Free Republic

Dumb phones may be falling out of fashion on a global scale, but it’s a different story in the U.S. Companies like HMD Global, the maker of Nokia phones, continue to sell millions of mobile devices similar to those used in the early 2000s. This includes what’s known as “feature phones” — traditional flip or slide phones that have additional features like GPS or a hotspot. “I think you can see it with certain Gen Z populations — they’re tired of the screens,” said Jose Briones, ... In the U.S., feature flip phone sales were up in 2022 for HMD...

It is a very modern dilemma. Should you hand your child a smartphone, or keep them away from the devices as long as possible? As a parent, you'd be forgiven for thinking of a smartphone as a sort of Pandora's box with the ability to unleash all the world's evils on your child's wholesome life. The bewildering array of headlines relating to the possible impact of children's phone and social media use are enough to make anyone want to opt out. Apparently, even celebrities are not immune to this modern parenting problem: Madonna has said that she regretted giving her...

I recently bought a new flip phone that Verizon was offering a good deal on. It’s an Alcatel Go Flip V. I loved my old LG flip phone but it was not wi-fi compatible so I had to get one that was. The Alcatel is and that’s the single only good thing I have to say about the phone. The phone is flat out awful. It has a terrible selection of ringtones, is difficult to set up, the texting is terrible and you cannot forward texts, the image quality is awful for pictures received (they look like a negative of...

How may one block an outgoing number on a cell phone? I have an old ZTE Z222 flip phone from AT&T that I am giving to a granddaughter to use. She has lost her smart phone because she runs up a huge bill. I figure with a simply old fashioned flip phone, the only thing she can do with unlimited calling and texting the only thing she could do to run the bill up is 411 calls at $5 a pop. I want to block 411 calls. I doubt she will make international calls.