I'm not very mobile phone savvy - can anyone help?

fannyanna

Hello

My mobile phone contract can be changed in a few months and I'm trying to get my head around how everything works now so that I can make a wise choice when I can change things.

I want to get a smart phone when I upgrade. Not necessarily a iphone but something that will enable me to download apps and go online to check emails, look on facebook etc.

My current tariff is with O2. My bills generally come in just under £30 per month and for that I believe I get 200 minutes, 200 texts and 1mb data.

I've seen that the majority of tariffs generally 500mb of data. Now if I were to use my phone to send emails, check facebook and other sites like this on a fairly regular basis do you think I'd find 500mb of data sufficient? Sorry if this seems like a stupid question but I really have no idea!

Also - does anyone have any recommendations for a new phone. I don't really want to have to pay anything towards the handset - just want something that will come free with the tariff that I pick.

Any help would be greatly appreciated as I really am a bit clueless when it comes to mobile phones.

grumbler

fannyanna wrote: »

...do you think I'd find 500mb of data sufficient? Sorry if this seems like a stupid question but I really have no idea!

grumbler wrote: »

...

500mb data - enough?
500Mb Data ?
Mobile data usage - is 500MB enough?
What does 500mb of data give me?
What is 500mb data equal to

Also - does anyone have any recommendations for a new phone. I don't really want to have to pay anything towards the handset - just want something that will come free with the tariff that I pick.

Not the best approach. It's better to do the maths and compare different options. Some decent phones can be bought for about £100 and good sim-only tariffs start from about £10 p.m. without a long commitment.

Personally, I like redemption deals, but it's not everyone's cup of tee.

sdduk

Hi
to be honest wouldn't it be better if you could go into an O2 shop and ask to try some of there phones
if you are happy with O2 you might be better of sticking with them and they can give you a good deal being you have been with them a while now

if you are not downloading loads of music or video clips 500mb will be fine

Phone wise it all depends on what sort of smart phone you want...normal or touch screen... myself i have 2 phones a Nokia e71 and a iphone 3gs and i love both of them
if i was to get a new phone i would probably go for the Samsung Galaxy s2 for a touch screen phone or a Blackberry 9700 for normal touch phone.

Snakeeyes21

I would recommend the HTC Desire, its an excellent phone even though its now
considered an 'old' model its more than capable of doing everythig the newer released
handsets do.

You can get it fot £15 a month with 300 mins, unlimited texts and 500mb of data, but a little know trick is if you phone three to remove the internet adult filtering they will add the internet max add on which gives an extra 2gb of data for free
http://www.buymobilephones.net/mobile-phones/HTC/HTC-Desire-Refurbished/85,48510,All,tt1,ct1

It really is a good phone, ive had mine since a few months after release and its still as good as new,
the build quality is excellent, none of the newer phones really do anything extra that the desire cant,
its just a good all round phone, other phones like the samsung galaxy range to me feel and look quite
cheap and plastic, sense UI is the dogs gonads..

spiro

I have a Samsung Galaxy S on a VF tariff with 500mb and to date I have never exceeed that limit. I get emails (2 accounts) sent to my phone and reply to some. I also use it to check Facebook, LinkedIn, google, internet, met office etc. So I would say that unless you are viewing vidoes that 500mb should be OK, others may choose to disagree.

I notice VF now do the Samsung Galaxy S Plus which appear to be midway between the Galaxy and SII. If you want a free phone they do this on a 24months contract for £31 with 600min unlimited text and 500mb of data. The Galaxy costs the same but the SII will cost £36pm but you get 900min and 750mb.

grumbler

spiro wrote: »

...So I would say that unless you are viewing vidoes that 500mb should be OK, others may choose to disagree....

What about using google maps and Directions (satnav) on a regular basis?

Snakeeyes21

grumbler wrote: »

What about using google maps and Directions (satnav) on a regular basis?

Use a proper sat nav app like copilot that stores the maps on your sdcard then you canuse it when you really do get lost in the middle of nowhere where you cant get a phone signal, having a sat nav that relies on having a phone signal isnt a good idea imo

Guys_Dad

grumbler wrote: »

What about using google maps and Directions (satnav) on a regular basis?

Actually, grumbler, I use my Galaxy Apollo as a Sat Nav and am surprised just how little data it uses. Don't think I have ever gone over 100mb in any month.

However, fannyanna, you may find that you use your phone at home quite a bit and if so, have you got a wi-fi connection for your internet? If so, then that is "free" data not in your monthly bundle and I do use about 200mb per month on my wi-fi.

I would say that 500mb should be enough, but get yourself an Android handset to suit your purse. I bought an unlocked Galaxy Apollo for £50 from CPW and attached it to my 12 month 400minutes, unlimited textx and 500mb sim-free deal from Vodafone costing £15 per month.

When you have your Android, make sure you download a data counter app and keep an eye on your usage to establish just what you are using and keep an eye on it.

I also have a LG Optimus One on Orange at £10 per month for about the same and my other half has splashed out a bit more spending £25 per month with Vodafone for roughly the same amount of service but with a Galaxy S2 handset. So she is paying an extra £240 over the contract for her handset. In fairness, the difference in speed and quality is noticeable if you like gaming.

You pays your money & takes your choice, but the advice to try out in a store first is the best advice

grumbler

Guys_Dad wrote: »

Actually, grumbler, I use my Galaxy Apollo as a Sat Nav and am surprised just how little data it uses. Don't think I have ever gone over 100mb in any month.

The same here, but I don't use it regularly and try to pre-cache the maps while on [STRIKE]wify [/STRIKE]WiFi.

BTW, I guess your deal with Vodafone is sim-only, not sim-free

Guys_Dad

grumbler wrote: »

The same here, but I don't use it regularly and try to pre-cache the maps while on wify.

BTW, I guess your deal with Vodafone is sim-only, not sim-free

Yes - sim only.

ChrisPNE

I recommend using urmob.co.uk (still can't post proper links ). It's a great comparison site which lists all available deals in the UK. There are even free phones and contracts available through redemption.

I found my current deal on there; HTC Wildfire (Android) phone with 300 mins, unlimited texts and 500MB data) for £8.50p/m. I have a lot of friends with HTC handsets and we are all impressed with the quality of them.

500MB is plenty of data as long as you don't watch videos on Youtube. Obviously if you have Wifi at home then this cuts down on your data usage significantly.

I suggest you just research everything extensively and remember the value for money is to be found in the cheaper handsets.