HELP! What's a cell phone?

[OldLady]

Okay, I know what a cell phone is. I don't have one. I want a pay as you go, no contract plan with good coverage. Like I used to with the last cell phone I had, which let me pay for a chunk of minutes and go. No internet or anything like that. I added minutes when I needed them. I rarely used it.

This looks like what I want, I think, but what does 'unlocked' mean and when I went to Straight Talk I had trouble finding a prepay option.

Does the old fart basic phone I want still exist?



Also what's a sim card and why/when do I need one?

 

[Dadoalex]

The only folks I know today that might support that phone is consumer cellular.
Cell companies went digital many years ago and none that I know of offer analog covrage to the public.

The sim is essentially a data storage device. It comes from the provider with basic information that allows you phone to connect with the network.

 

[MisterBeale]

I use a TracFone.

You don't need to use the internet to activate it, you can activate it, and do everything you want to with your account via a landline.

These days, I do use their website to purchase a year contract and their bundle minutes, b/c you can get a better deal.

Your phone will come with a sim card, and you can just write done the number, and if you have any problems, you can call tech support, and that will be the way they identify your phone.

This is important in case you ever want to keep your number, minutes, and contract, and transfer the whole thing to a new phone.

That's pretty much how I do it too. I have a flip phone I only take with me on the road in case I get stranded or my car breaks down.

StraightTalk is just another subsidiary of TracFone, choose another subsidiary, or use the straight brand, like I do. I been using them for over a decade now.

Hell, you can pick up a TracFone at a Dollar General these days.

TracFone Wireless - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

https://www.tracfonewirelessinc.com/en/home/

 

[MisterBeale]

Okay, I know what a cell phone is. I don't have one. I want a pay as you go, no contract plan with good coverage. Like I used to with the last cell phone I had, which let me pay for a chunk of minutes and go. No internet or anything like that. I added minutes when I needed them. I rarely used it.

This looks like what I want, I think, but what does 'unlocked' mean and when I went to Straight Talk I had trouble finding a prepay option.

Does the old fart basic phone I want still exist?

View attachment 579110

Also what's a sim card and why/when do I need one?

It was very hard to find a comparable phone used by TracFone, but yes, they still service one.

I did an image search, found one that looked close, and got the model number. Then I saw that Amazon still sells it.


Amazon product

 

[task0778]

Check this out, maybe it'll help you find what you want.

10 Best Cell Phones for Seniors of 2023

Seniors looking for a cell phone have plenty of options in today's technology- driven society. See our picks for 2023's top cell phones for seniors.

www.consumersadvocate.org

I have a cheap Tracfone that has internet and God only knows what else, but all I need is a damn phone and sometimes sending or receiving text messages for bank or internet security. LOL, good luck from one old fart to another!

 

[OldLady]

It was very hard to find a comparable phone used by TracFone, but yes, they still service one.

I did an image search, found one that looked close, and got the model number. Then I saw that Amazon still sells it.


Amazon product

Thank you!

 

[gulfman]

 

[MisterBeale]

Thank you!

Now, if you can get the simcode # and your phone number from Straight Talk, when you activate your new phone, you may, be able to call customer service of Tracfone and have them make your new phone number the same as your old one.

That is my only complaint about TracFone. Their customer service is. . . AWFUL. You have to wait for a long time, and the person you get will be someone in India or some other foreign nation, and it will be hard to communicate. Often times, if you tell them you are having a hard time with the accent, they will bump you up to a manager, who invariably speaks better English, has better technical skills and authorizations. I usually reserve half a day to do anything I need.


That is why I always buy the year package on-line, b/c I want to make sure, I only have to do it once a year. If you keep your phone, so the time does not expire, minutes roll over. I use mine so seldom, I have 6000 minutes that have built up over the years. . .

Keep your phone number, and your SIM CARD number written on a piece of paper with your phone's documentation. It always simplifies any interaction.

So, it is, in my estimation, worth the annual hassle if you have any problem. The last few years, I haven't had to call customer service for anything, the minutes and contract just slid right on, and everything rolled right over. I am sure, once this phone gets too old, I will have to contact them to transfer this number to another phone. I have transferred my number now, through two flip phones. It's a LG, not as good a Motorola I last had, and probably not as good as that Samsung that is available, but they aren't too bad.

 

[BULLDOG]

Thank you!

Text messages are handy when you need to tell somebody something and you don't have the time or the patience to actually have a conversation with them. Beyond that, I don't need or even use all the other crap they tell me this phone is supposed to do. I bought a Galaxy j5 3 or 4 years ago for 50 bucks, and it does everything I care about. Go ahead and spend a few bucks. They are handy when you are away from home, and they stop your kid from whining about never being able to get ahold of you.

 

[OldLady]

Check this out, maybe it'll help you find what you want.

10 Best Cell Phones for Seniors of 2023

Seniors looking for a cell phone have plenty of options in today's technology- driven society. See our picks for 2023's top cell phones for seniors.

www.consumersadvocate.org

I have a cheap Tracfone that has internet and God only knows what else, but all I need is a damn phone and sometimes sending or receiving text messages for bank or internet security. LOL, good luck from one old fart to another!

Thanks! I'm going to need it.

 

[toobfreak]

Okay, I know what a cell phone is. I don't have one. I want a pay as you go, no contract plan with good coverage. Like I used to with the last cell phone I had, which let me pay for a chunk of minutes and go. No internet or anything like that. I added minutes when I needed them. I rarely used it.

This looks like what I want, I think, but what does 'unlocked' mean and when I went to Straight Talk I had trouble finding a prepay option.

Does the old fart basic phone I want still exist?

View attachment 579110

Also what's a sim card and why/when do I need one?

I can answer all your questions perfectly, Old Lady, and solve all your problems, but I wouldn't want to trigger your inbred psycho female hormonal proclivities causing you to again accuse me of just trying impress someone!

BTW, how's that window crank working for you?

 

[OldLady]

It was very hard to find a comparable phone used by TracFone, but yes, they still service one.

I did an image search, found one that looked close, and got the model number. Then I saw that Amazon still sells it.


Amazon product

I found one (TracphoneAlcatel my flip) a flip phone that is highly rated, 4G, but it's locked. You sure it works everywhere? I may be travelling a lot, and it will be my only phone.

 

[OldLady]

I can answer all your questions perfectly, Old Lady, and solve all your problems, but I wouldn't want to trigger your inbred psycho female hormonal proclivities causing you to again accuse me of just trying impress someone!

BTW, how's that window crank working for you?

Go away, you miserable sack of pus.

 

[BULLDOG]

I found one (TracphoneAlcatel my flip) a flip phone that is highly rated, 4G, but it's locked. You sure it works everywhere? I may be travelling a lot, and it will be my only phone.

If that's what you want. I suspect you want a flip phone because it seems like holding on to the way it was in the past. Do what you want, but with a cheap smart phone, you don't have to use all the fancy crap, and mine is better for me than my old flip phone ever was.

 

[toobfreak]

Go away, you miserable sack of pus.

Sorry, Old Hag, wrong reply. No Christmas Egg Nog for you.

 

[OldLady]

If that's what you want. I suspect you want a flip phone because it seems like holding on to the way it was in the past. Do what you want, but with a cheap smart phone, you don't have to use all the fancy crap, and mine is better for me than my old flip phone ever was.

Something to think about.

 

[MisterBeale]

I found one (TracphoneAlcatel my flip) a flip phone that is highly rated, 4G, but it's locked. You sure it works everywhere? I may be travelling a lot, and it will be my only phone.

Well. . . don't quote me on it here.

And, I don't know about the upgrades to the network. Nor can I confirm about overseas and what not.

But, before my last surgeries and disability, I was a salesman that was on the road. I worked for two different companies. SO? There were holes in some very rural areas. I have no idea if that has changed. Since those days, I don't seem to have much problems. Now? I seem to have more problems around institutions that have, I don't know how you would call it, but, jamming tech? But, that is the same for all folks. Like when my kid was in High School, something in the School was deployed that made it so no one's phone or electric device would work, unless you were on their network. No reception could be found. I have had this problem around water treatment facilities and electrical generation sites as well.

Signal would just drop. Come to think of it, I remember being in a county court house, and having same thing happen (this particular court house, housed a jail.)

At first I started with a permanent carrier, Altel, but, that was even before Smartphones were out.

And the previous link I showed you, that TracFone link, will tell you what your coverage base is, depending on the phone;

Networks and coverage​

TracFone Wireless uses the networks of major wireless providers to offer service, the coverage of which varies by the provider for each device. Retail boxes indicate the network with a code printed in the lower right corner on the back of the box.

Network	Box code	Technology	LTE since
AT&T	GSM-A, LTE-G	GSM	September 2013
T-Mobile	GSM-T	GSM	March 2014
Sprint	CDMA-S	CDMA	May 2013
Verizon	CDMA-V, LTE-V	CDMA	December 2014

TracFone Wireless - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

TracFone piggy backs, it uses the networks of other wireless providers . . so it depends on your phone.

The box code will tell you what network you are on. I believe. I can't even say which one I am on, TBH. It's always served my purposes. Family is always nagging me to upgrade though. lol

If you have any serious questions before you begin and want serious answers before you commit, I recommend calling this number, 1-800-867-7183, and talking to an expert.

 

[BULLDOG]

Something to think about.

Sure. All that other crap is there if you ever need to figure out how to use it. Nobody will ever make you use all that extra stuff if you don't think you need it, but it's there if you decide you do. Very little difference in cost if you look around.

 

[MisterBeale]

Something to think about.

It is.

But I agree with Corey Morningstar on this issue.

Sure. All that other crap is there if you ever need to figure out how to use it. Nobody will ever make you use all that extra stuff if you don't think you need it, but it's there if you decide you do. Very little difference in cost if you look around.

But agreeing to have it? You are agreeing to be part of the problem. Smart devices and their attendant technologies, are a bigger contributor to energy use and so called, "green house gases," than even internal combustion engines.

Now, naturally the global ruling elites don't want you to know this, because this tech is used to track, trace, and profile every bit of information about you.

So if you don't need it? It would be like buying a car, or wrapping your house in plastic if you don't need to.

Of course, if you had unlimited amount of money, sure it would be nice to have multiple types of cars, a private jet, several houses, and maybe a couple yachts. But is that socially responsible, if you don't need it?

The Great Reset: The Final Assault on the Living Planet [It’s Not a Social Dilemma – It’s the Calculated Destruction of the Social, Part III]​

Wrong Kind of Green Nov 28, 2020 Foundations, Non-Profit Industrial Complex, Social Engineering, United Nations, Whiteness & Aversive Racism
November 28, 2020


By Cory Morningstar

Part three. This is the final segment of a three-part investigative series. [Part 1] [Part 2]

The Great Reset: The Final Assault on the Living Planet [It’s Not a Social Dilemma – It’s the Calculated Destruction of the Social, Part III] - Wrong Kind of Green

"Social license is being harvested to reset the capitalist system – under the guise of a climate emergency and saving the planet. This we know: the planet will not be saved by those that have destroyed it."

www.wrongkindofgreen.org

She recommends not having a smart device if you don't need one.

 

[BULLDOG]

It is.

But I agree with Corey Morningstar on this issue.


But agreeing to have it? You are agreeing to be part of the problem. Smart devices and their attendant technologies, are a bigger contributor to energy use and so called, "green house gases," than even internal combustion engines.

Now, naturally the global ruling elites don't want you to know this, because this tech is used to track, trace, and profile every bit of information about you.

So if you don't need it? It would be like buying a car, or wrapping your house in plastic if you don't need to.

Of course, if you had unlimited amount of money, sure it would be nice to have multiple types of cars, a private jet, several houses, and maybe a couple yachts. But is that socially responsible, if you don't need it?

The Great Reset: The Final Assault on the Living Planet [It’s Not a Social Dilemma – It’s the Calculated Destruction of the Social, Part III]​

Wrong Kind of Green Nov 28, 2020 Foundations, Non-Profit Industrial Complex, Social Engineering, United Nations, Whiteness & Aversive Racism
November 28, 2020


By Cory Morningstar

Part three. This is the final segment of a three-part investigative series. [Part 1] [Part 2]

The Great Reset: The Final Assault on the Living Planet [It’s Not a Social Dilemma – It’s the Calculated Destruction of the Social, Part III] - Wrong Kind of Green

"Social license is being harvested to reset the capitalist system – under the guise of a climate emergency and saving the planet. This we know: the planet will not be saved by those that have destroyed it."

www.wrongkindofgreen.org

She recommends not having a smart device if you don't need one.

Wow. A cell phone is not a massive use of energy.