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My parents, who are in their 80s were complaining about the Samsung Galaxy S3 phones I got them used a couple of years ago. It's not like they are power users, but they have a bunch of Apps installed from grocery stores, Medicare supplemental insurance, etc. along with liking to use Google Maps. My mom loves to play these fake slot machine games; she has something like $40 million dollars in fake winnings on one of them. So their S3 phones were starting to get bogged down. I could probably have done some tweaking on them to get them working better, but they also felt like their phones weren't as good as their friend's phones and their grandkids' phones. Sometimes it feels like they are turning into elderly teens.

My wife has a bunch of elderly friends who swear by their iPhones so that is the direction I was planning to go with them. But iPhones are fairly pricey even for older ones on eBay with limited memory and specs. So a couple weeks ago on "Prime Day" I bought them and my wife new unlocked Moto G6 32GB phones which took the Android 9 update when we got them. They were $110 a piece along with some $5 name brand 32GB micro SD cards. they actually will work with all domestic carriers. I tried my wife's first on a T-Mobile GSM network MVNO (discount carrier) that I had a SIM card for and it had much better reception than the phone I had been using the SIM in. So then I got some Sprint SIMs and switched everyone over to a Sprint group plan which is CDMA. Normally CDMA and GSM network phones are not compatible, but these MOTO G6 phones work on both.

So the phones look good, my only complaint is that the max call volume is not quite loud enough for me. But my parents and wife like them. There are a few growing pains switching from phones that were originally released 9 years ago to more my more recent phones but it is probably less traumatic for them than a switch to a completely different OS and at a fraction of the cost of an iPhone with comparable specs.

1 posted on 08/02/2019 9:20:43 AM PDT by fireman15
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To: fireman15

Sorry, I screwed up the post, the excerpt is from a different article. I was cutting and pasting on a tablet.


2 posted on 08/02/2019 9:23:30 AM PDT by fireman15
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To: fireman15

The author of the linked article is Joe Maring and the date was April 19, 2019.


3 posted on 08/02/2019 9:27:51 AM PDT by fireman15
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To: fireman15

My mom loves to play these fake slot machine games; she has something like $40 million dollars in fake winnings on one of them.

...

That amuses me.


4 posted on 08/02/2019 9:28:45 AM PDT by Moonman62 (Charity comes from wealth.)
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To: fireman15
Android π..............
5 posted on 08/02/2019 9:30:31 AM PDT by Red Badger (Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain......................)
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bookmark


6 posted on 08/02/2019 9:38:55 AM PDT by freds6girlies (many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first. Mt. 19:30. R.I.P. G & J)
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To: fireman15

The main problem I have with android/smartphones is the bloatware.

I initially had a MOTO E and upgraded to an LG Rebel 3. Both have so much junk that they quit being able to upgrade because there was no room to intall app upgrades. Android would not allow me to delete most pre-installed apps. I could only return to the their initial installation status.

So far with my LG Rebel 4 I have not had the problem of running out of space.

I could delete 3/4 of the pre-installed stuff as I find most of it useless or unnecessary.


7 posted on 08/02/2019 9:39:07 AM PDT by TomGuy
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To: fireman15

I really want a GOOGLE free version of Android. Something where I remove their ability to track me back to google but it still works like a smart phone.
I use BRAVE for a browser, I don’t have Amazon or Facebook installed nor any of it’s subsidiaries, but to get the Google out of the phone I’d have to go to iPhone, and I’m not willing to go over to Apple. A dumbphone is starting to look like the best option to stop being tracked by the evil empire of Alphabet the communist loving corporation.


8 posted on 08/02/2019 9:53:47 AM PDT by King_Corey (Buy American - https://madeinamericastore.com/)
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To: fireman15
“It also refreshes the look and feel of Android to be more Google-like”

Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated.

9 posted on 08/02/2019 9:55:56 AM PDT by McGruff (If you hate our Country, or if you are not happy here, you can leave!)
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To: fireman15
We purchased a couple of Samsung S5 Actives two years ago as our first smartphones. Unfortunately, the chipset in these are limited to Android 6, so this yet another OS we can't "upgrade" to.

OTOH, we use these phones almost exclusively for texting and phone calls. Occasionally, I will use mine to look up a map or for a quick Internet search. No email. No added apps other than the one I added for music (JetAudio). No logging into financial accounts. No depositing checks through phone images. No waving the phone over wireless payment devices at retail stores. No social accounts to post to.

Too many people, especially the younger generations, are tying up their lives on smartphones. Good luck when the SHTF.

10 posted on 08/02/2019 10:08:54 AM PDT by CatOwner
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To: fireman15
"t also refreshes the look and feel of Android to be more Google-like"

This is a GOOD thing?

12 posted on 08/02/2019 10:09:59 AM PDT by Paladin2
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To: fireman15

As I have posted else where, IMHO Google is the 3rd most evil entity on the planet. Got to give North Korea and Iran their due. I’ve had this Galaxy 3 Lite for 3 or 4 years. Play solitaire, Sudoku and read FR, nothing else. To this day the device hangs for off and on for 5 to 10 seconds while Android is communicating with itself all over the planet once it sees an internet connection.

I did software from the 60s to ‘07 and this type of activity behind the users back is inexcusable. Use to have a smart phone and got rid of it. It was definitely too smart for me. I want consistency and predictability. I see none of that in todays software.

Again, Google is evil, period.


13 posted on 08/02/2019 10:31:04 AM PDT by Allen In Texas Hill Country
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