VERIZON PHONE SHOPPING: WHERE HAVE ALL THE “DUMB” PHONES GONE?
If you haven’t heard the phrase “smart phones”, you’ve been living in a cave. Though many of our friends have switched to smart phones, I’ve not felt the attraction. We already pay a bundle for our Verizon service (smart phones require a minimum of $15 more per month) and I’m not in the mood for the learning curve when all I want to do with my phone is talk on it.
So, what I want is a “dumb” phone. Not only do I not need to access the internet via phone, I also don’t care about a camera or a keyboard. Texting is NOT in my future.
We spent an hour in the Verizon store last night. Although I had complaints about my current un-smart phone – the one that went swimming – how I wish I could find one just like it now!
In the entire in-store inventory at Verizon, there was one – ONE – phone that came close to what I want! There were at least ten “texting” phones with tiny keyboards; another ten plus “smart” phones with even tinier keyboards; a few phones that didn’t even look like phones and earned the scorn of the Verizon rep we spoke with; and two – that’s right, JUST TWO - of what I now think of a “dumb” phones. Of those two, just one was Bluetooth enabled, a feature I have decided to embrace – and it is exactly the same phone Odel has! He isn’t crazy about it, and neither am it.
Since my old phone is working again (except that it doesn’t ring), I left without making a decision. It was depressing.
That didn’t last long, though, as we were off to meet our friends Sue and Mo for dinner at a favorite restaurant, Fisherman’s Market and Grill in La Quinta. Sue has an iPhone, so we chatted a little about phones over a delicious seafood dinner. With a good meal, a glass of wine, and lots of laughs, I soon cheered up.
Since the rain has settled in here for the long haul, Sue and Mo made plans to come over to the Sands RV Park today to give the shuffleboard table a workout. This afternoon I’ll get online for more phone research. If any of you readers have suggestions – like where to get a dumb phone or what to look for/at in a smart phone in case I step up – send me a comment or an email (click on our profile photo to send an email). I’ll probably end up switching phones in Yuma (after Christmas).
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We feel the same way and our time is coming up to update our phones in just a few months. We are not looking forward to that since the last time we updated it took us forever to find a dumb phone we could live with but are not happy with either of them. Our all time favorite phone is the Razor...no more...they stopped making them. We do not want to pay that extra monthly fee for something we really do not want or need in our lives but they are making it harder for us to choose which dumb phone we want.
ReplyDeleteGood luck and we will look forward to your decision since we will be doing the same soon.
I upgraded my phone a few months ago and tried in vain to find a dumb phone. I ended up with the LG Accolade, which is about as plain vanilla as they had at the time. I swear my next phone is going to be the Jitterbug! I'm so sick of accidently hitting buttons on the outside of the phone that set off the camera, mute the entire phone, etc.
ReplyDeleteI love my smart phone (I'm also 25...), but find it kind of funny that they are still called phones. I use email, memos, internet, and messaging more frequently than I use the phone!
ReplyDeleteThey've really become computers with phones rather than phones with computers.
I'm very happy with my tracfone. It wouldn't cost you much to try a prepaid phone. But if you want one exactly like the one you had, I think the place to look would be ebay.
ReplyDeleteHow refreshing & I must say encouraging it is to read your thoughts about all the new wizmo gizmo phone stuff. I've been griping about that on my blog from time to time for quite awhile now. We have pretty much the same techno stuff you guys have but we refuse to be sucked into the world of razzle dazzle because companies market their products on the 'cool' side for the teeny boppers. Newer & smaller is not always better!!!! Saw a picture of a Jitterbug phone once & thought if I ever decided on a cell phone I would probably choose that one because I could at least see it!! Anyway, nice to know I am not the only logical non texting humanoid left on the planet. Had a work related occasion to make a phone call with a Blackberry last summer. What an excercise in frustration that was!! Bravo for you in posting your thoughts. Lets start a revolution & get back to carrier pidgeons:))
ReplyDeleteMy old still works fine Sprint phone is over 15 years old. When it dies I will be in trouble. As long as my phone works, I do not change it.
ReplyDeleteLaurie, in answer to your question 'where have all the dumb phones gone?', I was really tempted to answer "to the bottom of swimming pools and hot tubs", but that would be mean and nasty so......!
ReplyDeleteIf you look at the Verizon website, there does appear to be a few minimum feature phones from Samsung and LG that might be what you are looking for. They seem to call them 'Feature phones' instead of smart phones. I guess they don't like the term 'dumb' for their phones.
Merry Christmas to you and Odel. Sure wish the weather was better for you guys down in southern California. I hear there's another big storm coming too.
McGuyver has a "smart phone"...and android, whatever the heck that means...I have a "dumb, brainless" phone..an A T&T Pantech...It's a flip phone of the oldest type...and just right for me!!!!
ReplyDeleteWe got a TracFone to use when we are out and about in Vermont because we can't get a Verizon signal at our cottage. It does text and have a camera, but I don't use either feature. Otherwise it's pretty close to a "dumb phone." The rates may be more than you want, but you may want to check into it.
ReplyDeleteJoyce Space
I use an I-Phone now but before that had a Blackberry. Between the two I liked the Blackberry better. That said how much more perfect can you get than a phone that doesn't ring.
ReplyDeleteYou might try getting the same phone you had, if you liked that one, on one of the sites that specializes in refurbished phones. Just Google "used Verizon phones" or something like that.
ReplyDeleteMy phone died this past summer and I got the LG Accolade. I've taken a dozen pictures of the inside of my pocket (bad location of camera button), but otherwise it works well. The sound, both incoming and outgoing, is very good.
Incidentally, I've been following your blog for half a year now. I think I found it on Kate and Terry's blog.
Hope to meet you down the road some time.
You could have been writing about the Hubster and here's what he did... requested a Jitterbug last year for Christmas and he loves it! He doesn't even have voicemail set up on it because he doesn't want to learn how to use it! They actually have great coverage because they use everyone else's towers! I have a Verizon Blackberry and I really want a Droid. I love all the apps and some are very useful! We've used several if our traveling and one (Poynt) I actually prefer to our GPS which last summer took us to a dead end exit and two miles from where we were headed and you know what had to happen there... It's been in a cabinet since then!
ReplyDeleteI do text only a couple of people and way overpay for it but it's something I enjoy so hey...
If you're interested in the Jitterbug, they have them at Sears stores.
Get a copy of the January 2011 issue of Consumer Reports. It has a huge report on cell phones and plans. We use our cell phones for voice only and very little of that. We therefore have simple prepaid plans, me with Verizon and my wife with TracFhone. We each spend about $15.00 per month and the phones themselves are available at Walmart, Target, etc.
ReplyDeleteI have a basic LG made for Verizon that I got less than a year ago. Works well and has a camera.
ReplyDeleteI've had similar problems replacing our home cordless phones. I don't like any of the newer ones!
ReplyDeleteI have been looking thru some of the recipes you list and there's a couple i rally want to try soon.
Laurie, what you want is a "Feature Phone", and if you go online, you can browse the various types. I personally like the LGs but there are other ones that will suffice. Avoid the QWERTY keyboards, you don't need one unless you suddenly get hooked on Txting. Jim has one of the GxOne's that you COULD toss in the pool... it's supposed to be contractor-proof. The stores don't have all the stock, so they will try to steer you to what they have, and they are all smart phone nuts. I'v avoiding getting one of them, I have fat fingers and a grumpy attitude when it comes to them.
ReplyDeleteebay is your solution...
ReplyDeleteYou can buy a replacement phone on ebay. I went thru the same thing with my unsmart AT&T phone. It went swimming in a cup of coffee; however, we actually had an old phone that had been upgraded and were able to swap SIM cards and were back in business.
ReplyDeleteThat in itself is another lesson, because we had been told bu AT&T that we "HAD" to upgrade our old phone to a newer phone to work on their network; however, that older model is working just fine with the active SIM card.
3 G Store check them out. Our phone W 755 Motorola
ReplyDeleteLaurie- Brian and I got very generic verizon phones less than a year ago. They do have a camera and features for web stuff, but since our plan doesn't have the web feature, we never bother with anything but the phone (nice large numbers) v/m and I do text very short messages-just from the phone key pad, no additional keyboard. The phone is a fliptop with the Verizon check mark and Verizon on it. It does have the Bluetooth feature in the settings, but I've never used it.
ReplyDelete