Posted on 09/14/2014 10:43:02 PM PDT by This Just In
Good Evening,
So I've been considering this whole smartphone business. No, not the kind of business in which I design, produce, or sell smartphones. I'm referring to the whole smartphone culture. Or subculture, call it what you wish.
Yeah, I have a cellphone, but is it smart? No. Although I don't own a smartphone I know a little about it. After all, a lot of friends and family have smartphone. They ask you if YOU have a smartphone. And if you don't, some of them peer over their shoulders and shun you. Also, there are all those ads reminding you that you need one of those things. You know of what I speak. Those ads which try to convey the message, "You're just not hip if you don't own one of these." I've ignored em for years. I've never been into conformity or bowing to peer pressure. This is not to suggest that anyone who uses a smartphone has, but you know what I'm saying.
So I started to look into this. Why, you may ask? For this simple reason: The 'contract free' prepaid cell phones out there are not that reliable. I should know, I've been using em for years. So I'm figuring that an upgrade will surely enable me to enjoy a more reliable connection.
As I started surfing the net the first thing I discovered is that in order to first purchase a smartphone and contractual agreement you must first hand over every single piece of personal information you possess as well as your first born child. For goodness sakes, it's not as if I'm signing up to be a secret agent or something. What's wrong with a credit card?!
The second thing I discover on this quest is that most ppl on the net can't write worth a hill of beans. Which is why I'm here........writing to you. In order to save myself from the pain and misery of wading through site after site of poorly written "information" concerning my questions, I've decided to bypass all of that and rely on those tech savvy Freepers who'll be able to answer my questions, post sarcastic remarks, hurl insults, and truly provide an entertaining as well as highly educational thread.
So, without further ado, here are some of my questions:
What is "unlocked" and "SIM Free"?
Yes, yes, I know. These are simple little terms which I should know, and according to some of those sites I mentioned, I do know, but would someone explain this a bit clearer?
I'm not looking for the Ferrari of smartphones. The iPhone 5c is perfect. I have no interest in the fingerprint ID feature. As a matter of fact, I hate that feature, but hey. What ever floats ur boat. So my second questions is:
Does anyone have, or has used an iPhone 5c? If so, pros? Cons? Suggestions?
The final question, and I realize this depends on your location and where you travel.
Verizon or AT&T?
Frankly, I strongly dislike Verizon....for a multitude of reason, but they have the best coverage within the US.
What say you?
Well, since you now say you refuse to get a contract data plan, why are you asking all of these questions about smartphones? What good is an iPhone without a data plan?
Well, from what I understand, there is iPhone 5c with unlocked and SIM Free ‘no contract’ options. I hope to discover more of these possibilities, or perhaps not as I thought, this week.
What makes you think you need a “smartphone” or an “iphone” to get the capabilities you need? I have a Tracphone that provides all the options I need without a contract or demands for personal info, but then again I do not LIVE (exist) on the phone as so many others seem to do.
Why pay 450$US for a phone when a “phone” is supposed to be for calling and speaking with someone, when a company such as Tracfone offers cellphones for essentially free with a minimum 60-day activation card (up to one year), and other options can be accessed with pretty much any relatively new computer (as in for the last fifteen years at least) out there today?
Pardon me, Utilizer, but did you bother to actually read the thread as well as the comments? If you did you would have discovered the answers to your questions.
I stated:
“The ‘contract free’ prepaid cell phones out there are not that reliable. I should know, I’ve been using em for years.”
Tracfones are not “essentially” free. You have to purchase the phone. The key word here is “coverage”. We have used Tracfones, and during one of our trips a while back we visited Las Vegas. We had absolutely zero coverage. No cell coverage at all. Coverage at our house wasn’t good as well.
I still have both (legacy from when one or the other would work, but not both in many areas I work in), but AT&T goes when the contract dies.
Thanks, Smokin’ Joe.
The smartphones from a few years ago that are now under $100 were the $500 phones of their day. An iPhone 5c will last you years (unless you shatter the glass).
Easy replacement you do yourself. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Zoyp6RmFjQ
I bought a Samsung Galaxy S4 at approx $400 for T-Mobile (1700 & 2100 freq) and I really did not need all the features. I just wanted a phones with a 4g data connection.
I have T-Mobile and none of the older phones would work at 4g on their network as T-Mobile only recently upgraded their network for LTE. Next year and after the phones will be much cheaper to buy and more models available to use.
I choose an android phone because they do not lock the phone as much as apple.
You can buy an app called PDAnet to connect the phone to your computer.
I can install PDAnet without needing to jailbreak it. Apple blocks the install unless you jailbreak. http://www.junefabrics.com/iphone/index.php
In a year or two you can buy smartphones cheap that have the same capability as the iPhone 6 and Galaxy S5.
When looking for a phone make sure it matches the freq that they use. http://www.wilsonamplifiers.com/frequencies-by-provider/
The screen for the iPhone is $49... wow. My Samsung is $170
http://www.repairsuniverse.com/iphone-5c-lcd-touch-screen-digitizer-replacement.html?utm_source=JerryRigEverything&utm_medium=iPhone%205c%20Black%20Screen&utm_campaign=JerryRigEverything
No offense, now, and yes I just skimmed your initial thread.
I stated that Tracfones were “essentially” free, since I know I purchased one with a 60-day card and could have purchase another Tracfone at the end of the period with no problem. Hence the “essentially free” comment.
I have had good luck with tracfones over the years, although their customer support is decidedly lacking, and the fact that they seem to be tied into the Verizon network (for the most part) is probably a good reason for that. It has worked reliably as far as I have been able to determine from California to Florida, and quite a few places in between, so I have continued to use their services. YMMV.
Sorry to hear you did not experience the same degree of coverage I did, but then again pretty much every carrier has a dead spot or several existing. Only way to really get beyond that limitation is a SatPhone, actually.
Anyways, just thought I would offer the thought.
*Ahem*
“...purchased one with a 60-day card and could have purchased another Tracfone at the end of the period...” -for the same price as merely purchasing another 60-day renewal card.
Sorry. Should have clarified a bit more.
No prob, Utilizer.
I like Tracfone, but it seems the service has been worsening. I had a problem with one of my phones. It would not allow me to add minutes, so I was forced to call their customer service on a number of occasions. As you already know, the person on the other end can barely speak English, and trying to have your questions answered is like trying to find a Vegan at a Guy Fieri diner.
Awesome info., minnesota_bound. Thank you.
OK, long story so bear with me.
I hate smart phones. In order to get one you have to pay for a data plan, something I don’t think I should have to do because there’s WiFi almost everywhere, so why can’t I buy a smart phone without a data plan and just use WiFi for the “smart” part? I have a perfectly good flip phone, a Samsung Convoy II ruggedized phone, that is small, works well, and can withstand being dropped and splattered on. Plus, even the subsidized price of a Smart phone is much more expensive than the “free” I paid for the Convoy. Smart phones are just gimmicks.
Then my son gives me his hand-me-down Apple iPod Touch. Cool, I thought. Here’s a smart phone without the “phone,” and it uses WiFi for its data. So I carried both a phone and an iPod for about a year, looking like the nerd I am with two phone cases on my belt.
Then my wife says to me “I want a smart phone. Get me one. Now.” Well, she’s about as much of a tightwad as I am, so I explain the data contract part, and how much it will cost, and she says, “I don’t care, get me one.” OK, I say, and start looking for deals.
Both of our phones were overdue for our “new every two” upgrade from Verizon (evil, but as you pointed out, the best coverage in the US by far,) and Verizon sends me this email last April for a free iPhone 5c 32 GB. OK, problem solved, and I get one for my wife.
I play around with her phone from time to time, and it’s not bad. Its newer than my iPod, and has a better processor, so it surfs the web better than my iPod. When we’re out at dinner, she can look up stuff that I can’t because the resturaunt doesn’t have free WiFi. And she can do stuff while we’re travelling in the car. I begin to get “phone envy.”
Then last June Verizon sends me another email saying my phone is still eligible, and here’s an offer for another free iPhone 5c 32 GB. I hem and haw, debating if I really need it or not, and the offer expires in July. I finally decide on the last day of the offer to get one.
And I haven’t looked back since. I carry only one device now, it’s much more powerful than the iPod touch, and it syncs all of my contacts into one big contact list. My old phone contacts (imported via Verizon’s could backup,) my home email contacts, my work email contacts. At first I though “crap, they’re all mixed up now! Stupid $#@$%! Apple!” But wait, the iPhone’s search function is so powerful, that I type a partial name, first or last, or a partial business name, and all the possible contacts appear. Not too shabby, and it’s saved me from my poor memory more than once. “What’s the guy’s name from XYZ Corp? Oh yeah!”
I’m here to tell you today that if you offered me my old phone back, along with a shiny new iPod Touch, and my $20 per month back that I spend on a data plan, I’d politely say, “no, thank you.” I’m hooked. I’m addicted. And I’m never going back.
I live in an area without good cell coverage. I use ATT and bought a micro cell which boosts the signal in my house.
I have no problems with ATT coverage in the little towns around me.
meh. moving on.
The latest iPhones 5 and above have radios for both. No difference. I believe it works with nine different standards around the world.
The iPhone can be a mobile WIFI hotspot for your iPad, or your WIFI on a laptop, sharing data bandwidth. Works great.
If you are at all interested in ApplePay, get the iPhone 5s. The 5C will not be supported. No fingerprint pad. . . and I’m not even certain about the 5s. The 5s is more secure, but if you’re not going for the ApplePay, you might consider a used iPhone 5, basically the same. Metal case, though.
That's unnecessary now. Built-in system WIFI Tethering is included on all modern iPhones since iOS 7 was released a couple of years ago and does not require carrier permission.
Also live in boonies. Consider a booster antenna for your home. Since getting one the I phone has also been primary source of Internet service.
No more dial up as house phone is also through AT&T wireless
Because of hills and forest the satalitte dishes for Internet would not work
Cell service solved the problem
I scoffed at smart phones since they came out. I often admonished my children who’s data plans went up to $90 a month some months. They’re young adults, 24 and 23 right now, so what?
I broke down and got one 6 months ago. They quickly become a useful part of your life. Email, voice chat, google, music, visual voice mail, camera, translator. It gets scary very quickly as you’ll find you’ll start cerfing the web whenever you’re tied up in line, at a Dr. Office, talking to a boring relative.
Very quickly it turns to a security blanket of sorts. You’ll feel naked and vulnerable without it.
The problem is, kiss your personal information and security goodbye. There is no getting around it, you get a verizon smart phone and they’re going to hook themselves completely into your life, much like google does
Many people scoff at the idea that somebody is going to make them ‘bear the mark of the beast’, Now I’m thinking the old bible passage meant ‘carry’ the mark of the beast — as in carry a smartphone around.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.