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He needs to stay with Tracfone, or he loses all the minutes he has purchased.
It's a little helpful if you give more information. For instance is it his idea to upgrade to a Smartphone? He could always purchase another flipphone.
Some people are fairly passive users of smartphones. They want updates if someone is using their credit card. They want sports scores. they want to look at the news.
Others are intermediate users who are looking for traffic information on Waze. They send a text . They read the newspaper.
My parents are very hostile to technology, but the old familiar small city newspaper is now costing $500 a year to be delivered. They spend about $500 a year on what they consider to be "emergency and logistic use" of cell phones. Over a three year period that is $3000. Yet I can make them take the jump to buying a nice phone where they can comfortably read the news.
The third type are trying to duplicate most functions of a PC. They want to look up things on Wikipedia. They want facebook status updates. They want to share photos.
The other question is how much can they do on public wifi spots or how much do they use cellular data.
A better understanding of usage can influence the choice of phone.
I would avoid phones with Android version lower than 4. I'd suggest the LG Ultimate 2. Its got a decent sized screen, good specs, enough memroy to work with, and is not expensive.
The Google app store has some launchers designed for seniors, with large buttons and a simple layout.
It's a little helpful if you give more information. For instance is it his idea to upgrade to a Smartphone? He could always purchase another flipphone.
Some people are fairly passive users of smartphones. They want updates if someone is using their credit card. They want sports scores. they want to look at the news.
Others are intermediate users who are looking for traffic information on Waze. They send a text . They read the newspaper.
My parents are very hostile to technology, but the old familiar small city newspaper is now costing $500 a year to be delivered. They spend about $500 a year on what they consider to be "emergency and logistic use" of cell phones. Over a three year period that is $3000. Yet I can make them take the jump to buying a nice phone where they can comfortably read the news.
The third type are trying to duplicate most functions of a PC. They want to look up things on Wikipedia. They want facebook status updates. They want to share photos.
The other question is how much can they do on public wifi spots or how much do they use cellular data.
A better understanding of usage can influence the choice of phone.
My Dad will primary use the smartphone on Wifi, and likely not that often. It will be too small for his comfort. He will use his computer or tablet most often when he wants to access the internet. A smartphone is more a fun/convenience item. The camera is a nice feature.
What the phone will come in most useful for are other things.... For example, we got him a fitbit. Apparently he can connect his fitbit to his smart phone so that the number ringing will be shown on his fitbit wristband so he can quickly see if it is a call he wants to answer or if he should leave it to go to voicemail. He has mobility issues, so this nice feature alone is a great reason to have a smartphone. And since he gets about 25 calls a day from people trying to scam him for money or get him to donate, this alone is a useful feature. I am also interested in helping him set up more home control systems that can be accessed on a smart phone. For example, checking to see who is ringing your doorbell by looking at your smart phone, which connects wirelessly to a camera at the front door. Or systems where you can turn off lights/locks on your smartphone.
I would avoid phones with Android version lower than 4. I'd suggest the LG Ultimate 2. Its got a decent sized screen, good specs, enough memroy to work with, and is not expensive.
The Google app store has some launchers designed for seniors, with large buttons and a simple layout.
Two questions
What exactly is a "launcher"?
Why avoid Android versions lower than 4? They are giving a LG Optimus Dynamic with Android 2.3 for free at Tracfone.
My Dad will primary use the smartphone on Wifi, and likely not that often. It will be too small for his comfort. He will use his computer or tablet most often when he wants to access the internet. A smartphone is more a fun/convenience item. The camera is a nice feature.
I have a Tracfone LG L34C with 3.5" screen. I find that browser or wikipedia apps are difficult to use because the screen is too small to type on. I tend to use only specific apps like Google Mail (I review mail only), Waze to keep track of traffic jams, Weather apps, newspaper, zillow, GPS coordinates calendars, google maps and some stuff to look at if I'm bored (Netflix and Go90).
I use no cellular data, and restrict my browsing to supermarket, fast food, or at home.
Right now I use Google Voice/hangouts to make phone calls from wifi. I have Tracfone's page plus cellular to make and receive calls or texts from cell towers, but I only use it for about 20 minutes per month.
I am about 15 years younger than your dad, but the little screen does bug me. Even with limited typing I make so many mistakes that it is an annoyance. I would suggest a little larger screen, but since he uses a table or computer for most tasks a phablet is too big. I don't look up anything since it is too hard to type, so I restrict myself to apps.
I have noticed that different Tracfone divisions sell the same phone for different prices. Presumably the more expensive services sell the phone for cheaper as an enticement. From my limited experience once you get the phone you can activate it on any Tracfone service. I ordered mine from net10wireless, but I activated it on Page Plus Cellular which had a much lower price service. The warnings on the boxes say not to do this, but there is no control.
I have a Tracfone LG L34C with 3.5" screen. I find that browser or wikipedia apps are difficult to use because the screen is too small to type on. I tend to use only specific apps like Google Mail (I review mail only), Waze to keep track of traffic jams, Weather apps, newspaper, zillow, GPS coordinates calendars, google maps and some stuff to look at if I'm bored (Netflix and Go90).
I use no cellular data, and restrict my browsing to supermarket, fast food, or at home.
Right now I use Google Voice/hangouts to make phone calls from wifi. I have Tracfone's page plus cellular to make and receive calls or texts from cell towers, but I only use it for about 20 minutes per month.
I am about 15 years younger than your dad, but the little screen does bug me. Even with limited typing I make so many mistakes that it is an annoyance. I would suggest a little larger screen, but since he uses a table or computer for most tasks a phablet is too big. I don't look up anything since it is too hard to type, so I restrict myself to apps.
I have noticed that different Tracfone divisions sell the same phone for different prices. Presumably the more expensive services sell the phone for cheaper as an enticement. From my limited experience once you get the phone you can activate it on any Tracfone service. I ordered mine from net10wireless, but I activated it on Page Plus Cellular which had a much lower price service. The warnings on the boxes say not to do this, but there is no control.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I think that my father is considering the Alcatel Onetouch pop icon, partially because of the relatively large screen (5"). It also has a nice feature where you can shift to an Easy Read mode where the App icons double their size so they are easier to tap with a few other formatting changes for ease of use. Those things are a good thing for my Dad for his first smartphone. And for his big (slightly clumsy...) fingers.
Now he'll probably search around to find the best price.... or maybe get one of their refurbished phones.
Why avoid Android versions lower than 4? They are giving a LG Optimus Dynamic with Android 2.3 for free at Tracfone.
A launcher is your home screen, like the Windows desktop on your PC. Unlike Windows, Android allows you to download an app to replace that screen with something else.
The lower Android versions are several years old, the apps you can install will be limited. And most important the phones they are installed on tend to be older and slower, with less memory.
A launcher is your home screen, like the Windows desktop on your PC. Unlike Windows, Android allows you to download an app to replace that screen with something else.
The lower Android versions are several years old, the apps you can install will be limited. And most important the phones they are installed on tend to be older and slower, with less memory.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I think that my father is considering the Alcatel Onetouch pop iconNow he'll probably search around to find the best price.... or maybe get one of their refurbished phones.
One suggestion is to start with a cheap phone and see what you like or dislike about not having a flip phone. If you upgrade in a few months you can use the cheap phone as an emergency backup for your car, or for a limited purpose mini tablet (alarm clock, chromecast remote, waze, etc). You can charge it up as an emergency phone for $30 a year on Page Plus Cellular.
$19.99 LG Optimus Fuelâ„¢ Includes Triple Minutes for Life FREE! (3x Talk Time, 3x Texts & 3x Data)
Androidâ„¢ 4.4 KitKat
3.5" Touch Screen Display
3 MP Camera/Video Recorder
3G/Wi-Fi® Connectivity
Bluetooth® Wireless
1.2 GHz Dual Processor
4GB microSDâ„¢ Card (Included in Phone). MP3 Player (cable not included). GPS Capabilities.
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