mobile phones, absolute ignoramus

[Deleted User]

ok, I have decided that I might join the age of mobile technology. I have a brick payg and it works fine for a one off call in an emergency. I am too ignorant to ask anything on the mobile phones section on the main board. I don`t know aht to ask

I have O2 on my payg and don`t have mobile signal at home. I am computer knowledgeable and have an enquiring mind but a big black hole when it comes to mobiles. I know nothing about the different networks and contracts and what else a smart phone does. I do see my son twiddling with his but he lives hours away, when I see him, he plays music from his and everyone shows me photos on theirs

What started me thinking was simply my contents insurance, that I had once photographed every room and printed dozens of photos. Things have changed here and I need to photograph everything again but it would be nice to have the photos tucked away in some digital media. I see people use mobile phone cameras so easily

If I get a phone, then I want a good one that will be a bit future proofed, at least for a few years. I see the moto 3rd generation on the main board, I can get 16GB and I can buy the phone and it will be sim free. Ok I get that, so I can choose my network. How do I decide on a contract and what does a contact cover? Can I store the photos somewhere else, rather than actually on the phone?

Browntoa

the Android Moto G comes with auto back up settings for photos and documents , contacts etc . When you are connected to any wifi signal it will back up your photos online , if you break/lose the phone when you buy another android phone and put in your user details they are available straight away. You can also log onto your Google (android) account on a PC and view/download the photos. Using Android does "future proof" as you can just buy another android device down the line and all your settings and details automatically set up on the new phone


get a rolling 30 day sim only contract initially , if you like the network then you can always change to a 12 month sim only contract on the same network and get better minutes and data for lower cost

spirit

Browntoa wrote: »

the Android Moto G comes with auto back up settings for photos and documents , contacts etc . When you are connected to any wifi signal it will back up your photos online , if you break/lose the phone when you buy another android phone and put in your user details they are available straight away. You can also log onto your Google (android) account on a PC and view/download the photos. Using Android does "future proof" as you can just buy another android device down the line and all your settings and details automatically set up on the new phone


get a rolling 30 day sim only contract initially , if you like the network then you can always change to a 12 month sim only contract on the same network and get better minutes and data for lower cost

If she gets a sim only deal, where is she meant to source the phone from? Hardware only prices are a lot more than a free or subsidised phone on a contract.

[Deleted User]

Thank you so much, you actually helped a lot. I saw the rolling 30 day contract and I have found a phone only supplier. The phone seems to be highly recommended as a good value phone by quite a few review sites. Now I need to workout how much I want to spend every month

Android seems to be the way I want to go. I like the idea of auto back up. Browntoa, your post told me a lot in few words, thank you

Browntoa

you could consider


https://www.wileyfox.com/swift/


still an android phone , british owned , cheap warranty as a bolt on


always buy your own phone outright , prices for Moto G are not that bad


http://www.amazon.co.uk/Motorola-Moto-Generation-SIM-Free-Smartphone/dp/B012W8Y6Y8


if you are not bothered about screen size then the Moto G 2nd gen are good value


example of how easy it is to swap over , Daughter lost her Moto G when in Australia , when she came back I reset my old Moto G and then logged in as her, within 10 minutes it had downloaded all her old apps over wifi and was ready to use

[Deleted User]

tesco mobile do a monthly 1gb data packge for £12.50 a month. 500 mins and 5000 texts. I read good reviews about tesco mobile. So, I have almost stopped dithering. I have been watching youtube re the moto g and I like it. I won`t order anything until tomorrow, I want to sleep on it

Thanks for help browntoa

pollypenny

What phones do your children have?

If they have iPhones you should get one, not the latest model, so that you can FaceTime them. This means free calls and seeing them, too!

Lots of free storage with iCloud.

Edit to add: there's so much available on smartphones. Eg you can download programmes/ podcasts so,that you can listen to a comedy or play while you're doing a job away from your radio or out for a walk.

tomtontom

kittie wrote: »

tesco mobile do a monthly 1gb data packge for £12.50 a month. 500 mins and 5000 texts. I read good reviews about tesco mobile. So, I have almost stopped dithering. I have been watching youtube re the moto g and I like it. I won`t order anything until tomorrow, I want to sleep on it

Thanks for help browntoa

You're going to get a far better deal on contract.

http://www.mobilephonesdirect.co.uk/contract-mobile-phones/motorola-moto-g-3rd-generation

http://shop.tescomobile.com/pay-monthly/mobile-phones/motorola/moto+g+3rd+generation/tariff?deal=25227

bjbyorkshire

Kittie, I have the Moto G. Bought from Tesco online earlier this year after much debating and discussion on the techie thread on MSE. Some very helpful people gave me sound advice.

I just use mine for the occasional message but mostly to look at e mails in Weatherspoons or other free internet places. I don't need a monthly contract as I never chatter on the phone. It's just for quick calls so I was pointed to the Three 123 network and told to turn off the data so that outside the home I can't rack up costly calls or downloads. The downloads are done on my home broadband. Loving the phone but still learning about it all the time. It takes good photos which are linked and saved on "the Cloud". So much to learn but loads of helpful techies will treat you gently if you ask them nicely. Lol.

Hope this helps

cbrown372

kittie wrote: »

tesco mobile do a monthly 1gb data packge for £12.50 a month. 500 mins and 5000 texts. I read good reviews about tesco mobile. So, I have almost stopped dithering. I have been watching youtube re the moto g and I like it. I won`t order anything until tomorrow, I want to sleep on it

Thanks for help browntoa

Tesco operates via o2 so if you don't get o2 at home you are unlikely to get Tesco. Perhaps ask for a sim and put it in your current phone and see if it works first before taking out the monthly contract.

Personally I have been with Tesco for years and have found them good.

[Deleted User]

I didn`t sleep on it. I have ordered the phone, bought it from motorola on backorder. The 16gb will be in early november. I have also sorted a stand alone sim with tesco mobile, I did some coverage research and get exactly the same coverage as with O2 and other providers. ie ok for texts in the house and a bit better elsewhere in the village. Other aspects of the phone will be very useful. I am trying tesco mobile via the 30 day contract, to see how I go and will take a longer contract if I am happy. They do an 18 month deal that looks attractive at £10. I`ll see how I go

Thanks for all the inputs