No clue about mobile phones and getting one. Need advice from scratch, please!

Gingham_R

Not had a mobile phone for years and never had one that does anything other than texts and calls.

I am looking for a phone that I can have unlimited internet access, a bundle of texts. A camera or even one that does short videos would be a huge bonus.

I want to be able to use it to check and send emails, look up random stuff and use a calendar with reminders.

That's pretty much it.

I'm clumsy so something fairly robust would be a bonus.

I would like a free phone with a package that isn't more than about £16 per month.

I'd like to be able to charge it in the car and maybe listen to music on it.

I also want to buy it from somewhere that has good customer service if there are problems.

I haven't a clue where to start to be honest and find the literature on all this pretty unfathomable.

If anyone can give me pointers on how to go about learning what I should be looking for I'd be very grateful!

Thanks

Shell20121

Giff gaff simcard gives you unlimited Internet If you buy a £10 goody bag u get 250 mins to any network unlimited txts and unlimited Internet

irishjohn

Gingham_R wrote: »

Not had a mobile phone for years and never had one that does anything other than texts and calls.

I am looking for a phone that I can have unlimited internet access, a bundle of texts. A camera or even one that does short videos would be a huge bonus.

I want to be able to use it to check and send emails, look up random stuff and use a calendar with reminders.

That's pretty much it.

I'm clumsy so something fairly robust would be a bonus.

I would like a free phone with a package that isn't more than about £16 per month.

I'd like to be able to charge it in the car and maybe listen to music on it.

I also want to buy it from somewhere that has good customer service if there are problems.

I haven't a clue where to start to be honest and find the literature on all this pretty unfathomable.

If anyone can give me pointers on how to go about learning what I should be looking for I'd be very grateful!

Thanks

Hi - £16 a month will get you a fairly basic Android phone free as part of a package with any of the mobile service providers. It will be pretty average in terms of its durability so you should insure it but that adds significantly to the monthly cost when part of a package.

You need to think about which service provider gives the best signal in the area you intend to use the phone most.

Price rules out the Iphone for an inclusive package but you should perhaps think about buying a second hand refurbished phone and using Giff Gaff goodly bag for £10 a month.

Asking for good customer service is asking more or less the impossible I think.

I bought the Orange San Francisco for £100 approx, I got it unlocked and use Giff Gaff Goody bag for £10 a month and as they use O2 network signal is great

Gingham_R

That's just what I need.

Any provider would be fine. It's just for when I'm out and about - no one place in particular. (I work from home most of the time.)

So I guess my question is about making sure I got a phone I was able to use the giff goody bag with. Do I need to buy one that I can 'unlock' and how do I find out how to do this?

sorry to be dense. In completely unfamiliar waters here!

grumbler

Have a read of this:
Huawei Ascend g300 exclusively this Friday @ Vodafone for £100
Huawei Ascend G 300 £100 paygo @ vodafone
T-Mobile Vivacity Black (PAYG) - £99.99 including £10 top up @ T-Mobile
Orange San Francisco 2 is the same Vivacity in a different body. Free unlocking is not very simple, but doable, although it is likely to void the warranty

Gingham_R

Thanks. It seems this is the way to go, given the likelihood of the phone getting broken or lost.

My concern is that I don't really understand those links or what to do once I've got the phone and don't want to buy one I can't unlock or can't use the giff gaff package on and I don't known what else I need to buy with it.

Sorry. It's like I've just been dropped in from the 70s!

grumbler

Your options:

• pay more and buy a sim-free phone;
• pay less and do some legwork.

In the threads at HUKD there were suggestions how to unlock both Huawei and Vivacity/OSF2 (ZTE).


Huawei seems to be easier to unlock if you pay £5+.

Gingham_R

Thank you. I think this might be a job I need to ask for help from a friend/my husband with. But you've given me all the tools I need to pass on.

Berwynview

Hi
If you want to use a giff-gaff sim, you can buy an O2 phone, as they don't need to be unlocked. I just got one from Tesco using my double-up clubcard vouchers, so the phone only cost me £10 in real money HTH.

grumbler

Nokia Lumia 710 is £140+10 on O2 PAYG at CPW.

£130+£10 on Orange/Voda/T-mobile and is likely to be unlocked anyway.

Quidco £5.

J_B

Gingham_R wrote: »

Sorry. It's like I've just been dropped in from the 70s!

Don't tell me ........ your name is Sam Tyler :rotfl: