Technology has been passing me by like a hobo in a Kansas dust storm, but I might want to try a Smart Phone now. What would I have to spend on a device that has Internet Access (satellite or land), a Camera with Image storage, Music and Video storage, enough Memory for these functions, and a Rechargeable Battery? Also...what's this about locked vs unlocked phones? Thanks, Hal
No expert @Hal Pollner but I think the unlocked phones aren't tied to one provider of service. I resisted a smart phone for many years, and still wish I didn't have one many times. The smartphones do have all those capabilities, but they are more difficult to make a phone call, or at least to answer one. I use mine for the occasional search, and the occasional text, but, other than phone calls I use mine mostly to play solitaire while waiting in line or in a medical office. They take fine "selfies" if you are interested in photos of yourself, but cameras take better pictures (IMO) of what I want to take pictures of. My wife uses hers a lot, however, due to the fact that she is active on several social media platforms, which I am not. If you like witching movies or videos on itty-bitty screens, they are good for that too. A tablet is better for me for most things other than calls. @Yvonne Smith seems to be the Apple expert here, so hopefully she will chime in with her opinion on those.
I got my first Apple phone and iPad when the iPads first came out, maybe around 2011-2012, a long time back. I fell in love with the iPad immediately, and loved that they didn’t “crash and die” (losing all of my important photos and information) like my desktop did. The desktop was in the process of doing just that, so my daughter loaned me her iPad while she worked on the desktop. She saw that I loved the iPad, and just bought herself a new one, and that was the start of my love affair with Apple. While the phone might not take the same quality of photos as an expensive camera, it takes ones that are just fine for what I want, and I do not have to connect or download anything, the photos are immediately on my iPads, too. I have almost 3,000 photos accessible on my Apple devices, and the photos-editing apps make it easy for me to do any necessary editing. I have no problems making or receiving phone calls, and with the Apple Watch, my phone is always right on my wrist, even better. I only use the iPhone for calls, texts, and photos, and I have all of the important health apps on my phone so I can track things like heart rate, food, and exercise. This health tracking is probably the most important aspect for me, but I also like that I can make emergency calls if I need to do that. Another thing that I discovered that I like, is making grocery orders online for pickup or delivery. I order using my ipad, and then my phone connects with the store when I am on the way to pick up the groceries, so they have them ready when we arrive.
I tried to switch from flip phone to smart phone last winter, and just couldn't stand it. But it was an Android, a free one that came with a Plan, and had that the glaring white screen typical of Google, and no way I could find to change that. So I went back to my former carrier (Consumer Cellular) and begged them to take me back. The flip phone I had then (a Doro) was perfect for my simple needs, and it was a relief to return to it. But the Dora was only 3G, which became unsupported this June. It was replaced by the Link II, which is awful. It seems to combine the worst aspects of both flip phone and smart phone (poor quality sound, glaring screen, labyrinthine settings and small type). It's like they're trying to force everyone onto smartphones, whether they want or need all those features and complications or not. But I see the writing on the wall, and am also looking into smartphone options again. (<･ ι ･>)))
Assuming that one of your caretakers or your daughter has a smart phone, ask one of them to show you theirs and sort of take you around the block. If at that point you believe you can handle one then, with a little help from them, get one.
Well, I'm more of a "techy" (electronic knowledge) person than my wife, so we didn't have much of a problem at all learning to use our Apple iPhone 12. But, then again, we had our Apple iPhone 6 for five or so years. Before then, we each had a flip phone, but, when we decided it was time to shut-down the flip one, she really, really wanted an iPhone. So, we both decided to get one. Hal, it really helps when there is a person you know that has an iPhone and it kind of "techy" like me and my wife. Also, you learned how to use a computer, right? I mean, you are on it in this forum, so, that could very well mean that you could fairly easy learn to use an iPhone. When I got Windows 10, for the computer, I wasn't to "hip" about it, but the more I used it, the more I liked it. Cost wise, well each of our iPhone 12's cost around $1000 and are 5G. IOW, extremely fast and we pay Verizon $50 per month (each iPhone) for service.
Cody, that cost sounds prohibitive to me...I wonder if anything in the lower cost brackets could get me on Internet. I don't make social calls...I just like to surf and play! Jitterbug?
Only an iPhone will give you internet access, that's why it's called an "iPhone", being the "i" means internet. "Surfing" means using the internet. There are cheaper models of iPhones, but don't know how good they are. To old of an iPhone will either not have updates or updates will end shortly..........like our Apple iPhone 6 did.
Uh, maybe we’re crossing some wires here but ALL smart phones can access the internet by either using an internet plan or WiFi.
I think that a Jitterbug might be a good starting point for you, @Hal Pollner . They are designed for a senior or anyone who is not tech-savvy for regular smartphones. On Amazon, they had some Jitterbug phones for around $100; so even Best Buy should not be charging a lot more than that, and they should be able to set it up for you and show you how it works. If you just want to surf and play games, you might want to consider a tablet instead of a phone. They come in different sizes and prices, and are a lot easier to see than looking at a 5 inch smartphone. All I have used online for the last 10 years is a tablet, and I love it !
@Hal Pollner all smart phones can access the internet either through a cellular connection or Wi-Fi. For @Janice Lynne you might try a smart flip phone like a Moto Razr if you are well-to-do : Link
Just looked up Jitterbug and that could definitely be an idea for Hal. It would be a Jitterbug Smart Flip phone. Don't know what they cost, or the cost of the service to use them, but it still sounds good for him.
The Jitterbug II Smart Phone looks like it has all the capabilities I could ever hope for. (At age 85), anyway) But what's the difference between a Jitterbug 2 and a Jitterbug 3? I couldn't use a Tablet...they can't be carried in your shirt pocket...too big & unwieldly. $20 a month sounds affordable for a Jitterbug usage charge. (Now what's a SIM card?) Hal
Maybe you already know this, but in case you don't: Android vs. iPhone refers to the operating system, the base software that makes it work. It's like comparing a Windows computer to an Apple computer. In my limited opinion: If you use a Windows computer, an Android phone will be much easier to learn -- most things are pretty logical. I got an iPhone two years ago and realized that NOTHING is logical about them. I've gotten used to it by now and do like it, but sometimes I still cannot figure out how to do something on it and must Google my laptop to find the answer. The Android I had before this was a $60 LG from Wally's and it was certainly adequate. You will quickly realize that any smart phone is a hand-held computer that you can also use for phone calls. But I rarely use it for writing anything, like this response or anything else of any length. It is much easier and faster for me to type on my laptop. Not everybody agrees with this though.