Easiest to use Smartphone?

10_66

I need to buy a Smartphone in order to use the Tu Go app from o2. I've never used one before and I'm a bit of a technophobe. Two phones have been suggested by two different retailers as the easiest to use in their opinion. One was the Nokia Lumia 635 and the other was the Sony Xperia E3. I've spent ages on the phone and reading reviews and can't decide which one would be best. The closest shop that would sell these is some 30 miles away. Does anyone have any opinions about which would be the most user friendly out of the two (or any other). I would really only be phoning and texting. Not too bothered about anything else, but I guess I'd probably use it to go on Google as the facility would be there.

balletshoes

do you use Windows 8 on your computer? If you do, the Nokia Lumia will be easier, as its a Windows phone.

10_66

balletshoes wrote: »

do you use Windows 8 on your computer? If you do, the Nokia Lumia will be easier, as its a Windows phone.

No, my computer is Windows 7. Would that make a difference (sorry, as I say I'm furthest from techy as you can get).

forgotmyname

Its like comparing apples and pears, Some people like one and not the other.

You may hate my phone and the way i set it up.. Thats the advantage of a smartphone. You can customize them to the way you work.

grumbler

forgotmyname wrote: »

You may hate my phone and the way i set it up.. Thats the advantage of a smartphone. You can customize them to the way you work.

Some phones are more customizable than others.
I think one of the reasons why iPhone is that popular is that it's not very customizable yet is very simple to use.

That said, iPhone is not my cup of tea, and just for one app it makes no sense to pay through the nose for an iPhone. Any smartphone will be fine. It's not a rocket science, and the cheapest Android smartphones are available for just about £20.

Quiet_Spark

balletshoes wrote: »

do you use Windows 8 on your computer? If you do, the Nokia Lumia will be easier, as its a Windows phone.

The Tu Go app for Windows phones is still in beta stage and is not guaranteed to work, best sticking to either Android or iOS for now.

Gloomendoom

I got my mum a Motorola Moto E a couple of months ago. It's her first smartphone and, despite being in her 70s, she got the hang of it pretty quickly.

Distance from the nearest retailer wasn't a problem, it was delivered to her door by post.

dreamypuma

Likes, popularity and desktop operating systems aside, I would recommend Windows Phone for ease of use over Android to anyone.

I admit to be an Android fan, and purchased by father (a 67yo technophobe) a Sony Xperia phone, as his first Smart Handset. Whilst he did use it, he struggled with the operating system, moreso with the size of icons, and complexity of the vast configuration options. These are normally a draw for Android and inherently attracts power users and more savvy users.

Recently I replaced his phone with a Nokia Windows Phone, and he much prefers this over android.

The large customised tiles are simple and easy to navigate, the operating system is overall more "closed" and less prone to accidental configurational errors. Windows phone is overall more user friendly towards the less technical.

The downside is the availability and quality of apps. Most major apps are there, but in some instances these are poor in comparison to iOS and Android equivalents. Comparison of app quality is only really relevant if you've used other operating systems, as most are perfectly adequate on Windows Phone

As posted by a previous user the TU Go app is available but in Beta (usable, but not officially release yet). You may just want to see it in action at a store, before rushing into things. There may even be youtube videos.

Where Windows Phone looses out on apps it accelerates in core operating system features. Maps, navigation, productivity and music, security, are really good on windows phone, albeit all with a Bing / Microsoft slant.

I've recently bought a Windows phone (735) and quite like it. sometimes the closed secure nature of windows phone is intrusive though. ie NFC unlike on Android seems pointless on Windows phone. It surprising how many pointless apps I had on Android.