Dumb phone

[F, Calla & Luca]

Well, I made a comment in the Photography Group about buying a new smart phone since Verizon, my carrier, is switching data plans and, of course, things will get more expensive if I wait to buy a new phone. I need to do this before the 28th. It started lots of comments, some of which may be of more general interest.

There are days when I think I'll go back to a dumb phone that only does what a phone is supposed to do. But I do sometimes use the camera. I do use my phones GPS and occasionally I look something up. I do not</ strong> text. If I want to communicate I call and speak to the person or leave a message. How quaint.

I will copy others my and others comments as replies and maybe we'll have more of a discussion.

UPDATE: I Love my Samsung Galaxy S3. SUPER SMART!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Comment by Nancie & Gracie Doodle 1 hour ago

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Diane...that is the same thing my husband has with his Droid.  When we travel with our laptops both of us are able to sign into his phone and work off it as a hot spot.  It is really cool. Some of the hotels we stay in have very weak service and we get really frustrated.  Now we just use his sign in code and we both are on at the same time with no interference to each other.  We just make sure we keep the phone plugged in so we don't drain it!  That is the one feature that iPhone is lacking. You have to check though when you buy your phone and make sure it is one of the models that can be a hot spot.

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

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Diane...that is the same thing my husband has with his Droid.  When we travel with our laptops both of us are able to sign into his phone and work off it as a hot spot.  It is really cool. Some of the hotels we stay in have very weak service and we get really frustrated.  Now we just use his sign in code and we both are on at the same time with no interference to each other.  We just make sure we keep the phone plugged in so we don't drain it!  That is the one feature that iPhone is lacking. You have to check though when you buy your phone and make sure it is one of the models that can be a hot spot.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Good point Nancie, I should check any phone for that in case I want to do that sometime. It should work for my tablet for wireless internet  I think. My tablet doesn't have 3 or 4G.

[Diana Erhart]

We have recently moved and ditched the land line phone all together.  We have the home phone connect along with a cellular family plan that inlcudes me, our daughter and my parents and a wi-fi device all on Verizon.  Personally I don't think we need the home phone connect but my hubby wanted it.  I must disclose that my hubby works for Verizon.  He believes that all the cellular companies will be going this route with the change in the pricing, except one ( I think he said Sprint but not sure on that.)  I think you need to figure out what you want to use your phone for and pick the best plan that works for you.  We are all different in how we use our phones, especially now with all the things that a smartphone can do. As much as I would like to just close my eyes and pick a plan, unfortunately now a days you need to do some research and investigating to find what works best cost wise for you.

[F, Calla & Luca]

So true. It just gets awfully confusing. The other night when my internet and home lines went down I was awfully glad to have a cell phone. So I do like a back up plan. BTW, the people who have come to repair my service have always been terrific and taught me a lot too. It's getting through to Verizon and then getting something done that can drive you mad.

[Janie, Jackson and Jilly]

Funny you mention this, my DH and DD are at the Verizon store right now. Her plan is up and she wanted to get a new smart phone before the 28th. Will update on which phone she got..

[F, Calla & Luca]

Good, I can use all the input I can get : )

[Janie, Jackson and Jilly]

So Katie had a Droid phone, liked it and wanted to stay with a Droid. She got the Droid Razr Maxx, 32g because it has longer battery life, good service record, takes an addl memory card for photos. 

[F, Calla & Luca]

I liked what I read about it too, but I posted above about many problems with the screen shattering, sometimes for no reason. Tell her to be careful and keep an eye on the forums.

http://www.relaxing-fun.com/android/droid-razr-maxx-broken-screen/1938

[Janie, Jackson and Jilly]

Thanks, just reading the post on the screen issue...

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I am trying to figure this out right now, because I was on my DD's family plan and am now on my own. I don't think I would know what to do with a smart phone if I had one. I do not text, ever, and don't want to start. I use the phone to talk. I am never away from home for very long, and when I am, I'm driving, shopping, or doing something else which would make surfing the web impossible anyway.  I just want a phone for talking. No apps, etc. Most of them do have cameras, even the 'dumb" ones. The cheapest unlimited plan I can find with a halfway decent company would run $70/month for unlimited talking, and you have to sign a 2 year contract. I am commitment phobic, so I'm hesitant. I do have a landline and want to keep that for several reasons. Verizon has a deal where you get your home phone service for $10 a month if you get the mobil phone with them, but it's not hardwired, it's a deal with things plugged into other things, and I want to keep the hardwired system i have. When we had that 5 day power failure last year, my home phone worked, and it was my lifeline. You couldn't charge the other phones after the batteries ran down. And the home phone plan also involves my highspeed internet, so i really don't want to mess with that right now.  

I bought a $50 phone and am doing a pay as you go thing with Verizon for $50/month while I try to make up my mind.

[F, Calla & Luca]

There are cheaper just phone with no data plans, I think. I like having a land line too. It's been a problem for people I know when the power does down and their home phone goes out. Some because they have phone service through their computer, others because with Fios you only get 6 hour battery backup. I have a generator so you know I'm into backup and being connected. About ten years ago we had only the most local phone service and no cell phones after a bad storm flooded a Verizon central location. I could only hope no one was trying to urgently reach me.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I am leery of some of these companies, though. My DD had nightmares dealing with T-Mobile. Originally, it was wonderful, but then about a year ago things changed. The customer service was beyond horrible.

I feel comfortable with either AT & T or Verizon, both are $70/month for unlimited talk. If anyone has had a good experience with a less expensive company, I would be very interested to hear about it.