Where In the US Can You Get Just a Cell Phone? 505
arakon writes "I am looking around for a cell phone for my technically challenged mother and all she wants is just a phone, and yet there seem to be no carriers in the US that carry a plain cell phone with good reception and battery life. All of them bundle cameras, PDAs, MP3 players, and a kitchen sink with a battery life of 2 hours, all for the low price of $350 or more... Having looked around, the Motorola F3 is exactly what she wants but it doesn't seem to be available in the US. If we order it online will it work on US carriers? Are there any comparable products out there with a similar feature set and price range available for US networks?"
Jitterbug (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Jitterbug (Score:4, Informative)
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Jitterbug is great if that's what you want (Score:5, Informative)
It's designed for older people with varying limitations - one model has number-pad buttons and yes/no, while the other just has three fat buttons for operator/towtruck/911. They're both a bit clunky, because they're designed for people who care more about making it easy to push the big buttons than about having the phone be really small. I don't know how the battery life is - my mom hasn't had problems with it, so I suspect standby time is pretty good, but she doesn't talk on the phone much. One advantage of a larger phone is that there's room for a larger battery.
It might or might not be the right phone for your mom - does she want a phone that's small, or is clunky ok? Does she want GSM so she can use it anywhere in the world, or is having one US-only carrier ok? Does she want a "simple" phone because it's harder to use fancier phones, or does she really just want a *cheap* phone that works ok and can ignore menu items she doesn't use? There are lots of choices for cheap - getting a used unlocked GSM phone may be a good choice, or getting whatever rate plan is the best price for the amount of calling she'll do and includes a zero-price phone.
Re:Jitterbug is great if that's what you want (Score:5, Informative)
I, on the other hand, am willing to live with a small learning curve if it means the device is sleek and glyph-erific like my iPhone
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So the companies are afraid of change.
I do believe it will happen. If they don't fill the market, someone will.
I hope it is Steve Jobs plan to change the industries way of thinking with future iPhone negotiations. It general
Re:Jitterbug is great if that's what you want (Score:4, Informative)
I want one of those! (Score:3, Interesting)
* No camera. I do not want something that takes crappy photos. If I want a camera I will buy a camera. Putting a camera in a phone is about as good an idea as putting a phone in a camera.
* Few buttons. Cell phones have too many buttons.
* Simple. Too many cell phones try to be cool rather than useful.
* Simple menus. My phone has too many menu choices full of crap that I do not use, and figuring out how to do simple things like add a name to the phone list is too hard.
Cel
Re:I want one of those! (Score:5, Funny)
No, trust me. They don't. Water turns to steam, and steam is hotter than water. And steam in hell would be hellishly hellier than unholy hell.
Re:I want one of those! (Score:5, Funny)
I want an operating system that's not running surveillance on me.
There is this thing we like to call OpenBSD, give it a shot.
I want a car that has better gas mileage than a 1975 Honda.
We got these, see half the time your car would be frozen so you can't use it, really cuts down on the yearly mileage.
I want a health care system that won't send me into bankruptcy if I get sick.
It doesn't bankrupt you if you get sick, it bankrupts yous all the time, if you happen to get sick, it will mostly cure you!
I want a news media that doesn't just pass along presidential press releases as God's own truth.
No president, we have a Prime Minister!
I want a President that has better than C- average and who cares about more than cutting taxes for the rich and not admitting he's wrong.
Weren't you paying attention? I said we don't have a President, we have a Prime Minister
I want a country that doesn't believe that half the population is the enemy.
But girls have cooties!!....er.... I think that's just me......Have you seen our army? We are in no position to have an enemy!
Problem solved!
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Re:I want one of those! (Score:4, Funny)
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Get thee to eBay (Score:5, Insightful)
Then just take it and get a basic plan at T-Mobile or Cingular (AT&T). Pop in the SIM and go.
What you want isn't a brand-new, basic phone like the Motorola one; what you want is a phone from about three or four years ago. It'll be a lot cheaper, too -- and if something happens to it, no problem, just get a new one.
Re:Get thee to eBay (Score:4, Informative)
For a new phone, Tracfone sells simple, modern models cheap. You have to prebuy a block of minutes, which end up costing 40 cents if within a few counties of home, and 80 cents beyond that - but there are no other charges. The difference between Tracfone and Virgin is that Virgin's home network is Sprint, and if you're not in range of a Sprint tower it won't work (or so I'm told). The Tracfones don't care whose network they're on.
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See this link [tracfone-orders.com] for a Motorola 170 for $99 ready to go.
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Its reception was a **LOT** better than the POS Cingular (excuse me, AT&T) phone I have now (which doesn't get any service at home unless I'm on the 2nd floor).
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Get thee to 7-11 FFS (Score:5, Informative)
Even 7-11 and WalMart have pre-paid bare-bones cell phones these days! Did this really have to be asked? I know there's a big movement on
[/rant]
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No need to purchase a used one. You can buy new ones for under $100 on eBay. I bought a Motorola Razr V3, new in the box, with quite a few accessories, for $85 plus shipping.
I was making a trip to Brazil, where I wanted to buy a SIM and pre-purchase about 2 hours of talk-time so that I'd have a local phone to call (and be called by) my client without paying $3.00/minute for international roaming.
Cingular/AT&T refused to r
But you can't get just a Sim Card in the US (Score:2)
I've been unable to get just a sim card from any phone company in my area. The only solution I've been offered from phone companies in my area is to buy various no-contract phones, pull the card and throw the phone away or sell it. It's a bunch of crap, I know they have stacks of cards back there, they just don't have a "process" in place to sell me one.
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I'm not big on big government, But dammit, use what is already there before someone demands something more. I have seen people get $400 cell phone bills erased when they got screwed and followed that a
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can buy one new for ~$50.. but as with all cell carriers, its cheaper to free with a new contract
This is one case where the commonly-accepted (and normally acceptable) distortion of "free" in modern usage is pushed beyond breaking point. You aren't being given a phone "free" (from obligation) in any reasonable sense if you have to take out an expensive contract to get it.
I'm not saying it's necessarily a bad deal, just that it's not really free and that the cost is being hidden elsewhere. If it's only for occasional use, you can bet your life the person is probably better off just paying $50 for a p
Re:Get thee to eBay (Score:4, Informative)
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I discovered this when looking to get myself a new phone and wanting to give my mother my old phone (her first). My old number had to stay with the old phone because assigning a new number to the old phone would trigger that fine. Either that phone had to keep its number, I had to keep the old phone and gave her the new one, or I had to buy two new phones and retire the old one.
T
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Personally, In my earlier days, we would look for rusty old cars that we could beef up the engine and suspension and have the car still look like it would fall apart. We called th
Nokia 1100 (Score:4, Informative)
But not the 1110! (Score:2)
The 1110i is a confused lump of shit in comparison to the 1100. Nokia have added more features than the phone layout can handle, making it far more complicated to use than the 1100.
Nokia 6100 (Score:2, Interesting)
http://cgi.ebay.com/Unlocked-Nokia-6100-Tri-Band-G SM-Mobile-Phone_W0QQitemZ160139013240QQihZ006QQcat egoryZ64355QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem [ebay.com]
I loved that phone and would still use one if I didn't need a Smartphone to keep track of my contacts and schedule (I got tired of carrying two devices around everyplace). The 6100 has the best interface, it's small and r
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After my Siemens C56 died I went looking for "Just a phone." I saw this at Target. I couldn't find adequate unlocking instructions so I just bought an unlocked version on eBay dropped in my sim card and it's been great for the last 2 years.
It's just a good basic phone. B&W display. Buttons are easy enough to press. It's survived numerous drunk evenings.
It's the phone I recommend to anyone looking for "just a phone"
F3 won'r work in the US (Score:5, Informative)
Assuming you are a Cingular/T-Mobile customer, you can just buy an unlocked GSM phone (remember to check to make sure it works with US frequencies) and stick your SIM card in it.
For a cheap, dependable model, may I suggest the Sony Ericsson T637? Yes, it has some of those features you don't want. But you can get one as cheap as the aforementioned F3.
Good luck!
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I got one from tigerdirect [tigerdirect.com] it is unlocked and the docs are in German.
The problems with this phone are that the shortcut button on the right side cannot be reassigned from browser function to anything else. I don't want a bro
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A) The carrier you're referring to is TelCel [telcel.com], not TelCal.
B) The MOTOFONE is available all over Mexico, and does indeed work on the US GSM bands.
C) I have a friend down there who just this week purchased an F3 for me. It cost him $28 out of pocket.
D) I will know later next week when he comes to the States if it is unlocked or not.
VirginMobile (Score:5, Informative)
I second this one. (Score:2)
Virgin Mobile or T-Mobile - Virgin preferred (Score:3, Informative)
I prefer the Virgin mobile setup - they have better phones (I reccomend the clamshell type so it will not get turned on in-purse) and the cheap ones have few features. I fyou are willing to tie a credit card to the account the service costs as little as $15 every three(!) months, with unused dollars rolling over, not sure how long for. It's $.25 cents the first minute and $.10 thereafter.
T-Mobile is best if you prepay for a year of service,
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Alltel (Score:2)
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Prepaid Phone (Score:2)
Next Article (Score:5, Funny)
A: A Cell Phone Store. [google.com]
Virgin Mobile at Target oe Best Buy? (Score:5, Informative)
Prepaid plans, pay-as-you-go, or monthly plans.
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You'll find Virgin Mobile at the neighborhood RiteAid.
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Virgin Mobile (Score:2)
We need alternative to cellphones by monopolists. (Score:2)
Prepaid phones don't allow rollover minutes.
Re:We need alternative to cellphones by monopolist (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:We need alternative to cellphones by monopolist (Score:2)
Most of them don't. I have one. 7-11 stores have a prepaid plan called Speakout Wireless ( http://www.cellguru.net/speakout.htm [cellguru.net] is a good intro) where any minutes you add to the card are good for a year--and if you add more minutes, even nearly year old ones that otherwise would have expired are brought back to current.
I can only comment on the Cingular-based version of the plan, but I've gotten two of those models with Nokia phones and been very happy. The cove
Did you really look? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Did you really look? (Score:5, Funny)
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I was about to post, mentioning the Motorola phone I have (it's just a phone, no frills, decent speaker.) It was one of the free phones you could pick when you got a plan. But T-Mobile's web site no longer lists my phone.
But I also found several "just phones" on T-Mobile's web site: Samsung t219 or Samsung t209 or Nokia 6030 all look good (and are free when you sign up.) The Motorola V195s is pretty close to the model I have, and is just a phone ($20).
After that, I figured the guy can do his own rese
Did YOU really look? (Score:2, Informative)
"The VX3400 showcases useful features including voice memo recorder, personal organizer, EZ Tip calculator,
Doesn't sound like 'just a cell phone' to me.
That search took all of 2 minutes, now you and all the imbeciles who modded you insightful can go take some reading comprehension classes or something.
Just go to a store (Score:2)
Nokia 3120 (Score:2)
The buttons are easy to press, even for my sausage finger. It still has a simple "Ring" named ring tone that most new phones are lacking. Great battery life. A simple calendar you can attach notes to. A countdown timer, think parking meters. Easily availble for under forty dollars on eBay. I also picked up a spare.
It is a GSM phone.
7-11 (Kwikie Mart) (Score:2)
Why does it NEED to be bare-bones? (Score:5, Insightful)
StarTAC (Score:2)
e to the (Score:2)
Nokia 6030 (Score:2)
Here. [t-mobile.com]
Jitterbug? (Score:2)
http://www.jitterbug.com/ [jitterbug.com]
Is the US really that bad for phones? (Score:2)
I can't believe that the US - supposedly the land of consumer choice - doesn't offe
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That is cheap if I understand you right; I'd expect the cheapest phone to cost £20 or so, maybe I haven't been paying attention to the market recently.
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Motorola V195 (Score:3, Informative)
Thank you! (Score:2, Flamebait)
I, for one, am extremely grateful that this question has been posted to Slashdot.
The next time someone moans "oh, I just want a phone that does talking and texting - why do no phones do this any more?", I can point them to here and hopefully shut another Slashdot phone whinger up.
Then the rest of us can get back to enjoying our phones with Bluetooth, Java, IM, GPS, camera, web-browsing, calendar, PC synchronisation and MP3 playback.
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Motorola C139 (Score:2)
http://www.motorola.com/motoinfo/product/details.
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Trakfone? (Score:3, Informative)
T Mobile to Go is a good option (Score:5, Informative)
I've researched this for some relatives of mine, I decided on T Mobile's pre-paid plan. It's called "T Mobile To Go". T Mobile pre-paid plans don't have any monthly charges and only require 1 purchase per year to retain unused minutes. For those who make seldom use of a cell phone, it offers an aggregated monthly rate of $12 per month or less.
T Mobile always has deals for pre-paid phones. Often you'll be able to get a basic phone and 1 year (1100 minutes) of service for less than $130. You can purchase online or at one of their stores.
http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/phones/prepaid.aspx [t-mobile.com]
Most pre-paid cellular plans charge a monthly fee by burning minutes whether the phone is used or not. T Mobile's pre-plan doesn't do this. And under T Mobile, once a customer has purchased $100 worth of minutes, those minutes won't expire for 1 year. More importantly, after that initial $100 purchase, any future minutes purchased will not expire for a year from the date of last purchase.
So to keep a T Mobile pre-paid account active, one only needs purchase another cheap, $10 card before the year expires. All existing minutes will be carried over. (after having purchased those initial $100 of minutes)
I'm not huge fan of T-Mobile, they have issues just like the rest of the carriers. But their pre-paid plan is superior to any of the others I've researched.
For someone who uses less than 100 minutes per month, the aggregated monthly cost of a pre-paid T Mobile phone can be less than $12 per month, even less after the first year.
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Get an old brickphone like the Nokia 3595 and a tmobile prepaid card (you can find both on ebay for very cheap) and she'll be golden.
No, T Mobile does not charge a monthly fee (Score:3, Informative)
I only mentioned a "monthly" aggregated rate as a comparison figure to traditional cell phone plans. I just took the amount of the initial payment and divided by 12.
T Mobile doesn't have the same policies in the US as they do in Europe. For instance, the expiration period here in the US is longer than you have. And unlike Europe, US carriers charge the same for incoming and outgoing calls. (yes, we are charged for received calls) This plan is n
Seriously, did you even try? (Score:2, Flamebait)
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Well, I'm in my mid 30's and pay my own bills, so I'm not really sure what you're talking about.
If you read the posted story it includes the following:
"I am looking around for a cell phone for my technically challenged mother and all she wants is just a phone, and yet there seem to be no carriers in the US that carry a plain cell phone with good reception and battery life. All of them bundle cameras, PDAs, MP3 players, and a kitche
I have one from Sprint (Score:2)
Jitterbug (Score:2)
Since you are looking for a non-technical person I would recommend the Jitterbug. My mom and I got my dad one for Christmas last year and it works very well. They preprogram numbers in for you and you can call their operators and have them add or delete numbers without having to navigate the menus on the phone. The phone also has a more holdable shape since it is wide at the bottom and narrow at the top with a bit of an oval to it.
If you are looking for a decent quality general cell phone I'd recommend
Reminds me of another problem (Score:2)
But when I am out shopping for phone systems, I get people exclaiming "feature! feature! function! gadget!" The company I work for does NOT want that. They want to answer the phone wh
Samsung SGH-T209 (Score:2)
Phones are small (Score:2)
Did I write this? (Score:2)
The solution I'm in the process of trying is to get an old GSM phone. Actually when I explained the situation, TWO of my co-workers came to me, offering to GIVE me old ones of theirs. One of them had previously been on a Rogers pay-as-you-go plan, and t
MOT v195s (Score:2)
Motorola L2 (Score:2)
About importing.... (Score:2)
Someone mentionned GPS/e911 service as one hindrance. Any other pitfalls or reasons I could not use it?
Battery life is only an issue if you use features (Score:2)
Here are some links (no affiliation) (Score:2)
They are a reputable dealer as per a couple of well-known cellphone forums (you might want to poke around the forums a little, and maybe even ask the question there):
http://esato.com/ [esato.com]
http://howardforums.com/ [howardforums.com]
As stated in the title, I have no affiliation with any of these sites.
Um did you even bother to look around or read? (Score:2)
Jitterbug - the phone for "Boomers and Beyond (Score:2)
Jitterbug [jitterbug.com], "the phone for boomers and beyond", is exactly that. They offer two models, Dumb and Dumber. The Dumb model has a big numeric keypad. They couldn't resist putting in a display, though. The Dumber model has no numeric keys, just three huge buttons: "Operator", "Tow" (or some other preselected legend), and "911". The phone produces a "comforting dial tone".
They couldn't resist including menus, arrow keys, voicemail, a phone book, and a recent call list, either. But not GPS tracking, which mi
M3 Motomanual (Score:2)
speed dialing, voice mail, alarms and ring tones.
The commands are no less complex than any other phone. The manual is still around 14 pages long
(8 pages to one A4 sheet of paper). The only difference is the price/maintenance . Maybe this is due to
the display. Also over here, it's a pay-as-you-go card with a top up card.
I think this phone would benefit with a colour display - being able to choose black on
Clarification (Score:4, Informative)
A. She already has a plan, options involving getting a new plan to get another crappy free phone like she already has is not an option.
B. She is replacing a POS sony Ericcson flip-phone that has horrible reception, sometimes it never rings then it will buzz telling her she has voice-mail...
C. She uses the phone for work, she's in the medical field and is on call a lot, so the phone does get regular use. No they didn't give her a phone from work that isn't the question. Just need a good GSM phone that doesn't cost 300+ dollars to buy unlocked and is ready to use.
No I'd never heard of any services called jitterbug or anything like that. I do not live in the US, my mom does. I've noticed that a lot of google searches tend to come back with results based on your region you are searching from...
But I'm sure this will be ignored and the flamers will continue...
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Come on, face it - battery life isn't an absolute measurement. If you use your cellphone as an emergency phone, then a razr will easily get a week on a charge, and I admit it is still not the best in battery life. Sure, if you sit and play java games all day it will run out in just about a day or two, and if you talk nonstop on it it will run
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I used to have an old 'brick' which was run over by a lorry and survived. Products today just aren't made with the heart, the only thing in the minds of the producers is money money money.
Funny to think that a (now kitsch) symbol of the moneygrabbing 80s is being held up as an example of something with "heart" in the face of cynical modern phones :-)
I see what you're saying, but you forgot two important points. The 'brick' (80s model?) was probably horrifically expensive when it was new, and it couldn't have been made very small even if they'd wanted it to be.
Today's mobile phones today are cheap- *very* cheap. Yes, you can buy expensive ones, but a bog-standard one (even with a colour
Bluetooth can suck power; USB power wins (Score:2)
But USB chargers really win, at least if you're a computer person (which the article's author's mom might not be.) I picked up a car charger thats a 12v-to-USB adapter with a USB-to-Nokia cab
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Schwab
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