# I Surrender - Need Smartphone Advice **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 15, 2016, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-surrender-need-smartphone-advice/762894 "2016-08-15T11:19:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-surrender-need-smartphone-advice/762894/21 "2016-08-17T16:47:51Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > Any cellular “dumb phone” can send and receive texts, and can receive voice mail. Those are a function of your service plan, not your hardware. You can probably keep the phone you have. Just talk to your carrier about your service plan. > > Also, phone numbers are pretty much completely portable these days. You can keep it no matter what you do, assuming you are in the USA. Yes, they can send/receive regular text messages but some fancier smart phones send a type of text message that may not be recognized by an older dumb phone. I have a basic pay as you go smart phone through tracfone and even with that I have to turn data on in order to open texts from some people, even when they don’t contain pictures. That may be the problem the OP is running into with texting. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-surrender-need-smartphone-advice/762894/22 "2016-08-17T18:12:04Z")
I was in a similar position to **Broomstick**. I had a dumb phone with a keypad until I broke it last year(?). Time to get a smartphone. On my old plan, texts cost 15¢, so I didn’t text. I didn’t expect to do any texting, but I got a smartphone anyway. I got an LG Tribute through Virgin. Their plan is $50/month, includes unlimited calling and texting, and more Internet access than I need. I’ve found texting to be pretty useful. I probably send half a dozen a week. I rarely use the phone as a phone; but then, I didn’t use my dumb phone either. The thing I like best is the google voice and the map. I click the microphone icon and say, ‘Pho Aroma, West Seattle’. The phone says, ‘Here are your directions to Pho Aroma.’ (Actually, I know the way there. That was just an example.) The GPS map is more accurate than the one built into my car (which is running on a 2005 database), and easier to hear. Of course the camera is better than the one I had on my dumb phone. I actually use it sometimes. The things I don’t like about it are that I use a Mac at home, so the Android system is a little different, and it doesn’t have very much memory. You know those games they keep advertising on TV? Fuggiddaboudit. But with Virgin, you have to buy the phones they sell. The Tribute was the best one they had at the time. Seems the iPhones sell out pretty fast. When I finally do get an iPhone, it will be one they sell if they have it. Or, I’m on a no-contract plan. I can get the iPhone I want and switch to another carrier. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Original\_Bob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b38774/32.png) [@The\_Original\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Original_Bob)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-surrender-need-smartphone-advice/762894/23 "2016-08-17T23:39:46Z")
If which cell network you want to be on is an issue, you need to start from there and work backwards to a smartphone. For instance, at my rural house, I only get Verizon service. Most Verizon capable phones (CDMA), will not AT&T or T-Mobile. Many of the budget cell plans you see are essentially airtime resellers called MVNOs, mobile virtual network operators. Tracfone, for instance, does not have its own network, its phones run on AT&T or Verizon (and maybe T-Mobile), so if the network is important, you’ve got to chose the right Tracfone. Total Wireless runs only on Verizon. Cricket is AT&T. Tracfone is the cheapest (but its customer service sucks if you’ve got to call them). A Tracfone model that ends c is CDM/Verizon. A Tracfone model that ends in g is GSM/AT&T or maybe T-Mobile. Tracfone’s website has adequate smartphones free with the purchase of airtime, such as the LG “Fuel” L34c. It’s a small phone, with a slower processor and not a lot of memory, but I owned one and it worked fine. You might check out the phone discussion forums at [howardsforums.com](http://howardsforums.com) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Original\_Bob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b38774/32.png) [@The\_Original\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Original_Bob)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-surrender-need-smartphone-advice/762894/24 "2016-08-18T00:18:53Z")
> [@The\_Original\_Bob](#): > > If which cell network you want to be on is an issue, you need to start from there and work backwards to a smartphone. For instance, at my rural house, I only get Verizon service. Most Verizon capable phones (CDMA), will not AT&T or T-Mobile. > > Many of the budget cell plans you see are essentially airtime resellers called MVNOs, mobile virtual network operators. Tracfone, for instance, does not have its own network, its phones run on AT&T or Verizon (and maybe T-Mobile), so if the network is important, you’ve got to chose the right Tracfone. Total Wireless runs only on Verizon. Cricket is AT&T. > > Tracfone is the cheapest (but its customer service sucks if you’ve got to call them). > > A Tracfone model that ends c is CDM/Verizon. A Tracfone model that ends in g is GSM/AT&T or maybe T-Mobile. Tracfone’s website has adequate smartphones free with the purchase of airtime, such as the LG “Fuel” L34c. It’s a small phone, with a slower processor and not a lot of memory, but I owned one and it worked fine. > > You might check out the phone discussion forums at [howardsforums.com](http://howardsforums.com) Sorry, that should be [howardforums.com](http://howardforums.com) ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-surrender-need-smartphone-advice/762894/25 "2016-08-18T01:50:40Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > Can you name an explicit budget? > > What kind of usage to you expect (minutes, texts, data per month)? > > I use Ting, which is a Sprint network reseller. The rates are [here](https://ting.com/rates#undefined). $6 per month for the line, and additional charges depending on how much you actually talk/text/download. My bill is usually between $20 and $30. There are cheaper services, but this one lets me use an iPhone (which I value) and most of the cheaper ones don’t. The budget question should be addressed before good answers are given. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-surrender-need-smartphone-advice/762894.md?page=1)