need a new pda/cell phone

[Tide In Mind Out]

About to switch over to T-Mobile's $30 per month prepaid plan. Unlimited texts, unlimited web, and 100 minutes. I still use hardly any minutes at all, maybe 10 or 15 a month. It'll be cool having the freedom again to switch out my phone whenever I want. Straight Talk has worked perfectly, but I'm paying $45 a month ($50 after taxes) basically just for texting and checking Facebook. Plus, their process for switching out a phone is horrible. Let me put my SIM in any GSM phone, ergh!

 

[General Zod]

If that is your criteria, than I think your decision makes a lot of sense. I would likely do the same. For me, I still use voice quite a bit. T-Mobile's network is akin to two cans connected by string here in N.J., so they're not an option. Plus, their selection of phones is terrible.

 

[Tide In Mind Out]

Aye, different needs for different situations. The network coverage in my area is fine, or at least it was when I used their service before. Thing is, my Straight Talk phone runs on AT&T's POST-paid network, which is pretty darn impressive. Straight Talk recently quit selling AT&T network phones and sim cards altogether. So...I've got one of the remaining Straight Talk accounts that gets the great AT&T coverage. Almost makes me not want to switch, but I don't like that I'm spending more than I need to, and it sucks that ST has my sim card locked to this one phone. HMMM.

Edit: Actually, I've just learned that there's a technical issue with my particular phone (Straight Talk Nokia E71) that allows me to pop my sim into any AT&T locked phone. This is an interesting development.

 

[General Zod]

It is annoying the way carriers lock you into phones. If you're paying the contracted amount, I'm not sure I understand why they even care.

 

[MFJ]

had an iphone for 2+ years. i used to love it, but eventually mobile internet consumed my life. it's amazing to have the entire collection of human knowledge in your pocket, but i found myself taking it out and going on Wikipedia to read about ANYTHING at ALL times.

Making a sandwich? I'm going to put some mustard on this sandwich. I would like to know more about the history of mustard. (take out phone)

I got rid of that thing and now I have the AT&T prepaid plan. $25 per month, unlimited texts and 250 minutes. i didn't buy a data plan because fuck that shit (plus the phone is an archaic flip phone that doesnt even have a camera so why browse the internet). much happier

 

[Tide In Mind Out]

Yep, totally understandable. My phone is nowhere near being an iPhone or an Android, but I feel like I internet too much on it while I'm out and about. Mostly Facebook. It's poiiiison. I still take my laptop to school/work, so it's not like I need my phone as my primary internet source. If I do make the switch back to T-Mobile then I'll be using a much simpler phone with a rudimentary internet browser. That way, I can check an email or something if I have to, but I won't be enticed to internet so much.

 

[Tide In Mind Out]

Did it. Ditched Straight Talk even though I had the golden egg of their phones. I could have kept the account and used my mistakenly unlocked sim card in say...an iPhone, or some other smartphone compatible with AT&T. But fuggit...them shitz have too many settings, and Straight Talk is too difficult to work with when you need any assistance. Now rocking the T-Mobile Sparq. "Dumb" as can be.

 

[Tide In Mind Out]

Yeah so that phone died when a bottle of Dr. Pepper exploded and drowned it out. That event also put my computer in a coma for a few days, but that bounced back. Anyway, I bought a T-Mobile Aspect (ZTE Wombat or something) to replace it. It is also a cheap dumbphone, so I was not expecting a loud as hell Amber Alert to shake me from my slumber at 11PM last night. Never really went back to sleep, either. The alert sound is pretty much the same unpleasant din that you hear when they do emergency alert tests on television, but sounds worse through a phone speaker. I can sleep through a regular text message alert, but this emergency alert shit will raise the dead and possibly shatter mirrors. I turned off the Amber Alert notifications, but it won't let me turn off all emergency alerts, and won't let me turn off the "presidential alert" at all. WTF?! Let me sleep through the apocalypse, argh! From what I've read on Facebook today, this happens with a lot of modern phones, which makes it really tempting to go back to an old brick phone since I can't disable the shit entirely.

 

[NAD]

Yeah that was probably the dumbest part about my newfound shartphoning, getting god damn FLOOD ALERTS for an area 160 miles away me (same county, whatever). So I found a way to turn off that crap, but the presidential alert is hilarious, since by law you can't disable it apparently. So far Oblammer hasn't said dick to me, jerk.

My wife left her phone at home one morning recently, I hit her up on Facebutt: "want me to bring it to you?" "nah, it's kind of liberating without it." We think technology gives us freedom, but it's yet another shackle. Oh well, at least I still have pocketporn. And if your phone is really called Wombat, I'd say that warrants presidential action in terms of awesome!

 

[Tide In Mind Out]

Sounds like something Alex Jones or other nuts would label as some kind of technological government tyranny. Also, I want a real wombat for a cell phone.

 

[Tide In Mind Out]

Sounds like something Alex Jones or other nuts would label as some kind of technological government tyranny.

Hahaha yep, he has.

 

[NAD]

That rocks. I love Alex Jones. Every time I think "hey this sounds like a good idea" he just completely batshit insane 10 seconds later. "1492 WILL HAPPEN AGAIN, COLUMBUS SHALL RISE!!!"

I sold an amp in order to buy a new bass, but now I'm thinking of being responsible and just keeping the money. We'll see how long that lasts.

EDIT: WTF I thought this was the latest purchases thread. RC CONFUSION.

 

[Hell Mike]

what the hell are these alerts you people are talking about?? Sounds a lot like some kind of technological government tyranny to me.

 

[neal]

So far Oblammer hasn't said dick to me, jerk.

President Obama doesnt care about white people

I sold an amp in order to buy a new bass, but now I'm thinking of being responsible and just keeping the money. We'll see how long that lasts.

until you see a good deal on a backup for your backup fuzz pedal

 

[Tide In Mind Out]

what the hell are these alerts you people are talking about?? Sounds a lot like some kind of technological government tyranny to me.

To warn about weather dangers, to notify of kidnappings, and to tell us that the president is pooping or something.


But it's not just a friendly text message. It's this noise.

 

[NAD]

President Obama doesnt care about white people

until you see a good deal on a backup for your backup fuzz pedal

LOL x2 and yes I probably will get a backup to my backup someday. I actually had a third Assmaster at one point but sold it, haha. I'm a loser for fuzz.

The alert sound is annoying as fuck. I turned mine off but I don't remember how. I think I downloaded an app that let me download another app which brought an old app back from beyond the dark side of the moon and gave me back some very basic settings that didn't even exist a few years ago.

I love having Yelp and Google Maps. Both have come in handy many many times, I mean before that, I had to actually PARK AND READ A MAP FOR 3 MINUTES whenever I'd get lost, or simply try a random restaurant that looked interesting from the road. Dark days.

 

[dorian gray]

My cell phone doesn't do that shit. It makes calls and texts. I have an iPod for everything else and when I want it to die, I turn off wi-fi

Dorian wins this one

 

[Krilons Resa]

My cell phone doesn't do that shit. It makes calls and texts. I have an iPod for everything else and when I want it to die, I turn off wi-fi

Dorian wins this one

Ditto on my cell phone. Except my iPod doesn't have this wi-fi you speak of.

Check.

 

[Tide In Mind Out]

I had a slight awareness of the alerts happening on smartphones, but I didn't expect it on my cheap phone. Just for fun, I tried putting my current sim card in one of my old phones. Didn't work. I did some research, and apparently if the sim card is 4G capable (which mine seems to be) then it won't work in a lot of the older phones. GUH.

 

[Tide In Mind Out]

Anyone else today have a Facebook friend post the story about how the location of photos taken and posted from your smartphone can be traced? I've seen it all over Facebook today, and I'm just surprised by how many people were shocked by it.

Also, f T-Mobile and this damn phone. Second phone in four months that's either crapped out or just been crap. Every aspect of this "Aspect" phone is slower than shit syrup, and my ring tone and message tone don't even sound off half the time. It comes close to pocket dialing 911, too, even when the keypad is locked. Stupid. For $5 more a month, I can switch to AT&T and get all of my current services, plus five times the minutes (not that I need that many). Phones seem less sucky, too. The Pantech Breeze (flip phone) looks good and seems to perform really well, and it's meant for crotchety old blind people. I'm crotchety and blind, so I figure I can't go wrong.