Confused about Smartphones

[REWahoo]

Actually, the later is one of the reasons I suggested going with a tablet and WIFI. If she experiments with a decent smartphone on the go and actually uses it, she will likely buy a permanent plan ruining her ER budget.

Yeahbut, ya gotta enjoy life a little along the way.

 

[REWahoo]

I have a question concerning speed. Is the 4G data plans significantly faster than 3G? I'm on a 3G Pageplus plan and have thought about upgrading to the 4G one. To do so I would also have to upgrade phones according the their website. Don't care to bother if there is not a big difference though.

As usual, the answer is "it depends."

This article answers your question far better than I can:

3G vs. 4G: What's the Difference? | News & Opinion | PCMag.com

 

[Dawg52]

As usual, the answer is "it depends."

This article answers your question far better than I can:

3G vs. 4G: What's the Difference? | News & Opinion | PCMag.com

Thanks. I guess what I need to do is sit with a friend who has a 4G and compare to mine. Probably should just put money on a new tablet continue using my phone for calls and texts.

 

[scrinch]

Dawg52, PagePlus 4G speeds are limited to 5 Mbps, so you won't notice the huge speed increase you'd see if you were paying Verizon directly. But the 3G network is slowly being dismantled, so within a few years you will need to switch, and maybe sooner depending on what Verizon does with the towers in your area. Because the newer 4G phones are so much faster and nicer than the older 3G ones, I'd recommend switching to 4G just for the nicer phone.

 

[Cobra9777]

Just curious since you mentioned 2007, iPhone early adopter?

No, I've never owned an iPhone. My first smartphone ("Pocket PC" in those days) was an HTC Titan PPC-6800. Sprint called it the "Mogul." It ran Windows Mobile 6.1, had GPS, WiFi, BT, and worked with Megacorp's Exchange email system. I later owned a Palm Pre (big WebOS fan), Blackberry, Galaxy GS3, and now the Nexus 5.

 

[DayDreaming]

I'm a satisfied TING user, been with them for about 3 years. My phone bill averages less than $11/month because I rarely use it for voice. Text messages go through Google Voice and count as data, not text. I'd been using a refurbished Galaxy SII which I purchased from Ting. Just recently purchased a refurbished Galaxy S4 from them. I really have no complaints with TING.

 

[utrecht]

There's only one reason to not have a smart phone and that's if you cant afford it. You feel like you dont need one because you cant miss something you've never had, but once you get one, you will never go back. You will find so many reasons to keep it and you will discover so many things that it does that you had no idea about. You cant even imagine. Ive had one for 12 years? and Im still finding new things to use it for every day.

 

[ERD50]

...

I don't agree with those of you who are saying go with a hotspot, not a smart phone. As some have pointed out, Amethyst will end up wondering why she didn't get a smart phone long ago.

It's not that universal. I have access to smartphones in the house, but I still prefer my old flip phone for phone calls, and use a tablet for internet access.

The super-nice thing about the old flip for a low-use user like me is, I can go weeks w/o charging it, and many days on a charge for those rare times I'm making longer calls. I can't tell you how many times DW was w/o the use of her phone - it's in her purse with a dead battery. And we are each on the T-Mobile 'Gold Plan', I still have lots of minutes and top off just $10/year, DW uses hers more, so I top off her with $100/year (she does most of her messaging on wi-fi at home).

And then, the tablet/laptop has a bigger screen and keyboard (virtual or physical) than a smartphone. The downside is I need to rely on wi-fi, but I'm considering this:

https://yourkarma.com/

I have not looked at the details in a while, but for low-use or occasional use, it might make a lot of sense. What I like is, no contract, the data always rolls over, and it is its own 'hot spot', so it's easy to share on any wi-fi device I have. You could do that if your smartphone package allows hot-spot sharing, but then you are tied into that kind of a contract. I could hand the karma to DW, or take it with me instead - it's not tied to any one of our phones.

Of course, for some (many?, most?) users a smartphone is the way to go. If you want that instant access anywhere, w/o carrying a laptop/tablet, that's the ticket. But that's not everyone.

Also, I got the Moto-G for DD, Gen 2 IIRC. She really likes it, one of the best 'value' smartphones from what I've read.

-ERD50

 

[martyp]

Another reason to try out or get a smartphone is that they are really good compact cameras and also take decent videos.

 

[Nunthewiser]

^^ ....and can be used as scanners, GPS units, MP3 players, stock market/investment checkers, mobile bankers, etc etc

Personally, I have been using a basically free Ringplus phone for over a year ( an EVO 3G) I get 100mb a month free data plus all the texts and minutes I ever need. I might have to kick in a dollar or so for data, but I don't use much.

You don't necessarily need to buy a dedicated hotspot. Most rooted phones will do this . Depending on the data plan you buy, you may get this to work.

 

[sengsational]

Another reason to try out or get a smartphone is that they are really good compact cameras and also take decent videos.

As someone who recently went from a fairly crummy smart phone (FreedomPop) to a less crummy smart phone (Moto X 2nd Gen on Republic), I can say that if your phone performs well, you'll find more and more things to do with it. The FreedomPop phone worked great for texting, Google Maps/Navigating in cities, camera was tolerable, but Internet was pretty horrific, even when on wifi. The bigger and more powerful Moto X makes internet tolerable, even on cell data. Better camera too. Plenty of storage for pictures and videos. And I found apps that save me money and help me find good stuff to do (GasBuddy when filling up the RV, PriceLine to lock in a price on a room for the night, Yelp to get a respected place to eat or activity to do).

 

[Amethyst]

Now I'm really confused. Are some of you telling me that I can use a WiFi-enabled device where there is no WiFi? We'll be in a vacant property for a week.I mean vacant, as in nothing there.

 

[Nunthewiser]

You don't necessarily need to buy a dedicated hotspot. Most rooted phones will do this . Depending on the data plan you buy, you may get this to work.

Quoting myself, if you are referring to my statement, I should have said more clearly that you can turn many smartphones into wifi hotspots.

If you have done this, you can run a tablet from this hotspot. Or you can find a tablet that will grab its own 3G ( or I think 4G) signal as well

 

[martyp]

Now I'm really confused. Are some of you telling me that I can use a WiFi-enabled device where there is no WiFi? We'll be in a vacant property for a week.I mean vacant, as in nothing there.

If there is no service in the area you will not be able to use the phone. While vacationing near Mt. Rainer I couldn't use my iPhone because there was no AT&T service on that side of the mountain. I saw other people using their phones who had Verizon. Like any mobile phone you can see, on the screen, if there is service in your area. If there is an internet connection then you could possibly use that connection but you said there is nothing there.

 

[mpeirce]

Now I'm really confused. Are some of you telling me that I can use a WiFi-enabled device where there is no WiFi? We'll be in a vacant property for a week.I mean vacant, as in nothing there.

Any modern smart phone can connect to the internet via the phone system and relays this over WiFi.

Basically, the phone *is* the WiFi base station.

If you are in a "remote" location, it would make sense to figure out what telephone company provides decent coverage there. There are lots of places that don't have cell phone coverage. ATT & Verizon are significantly better at covering out of the way locations compared to Sprint or T-Mobile, but they all fail some in places.

 

[REWahoo]

Many smartphones have built-in wi-fi hotspot capability - no need to root (my Galaxy S3 has it). Your carrier also needs to allow this feature, as some do not even though the phone has the ability to do so. Some carriers will allow it but only if you pay an additional fee.

Not sure what Ting allows, so check it out before you buy.

 

[REWahoo]

Now I'm really confused. Are some of you telling me that I can use a WiFi-enabled device where there is no WiFi? We'll be in a vacant property for a week.I mean vacant, as in nothing there.

As others have mentioned, check the carrier's coverage map to see if there is service at the property.

 

[hnzw_rui]

Now I'm really confused. Are some of you telling me that I can use a WiFi-enabled device where there is no WiFi? We'll be in a vacant property for a week. I mean vacant, as in nothing there.

That depends. If you only have WiFi-only devices and no smartphone or tablet or dedicated hotspot with mobile data capabilities, then nope.

However, for example you have a smartphone or tablet with 4G/LTE data capabilities. If the plan from your carrier allows it, you can share internet from your smartphone/tablet to WiFi-only devices such as laptops by enabling the "Personal Hotspot" or "Mobile Hotspot" feature on your smartphone/tablet.

In general, I find data-only plans for tablets to be cheaper than smartphone plans. By the way, if you're going somewhere out of the way, T-Mobile and Sprint don't exactly have the best coverage. Might be safer to stick to AT&T and Verizon.

 

[Amethyst]

I said vacant, not remote. It is an empty property in a development, not some mountaintop.There is no phone, no router, no nothing on the premises. But the major telcos do serve the area.

 

[Meadbh]

I said vacant, not remote. It is an empty property in a development, not some mountaintop.There is no phone, no router, no nothing on the premises. But the major telcos do serve the area.

Then your smartphone should work there, and you should be able to use it as a Wifi hotspot for your tablet.

 

[Rustic23]

I come down on the 'Get a Smart Phone' side.

A. Network is more important than Phone. A great phone on a lousy network is worthless, however, a crappy phone on a great network is still usable. Straight Talk phone can be had on most of the major networks. It just depends on where you tell them your zipcode is.

B. A phone can be a hotspot, but it's not as easy to make a hotspot a phone. Ok Skype and other programs work, but it's not as convenient as a phone. So if you get a hotspot, you will still most likely want to have your phone and end up paying for both.

C. A smart phone is really a mini desktop computer. Combine it with Cloud services such as Google and there is little you can't do on it. I know, not big like a tablet, but you can function. OP talks about a weak not a lifetime decision.

D. Most newer Smart Phones have good cameras!

E. It's neat to be able to be in a store, scan the UPC and see what Amazon charges for a product, or that there is a store three blocks over cheaper.

 

[Amethyst]

Ok that makes more sense. The smartphone uses the paid service, and the tablet functions off the smartphone. I did not know that was possible.

Then your smartphone should work there, and you should be able to use it as a Wifi hotspot for your tablet.

 

[rodi]

Ting uses Sprint's network for CDMA and T-Mobile for GSM. Not a big fan of the Galaxy S3 and S4. Way too bloated. For being flagship devices, I find them to be less responsive and laggier than a cheap Moto G (2012, 1st gen) running stock Android.

If looking for an inexpensive GSM Android smartphone, my recommendation is the Moto G (2015, 3rd gen)
https://ting.com/shop/Motorola-Moto-G-Black-3rd-Gen-New-GSM-External

Second vote for Moto G. Just got this for older son - he loves it and doesn't whine about sluggishness. Pretty cheap for what you get.

I've been on TING for a few years now. I like it. Even with my older son using data like mad (just turned it off on his phone because he blew through 2G in less than 2 weeks.) and younger son texting like mad we're still under $100 for 4 smart phones usage.

 

[Gotadimple]

Ok that makes more sense. The smartphone uses the paid service, and the tablet functions off the smartphone. I did not know that was possible.

Yes it is possible, if the service you buy allows you to use them as a hotspot AND if the phone you use can function as a hotspot. Galaxy S3 won't.

So, you know who provides service in your area, and you are interested in an Android phone (assuming ATT is your carrier of choice, second choice is T-Mobile). You need to pick a phone and a plan. Reasonably priced Android or Windows phones are available for less than $100 - but not directly from the carrier. Think Walmart.

In addition, rather than post-paid (you get a bill every month after you used the service), you may want a pre-paid plan (you pay for the month in advance, like Ting among others, if you don't pay the next month, you lose your account and phone number). Less expensive than post-pay, but sometimes limited in terms of roaming when you can't access your carrier's cell tower.

Start here for overviews of plans and phones: Prepaid Phone News

This site has a comprehensive list of plans by carrier. In addition, he issues a weekly report of phones for sale, which carriers support them, who sells, and for how much. Most phones only work on certain carriers, unless they are unlocked. He has many articles on his site that sort info into easily read tables. It's a great place to start your research.

Then if you are interested in chatter about plans, carriers, and phones, go to HowardForums: Your Mobile Phone Community & Resource

-- Rita

 

[Koogie]

Second vote for Moto G. Just got this for older son - he loves it and doesn't whine about sluggishness. Pretty cheap for what you get.

I've been on TING for a few years now. I like it. Even with my older son using data like mad (just turned it off on his phone because he blew through 2G in less than 2 weeks.) and younger son texting like mad we're still under $100 for 4 smart phones usage.

Make that 3 for the Moto G ! (3rd gen) coolsmiley

Bought one for my wife who has no clue about smartphones (but uses an Android tablet). She loves it. And it is really just a smaller version of her tablet with a phone grafted into it so there was almost no learning curve for using the operating system and she just downloaded all the same apps she has on her tablet.

It is a fantastic phone for the price as well (C$168.00) It is as good as my Nexus 5.