which phone do I need?

onthegin

Hi all.

I know it's a big question but I need a new phone. My old vodaphone branded flip thing has had it ( a long time ago actually) and I've just got a job which requires me to have a mobile.

I'd really like one with all the bells and whistles but I'm not sure if I'm young enough to get my head round the technology so here's a list of what I think I want or don't want from a phone.

I'm not impressed by these touch screen things you use with your fingers, I'm too clumsy and I like my ancient PDA and its stylus for ease of use.

I wasn't at all taken with the web as offered by Vodaphone and I've seen an Orange branded phone with a similar 'home page' thing. Doesn't anyone do mobile telephone internet that looks just like my Chrome home page on a PC with the address bars and search bars and what have you?

I'd like my phone to be cheap to use both in the UK and Europe so I'd want it to go on the internet in the same way abroad as it does here. Do they do strange things when you take them out of the country and use another phone network provider?

Sat nav would be a bonus, I'm as good at finding my way around on the road as I am at finding a mobile phone to meet my needs!

It would be mostly for phone calls and texts but I'd really like internet in Europe so I can find daft things like worming tablets for the dog after I've google translated worming tablet and googled for somewhere that sells them in remotest French wilderness.

Wi fi is free isn't it? Never used it anywhere but I understand some phones have it. Is the internet the same as a PC in these circumstances?

Can these new fangled phones make a cuppa when you need it? I have a feeling I'm going to need lots of cuppas while I find my way around all this technology.

If you'd be kind enough to reply then I'd really appreciate fairly simple answers. Like I said, my last phone was a brick and that's about the density of my brain in these matters.

Thanks for reading, OTG.

Oh, and since driving will be part of the job and there's not always somewhere to pull over to answer, one of them headset thingies would also be required so what do I need to be looking for and is there a website called 'Mobile phones for Dummies!'

Cheers.

mishkanorman

Finding a phone when you dont really have set needs is a nightmare IMHO !

Personally I would start with your budget and work from there, its pointless saying "how about an iphone" if you want to spend no more than £25 p/m for 18 months.

have a look around some of the sites such as carphonewarehouse, or phones4u who provide from several companies, and see what you like the cosmetic look of.

I like my HTC desire hd, but I like gadgets

macman

Using your phone abroad for internet access will result in huge roaming charges. If you must do this, use a local wi-fi connection or a local SIM card.
Read many of the horror stories on here about thousand pound bills.

MissKeith

Also you might have trouble finding a phone that does what you want it to without being touch screen or having fiddly buttons.

georgiebest7

If you don't fancy a touch screen, your only options for a smart phone are Blackberrys or mid-range Nokias & Samsungs.

As for the overseas internet and phone usage in general, I'm currently on Vodafone and have the Passport included in my price plan. This does allow me to make phone calls for a 75p connection fee after which it deducts from my monthly allowance. As for the internet, you can pay them £2 a day to use 25MB which is sufficient to check emails and the odd Google search while overseas (in my opinion). If your monthly contract amount is above £40, then Vodafone will include the European internet allowance for no extra cost.

I would however be wary of using the internet on your phone outside the EU, where legal agreements aren't as solid and the networks basically charge you whatever they want.