Help me get cell phones for my parents ASAP

[abacus2]

Tracfone is the way to go then. They do show a flip phone for my area.

[DawnM]

Tracfone is the way to go then. They do show a flip phone for my area.

 

 

Thanks.  I do see T-mobile's $3/mo plan as well, so I am looking into that.

[J-rap]

I haven't read all of your responses, so you may have your answer by now!

 

I got a flip Tracfone with clear, big numbers for a family member.  I think I got it either at Walmart or the local dollar store.  When I go online, I can get a month of 30 minutes (I think that's right!) for around $9.95.

 

 

[Lanny]

If you are contemplating a Samsung Rugby 4...

 

Google SERPs for Samsung Galaxy Rugby 4 Reviews on this URL:

 

https://www.google.com.co/search?q=samsung+galaxy+rugby+4+reviews&oq=%22Samsung+Galaxy+Rugby+4&aqs=chrome.5.69i57j0l5.16478j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

 

If the information I read is correct, the following is true:

 

The Release date was October 10, 2014. My Samsung Android phone was made at approximately that time. I have great respect for my very low end Samsung Android phone, because the previous user was a boy who was 4 or 5 years old when he had it. I think he played games on it. My wife bought it from her Niece.  It works fine. I will use it until it dies or I cannot buy a Replacement battery for it. 

 

It is a "Quad Band" phone, with the 4 original GSM bands that are in use in most of the world. You could probably bring that phone (unlocked) to Colombia or to Europe and get it working on the network of a major provide or an MVNO (like Virgin Mobile or Trac and tons of others).

 

The Display is 2.4 inches.  Very small, but if they are not sending and receiving SMS Text messages, that should not be a deal breaker for them.

 

IT HAS PUSH-TO-TALK.   I am not sure how that feature works, on that phone, however, I believe that it is something your parents might find EXTREMELY USEFUL.. 

 

"Press the dedicated push-to-talk button, and you’re in touch without dialing or ringing."  If your parents normally only call each other, that's a very quick way for them to get connected when they are in the Mall and trying to find each other..  LIke a 2 way radio...

 

MIL-STD  That is a huge plus.  It is more rugged than a normal product. Military standards.

 

SAMSUNG web page for this product, the URL is:

 

http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/phones/all-other-phones/samsung-rugby-4-at-t-flip-phone-sm-b780azkaatt/

[RootAnn]

I've found Tracfone to be the cheapest plans here ($100/year), but had trouble finding a dumb phone recently because the networks are phasing out 2G.

 

There really isn't a cheap plan and dumb phone combo around here. I hope you found what you need.

[luvbug in Ohio]

I really can't help you find the phone that you're looking for, but I'll be interested to hear what you decide, since we need to find something else for our grandmother.  I can tell you, that in my experience Jitterbug is NOT worth fooling with. That's what my grandma has now, and she's bombarded with telemarketers and scam/junk calls. And what stinks is there's no way to block a call! She's even called the company, and asked how to stop all that, and was told there's no way.  So every time one leaves a message for her, it costs her a minute.  She's basically paying for them to call her,and it drives her crazy to the point where she's about ready to throw it out the window.  

 

Hope this helps you.  Good luck finding something you all like.

 

Edited July 26, 2017 by luvbug in Ohio

[DawnM]

I really can't help you find the phone that you're looking for, but I'll be interested to hear what you decide, since we need to find something else for our grandmother.  I can tell you, that in my experience Jitterbug is NOT worth fooling with. That's what my grandma has now, and she's bombarded with telemarketers and scam/junk calls. And what stinks is there's no way to block a call! She's even called the company, and asked how to stop all that, and was told there's no way.  So every time one leaves a message for her, it costs her a minute.  She's basically paying for them to call her,and it drives her crazy to the point where she's about ready to throw it out the window.  

 

Hope this helps you.  Good luck finding something you all like.

 

I have ordered the T-mobile SIM cards for a pre-paid plan and I ordered the Samsung Rugby phones late last night.  I will let you know how it goes.

 

T-mobile at $10 every 90 days is probably exactly what they need.

[Rebel Yell]

Thanks.  I do see T-mobile's $3/mo plan as well, so I am looking into that.

DH uses this. He probably needs something more, because running out of minutes sneaks up in him sometimes

 

  

I've found Tracfone to be the cheapest plans here ($100/year), but had trouble finding a dumb phone recently because the networks are phasing out 2G.

There really isn't a cheap plan and dumb phone combo around here. I hope you found what you need.

Ahh yes, we couldn't use 2G stuff here anymore

[DawnM]

DH uses this. He probably needs something more, because running out of minutes sneaks up in him sometimes

 

   Ahh yes, we couldn't use 2G stuff here anymore

 

2G?  Are you talking about internet connectivity?  We don't need any data on the phone.  

[Lanny]

2G? Are you talking about internet connectivity? We don't need any data on the phone.

No. 2G isn't for Data. 3G and 4G or LTE are for Data. 2G is older...

 

Sent from my SM-G355M using Tapatalk

 

ETA:  Well, now I am thinking that they can run Voice and SMS traffic on 3G or 4G.  Not positive about that, but I think they can and obviously that is almost positive, if they are phasing out 2G as reported upthread....

 

 When I see our neighbor who is an Electronic Engineer for a major Provider here, I will ask him if they still have 2G on the tower that's about one block from our house.  

 

We are  on an MVNO (Virgin Mobile Colombia) which runs on the Movistar GSM network here.  We don't use much Data, and their 4G Plan is more expensive, so when we are on Data, we are on 3G, which is fast enough for what we do. Since your parents will not use Data, it will not matter to them whether they are on 3G or 4G LTE...

Edited July 26, 2017 by Lanny

[Lanny]

If you ordered the Samsung Rugby 4 the Specs are on this URL and you will see a link down the page where you can Download the User Manual, so you can familiarize yourself with the phone, before you need to Configure it.

 

http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/phones/all-other-phones/samsung-rugby-4-at-t-flip-phone-sm-b780azkaatt/#specs

 

I think the Connectivity will be fine for your parents. When my old (2014) Samsung is on Data, I see HSPA+  and my phone doesn't have 4G capability. We are on 3G when we are using Data.

 

• Network

  Frequencies and Data Type

  HSPA+ 21Mbps Tri-band (850/1900/2100MHz),EDGE/GPRS Quad-Band (850/900/1800/1900MHz)

• Connectivity

  Wi-Fi

  Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/r 2.4GHz/5GHz

   

  Neat that it has Dual WiFi bands. Mine does not have that. I see up to about 26 Mbps on our WiFi in the house, but it would be faster if it had 5 GHz.  

   

  ETA: BE SURE TO TURN BLUETOOTH OFF

 

Edited July 26, 2017 by Lanny

[RootAnn]

So, my knowledge of 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G is limited to what I understand of my electrical engineering DH's magazine articles before my eyes glaze over. The "G" stands for "generation" and I think of it like old technology, older technology, new technology, newest thing. (5G and up is coming by 2020, I think.) While it certainly has to do with quickly data streams across the net, if they phase 2G out in your area or on your network, your older phone won't work for voice either.

 

AT&T is phasing it out. From what I just got from a quick internet search, T-Mobile isn't phasing it out yet, so you should be in luck.

 

We only had dumb phones here and liked it that way. We didn't need data or confusing smart phones! However, with the phaseout, we were forced to get new phones. (My favorite phone was the Nokia 3310. Tracfone's plan when we got it allowed unlimited free incoming texts for the life of the phone. There were a couple of games to keep the kids busy and you didn't accidentally press any buttons that used your minutes. The biggest bonus was a battery life measured in weeks & not hours.) Sigh.

 

If they could make the Nokia 3310 support 3G or higher tech, I'd get it again in a heartbeat.

[shawthorne44]

I have ordered the T-mobile SIM cards for a pre-paid plan and I ordered the Samsung Rugby phones late last night.  I will let you know how it goes.

 

T-mobile at $10 every 90 days is probably exactly what they need.

 

One thing about t_mobile, is that as long as you add some minutes before your existing expire, all the minutes get the new expiration date.  So, maybe make a reminder to yourself to add minutes every 89 days.   It can't hurt to have minutes build up available to use when needed.  

[Lanny]

If you ordered the Samsung Rugby 4, it came out at approximately the same time my low end Samsung Android was produced (late 2014)  and if the specs I read are correct, the Rugby 4 Flip Phone has some very good specs, better than what my Samsung has...

 

http://www.samsung.c...0azkaatt/#specs

 

Let us assume that the Cell Towers your parents use are configured at the least for 3G service. Probably they are configured for 4G or 4G LTE (All the providers claim to have 4G LTE, but their definitions of that variy. Actually HSPA+ which my Samsung Android and the Samsung Rugby 4 have is really about 3.75G.  Quite close to 4G...

 

I believe the Samsung Rugby 4 will do fine.  If there are any phones that only have 2G technology still operational, they will eventually become useless as the Providers upgrade their networks and, in the process, eliminate "backward comparability" to 2G..  

 

NOTE: Can you get the cell phone numbers your parents have been using up to now "Ported" to T-Mobile, if they are coming from another Provider?  (When I got my first Smart phone,  Virgin Mobile Colombia "Ported" the number I've had for years, from Claro (Comcel).

Edited July 26, 2017 by Lanny

[RegGuheert]

AT&T is phasing it out. From what I just got from a quick internet search, T-Mobile isn't phasing it out yet, so you should be in luck.

For a while, anyway.  T-Mobile has greatly expanded their 4GLTE coverage and the newer phones all seem to offer WiFi calling and Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) (which are very similar technologies, if I'm not mistaken) with seamless switching between the two.  If they get to a point where enough of their customer's phones have these capabilities, they may bite the bullet and drop their 2G coverage.  But that will mean replacing existing customers' phones which do not have the newer capabilities.  That's certainly not a cheap proposition.  But it will happen at some point.

 

[Lanny]

For a while, anyway.  T-Mobile has greatly expanded their 4GLTE coverage and the newer phones all seem to offer WiFi calling and Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) (which are very similar technologies, if I'm not mistaken) with seamless switching between the two.  If they get to a point where enough of their customer's phones have these capabilities, they may bite the bullet and drop their 2G coverage.  But that will mean replacing existing customers' phones which do not have the newer capabilities.  That's certainly not a cheap proposition.  But it will happen at some point.

 

 

T-Mobile from what I have read, may have, at this time, the best 4G network in the USA.  That changes, as the providers improve their networks, and from one area to another.

 

When the cost of "backwards compatability" becomes excessive, they will drop 2G service. Probably the phones that only have 2G capability are pretty old now, and with time, they will die and/or replacement batteries will be unavailable and those users will need to upgrade to at least phones with 3G capability.

[maize]

If the solution you found doesn't work or if anyone else is looking for something similar, I came across this today:

 

http://m.ebay.com/itm/TracFone-ZTE-Cymbal-T-1-Year-of-Service-with-1200-MIN-1200-Text-1200MB-/282512599921?_trkparms=aid%253D222007%2526algo%253DSIC.MBE%2526ao%253D1%2526asc%253D20150519202348%2526meid%253Dea6f0657a01048858ec27d9d9f35e192%2526pid%253D100408%2526rk%253D3%2526rkt%253D25%2526mehot%253Dpp%2526sd%253D282512558448&_trksid=p2056116.c100408.m2460

 

For $80 you get the phone plus a year of service and 1200 minutes.