My steam powered mobile phone has died and needs to be replaced.
I have researched many phones on line and in glossy magazines.
I love technology, but in reality my needs in such a phone are pretty basic. I make and receive calls, I use texting and every now and then I will take a photo if I don’t have my camera with me. I do store and play music, but pretty rarely.
One that caught me eye was the Samsung Galaxy SIII but here it costs about $800, and I’m not really sure I want to spend that much on a phone that is shiny and does tons of stuff I don’t need.
Any suggestions for what I should be looking for (price ranges are not easily compared- everything is more expensive here).
The Samsung Galaxy SIII is a really nice phone. If you can swing it, I’d say go for it. Another phone that is really, really nice is the HTC One. HTC is my preferred manufacturer - they really don’t make many duds, and are good with updates and such.
A site I often recommend for researching the myriad choices in phones is PCMag. They have straightforward balanced reviews that you can filter through with various criteria. You can’t go wrong with selecting their “Editor’s Choice” rated phones.
I had an upgrade when I got my Droid Razr and I love it…but apps will kill the battery pretty quickly, so you’ll need the handy dandy car charger and an app to kill the apps.
I used to be the “I only need to make and receive calls and text” person but when I started getting ‘smarter’ phones I found I really liked them. Words with Friends, good pic quality, directions with maps, apps to see what restaurant is in the neighborhood, etc.
Droid Razr- I just love it when ladies talk dirty to me!
My old $150 phone had directions on it (never used). Perth is pretty small so if I’m going to a restaurant I’m pretty clear where it is.
Could you please tell me what you mean by “Words with friends”? (And I’ve never used an app, unless you count the inbuilt alarm ).
Thanks for the advice.
Oh also- how important is 4G? I never use the phone as a computer when I have my laptop handy anyway. (I notice the HTC has a quad core chip- holy crap. I guess when I had my Commodore 64 there weren’t mobile phones).
I think the 3G v 4G depends on your area. I just saw you were in Australia, so heck if I know! Words with Friends is like a Scrabble game.
If I need to do a Google or even read the news, I often pull out my phone and get cozy on the couch. I mean, the laptop is all the way over there and I’m right here with this super computer phone.
(:
I think you’ll either a) not care it’s so ‘smart’ or b) have lots of fun. At the least, you’ll probably find a time or two when it REALLY came in handy.
I also like looking up reviews when I’m at the store and I’m unsure about the quality of the product.
The Samsung Galaxy Ace is supposed to be one of the best “non-fancy” Android phones. They’re about $200 outright or prepaid and seem to be quite popular with people looking for something slightly more than “Call/SMS/MMS/Camera” but who don’t need what amounts to a phone-sized laptop.
Thanks Martini. I’m starting to think along the lines- well, I have always had a pretty basic phone and never knew whether I would use other functions. If I get a flash phone I would be able to try all things and see if indeed it is something I could have had all along.
I’m starting to lean to the Samsung Galaxy III. Trouble is they are a bit difficult to obtain here. Dick Smiths can only get one at a time and the next one that hasn’t been ordered won’t be available for three weeks.
I don’t know about cell providers where you are, but in the US you can go to a cell phone company’s website and look at very detailed coverage maps for 3g/4g at your home and work (or anywhere else you hang out on a regular basis). That’s where you should start. You may be able to get 3g or 4g with 1 or 2 carriers, but not all of them. Possibly none of them, but don’t just assume you can’t get it. You have to look at the maps to know for sure.
I decided on my new smartphone by first deciding what carrier I wanted to go with, based on a 3g/4g coverage map of my area and plan pricing. Of the carriers that had 3g/4g coverage in my area, the fact that I didn’t want to be locked into a contract made T-mobile the best choice for me. I made a short list of the prepaid-compatible phone models listed on their website, and went through reviews for each of them. I made my decision based on form and functionality, got a used phone off eBay for $75, and a monthly plan for only $30. Also, **Voltaire **helped a lot because he is one smart feller.
I’m quite a fan of my LG Optimus, although by this point it’s a last-generation smartphone (3g, not 4g, capable, and the screen is smallish compared to others). I’m *very *happy with the purchase though, keeping in mind that this is my first smartphone and cost was a huge factor for me. If you can afford more, look higher.
Thanks Rachellogram. I’m in a capital city so coverage is not an issue. When I travel I generally go to other capitals so again that is okay.
The carrier I am with is our big one (Telstra) so 3G coverage is pretty well everywhere I’ll be going and 4 G is available if I go that way (with limitations).
Although I am not contracted to telstra I have our cable Tv, internet, landline and all mobiles set up with them and get a pretty good deal so I doubt that I’d want to enter into into a contract (even with Telstra) to obtain a handset at reduced rates and get a lot of call time or data available which I would never use. I’ll just accept if I love it and use more than is available on our deal I’ll cough up for it. If I need heaps I’ll arrange a new deal.
Based on what you’ve said, do yourself a favor and don’t join the hoards of fools and trend whores who fritter away silly amounts of money on a ridiculously expensive phone loaded with frivolous bells and whistles you don’t want/need, unless you have gobs of money that are annoying you because you haven’t gotten rid of them yet. And if you’re that rich you are more than welcome to do so by mailing to me
This might be a bit far on the other extreme for you, but I got a phone on sale at a popular U.S. chain store (Best Buy) for $10. Yes $10. They had “smart phones” starting around $30 I think. I guess I’m just a “dinosaur” but I find the idea of paying hundreds of dollars for a phone pure lunacy, esp when if you really must have one, you can get one of the gee-whiz cool trendy phones for free, if you get a contract…but for me I would by paying far more a month than I ever intend to, so not an option…or a need, as I’m also weird in that I don’t have a phone glued to my face 24/7 chattering away about nothing whatsoever every day, happy in the knowledge that everyone is looking at me and thinking how important and amazing my life must be because of it. :rolleyes: So I pay by the minute. A little more expensive per minute but cheaper overall.
If you like the Galaxy S3 but the cost and availability are prohibitive, know that the S2, while it does not sport all the latest-and-greatest specs, is a really, really nice phone that still kicks the ass of most phones out there even a year after it’s been out, and will cost you only about half of what the S3 will run you. I have a Galaxy S(1) and I’m more than satisfied with what it can do, and its specs are not nearly what the S2 has (about 1/2).
3G/4G is very handy for GPS navigation. With a #G connection, you also tend to get a higher data allotment every month than a phone that can only download at regular non-G speeds.
This luddite mindset (not to mention the rudeness) really baffles me. Why can’t people who don’t like smartphones just say, “I don’t like smartphones,” without getting pissy at people who find them useful? I use mine for many reasons, none of which include a compulsion to appear to be popular, hip, or connected. I get:
[ul]
[li]Portable internet access[/li][li]News on-the-go[/li][li]Lifetime free GPS with voice navigation and google maps (that are constantly updated, for free, so I never have to pay for updates)[/li][li]A free, highly customizable alarm clock that will make me solve a math problem to prove I’m really awake in the morning, and can be set to allow snoozing at a variety of intervals (or disallow snoozing altogether)[/li][li]The ability to find the cheapest gas prices near me, no matter where I am[/li][li]Email access for when I’m not sitting in front of my home computer[/li][li]Constant weather updates on the fly[/li][li]A lightweight camera without the need to lug around a separate device[/li][li]The ability to send and receive pictures to and from family[/li][li]An interactive calendar so I never forget anything ever again[/li][li]Books to read, music to listen to (radio or downloads), and movies to watch when I’m bored (on public transport, in a waiting room, or like this morning when I had to wait 3 hours for a car repair)[/li][/ul]
et freakin’ cetera. And it doesn’t have to be expensive. All this cost me was $75 for the phone and $32.xx ($30+tax) for a monthly plan that includes 100 talk minutes, unlimited texts, and unlimited data (with the first 5 gigs at 4g speeds, every month). No contract, I initiate a monthly payment and can stop anytime I choose. I can get a new phone or new plan whenever I want. I don’t spend the day with the phone glued to my face chattering away about nothing whatsoever every day, because I’m not a big talker and I only have 100 minutes, anyway.
I’d like to know how you can morally justify calling every smartphone owner a foolish trend-whore. I’d also like to point out that being anti-trend for its own sake makes you more of a caricature than the people you ridicule. It’s great if all YOU want is a device that you can make telephone calls on; I don’t look down at people with different needs or desires than mine, because that’s rude and uncalled-for. It’s not like we’re going to take away your right to use a dumbphone, or make you buy a cell phone at all.
Um, do you need to access the internet or email? Or are you really just making calls and sending the odd text message? If it’s the latter, you would be fine with a dumb phone.
I believe the point Cicero is making is that he’s only making calls and sending the odd text message because that’s all his current phone can do. So he’d like to consider one that gives him the option to do Cool Stuff™.
Also, the way phone contracts and plans work here, unless you want a cheap pre-paid phone, you might as well go on a contract and get the latest and greatest phone, since it’s not going to cost you appreciably more than getting your cousin’s old phone and going on a BYO plan.
Way to whine about rudeness while doing it in the same sentence - the good ol pot/kettle thing, gee there’s something new. :rolleyes:
Why are so many people on msg boards so desperately anxious to be offended and so lacking in reading comprehension? FYI:
1 - I neither like nor dislike smart phones nor did I say/imply that.
2 - Try actually reading the OP. This person’s needs are basic. To buy a smart phone given that is pretty pointless, a waste of money, and therefore doing so would likely just be a doing-it-because-everyone-else-is thing…ie incredibly stupid. That’s my point. If they decide they really want/need more stuff, that’s a diff story. But my feeling is most people don’t really need many of the doo-dad crapola that the fancier phones come with; they’re just like a kid wanting the newest toys out because by golly, it’s the newest toy and Johnny and Suzy have one! :rolleyes:
3 - I didn’t “get pissy at people who find them useful” so pls put your hissy away. I’m sure there are people who find them useful and worthwhile - but I have no doubt there are many (in fact the majority) who get them w/o such a need and do so just to keep up with the Joneses and have the latest doo-dads whether they have a real need or not.
Good for you. You are in quite the minority FYI.
I have to wonder how much texting you do though. :dubious:
I’d like to again point out that you don’t know what you’re talking about. You might also want to look up the word “caricature.” I wasn’t saying that about anyone and it makes no sense to apply that to me, even if your claims were correct.
They still measure phone plans in minutes over there? Over here they went to “Cap” plans where for betweem $39-$100 you month you get many hundreds of dollars worth of calls and text messages and data. Sure, the call rates are about 80c/minute, but when you’ve got $500+ worth of credit each month, it’s really not a huge issue for pretty much anyone who isn’t a teenager or a socialite.
).