Do you think it's time to get a fancy phone?

fuzzybuddy

fuzzybuddy

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Location
The Sticks, Northeast PA.
I have a land line phone. I also have a flip phone that I only use as way to call "911", when I out. But I wonder if it's time to ditch the landline and the flip phone, and get a much better cell phone. Really what do I get out of a landline that better cell phone wouldn't do? That landline ain't cheap, the flip phone is ( Consumer Cellular).
 

You are going to get a wide range of opinions on this one. There are those such as myself who love my smartphone (Nexus 6) and use it all the time but then there are going to be others who will reply saying that smartphones are evil and a waste of time. Neither opinion is right, it all just depends on the the person and what they expect from a phone. Know this, if you do get one it does take some time and effort to learn how to use it to it's full potential (navigation,consuming media,texting,keeping up with news,etc). If you are not tech curious nor have a friend or relative close by who is tech savvy then I would suggest against it. If you are looking to just make calls, maybe text some, and keep up on reading emails then I would suggest against getting a smart phone. There are many good basic cell phones on the market that will suffice for those needs.

If you do decide to go ahead and get a smart phone my main suggestion to you would be don't skimp on price. Make sure it has a minimum 32GB of space (some phones do allow you to add a memory card) and make sure it has a good camera. You will use the camera a lot more than you think once you have one with you all the time. Go into a store and check different screen sizes. I prefer a large screen but many find it too big. Do a lot of research. Ask family,friends, and even people here for advice on which phone to pick. It is a major investment so well worth the research.
 
fuzzybuddy said:
I have a land line phone. I also have a flip phone that I only use as way to call "911", when I out. But I wonder if it's time to ditch the landline and the flip phone, and get a much better cell phone. Really what do I get out of a landline that better cell phone wouldn't do? That landline ain't cheap, the flip phone is (Cellular).
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I dumped the land line a couple of years ago and have been satisfied with a cheap Virgin Mobile flip phone. I have also been wondering if it is time to get a fancier iphone. My problem is that I'm just too cheap to change, the Virgin Mobile flip phone has no charge other than the minutes used, it costs me less than $100.00/year.

Let me know if you find a great deal on an iphone plan!!!
 
QuickSilver said:
No one uses "dial up" any more... You run your internet through a router. We have U-verse through At&T. Ditched our landline for Smart Phones over a year ago.
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Over here most people access the 'net through providers who offer various packages ranging from broadband plus POTS to high speed broadband plus feature rich telephony plus something broadly similar to the cable networks. You pays your money and takes your choice.

Delivery is still mostly via copper pairs though coax is increasingly being used for fast broadband and fibre for the really fast stuff.

We have the equivalent to POTS over land line (because it comes free with a generous free call allowance) plus high speed broadband in addition to which we have a SIM only deal that costs us £7,50 per month with free calls and texts to people using the same mobile operator and 100Gb data allowance per month.

Our television is by satellite using a free to user broadcaster in addition to a considerable number of channels from the satellites we can access from where we live.
 
I still have my landline and I have my old computer in the basement set for a dial up connection. I did that on purpose so when the cable went down, I'd still have internet access temporarily if I needed it.

I only use a prepaid Tracfone for emergencies and short calls, nothing else. Since I'm not greatly attached to my cellphone or computer, I'm okay with what I have. I imagine using a smart phone can be rather pricey depending on what you do with it. If I'm making a long distance call to a relative or friend, I like to use my landline, more comfortable with that connection and don't have to concern myself over losing a signal or cutting out or battery dying.
 
I do not have a cell phone and do not want one. They are pretty expensive here in Canada, but the main reason we do not care to have one is that when I am away from the house I do not want to be bothered by a phone. I really don't understand people who feel the need to take a phone everywhere with them. Then when the kids were still at home I used to unplug the phone for a little peace and quiet. My friends would say "but what if you miss a call?", ummmm that was the idea. Even now I figure if someone calls and I am not home they can call back later or leave a message. I have always felt the phone is here for my convenience not someone else's.
 
One of the BIGGEST reasons for having (any kind) of portable telephone is for emergencies.

Lets say that you're on a lonely road in your car in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night

and you run out of fuel or have a flat tire etc. Please tell us how'd you solve the problem with no cell phone.
 
I am a bit old fashioned, I guess. Keeping the land line. I have a simple cell phone, which I hardly use...in fact I usually tell people to use my land line unless it is an emergency and I am not home. I get internet on my laptop. Phone screen just too small for me. Never liked it for internet.
 
Aunt Bea said:
I dumped the land line a couple of years ago and have been satisfied with a cheap Virgin Mobile flip phone. I have also been wondering if it is time to get a fancier iphone. My problem is that I'm just too cheap to change, the Virgin Mobile flip phone has no charge other than the minutes used, it costs me less than $100.00/year.
Let me know if you find a great deal on an iphone plan!!!
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Aunt Bea -- I don't have the I phone, but I do have a fancy android. I got it through T-mobile for not very much, and I have the same deal you have -- I buy minutes when I run out of time and NO monthly charge or other charges. Just the cash-and-carry minutes.

You might check in with T-mobile and see if they have a phone you like. No don't have to have the I-phone to have the fancy stuff -- most androids will do the same things.
 
I have an Android phone too. A Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, 3 yrs old, outdated already, but I like it. It's really small, like a flip phone only thinner. It does take some time getting used to. Too small for much typing beyond text messages, but I wanted small as possible to keep in a side pocket. I bet you could get a slightly outdated model phone cheap.

The most useful setting for me was one that makes the buttons inoperable if you hold it close to your face. I was always disconnecting callers by touching it to my ear at first. Also found a cover that allows you to skip the unlock step when you flip the cover open.

My landline is about to go for good. I only get telemarketers on it now. Stays off the hook most of the day. Of course AT&T raises DSL rates some if you cancel your house phone. :rolleyes:
 
We have a land line, and we screen our calls with caller ID. If we don't recognize the caller we don't answer.

Our kids said to my wife "here mom have a cell phone". They have since replaced it with an I phone 7, which is on our daughters bill. She gets a good rate as a T-Mobile employee. I really don't feel that I need any kind of cell phone.

Last spring there was a news item about a woman so focused on her phone that she walked into the side of a moving train. It knocked her on her butt, but no serious damage.
 
I have a land line and a Tracfone for traveling and emergencies only. When the folks I know call me I have a terrible time hearing them on their cell phones. The car phones are even worse. Some people think it's a great time to call me when they are walking through stores or parking lots. I don't hear well as it is and the background noise makes it worse. I hear traffic,or clean up in isle 6, if they happen to be in Walmart. I guess they are trying to kill two birds with one stone but I think it's rude. Also a bit pricey for me.
 
I'd be lost without my iPhone. Check email, make/receive calls, texts, facebook messaging, Expedia & FlightStats apps for when I'm traveling, Notes app for remembering things I can't remember, Google, Health app tracks daily exercise, weather app, calendar app, maps app, etc.

The "emergency use" ability is not that important to me. Flat tire? Haven't had one in years, but I could still change it. Run out of gas? Really?

Plus the phone syncs with my Costco hearing aids, bypasses the phone speaker and sends the signal directly to the hearing aids. I simply can't hear to talk on the phone without it.
 
We have VoIP for our "land line" phone and have iPhones as well. Ooma is our service provider for the VoIP. It works well, is cheap and we can screen or "blacklist" specific numbers if we want to. Or block all numbers that aren't on our contact list. We can route calls to our smartphones or any other phone.

I use the iPhone for business and when I'm out of the house for calls, Alexa shopping lists and other apps. I rarely use it at home. At home I use an iPad (or desktop PC) for internet, various apps and email using our home wifi. We use broadband cable at home because it's very fast, Verizon for the smartphones and satellite for the TV's This combination works well for us.
 
We still have a home landline and we've got a couple of ol' school flip phones with AT&T that we've had for several years........we're content with what we have now.
 
aeron said:
Get a carrier pigeon. At least you can get a decent meal when they become obsolete :)
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We have flip phones on our daughters account. $30 a month each (3)..They have 3 smart phones, if we went with smart phones it would increase their data usage too high..If we dropped our 3 flip phones she would also pay a penalty!!
 
Aeron, you're luckier than us. Living in rural Scotland, even letters are faster than the internet and you have to climb the nearest hill to get a mobile phone signal!
We have a landline phone and basic mobiles for emergency use. Otherwise, the fastest way to communicate is (as you suggested) to keep carrier pigeons. Talk of "superfast" broadband is just a sick joke here. So, I've got no need for a fancy phone. Anyway, there are enough 'zombies' walking around needing an "app" to control every aspect of their lives. I've got no intention to join their number.
 
Our home phone land line is the main phone we used for years. The flip phone (Consumer Cellular) just goes with me when I'm out and about just in case something happens. When I'm home the flip phone is turned off, and any calls to it are rerouted to our home phone number.

This just works for us and I guess it'll stay that way..
 

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