Mobile phones - the big upgrade looms....for me

Del.Monte

Years ago I used to get all the latest gadgets as soon as they came out - including a Sony Betamax video player and a Sony Video camera that needed a team of native bearers to carry it; the best Technics Hi Fi that money could buy and the Nokia mobile (pictured below) that cost an arm and a leg from Telecom Eireann back in 1996! These days I'm more than happy to let it all pass me by especially when it comes to mobile phones....but my 13-year old has decided that it's time to upgrade me.



It started at Christmas when he gave me a strange Sony Ericsson (the small black one) to replace my lovely silver phone from the same company. My silver T303 had served me well for about 8 years (€30 new) but was starting to give up mechanically - i.e. many of the buttons were becoming unresponsive - and I knew that the inevitable was facing me. However, the new black Sony Ericsson was a disaster - a phone with a joy stick! I couldn't manage it all and mercifully my son further upgraded again me last week with a strange new (second-hand) LG phone.

This is a strange yoke altogether and all the scrolling, pinching and other strange things leaves me baffled but I was able to go on eBay and scrum.com with it yesterday - on the train! He installed WhatsApp on it and I'm even able to use that... after a fashion. Sadly it will not end here as he is determined to complete his agenda and get me onto a serious smart phone before much longer.

This Not the Nine O'Clock News sketch is kind of like what happens to me when I try and answer a call on the latest phone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7L3iSZsNpY

I still prefer my landline for phonecalls and my trusty laptop to all this new fangled gadgetry but there's no stopping my son. Any other technophobes under pressure out there?

tomwaterford

You can still get phones with buttons
...my dad got one last year (in the post office iirc)

And is happy enough with it...but
It has even worse memory than him

Shannon757

tomwaterford wrote: »

You can still get phones with buttons
...my dad got one last year (in the post office iirc)

And is happy enough with it...but
It has even worse memory than him

A Doro?

The_Valeyard

Shannon757 wrote: »

A Doro?

Thats your answer OP


Also known as 'The Granny Phone'

Del.Monte

The_Valeyard wrote: »

Thats your answer OP


Also known as 'The Granny Phone'

Thanks but you just undid your advice with that.

Shannon757

Del.Monte wrote: »

Thanks but you just undid your advice with that.

He meant "The Grandad phone"

Del.Monte

Shannon757 wrote: »

He meant "The Grandad phone"

And that makes it better....

The_Valeyard

Del.Monte wrote: »

And that makes it better....

Just take your meds and buy the damn phone, we will wheel you to the shop :pac::pac::pac::pac::pac:

bear1

I actually had to check if the date of this post wasn't Jan 2002.

Akrasia

You're goanna needed at least a Galaxy S8. Anything less is just a waste of time

The_Valeyard

bear1 wrote: »

I actually had to check if the date of this post wasn't Jan 2002.

Well then id be looking for one of those land line thinges with the old style dial wand.

bear1

The_Valeyard wrote: »

Well then id be looking for one of those land line thinges with the old style dial wand.

Get them in esv shops, just ask them to stick it on the bill.

Del.Monte

I was just looking at a page for the Samsung Galaxy S8 when I my mind wandered back to this pre-mobile era Spanish TV movie about the dangers of new phones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKkfGG9q32c

learn_more

I was discussing mobile phones with my 76 year old mum a few months back and I suggested she get a smartphone to which she replied 'is that one of those ones you rub'.

Since then she was given a 10" tablet as a xmas gift. Ever since she has it plonked in front of her all day long and I don't see her doing crosswords anymore. She is the sort that would have to ask someone to make adjustments to the TV as she couldn't figure it out by herself.

So all I am saying is if my mum can manage android then anyone can.

Ficheall

I have a nokia from 2006 that is still going fine (except it only holds about 130 text messages). I also have a Sony Xperia from 2015 which can't make phonecalls longer than 90 seconds, and which I'm going to have to replace very soon because it is almost impossible to get the charger to "connect" to the phone. If I could use the nokia as a wifi hotspot, I'd be happy to use it as my only phone. Though I might miss whatsapp.

The_Valeyard

Hey OP

You are saved!!!


http://news.sky.com/story/dialling-back-time-nokia-3310-will-be-re-released-this-month-10768885

Nokia 3310 is coming back

Del.Monte

The_Valeyard wrote: »

Hey OP

You are saved!!!


http://news.sky.com/story/dialling-back-time-nokia-3310-will-be-re-released-this-month-10768885

Nokia 3310 is coming back

But it's not the slider model - poxy. Anyway, I'm under starters orders from the kids and there's no turning back. :D

Hande hoche!

The_Valeyard wrote: »

Hey OP

You are saved!!!


http://news.sky.com/story/dialling-back-time-nokia-3310-will-be-re-released-this-month-10768885

Nokia 3310 is coming back

That's fantastic, might have to pick one up. Yeah the silver slidy model from the Matrix was the fancied one.

ScumLord

The smart phones are actually easier to use than any of the older phones. Once you get used to them you won't go back.

There are basically 3 types. iPhone, android phones and windows phones. Android are the most popular and have the most apps. iPhones are iPhones, you either want one or not. There's no advantage to them.

I think windows is the best for anyone who's not that into having a load of apps. I think it has by far the best user interface, very straightforward and easy to use. I switched to android this year and while it's fine and and I can do everything I want to do it's just not as user friendly as the windows phone.

murpho999

ScumLord wrote: »

The smart phones are actually easier to use than any of the older phones. Once you get used to them you won't go back.

There are basically 3 types. iPhone, android phones and windows phones. Android are the most popular and have the most apps. iPhones are iPhones, you either want one or not. There's no advantage to them.

I think windows is the best for anyone who's not that into having a load of apps. I think it has by far the best user interface, very straightforward and easy to use. I switched to android this year and while it's fine and and I can do everything I want to do it's just not as user friendly as the windows phone.

Where to start except that this post is full of bad advice and should not be followed.

Windows is the least popular and more cumbersome platform.

Android and iPhone (platform is called iOS) has various advantages and disadvantages.

Thing is people compare Android, which is software to iPhone which is hardware.

There are a lot of rubbish android phones out there and if you want to compare to iPhone you should be getting the more premium android phones.

Plenty of Apps on iOS and Android by the way, no need to choose either because of quantity of apps available. All comes down to choice and preference.

SEPT 23 1989

The_Valeyard wrote: »

Hey OP

You are saved!!!


http://news.sky.com/story/dialling-back-time-nokia-3310-will-be-re-released-this-month-10768885

Nokia 3310 is coming back

Nuclear war must be close

Ubbquittious

ScumLord wrote: »

The smart phones are actually easier to use than any of the older phones. Once you get used to them you won't go back.

There are basically 3 types. iPhone, android phones and windows phones. Android are the most popular and have the most apps. iPhones are iPhones, you either want one or not. There's no advantage to them.

I think windows is the best for anyone who's not that into having a load of apps. I think it has by far the best user interface, very straightforward and easy to use. I switched to android this year and while it's fine and and I can do everything I want to do it's just not as user friendly as the windows phone.

All bloody touch screens. Can't even buy a decent phone with a slide out keyboard anymore since the manufacturers all copied the Steve Jobs method for selling phones "this is the design you want you just don't know it yet" instead of giving people the choice

I hope that new release 3310 supports 4G because they are already talking of scrapping the 2G networks in some places

murpho999

Ubbquittious wrote: »

All bloody touch screens. Can't even buy a decent phone with a slide out keyboard anymore since the manufacturers all copied the Steve Jobs method for selling phones "this is the design you want you just don't know it yet" instead of giving people the choice

I hope that new release 3310 supports 4G because they are already talking of scrapping the 2G networks in some places

Why would a non smart phone need 4g?

Either way 3g will still be there for a while yet.

Anyhow, you should try a smart phone, the virtual keyboards are ridiculously easy to adapt to and there is zero need for physical keyboards anymore.

Ubbquittious

murpho999 wrote: »

Why would a non smart phone need 4g?

Either way 3g will still be there for a while yet.

Anyhow, you should try a smart phone, the virtual keyboards are ridiculously easy to adapt to and there is zero need for physical keyboards anymore.

I have been using smartphones for years and have always hated the virtual keyboards. Much of the reason the manufacturers prefer touch screens is because you can just buy them in bulk along with the screen. If you design a new button phone the keypad is about 3 different components that have to be custom made for that specific phone

riclad

You can buy a good android phone for 100-130 euro,they come with a headphone socket and a fm radio app installed.They are easier to us than an iphone,and cheaper
Every iphone has a slightly different interface.

ScumLord

murpho999 wrote: »

Windows is the least popular and more cumbersome platform.

I don't see how windows is cumbersome. I found it far less cumbersome than android. It's popularity has nothing to do with it's UI, which is the best I've used. Android is very dated.

The windows phones have a set minimum standard as far as I can remember.