Author Topic: Cell Phone Recommendations? (I'm NOT Cheap, Just Poor!)😁 (Read 4035 times)

mrclose · « **on:** October 17, 2021, 07:45:54 pm »

I had a pretty good verizon flip phone for years.
Never used it for anything other than phone calls even though it could do things that 'smart phones' could do at the time.
(The phone is/was around 12-15 years old.

Well, a friend gave me one of those 'new fangled', flat screen kind of phones and I'm learning to use it for more than calls. yaaay!

Problem is .. It's old and slow as molasses and the battery drains in just a couple of hours when browsing the net!

I have been looking at a Moto G7 Optimo Maxx that looks pretty darn good ... compared against the phone I have now, a TCL A501DL that appears to be ancient too!

The Moto can be bought for $149.00.

If you cell phone savvy folks can find a better deal or a better phone for under $200.00 .. or give me your thoughts on the moto .. I'd surely be appreciative

Heck, I may even give ya a call some day .. or not!☺

Thanks

sneakypete · « **Reply #1 on:** October 17, 2021, 08:01:12 pm »

I just bought a Moto G Fast for $167 from Amazon. I bought it because it was the closest thing to my previous phone,which seems to have been dropped on it's head one time too often,and I have chemo brain and just ain't up to learning anything I don't have to learn.

Like you,I want a phone that makes and receives phone calls. I wouldn't even have a damn phone if I wasn't old and sick and live alone.

Unfortunately the new phone has different software loaded in it at the factory,so there was still a learning curve. After a week or so,I can now make and answer phone calls,and send text messages. Which is all I want to do,anyhow. Supposedly I can watch movies and do all sorts of stupid stuff on it that I don't want to do. I have a 58 inch plasma tv and I am going to watch movies on my cell phone?

Oh,and I downloaded an app that give me driving directions,and another app called "alarmy" that reminds me when to take my scheduled meds twice a day.

I can only say buy yourself a hard case to protect it in case you drop it.

libertybele · « **Reply #2 on:** October 17, 2021, 08:04:35 pm »

I wish I could help @mrclose but I am shopping around as well. I want to get my daughter a new cellphone (Android not iphone) for Christmas, so any recommendations would be appreciated.

She currently has an LG Aristo, but LG is no longer a phone option for Metro.

EdinVA · « **Reply #3 on:** October 17, 2021, 08:17:36 pm »

We use Net10 and get their $35 android pones.... even if it breaks, I have not lost much... I refuse to use apple so ...

mrclose · « **Reply #4 on:** October 17, 2021, 08:21:59 pm »

It's not an easy choice when it comes to these things!

They all seem to change .. the 'stuff' that they can do and their prices ... within minutes of my choosing one!😫

Elderberry · « **Reply #5 on:** October 17, 2021, 08:38:12 pm »

I've been pretty lucky picking up used phones on Ebay. I am hard on phones, so I lean to ruggedized phones. I've been using Samsung rugged phones for many years now. I'm currently on the Samsung S8 Active. I've had it for several years with no problems. My previous was a Samsung Rugby Smart. Once I couldn't find it. That day I'd worked in the yard and up in the attic. I called and called it and couldn't here it ring anywhere. I then remembered that I was washing my work clothes. I felt in the washer. Of course I ran it on hot. I felt around and found it on the bottom of the tub. I pulled it out, wiped it with a towel and hit the power button. It came alive, so I made a call. There was no sound out of the ear speaker, but the other speaker worked fine. After about an hour the ear speaker dried out. The washer's agitator scuffed the screen some, but I used it for several more years.

Before Rugged phones I was using a Sony Ericsson, until I broke the screen the very same day I had replaced it. And that was the 4th time I had replaced the screen on it. Enough!

sneakypete · « **Reply #6 on:** October 17, 2021, 10:03:20 pm »

BTW,this might,or might not be important to you.

It seems like most new cell phones these days have batteries that can't be removed.

Which means you can always be tracked remotely no matter where you are,or if your phone is on or off.

This might be something those of you who are younger might want to consider when buying a new phone.

Just sayin...........

sneakypete · « **Reply #7 on:** October 17, 2021, 10:05:17 pm »

Quote from: sneakypete on October 17, 2021, 08:01:12 pm

I just bought a Moto G Fast for $167 from Amazon. I bought it because it was the closest thing to my previous phone,which seems to have been dropped on it's head one time too often,and I have chemo brain and just ain't up to learning anything I don't have to learn.

Like you,I want a phone that makes and receives phone calls. I wouldn't even have a damn phone if I wasn't old and sick and live alone.

Unfortunately the new phone has different software loaded in it at the factory,so there was still a learning curve. After a week or so,I can now make and answer phone calls,and send text messages. Which is all I want to do,anyhow. Supposedly I can watch movies and do all sorts of stupid stuff on it that I don't want to do. I have a 58 inch plasma tv and I am going to watch movies on my cell phone?

Oh,and I downloaded an app that give me driving directions,and another app called "alarmy" that reminds me when to take my scheduled meds twice a day.

I can only say buy yourself a hard case to protect it in case you drop it.

BTW,my provider is Verizon,and I have been using them for more than a decade now without a minute of trouble.

Elderberry · « **Reply #8 on:** October 17, 2021, 10:19:33 pm »

Quote from: sneakypete on October 17, 2021, 10:03:20 pm

BTW,this might,or might not be important to you.

It seems like most new cell phones these days have batteries that can't be removed.

Which means you can always be tracked remotely no matter where you are,or if your phone is on or off.

This might be something those of you who are younger might want to consider when buying a new phone.

Just sayin...........

Just slip your phone into a "Faraday" box, bag, or sleeve and its "Off the Grid".

https://www.cnet.com/pictures/silent-pocket-faraday-phone-cases/

sneakypete · « **Reply #9 on:** October 17, 2021, 10:30:26 pm »

$100 seems a little stiff to me.

You can buy one from Amazon for $15.99,including shipping if you are an Amazon Prime customer.

Use "Faraday phone case" as the key words.

Elderberry · « **Reply #10 on:** October 17, 2021, 10:35:38 pm »

That was just the first site that popped up. You don't have to buy one. They're simple enough to make.

sneakypete · « **Reply #11 on:** October 17, 2021, 10:42:33 pm »

Quote from: Elderberry on October 17, 2021, 10:35:38 pm

That was just the first site that popped up. You don't have to buy one. They're simple enough to make.

@Elderberry

IIRC,the cheapest one I saw on Amazon was around 12 bucks,and the 16 dollar purchase gets you two of them.

I am not sure you can buy the material for that kind of money,so why bother?

I DO like the idea of having one to carry my credit cards in to keep remote readers from reading them.

BTW,if my post seems like an attack on you,I offer my apologies. IF that was the case,I assure you that it was unintentional.

My intent was simply to add to the knowledge base that the cases could be bought cheaper. Frankly,I didn't even know there were such things until I read your post. Now I have bought one to carry my credit cards in.

A little bit of "Safe" is more valuable than all the "sorry" in the world.

Elderberry · « **Reply #12 on:** October 17, 2021, 11:06:15 pm »

Quote from: sneakypete on October 17, 2021, 10:42:33 pm

@Elderberry

IIRC,the cheapest one I saw on Amazon was around 12 bucks,and the 16 dollar purchase gets you two of them.

I am not sure you can buy the material for that kind of money,so why bother?

I DO like the idea of having one to carry my credit cards in to keep remote readers from reading them.

BTW,if my post seems like an attack on you,I offer my apologies. IF that was the case,I assure you that it was unintentional.

My intent was simply to add to the knowledge base that the cases could be bought cheaper. Frankly,I didn't even know there were such things until I read your post. Now I have bought one to carry my credit cards in.

A little bit of "Safe" is more valuable than all the "sorry" in the world.

@sneakypete

"Knowledge" That's what its all about!

I got my degree in computer hardware and then started working on computers in 83 supporting NASA. As time went by I would hear of co-workers having a personal computer. I'd ask what do you do with it and they'd say things like "keep my recipes on it" or "reconcile my bank account". All things I could do with pencil and paper. It wasn't until we had our first child in 86, I purchased a pc shortly after to be able to raise him in the "Computer Age". This was before the WWW. And then I discovered I could connect to libraries and universities using Archie and Gopher. The beginnings of the "Informational Highway". I was hooked! And I totally understood the need for Personal Computers. "Access to Information". To me, that's what its all about.

Smokin Joe · « **Reply #13 on:** October 17, 2021, 11:56:03 pm »

Quote from: sneakypete on October 17, 2021, 10:03:20 pm

BTW,this might,or might not be important to you.

It seems like most new cell phones these days have batteries that can't be removed.

Which means you can always be tracked remotely no matter where you are,or if your phone is on or off.

This might be something those of you who are younger might want to consider when buying a new phone.

Just sayin...........

I may be wrong but a .30 caliber ammo can seems to be a good place to keep your phone (shut off, or trying to get a signal will drain the battery) when you want to be 'off grid'.

sneakypete · « **Reply #14 on:** October 18, 2021, 12:27:15 am »

Quote from: Smokin Joe on October 17, 2021, 11:56:03 pm

I may be wrong but a .30 caliber ammo can seems to be a good place to keep your phone (shut off, or trying to get a signal will drain the battery) when you want to be 'off grid'.

@Smokin Joe

I honestly don't know,but I do know it makes more sense to just spend 12-15 bucks on a wallet you can put in your pocket to carry with you that thieves with card readers can't get your CC numbers.

Takes BIG pockets to carry a 50 cal ammo can.

Idiot · « **Reply #15 on:** October 18, 2021, 09:25:10 am »

Hmmm....I saw your same post on FR....

Bigun · « **Reply #16 on:** October 18, 2021, 09:33:30 am »

@mrclose I just got a brand new Moto G Power directly from Cricket Wireless for under $100 and I love it!

Only need to charge it about once a week and it just upgraded to Android 11 (the latest Android operating system.) It will do it all.

Edit to add: This new phone has a feature that was greatly advantageous to me since I live in a house with a metal roof on it. If you have little to no signal through your carrier the phone automatically redirects calls to use your wireless internet. My old LG (probably 10 years or more) did not have that and I could not make calls from inside my house on it.

catfish1957 · « **Reply #17 on:** October 18, 2021, 09:37:02 am »

We are the ultimate in cheap as far as cell phones. But of course I am the ultimate of frugal in every aspect.

Wife and I are both on a 10 cents a minute plan, on our free flip phones. We prepay our phones with an annual charge of $100/year. + tax. We never ever use all $100 a year, and that money rolls over year to year.

Therefore (and we have done this 15 years) both keep a phone for basically $9 a month. Of course we don't text or use our phones like a computer, but it meets our needs.

roamer_1 · « **Reply #18 on:** October 18, 2021, 10:38:16 am »

I do alright in down-label Samsung. My last one was an A50 that I got for around $150, which is some dough to me, but $100 off the going price on close out. Does everything you'd expect, and has a fair cam. Battery lasts all day in fair use with 50% left at the end of the day.

Seems to me, decent power and batt life starts around the $200-250 range retail. But thare are serious sales to be had - floor models or unboxed offer serious discounts - and you are close enough to Black Friday that I would stand pat and buy a year-end close out on that day. A 200 dollar phone will land under a hundred if you can wait.

DefiantMassRINO · « **Reply #19 on:** October 18, 2021, 11:11:32 am »

For my last cell phone "upgrade", I got a Cingular Flip IV from AT&T:

https://www.att.com/buy/phones/att-cingular-flip-4-4gb-black.html

... I had to "upgrade" because AT&T was sunsetting 3G, and my ancient Nokia flip phone didn't support 4G.

Making phone calls with hand-held supercomputers is too complicated for me. I'm still waiting for a rotary dial cell phone that takes dimes.

sneakypete · « **Reply #20 on:** October 18, 2021, 01:37:17 pm »

Quote from: DefiantMassRINO on October 18, 2021, 11:11:32 am

For my last cell phone "upgrade", I got a Cingular Flip IV from AT&T:

https://www.att.com/buy/phones/att-cingular-flip-4-4gb-black.html

... I had to "upgrade" because AT&T was sunsetting 3G, and my ancient Nokia flip phone didn't support 4G.

Making phone calls with hand-held supercomputers is too complicated for me. I'm still waiting for a rotary dial cell phone that takes dimes.

@DefiantMassRINO

Where are you going to get the dimes?

Restored · « **Reply #21 on:** October 18, 2021, 02:18:26 pm »

I got a phone through Cricket for cheap but I think I am switching over to Suddenlink soon. It seems to be cheaper even with a phone upgrade.

mrclose · « **Reply #22 on:** October 18, 2021, 05:33:08 pm »

I can't help but be extremely appreciative of all the help you good folks have given me!

There is So Much to learn and that is one reason that I am responding so late to the thread!😕

I decided to forgo my desktop computer and see how viewing and posting would be handled on these miniature hand held 'smartphones'!

OMG!😩

THERE IS NO WAY!
You'd have to be daffy to use those things as your primary posting tool!

Not only that, I tried to go to all of my online stores, where I do a lot of purchasing .. FORGET IT!

Every single page on here, on my stores .. Everywhere has to be enlarged to be read.
Ever tried doing a search on here without enlarging the whole page?☹

Same with posting!

Keys on keyboard a little larger than grains of salt!

Which reminds me .. all of those videos where folks are typing Super fast with just their thumbs? ... let's just say, I believe those as much as I believe that Fauci always tells the truth!

I have one of those skinny pencil type styluses(?) and miss the correct keys almost regularly.
(What do you expect with grain of salt size keys?)🤢

Then there is the problem where you can hardly scroll or move around the screen without 'touching' some spot that sends you some place you didn't want to go, blows the text size up so large that one letter will fill the screen, or worse, sends you back home unexpectedly and erases that post that you took hours to get just right .. Before you get the chance to post it!
(Yep, happened to me here a number of times before I gave up and came back to my trusty desktop!)

Yes, I know, to you pros I am opening myself up to ridicule and derision with this post!

I probably deserve it for being 'smartphone' dumb! 😁

I just wanted to let you good folks know that I hadn't posted and ran like some do and that I Really Am grateful for all of your posts!

Thank you for allowing me to "vent". 8)

EdinVA · « **Reply #23 on:** October 18, 2021, 05:52:23 pm »

Quote from: mrclose on October 18, 2021, 05:33:08 pm

I can't help but be extremely appreciative of all the help you good folks have given me!

There is So Much to learn and that is one reason that I am responding so late to the thread!😕

I decided to forgo my desktop computer and see how viewing and posting would be handled on these miniature hand held 'smartphones'!

OMG!😩

THERE IS NO WAY!
You'd have to be daffy to use those things as your primary posting tool!

Not only that, I tried to go to all of my online stores, where I do a lot of purchasing .. FORGET IT!

Every single page on here, on my stores .. Everywhere has to be enlarged to be read.
Ever tried doing a search on here without enlarging the whole page?☹

Same with posting!

Keys on keyboard a little larger than grains of salt!

Which reminds me .. all of those videos where folks are typing Super fast with just their thumbs? ... let's just say, I believe those as much as I believe that Fauci always tells the truth!

I have one of those skinny pencil type styluses(?) and miss the correct keys almost regularly.
(What do you expect with grain of salt size keys?)🤢

Then there is the problem where you can hardly scroll or move around the screen without 'touching' some spot that sends you some place you didn't want to go, blows the text size up so large that one letter will fill the screen, or worse, sends you back home unexpectedly and erases that post that you took hours to get just right .. Before you get the chance to post it!
(Yep, happened to me here a number of times before I gave up and came back to my trusty desktop!)

Yes, I know, to you pros I am opening myself up to ridicule and derision with this post!

I probably deserve it for being 'smartphone' dumb! 😁

I just wanted to let you good folks know that I hadn't posted and ran like some do and that I Really Am grateful for all of your posts!

Thank you for allowing me to "vent". 8)

I watch my grandson blast away at those keys and wonder how... my thumbs cover 3 or 4 of those little keys and it is anybodies guess which one will show up...

Free Vulcan · « **Reply #24 on:** October 18, 2021, 05:58:19 pm »

I went with Tracfone a few years back, bought a LG smart phone for $70. I buy what I need when I need it, runs me around $20/month.