RE: Smartphone? Data plan? I need help!

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LiveSpark -> RE: Smartphone? Data plan? I need help! (1/4/2015 8:52:22 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: camille65 quote: ORIGINAL: LiveSpark FR One thing I really regret is getting a plan with unlimited text and call and 6 G of data. I don't use the phone to make calls all that much, I don't text as much as I used to due to chronic hand pain, and I don't use even close to 6 G since I now tend to search using my laptop. Unfortunately I'm stuck with the remainder of a 3 year contract which I also regret. So camille be VERY careful with the plan you choose if the free phone is dependent on signing a contract especially if it's 3 years or so. I get a free 5C iPhone with a two year contract. Then I have to choose the data thingie which is where you all have been super helpful. I'm way slow when it comes to learning new technology. Way slow. So slow it is as if my IQ drops by fifty points, or more. Then please be more careful than I was. I gave NO thought to the possibility that I wouldn't need all that data and unlimited call/text. When the contract ends I'm going to scale way back on my plan.

camille65 -> RE: Smartphone? Data plan? I need help! (1/4/2015 9:07:16 AM)
Oh no now people are talking about storage! What is storage, how much do I need etc? :( Is storage a one time cost or monthly? :( This is not fun.

PyrotheClown -> RE: Smartphone? Data plan? I need help! (1/4/2015 9:15:58 AM)
I went through the exact same thing 6 months ago.my trusty boulder died so Verizon offered me an iphone 4s for free.Like yerself,I was happily a phone ludite.My boulder had the only real apps that mattered(a flashlight and alarm clock),and I still prefer buttons to a touch screen(even thou I didn't have one them fancy mini keyboards),but I figured it out quickly enough.It really isn't that much different from yer other istuff.I don't own an ipad,but I assume they operate exactly the same way,considering most apps run on both.As a side note,it'll burn through yer data plan like a gas soaked peep,but if you ever find yer self traveling,you can use yer iphone as a wifi modem/router for yer ipad,ibook,iwhatever..

camille65 -> RE: Smartphone? Data plan? I need help! (1/4/2015 9:26:28 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: PyrotheClown I went through the exact same thing 6 months ago.my trusty boulder died so Verizon offered me an iphone 4s for free.Like yerself,I was happily a phone ludite.My boulder had the only real apps that mattered(a flashlight and alarm clock),and I still prefer buttons to a touch screen(even thou I didn't have one them fancy mini keyboards),but I figured it out quickly enough.It really isn't that much different from yer other istuff.I don't own an ipad,but I assume they operate exactly the same way,considering most apps run on both.As a side note,it'll burn through yer data plan like a gas soaked peep,but if you ever find yer self traveling,you can use yer iphone as a wifi modem/router for yer ipad,ibook,iwhatever.. I really do love that little keyboard. :(

LiveSpark -> RE: Smartphone? Data plan? I need help! (1/4/2015 9:41:43 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: camille65 quote: ORIGINAL: PyrotheClown I went through the exact same thing 6 months ago.my trusty boulder died so Verizon offered me an iphone 4s for free.Like yerself,I was happily a phone ludite.My boulder had the only real apps that mattered(a flashlight and alarm clock),and I still prefer buttons to a touch screen(even thou I didn't have one them fancy mini keyboards),but I figured it out quickly enough.It really isn't that much different from yer other istuff.I don't own an ipad,but I assume they operate exactly the same way,considering most apps run on both.As a side note,it'll burn through yer data plan like a gas soaked peep,but if you ever find yer self traveling,you can use yer iphone as a wifi modem/router for yer ipad,ibook,iwhatever.. I really do love that little keyboard. :( I don't. The keys are so small I was constantly pressing the wrong key. I love the touch screen, I'm much faster and more accurate.

camille65 -> RE: Smartphone? Data plan? I need help! (1/4/2015 9:55:01 AM)
Next vital question is about storage. Seems the free iPhone 5C comes with 8GB storage which I'm told isn't enough. Boo. Is a refurbished phone a bad thing? Those have 16GB. I've never gotten a refurbished anything.

freedomdwarf1 -> RE: Smartphone? Data plan? I need help! (1/4/2015 10:04:48 AM)
FR~ I always wonder why people are forced to "upgrade". When my trusty old brick finally died, I bought another one on ebay and swapped the old sim card into it. No new phone, nothing new to learn, no new number, no change of 'plans', no new contract. Plugged in my old memory card and voila! Nothing to do except use it like my old one. I really hate "i" anything. iPad, iMac, iPhone.... just YUK! [:'(][:'(][:'(] I also hate those new touch screens too - waay too delicate. And, I've noticed, all the new phones do NOT pick up the signal nearly as well as my old phone. Old phone: 5-bar signal, clear as crystal. No calls ever drop out. New 'smart' phones (same sim, same network): 2 bars if I'm lucky! Regular drop-outs. Nope. You can shove your new phones right where the sun don't shine. I'm on a PAYG package and it costs me around £10 ($15) a year. I have a smart-phone on my PC if I really want one. I hate it. Hate the way it looks, hate the way it works, hate the limited functionality. I've always said to use the right tool for the job. Want to browse the web?? Use a proper computer or laptop. Want to make a call or send a text/MMS?? Use a phone.

satanscharmer -> RE: Smartphone? Data plan? I need help! (1/4/2015 10:15:37 AM)
8GB is plenty for me. I use most of my storage on music, photos, and a few movies...just in case. I wouldn't even know what to do with more than that. It all depends on how much you plan on storing - app, photos, music...

camille65 -> RE: Smartphone? Data plan? I need help! (1/4/2015 10:20:32 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: satanscharmer 8GB is plenty for me. I use most of my storage on music, photos, and a few movies...just in case. I wouldn't even know what to do with more than that. It all depends on how much you plan on storing - app, photos, music... Gah this is complicated. Okay, if my iPhone is hooked up to that cloud thingie then I needn't worry about storage... right? Or if I'm diligent about uploading photos?

quizzicalkitten -> RE: Smartphone? Data plan? I need help! (1/4/2015 10:34:58 AM)
There is a reason they are offering the 5c for free, its because when the next upgrade comes around in a year the phone will not be supported. Its why its free, Id look at the 5s or the 6 if your looking at an iphone so that the phone is still usable through your two year contract. Storage does matter on an idevice because you cant use an sd card, if you connect to icloud, yes it will back up, but you still have to manually delete from your phone to free up the storage. You can get an android device s4 or s5 is my recommendation, and still have it sync with your mac via something like dropbox, again you will still have to manually delete from your phone to free up storage, but with most android devices you can expand your storage still with a micro sd card. For data, you are paying for the data plan then the phone on top, I believe verizons share everything is currently doing 45 for the smartphone and 50 for 2 gigs of data and 10 for basic phones. Bluetooth is a wireless connection that you can use to talk hands free on your device, if you have a newer car, or a headset you can connect your phone to your car/device and the audio goes through the device instead of the phone. you can also use this to transfer information if everything is bluetooth enabled. One good thing about verizon is you can change your plan pretty much when ever, if you get a 2 gb data plan but realize your coming close to that ammount every month you can easily bump it up to 3 or 4 by calling it wont extend your contract, if you realize you arent using anywhere near that you can drop it down to 1 a month as well.

freedomdwarf1 -> RE: Smartphone? Data plan? I need help! (1/4/2015 10:37:13 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: camille65 quote: ORIGINAL: satanscharmer 8GB is plenty for me. I use most of my storage on music, photos, and a few movies...just in case. I wouldn't even know what to do with more than that. It all depends on how much you plan on storing - app, photos, music... Gah this is complicated. Okay, if my iPhone is hooked up to that cloud thingie then I needn't worry about storage... right? Or if I'm diligent about uploading photos? I would get as much storage as possible without spending a fortune. As for the cloud thingy - that relies on internet connection to upload/download the info. And of course, your data package too. When I upgraded my PC to 5 Terrabytes, people said it was overkill. I filled it in a week!! I now have 12TB in it and I'm running out of space... again! My brick has 8GB on the Ram card and I can plug in a 16GB card if I wanted to. But... I always transfer my stuff to my PC for safe keeping and to conserve space on my phone. If you take a lot of Hi-res pics or shoot some movie footage, it soon eats it up. Add a few tunes and Apps and it won't take long before you need more space.

camille65 -> RE: Smartphone? Data plan? I need help! (1/4/2015 10:39:55 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: quizzicalkitten There is a reason they are offering the 5c for free, its because when the next upgrade comes around in a year the phone will not be supported. Its why its free, Id look at the 5s or the 6 if your looking at an iphone so that the phone is still usable through your two year contract. Storage does matter on an idevice because you cant use an sd card, if you connect to icloud, yes it will back up, but you still have to manually delete from your phone to free up the storage. You can get an android device s4 or s5 is my recommendation, and still have it sync with your mac via something like dropbox, again you will still have to manually delete from your phone to free up storage, but with most android devices you can expand your storage still with a micro sd card. For data, you are paying for the data plan then the phone on top, I believe verizons share everything is currently doing 45 for the smartphone and 50 for 2 gigs of data and 10 for basic phones. Bluetooth is a wireless connection that you can use to talk hands free on your device, if you have a newer car, or a headset you can connect your phone to your car/device and the audio goes through the device instead of the phone. you can also use this to transfer information if everything is bluetooth enabled. One good thing about verizon is you can change your plan pretty much when ever, if you get a 2 gb data plan but realize your coming close to that ammount every month you can easily bump it up to 3 or 4 by calling it wont extend your contract, if you realize you arent using anywhere near that you can drop it down to 1 a month as well. Thank you for the comprehensive response! Okies, an unsupported phone. What does that really mean? Will it be like my poor iMac who is so old he can't be upgraded? And, will it really matter if that happens in a year from now with just a two year contract? I really don't need or want new bells and whistles. I'm totally not that techie. But right now I can only afford a free upgrade thanks to Christmas and upcoming bills in February.

quizzicalkitten -> RE: Smartphone? Data plan? I need help! (1/4/2015 10:45:10 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: camille65 quote: ORIGINAL: quizzicalkitten There is a reason they are offering the 5c for free, its because when the next upgrade comes around in a year the phone will not be supported. Its why its free, Id look at the 5s or the 6 if your looking at an iphone so that the phone is still usable through your two year contract. Storage does matter on an idevice because you cant use an sd card, if you connect to icloud, yes it will back up, but you still have to manually delete from your phone to free up the storage. You can get an android device s4 or s5 is my recommendation, and still have it sync with your mac via something like dropbox, again you will still have to manually delete from your phone to free up storage, but with most android devices you can expand your storage still with a micro sd card. For data, you are paying for the data plan then the phone on top, I believe verizons share everything is currently doing 45 for the smartphone and 50 for 2 gigs of data and 10 for basic phones. Bluetooth is a wireless connection that you can use to talk hands free on your device, if you have a newer car, or a headset you can connect your phone to your car/device and the audio goes through the device instead of the phone. you can also use this to transfer information if everything is bluetooth enabled. One good thing about verizon is you can change your plan pretty much when ever, if you get a 2 gb data plan but realize your coming close to that ammount every month you can easily bump it up to 3 or 4 by calling it wont extend your contract, if you realize you arent using anywhere near that you can drop it down to 1 a month as well. Thank you for the comprehensive response! Okies, an unsupported phone. What does that really mean? Will it be like my poor iMac who is so old he can't be upgraded? And, will it really matter if that happens in a year from now with just a two year contract? I really don't need or want new bells and whistles. I'm totally not that techie. But right now I can only afford a free upgrade thanks to Christmas and upcoming bills in February. unsupported means that it wont be upgradable, it could be a large or small impact depending on how much you end up using the phone. Apps tend to be stuck at what ever version you are on when the upgrade comes about, it also might prevent them from working at all because well Apple sucks like that. Also if you want a basic phone verizon still does carry them http://www.verizonwireless.com/basic-phones/

camille65 -> RE: Smartphone? Data plan? I need help! (1/4/2015 10:48:35 AM)
qk, enormous thanks. Thanks to all of you! Between Facebook and four message boards (lol) I feel more confident in what I'm doing. Before you all helped I felt like I was about to walk onto a used car lot with cash sticking up out of my pocket. Tech stuff just is not a solid area for me, so a huge thank you to everyone! I'm off to Verizon to get a phone that is smarter than I, a dismal thought lmao. Anyone want to lay bets on how many questions I have by 6pm tonight? :D Thank you thank you!

Gauge -> RE: Smartphone? Data plan? I need help! (1/4/2015 11:04:11 AM)
What freedomdwarf said is absolutely true. You do not NEED to upgrade to a smart phone. Go find your model of your old phone on eBay and be done with it... buy it from a seller with a good reputation. Go to the library and read Consumer Reports on phones. They will explain things for you and they also evaluate the various carriers. However, if this is not an option, do yourself a favor... stop panicking about this. I too just wanted a regular old cell phone, but I found out that there are a few advantages to a "smart phone" that I had not bargained for. OK... before you get overwhelmed: Storage- It is basically the "hard disk" inside your phone. Used for music, applications, pictures, videos, and so on. If you are a new smart phone owner, just get an 8 gig. Truthfully, you sound like you just want a phone that makes calls and does texting, so if you cannot see yourself doing a metric shit ton of things, 8 gigs should suit you fine. Data- 2 gigs is fine. I hooked my phone into my wifi which simply means that you are using your internet connection instead of your phone data plan. GPS doesn't use a lot of data in reality. More often than not, you will burn more data watching a video or listening to music than your GPS will. Set your phone to only receive updates when you are connected to a wifi. Touch Screen- OK, for those with long nails or stubby, thick fingers, get a stylus. A nifty little tech device for people that have difficulty with a touch screen. Sure it is another thing to lug around... but it is about the size of a pen. Bluetooth- The virtual string between the two tin cans. I love my Bluetooth earpiece, no wires to get in the way of my hands etc. plus, it is nice while driving because it allows me to hear more-or-less normally from both ears. This also means with the bluetooth earpiece that I can hear a lot of background noise which, when I am talking, can be bothersome. I also have earbuds with a microphone that I use if I am going to carry on a longer conversation with someone. They will obviously be better with the background noise, but will obstruct your hearing in one ear, not much of a problem but one to be aware of. Earbuds don't need to be recharged either, but there is that pesky wire that will get in the way and you will invariably, unceremoniously yank those fuckers from your ear at some point by accident. So each has advantages and disadvantages which is why I use both. If you don't want to upgrade, you really do not need to, but if it is because you don't understand the jargon, go read the Consumer Reports Buying Guide at the library, it will make things a little easier. There is no reason to be buffaloed into something you do not need, but if you are like I was, reluctant, but curious, go with something simple... it isn't a marriage, it is just a phone.

epiphiny43 -> RE: Smartphone? Data plan? I need help! (1/4/2015 11:41:12 AM)
There are online forums for Mac devices and Apple phones, Google? People who are in the industry and power users discuss likely Apple product cycles (unsupported phones) and known issues with current ones. Power users are in a tizzy as the latest iPhone iOS is taking huge memory resources to function, people who just want a PHONE won't notice. The practice is to have a low price iPhone that needs upgrading to a more expensive one when people find they are out of usable memory and want more, no additional memory slot available for micro sd cards or other technology. Currently in court as advertising is claimed to be misleading? With practice, the Help option works decently on most Mac issues. Online resources include the mac forums, Apple supported or not. You probably can find an identical phone to your loved but departed one quickly online! Maybe even dirt cheap. Problem solved? Local coverage is huge if you actually need a PHONE, details of service and data contracts don't matter if you don't have service? Similar options to TracFone are cheaper, harder to find. Data is not cheap, if you don't use many minutes a month, it saves big time. I'm paying $20 every 3 months for 180 minutes, most of my friends use those minutes up in a week. I have a land line as it's required for internet access 'other-than-cable' which is even less reliable, and do any real calls at home. Any smart phone has huge memory for your actual music tastes (Stuff you Play), no net access/data plan required. So do some older dumb phones? If you load everything resembling music, not so much? A MP3 type player is FAR cheaper than any smart phone (You pay for the phone in 'service charges' over the life of the contract) and can have better sound and functionality. Education required, the device may be plugandplay, You aren't? If you love the net random music services, you need a data plan. Many devices now are also FM radios, I listen to a great public radio station (Music channel and a talk channel) here by choice when I want sounds or educated talk. What iMac you have counts if you want simple compatibility with smart phones. Post the model and current OS? You may need a newer Mac to use many of the communication features between an iPhone and desk/laptop. Guessing is pointless, what you have matters. You won't have any idea what data plan (Amount of downloads and uploads involving the internet) works as you have no idea what the options a smart phone offers are. You may never use any, you may become another smart phone zombie, rarely looking up from your screen. In between can still use a lot of data. Caution! It's not simple to find, but research 'lost/broke phone' charges for Any smart phone that's 'free' or cheap with a data plan! Most are charging huge penalties and you Can't cancel the plan! Losing many 'free' iPhones can cost $700-$800 by the time you have a new phone in your hands.

DesFIP -> RE: Smartphone? Data plan? I need help! (1/4/2015 2:14:39 PM)
My kids use 3 gigs each most months and a couple of times a year have to purchase another gig. My new phone is a dumb phone with a keyboard and that's intimidating enough for me. I always have the oldest phone around because it lives in an inside pocket of the purse. What I will say is that my son left for Israel on a Birthright trip this morning and mapquest directions were useless. I woke him up on the drive and had him use his phone to get us to the airport. We were totally lost.

satanscharmer -> RE: Smartphone? Data plan? I need help! (1/4/2015 2:36:53 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: camille65 quote: ORIGINAL: satanscharmer 8GB is plenty for me. I use most of my storage on music, photos, and a few movies...just in case. I wouldn't even know what to do with more than that. It all depends on how much you plan on storing - app, photos, music... Gah this is complicated. Okay, if my iPhone is hooked up to that cloud thingie then I needn't worry about storage... right? Or if I'm diligent about uploading photos? Yeah, I don't use the cloud. I just really don't get it and it kind of creeps me out. The thing that worries me the most is sharing something with my husband through it and, somehow, send to someone other than my husband in error.

Musicmystery -> RE: Smartphone? Data plan? I need help! (1/4/2015 5:20:00 PM)
~FR~ I don't like dumping money into phones/service. I have a $100 LG smart phone with Net 10 service for $45/month unlimited U.S. calls and data, no contract. It's everything I need. And I love it.

camille65 -> RE: Smartphone? Data plan? I need help! (1/4/2015 6:08:36 PM)
I got to my local Verizon store to find it had closed. Now if I had a smartphone (!!) I could have looked up another location but nooooo I had to go home and look it up. Argh. Went to the second store and only got lost once ( :) !!). Out of stock. Except a pink one way on the other side of the city which means getting lost countless times. Argh. So I had them order it, it will arrive Tuesday. I'm slightly excited and slightly apprehensive. I'm sure a lot of you are laughing at me but I'm seriously not good with computer stuff and it IS a computer. An Apple to boot! Argh! Thanks, a giant thanks to everyone that helped me with this. Yay!

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