The 3 year old phone..

REWahoo said:
+1 to the Motorola "G" series budget phones that sell in the ~$200 range. DW and I have both been using them for the past several years without major problems.
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My wife and I have had the Moto G5+ for going on 3 years. I'm starting to have battery issues, she is not. I stream podcasts several hours a day, and have to keep going back on charge. This morning I was out for a long walk and the phone went from 95% to 43% in 2-1/2 hours of streaming. When the time comes, I think I'll attempt a battery change, they are available for $15 to $40, but you should also get a tool kit. I have watched a video of battery replacement, it is not for the faint of heart. Looks doable, but it is a bit tedious.
 
Another Reader said:
When the update finished I was presented with a screen that says "this app is using the full screen..." and I can't get out of it.
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Have you tried dragging from each of the screen sides/edges to have some other menus/buttons shown?

and

Try this:
How do I get out of fullscreen mode on my Samsung?
How do I exit full screen mode on an Android device?

Tap or touch the screen.
A minimise/maximise icon will be displayed on the left of the screen.
Tap the minimise/maximise icon on the left of the screen.
The video size will change.
Click to expand...
https://www.informit.org/how-do-i-exit-full-screen-mode-android-device
 
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+2 for Swappa.com as a good source for high quality, used mobile devices.

I'm a long time Android user. My last two phones have been Pixels because I use Google Fi for my cellular provider. My current phone is a Pixel 3 and I cannot recommend it. Note that the "3" and "3a" are very different devices and I do not have any experience with the 3a. I recall reading somewhere that Google sold a lot more of the "a" series than the flagship 3s though.

My favorite Android device was my old Moto X. The Motorola UI was superior to Google's in many ways, so a Moto G or similar could be a good way to go.
 
Slightly related to the thread, I just saw a nice consumer-friendly move in the UK. Starting next December, any mobile phone you buy over there will have to be unlocked.

"We know that lots of people can be put off from switching because their handset is locked," said Ofcom's connectivity director, Selina Chadha. "So we're banning mobile companies from selling locked phones, which will save people time, money and effort - and help them unlock better deals."
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Let's hope that ruling is replicated in other countries!
 
braumeister said:
Let's hope that ruling is replicated in other countries!
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Not sure why this should be a law.

Regardless, iPhones are unlocked (in the USA) - unless you buy one from a carrier with some multi-year contract.

Some people are willing to trade flexibility for a discount.
 
Not really a discount... more of an installment payment plan.... you still end up paying for the phone either directly or indirectly.
 
pb4uski said:
Not really a discount... more of an installment payment plan.... you still end up paying for the phone either directly or indirectly.
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Maybe, but the cost of a new iPhone is $30 cheaper with the "plan" tie-in.

People with Apple Credit cards can structure their purchase as 0% interest installments over 24 months (you do need decent credit to get this). No tie in a carrier. And these are unlocked phones.
 
Mine is pretty budget friendly. As in free. When I switched to Cricket the phone was free. Its an LG Stylo 3. Got it about a year ago and works as well as any smart phone I've owned. The phone was a $100 type phone if purchased at the time.
 
Moto g power is now sold for $160 on Amazon which makes it a sweet deal (out the door: 160+1 sim +11 tax + 15 tracfone airtime -100 rebate I linked in an earlier post = 87). Then sign up for red pocket 2.5/mo (30/yr) plan for low usage user.

$87 for a new 1080p display, unlocked, 64GB/4GB phone with a battery that lasts 3 days that supports both cdma and gsm, plus the good reviews is not too bad.
 
Amazon has a ton of lower end locked and unlocked phone on the deal of the day today.
 
Teetee, that is a good deal on the Moto G power especially with the $100 rebate. I don’t need a phone so the deal is not for me. However, the Red Pocket $30 annual plan for low user looks good. I have been a Tracfone user for years, but when DH’s phone runs out of days this will be something for me to consider for him. It will be quite awhile before he runs out of time since I have signed him up for rewards and will be able to extend his time even further.
 
DrRoy said:
Still using an iPhone 7+ that is about 3 years old.
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+1 for IPhone. I’ve had a 6 and currently a 7. Once you go Apple, you will
likely never go back. I use it every day. Along with an IPAD.
 
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IPhone SE 2

Perhaps this isn’t sufficiently low-cost, but I’m hooked on the ease of use of the iOS/Apple-sphere and this model is pretty low cost around $400
 
I am in the Apple Universe so kind of stuck with the high end phone. But my IPhone X is more than 3 years old and still going strong. I manage properties remotely, have many security features and lighting, heating etc connected via the internet, constantly paying vendors with Zelle or others. My phone never fails me. One missed weekend booking and I lose the value of the phone and some. It is a required tool of my daily life.

But zero social media use! What a waste of time. But I do have a cheap Samsung my carrier gives me for free for having a contract with them although virtually all I use is data, even my phone calls are VoIP.

The time saved by having everything synced perfectly between phone, tablet and laptop and backed up to the cloud is substantial. My wife doesn’t and follows the cheapest is best theory is always losing stuff or bringing me her phone to load apps and back up as it is a pain. Not sure which Samsung model but it is limited and Android I find a pain....

But sure if all you do is make calls then any phone will do. But you are likely missing out on a lot of great time saving or organizational benefits.
 
rayinpenn said:
The kids , young adults destroy theirs because of heavy use or in the past dropping it in the creek. Did you know people write books on their phone? It must be a generation thing as I find typing on it extremely frustrating. The kids are on them all the time. It seems sharing the mundane minutes of their lives but I really have no idea what they are so intently writing.

The Mrs and my Android phones made it to three years. With prior phones It was like clockwork once the phones were off contract the battery would die, failing to keep a charge.
Battery management and batteries have clearly improved. I’ve looked you can replace the battery for $100.

When the time for a new phone arrives I am thinking of eschewing the $450 phones and going for a budget model. My needs: texting, calling, the internet, weather and directions.

Has anyone tried a budget friendly model? Willing to share.
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We paid between $12 and $18 for each of the three phones in our household. Two of them are Western Electric models from 1964. Those two are black in color and one of them is a wall-mount rotary-dial phone (kitchen) and the other is a desktop rotary-dial phone. (upstairs bedroom) Our newest phone is a red desktop rotary-dial phone (office) from 1984 with no manufacturer info on the back but it does have A.T.&T. stamped inside the handle.
These phones do not have batteries so that's one less thing to worry about. We like that two of them are 56 years old and the other one is 36 years old and they still work as well as they did the day they were built. They don't send or receive texts but texting is very overrated anyway. If you live in Colorado, Milwaukee or Houston (or other places!) you can still use them to get the local time and weather. https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/calling-time-weather

If you still are fortunate enough to have a land-line you can still pick up decent rotary-dial phones at antique shops for $20 - $30 in most places or even find ones online. I highly recommend rotary-dial home phones over anything that requires a battery. Life's a lot more relaxing that way. :wiseone: If anybody needs to contact us they can call and leave a message on our answering machine. :D
 
pb4uski said:
There is a fine line between frugal and cheap.... not sure if you can see it from where you are standing though.... :D
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We consider ourselves frugal but not cheap. We honestly just prefer vintage things. We love our rotary phones! We also have a collection of vintage Pyrex that we've collected over the last 13 years and a lot of those pieces cost a lot more than just going to Wal-Mart and picking up a casserole or some bowls. Plus it's really neat to have Thanksgiving dinner at our house and serve the food in 1950s turquoise Butterprint glassware along with 1960s Friendship and 1970s Spring Blossom patterned serving bowls.
pyrex-turquoise-amish-butterprint-stacked.jpg


vintage-set-friendship-pyrex-covered_1_8bcfff4738eecd608768d35b6f0f5763.jpg


s-l400.jpg


We're frugal and festive. Not cheap. :dance:
 
Yes but.... every customer service line, airline reservation line bank support etc requires you to press 1 for English or press 0 for the directory and then press the extension number. Armchair millionaire is an analog guy in a digital world....now I would be much happier if an actual living agent or receptionist just picked up the phone and preferably one who spoke understandable English but that is just me!
 
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