgiegirl
6-17-12, 7:51pm
I am not sure on this, but my gut says you are out of luck on this. Talking and texting just by itself, yes. PLUS email and PLUS FB, well, then you're lookin' at a data plan and Internet capable. I would think you have to go all the way "smart" phone or go back to a standard cell. That said, I used to get my hotmail on a flip phone I had, but it was nothing like the iPhone I have now - not an easy thing.
I heard Virgin Mobile is going to do prepaid smart phones, but have never done any research.
Good luck, let us know what you come up with.
I would be really happy with a phone that just talks, texts, emails, and Facebook would be nice, too! ;) [snip] There seem to be phones out there that aren't quite smartphones, but aren't "dumb" phones either. A smaller phone would be nice, too (the Android phone I have is large). I wouldn't mind going prepaid.
Tradd, what's the driver for not getting a smartphone? $$? Simplicity of operation?
My wife has what's called a "feature phone" -- not quite a smartphone, but more than a "dumbphone" (Samsung T379, FWIW). It has access to some Web emails like Yahoo! and gmail (no Exchange/Outlook, etc.), Facebook, and twitter. It does so through the mobile sites offered by these companies (m.yahoo.com, etc.), so it's most of the experience -- but not all of it. The good side is that it is smaller and simpler than a feature phone and our carrier (T-Mobile) does not require a data plan for it. It's not a bad phone, but, in fairness, I have a Sony-Ericsson flip phone I bought for my business (TM-506) and, except for not having a real keyboard, Internet on it is pretty much the same.
A couple of other thoughts:
- As Kelli mentioned, there are some pre-paid carriers offering smartphones. However, except for maybe a Windows Mobile phone here and an iPhone there, they'll all be Android and you'll pay (close to) full price for the phone up front. In the long run this still works out cheaper, but you've got to keep the phone longer than two years before you break even.
- If it's a matter of $$ and you are OK with keeping the phone if you can get a break on price, check out PagePlus Cellular. They are an MVNO for Verizon, so most recent Verizon phones can be activated on their network and their rates are lower than Verizon's. You also can buy a different used Verizon or PagePlus phone and activate it.
- T-Mobile is pretty good with activating GSM phones on their network. Decent rates, too. The only real disadvantage is that they use unusual bands for 3G, so if you want 3G, you have to buy a T-Mobile-branded phone. Otherwise you get EDGE, which is OK for occasional Web use and probably not bad at all for text-based email and messaging.
- craigslist, eBay, and, probably, kijiji are good places to buy used phones. Just make sure the seller will verify that the phone is clean for activation -- it's even better if you call the carrier yourself, though you'll need specific information from that individual phone to verify its operability.
Good luck!
About 3 years ago I talked with a kid working at the Verizon kiosk in some mall. I told him I don't like to text and don't care about having a smart phone to be 'connected'. All I wanted was a phone that would make and receive calls and have a voice mail system when I missed a call. He gave me the old deer in the headlights stare and suggested I try the antiques store down the road.
About 3 years ago I talked with a kid working at the Verizon kiosk in some mall. I told him I don't like to text and don't care about having a smart phone to be 'connected'. All I wanted was a phone that would make and receive calls and have a voice mail system when I missed a call. He gave me the old deer in the headlights stare and suggested I try the antiques store down the road.
Hilarious!!!
I update my phone periodically but keep my low fee $11.00/mth rate with Bell that was 'grandmothered' offering simple phone access although the phone itself does offer more options like camera but to send them the rate would change. I do get occasional offers to improve my services but I ignore them as I would lose my grandmothered rate.
Once email and texting options are added, the costs rise a lot it seems.
The US has much better mobile phone services, I think.
Gregg! I was going to post basically the same thing -- I want a TELEPHONE for making and receiving calls, and leaving and receiving messages, that I can carry in my purse/pocket, and nothing more! My phone actually does more, apparently, but I don't know what or how. Grandkids send texts, but I don't answer. Everyone makes fun of it. I am very happy with it. I don't know what I'll do when I have to replace it.
Leave me alone! I'm old!
Well, I do have a smart phone right now. The total package, 4G (at least sometimes, 3G all the time), it can jump tall buildings and all that junk. I check the weather on it. I get my distance to the pin when I'm golfing. Once in a while I will look up a phone number or address. That's it. Absolutely ZERO desire to ever check an email or update Facebook from my phone. There just isn't anything pressing enough in my life that it can't wait till I get home and log on. I will say it does have a nice camera. Working on going back to the good old days if I can find that antiques store that sells phones...
You sound a bit like my DH, Greg -- his phone does a zillion things, and he loves it. He's a gadgeteer :~). He's thinking of updating to something fancier next time and giving me his current phone, and I might be OK with that. I can still only use the four basic features. I've thought that he'd be first in line when implant technology comes along, but I don't know ... I do think he likes pushing those buttons ... :D
Simpler at Fifty
6-18-12, 4:40pm
@Tradd that makes sense.
You sound a bit like my DH, Greg -- his phone does a zillion things, and he loves it. He's a gadgeteer :~).
I don't dislike gadgets, mostly they just seem to fail in my decidedly low tech hands. The one thing that might keep me in the smart phone universe is figuring out how to catalog and then actually play music using the crazy thing. Other than that its a pretty expensive toy that I just don't get my money's worth out of.
ApatheticNoMore
6-18-12, 5:59pm
I dont' want a cell phone at all. But they are sometimes necessary for career related things. But let me win the lottery tommorow and I'd quite happily never have another cell phone again.
Another thing to keep in mind is that Apple is about to come out with their next generation iPhone. SO was at the Apple store the other day because his phone is having minor issues because it got wet. It still functions but the external speakers don't work right any more. Because it was SO's fault he'll have to buy a new phone (personally I'd live with it, but I'm cheap and he's not...). The guy at the store told him to wait until the new ones come out and then the price for the 4s is going to drop to $100.
Personally I LOVE my iPhone. SO gave it to me for christmas. I wouldn't likely have spent the money on my own. Until I had it I thought my 7 year old flip phone with the pull out antenna was perfectly adequate. And even with the 25% discount I get at sprint through my employer, it's still pricey each month. I travel quite a bit, both for work and pleasure, and it's nice being able to remain connected. Yes, it's a luxury, but when i review my monthly expenditures of life energy I'm fine with it. This, along with food and drink, are the only things I really splurge on.
http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s363/jpatter492/th_IMG_0495.jpg (http://s1048.photobucket.com/albums/s363/jpatter492/?action=view¤t=IMG_0495.jpg)
I dont' want a cell phone at all. But they are sometimes necessary for career related things. But let me win the lottery tommorow and I'd quite happily never have another cell phone again.
It's kind of funny, for years I catered to a string of extremely wealthy clients. One running joke was that you know you've made it when you don't have to carry a cell phone anymore (because you have people to do all that mundane stuff). Of course they really all had phones; the actual truth was that you'd made it when only a very few select people had your number. Mine now only rings a few times a day so I've gained a clear understanding of what they were talking about.
ETA: I had that exact same flip phone for YEARS jp1! My kids were merciless when I would pull up the antenna.
Tradd, what's the driver for not getting a smartphone? $$? Simplicity of operation?
- As Kelli mentioned, there are some pre-paid carriers offering smartphones. However, except for maybe a Windows Mobile phone here and an iPhone there, they'll all be Android and you'll pay (close to) full price for the phone up front. In the long run this still works out cheaper, but you've got to keep the phone longer than two years before you break even.
Good luck!
We use prepaid ATT. Mine is a $20 phone with text and calls. Texts are 0.20 each and calls are 0.10/minute and I'm required to put $25 on every 3 months. And I don't come close to using it up. I have $75 on there and am about to have to add another $25.
My husband has an Android Smart phone. He paid $90 or $100 for the phone. Same plan. When he signed up, he got the same deal with the option of $5/month for a certain amount of "data", which would be for email mostly. And that was optional by the month. You could decide each month if you needed it that month. They have since canceled that option (probably in month 2), so now I think data will cost him $25/month.
More than we wanted (I didn't want a regular cost, especially since he only uses the data plan for travel, so shouldn't his company cover that?) But still not bad.
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