phone and carrier

Hello

I have an entry level phone which I understand for the most part.

I will use this old phone for calls and texts with 'pay as you go'. The processor is unfortunately too low end to use with a data plan. The phone was $100.00

 

I will be buying a new phone with a data plan so I can have internet etc, obviously.

 

My brother bought a 'Maserati' of phones and we cannot understand it.

 

How would one go about buying a phone that one can understand and then obtain a decent carrier.

 

The carrier would be one that really means unlimited and not throttle back when I use a lot of data.

 

I am retired and not in business so do not need a high end phone or carrier but need something functional and understandable. I am fairly software proficient with Win 8.1 etc. but that is not a phone.

 

Investigation has led to a lot of propaganda. I don't know if price is the standard or how to go about this.

T Mobile seems to throttle back and seems to be for youngsters.

 

Verizon and A.T.T. seem reliable but when I go to a store, they don't know much about phones - just sales.

 

It is very confusing.  I would prefer not to have a contract.

 

If you can be of help it would be great. If I have to learn by doing I will accept that.

 

The trouble is the phones I can understand are too slow and limited - this is sort of a paradox.

The carriers have such fine print it is a dicey endeavor.

I would expect the states would be very different from Europe, also.

Peter

I am not capable of giving you a full answer to your questions… but how about a little opinion on a small part of what you've asked?

Windows phones are by far the easiest to operate. You're already are familiar with Windows 8 so the phone should cause you no problems.

Android phones may be the most versatile… but are also the most complex. You also understand a bit about Linux… but I don't believe the skills are transferable to the mobile device.

I-phones are for fan people who are joined at the hip to anything by Apple.

Data plans will always be limited or throttled. I look at data this way… I use very little data from the cellular service. I download data when I can connect my phone to WiFi, thus the data transfer becomes free.

Carriers are typically a tough decision. For me… Verizon has by far the best coverage for areas I frequent. No one else is even close. Every few years I borrow loaner phones from Sprint and AT+T (I don't usually even bother with T-mobile loaners because they don't have any towers in the rural areas. They piggyback on AT+T) and take them around to actually check service as many times there are better deals - financially - on the other carriers. I'm still with Verizon since they bought out Cellular one nearly 20 years ago. My daughter is in Texas. Where she is, Verizon is spotty. She has Sprint as it seems to have the best coverage.

Well personally I found the windows phone horrendous to use, I compare it to the iPhone (anything Apple really), they tie you down and it can be hard to get what you want, they all boast about the vast number of App's they have, but IMHO Android has by far the most options, some App's I want to use were not on the other platforms, "some" makers only create App's for a specific platform, but Android has an even spread on the whole.

 

Yes they can seem hard to use, but I was a Nokia Symbian user for as long as it was made, and DCT3 handsets prior to that (which is where my user name comes from, the Nokia 8210) for around 20 years, and I did struggle to do things at first, and TBH probably still do at times, more so if it's something you do rarely, but I compare it to being like the jump to 8\8.1, totally overwhelming to start, but once you start to get used to it you will find it pretty easy, but there is definitely a learning curve with it, but it depends on the handset you get, I have the Samsung S4, and what it can do is outstanding, there is so much I wonder if I will ever use a lot of it.

 

Today's smart phones are like PC's with what some of them can do, anything I can do on my PC I can certainly do on my mobile, the university near me controls a satellite in space using a smart phone, that's how versatile they can be, so as with many things tech wise, when looking for something like this, go to a store and have a play with each type, and see which you get on with most, given your level of what your aiming to do, I dare say all formats will do it just fine, but definitely get some hands on experience with them before deciding is my advice.

 

As to unlimited data, anything like over here there is small print that says something like "reasonable use" or "fair use" and the like, I suspect they do that to stop people using them as modems for their PC, but again with what you want I would guess that any unlimited plan would suit, but word of mouth is worth it's weight in gold there, ask around anyone you know in the area and see what they use (assuming they do), and see what they have to say about the service, but here you often need a contract (even if it's a 1 month rolling one) to get this, or you have to top up £x a month to keep that going, so ask questions about the differences between the 2 ways to go, you may find a cheap contract that would do just what you need, hope this helps a bit anyway.

I did not understand a lot.  Both of you have informed me about several factors that will help me make my decision.

You are at opposite ends of the spectrum but that is good in that it brought to light some of what I was wondering about. I have a T-Mobile prism and pay $100.00 for 1,000 minutes to text and call per year. My wife will continue with that. My experience is that T-Mobile is not a contender as it has limited connectivity.

The simplicity of the phone is appealing to me as far as functions go but the processor is much to inferior.

if I could have the same phone with a better processor I would do that and use Verizon as my carrier.

 

Do you know if I start at the carrier's store or the phone's store to get started?

Thank you for all the ideas.

Assuming you have a place that sells phones, go there, unless you have decided on a carrier you will go with by the time you do this then go there instead, each place will probably try to sell you something, so going to a shop not controlled by a specific network, you can view and talk about just the phone(s), they will obviously try and sell you something, but at least it will be based on your needs (assuming the salesman is not trying to get the most out of you, e.g. they are commission based sales).

 

Going to a network shop they will always have some special deal going, and want to sell you what they can, and that means they will be selling the service more than the phone, as that's where they make their money, but armed with the info from the phone shop, you will be in a better place to understand what they are pushing, and if it is what you want\need, that's my opinion anyway.

 

But I dare say any low end smart phone will probably do what you need, but as examples of the tech involved I can unlock my phone with my face (image recognition), the S5 has biometrics, and you can unlock it via a finger print, my phone can control my TV, if I am out I can watch TV on my phone, if I'm out and forgot to set a recording for a program I want, I can send a command from my phone to my set top box to record it, if you get extra hardware it can track your health status, you can turn on\off light\heating in your house when your out, so the abilities are pretty amazing, anyway hope this helps.

first thing to ask yourself is do you need a pc as a phone? if no just stick with cheapest pay as you go generic phone that only does text and calls, great for what you actually want/need a mobile phone for in the first place, to make/receive emergency calls while out.

 

personally especially as you are a pay and go customer and not a contract customer, you are never going to be using any data plans for internet access, the prices are ridiculous for very little actual use. you watch a single youtube video and that will be your data plan all used up, so like tomk said your going to limit your data usage to local wifi connections only.

 

next you want to ask yourself who do you want to be tied to for apps, windows or google.

 

if windows get a nokia lumia 530 if google get a moto g, both good cheap phones that will do anything you want.

 

i am on pay as you go too, have a moto g, all data access turned off especially background data, lots of apps will eat up your credit using backgound data if your not careful. put £10 on it when i bought it 3 months ago and have £9.52 on it still.

 

before this i had a nokia lumia 520 bought for me with £30 of credit on it, sorry to say i lost that and it still had £24 of credit on it. (didn't really like it being windows but as to actually using it, did everything i wanted/needed.)

 

i never sign up for any "plans" and just pay the slightly more cost for everything i actually use. lot cheaper for me in the long run.

 

both the windows phones and the android phones are easy to use (once you get used to them, which isn't hard and doesn't take long.) so there really is no bad choice for the person who rarely uses a mobile phone.

 

Thank you all. My wife will have the old phone and I will buy the newer one.

I am going to Verizon and see what they say for starts but will visit more than on store until I decide. I noticed there are Android people and there are Windows people and usually they do not agree.

Thanx again

Peter

I suppose I fall into the "anything but Apple" category.

I like androids. As I said earlier, I believe they are more versatile. However, not everyone needs to be able to do everything that the phone can do. Personally, I don't really see androids as harder, but my father, who can't even turn a PC on, couldn't manage to make calls on a couple different androids. He's had no trouble with the Windows phone. Calls, apps, browsing, navigation.. He does it all. My mother tried an I phone. Nothing but trouble for me as I had to try to help her make it work. Got her a Nokia 822 and she texts, sends email and pictures, and makes calls and answers them. This has lead me to conclude that Windows phones are easiest to use.

If all you want data for is to browse the internet… Any flavor will work fine.

I tried a Windows phone in a store  a  while ago and I found it to be easy for old guys like me. It was straight forward whereas Android tends to be intuitive and requires skill to search around.

Thank you for the reinforcement.

I think I'll be looking for a Windows phone with Verizon as the carrier.

How much should I pay for a phone that has a respectable processor?

I don't need tons of apps.

Peter

Why do you need a "respectable" processor.  What are you going to be doing with it that requires any significant "power"?  If you are just browsing the web, making calls, texting, checking email…. the cheapest phone you can get will do you fine.

 

The cheapest, no contract phone will be a used one.  I'd try craigslist.

The processor in the current T-Mobile prism is made for calls and texts only; you would have to try it to understand how slow it is. I wait 20-30 seconds just to get to a site at times.

If you read the comments about this entry level phone you will see. I may have understated my expectations as I will be using it as I do at the same level  I do my pc with Win 8.1.

I am not an expert but am fairly proficient and would like a phone I can maximize the features with and enjoy as I do 8.1.

Android is too intuitive as I end up looking for, rather than using. Windows is more apparent.

 

Thank you