Mobile tariffs

[seahermit]

I hope you don't mind, Richard, but I am switching to this section to answer your last post - which raised some interesting points.

Just so happens that I have bought a Doro 8035 smartphone, just a bit smaller than my Samsung but the Doros have loud volume settings - brilliant for me with hearing difficulties. I wasn't at all sure if the Doro would compare well, but it is actually rather good and also nice-looking. A little slower to react to key presses and not so smooth, otherwise seems excellent.

That's when I decided to upgrade my O2 SIM card to a monthly Big Bundle tariff - £10 for 6GB + unlimited texts/minutes. Seems pretty good value to me. If for some reason I don't want to use the phone for a spell, I can just delay renewing the package until I am ready. Asda Mobile (on EE) do a similar (slightly better) offer, also a £5 monthly package, GiffGaff do similar things.

I have rarely ever signed up to a contract. Many are absolute rip-offs in that many people end up either wasting half their allowance or overstepping the limits and paying penalties!

However, I want to keep a small Doro keypad phone going as a back-up/spare and I have my eye on "1p Mobile" - the credit never expires, as long as you use the phone once in a few months.

Maybe I have been lucky but O2 has always been reliable in Hastings. And the customer service is good too (EE are awful). The Three network drove me mad, cheap tariffs but for years the signal would regularly go at any time (for hours, even weeks last year, which prompted me to switch). In the Old Town, there is no Three signal ever. I myself would never touch TalkTalk - always been right down the bottom of the list in customer service reviews!

[seahermit]

Although my Samsung is a really nice smartphone, there's no point if I have to use a second phone for hearing calls properly! So it will probably be put on sale shortly - I will mention it again here in case anyone is interested.

Large 6.1inch screen, very smooth and nice to use, more or less new condition. Shame to pass it on .. but it will be a bargain for someone.

[seahermit]

I thought I should add a postscript here for anyone who possibly had similar issues with hearing a phone properly. We are all getting older and these things happen ..!

So here is the Seahermit Technology Review for the Doro 8035 smartphone. I gave it a good try - it is not their latest or most expensive model but is well-made, sturdy and nice-looking. And it works surprisingly well, does everything most smartphones do and has loud volume settings as well as special settings for hearing aids.

But re: performance I suppose it comes within the category of budget phones (though not in price!) - a bit clunky, slow to load pages and some things don't work well. You should be able to put your SIM card into any modern phone and copy your contacts over, but Doro phones for some strange reason always have difficulty reading inserted SIMs and you end up installing contacts manually (nuisance because I have almost 100!). And I had some issues with my inserted memory card too. It is also difficult to put a shortcut to a favourite website onto the screen, Doros don't quite work in the same way as most Android phones.

I am a perfectionist where mobiles are concerned - on the internet I want to perform numerous tasks and move about fast and smoothly. My Samsung J6 Plus is a mid-range phone but has a big screen, works beautifully and does 75% of what the most expensive phones do. It is an invaluable aid when I am travelling.

So, not much contest I am afraid. The Doro will go on it's way, would be useful maybe for someone just starting with a smartphone and doing basic stuff.

[Richard]

With any mobile phone some contacts may be stored on the phone and some on the sim.
You would be advised to make sure your contacts are all actually on the sim in the first place.

on Doro Phone copy contacts to SIM:
Press Disconnect to return to the home screen.
Find "Copy all" Press the Navigation key. Select Phonebook. ...
Import contacts from your SIM to your phone. Select From SIM. ...
Export contacts from your phone to your SIM. Select From Phone. ...
Return to the home screen. Press Disconnect to return to the home screen.

To copy contacts from the SIM to the device:

From the home screen, press the Menu button.
Move the cursor to Phonebook and press the OK button.
Move the cursor to any contact and press the Options button.
Move the cursor to Copy all and press the OK button.
Keep the cursor on From SIM and press the OK button.

[seahermit]

Thanks Richard, I appreciate that! Yes, I know the procedure and it works perfectly well on android phones usually, though it takes a few minutes to go through the different steps. I usually keep contacts safely stored on the SIM card, in case the phone goes wrong or gets dropped.

But I have had this problem with two or three Doro phones previously, the phone just cannot seem to read the SIM card properly. I went into the Settings which indicated that there were no contacts stored on the SIM - not the case of course. Also, although I have numerous images (and also a few loud ringtones) stored on the memory card, when I moved the card into the Doro smartphone the Storage and File Manager menus showed the memory card as empty! It's a quirk of Doro phones, I came across several mentions of it on the internet. No worry, I have anyway gone back to using my Samsung phone.

Another quirk of Doro phones is that the "1" key, which on a keypad phone usually doubles as a shortcut to a network's voicemail, often doesn't work for the latter purpose. You have to manually dial 123 or whatever! No matter, it's easy enough, just irritating.

Doro phones are still good for people with hearing issues. Besides the Samsung, I carry a small Doro keypad phone just for calls/messages - that system works fine for me. The Doro is not only loud but small and convenient, fits into a jeans or shirt pocket and I can answer the phone quickly with one hand, the other hand on my beer!

What is surprising is that almost no other manufacturer besides Doro has come up with a good smartphone .. which also has enhanced features for hearing issues. If Samsung did a really loud smartphone, I would pay a premium for that, but oldies are a small part of their market!

[Richard]

What a crime it would be to waste technology on the young.
It's purpose should also be to enable older people to use it.

Alcatel One-touch is ideal for the elderly, much like Doro, it has huge dial buttons and a bright clear screen that has simple instructions for you to follow. It also has a loudspeaker system and is compatible with hearing aids.
Fujitsu Stylistic S01, specifically aimed at the elderly and technophobes, this smart little mobile phone is a simple-to-use, no frills, touchscreen device. It’s perfect for an elderly user or someone who doesn’t like getting the hang of technology, as it’s user interface is easy to navigate and select. It’s an android device so has access to apps and Google, giving users the perfect opportunity to use a smartphone, without all the complication.

[seahermit]

Well, yes, but the basic problem remains. The simpler, cheaper phones are fine if you just want to do basic things - nothing wrong with that, but I am fussy. Want the best smartphone I can afford, which ALSO is nice and loud, and I don't have much problem with the complex technology (up to a certain point!).

The trouble with some of the "easy" phones (including some Doros) is that the huge buttons etc. advertise that you are partly blind and probably a bit stupid - even though that may be nothing more than other people's preconceptions!

[Richard]

Life can be very difficult for a perfectionist, seahermit.
I have a basic voice and text Nokia, I have never appreciated the need for a 'smartphone'.
I have a computer on my desk, why would I want to have internet connections on my phone?
I have tried a couple of smartphones but I really don't see the point.
Life is too interesting at large to spend time absorbed, bent over a phone in public.
I know some people can't do without their addiction, in whatever form it takes.

Bring me the basics and I will be very happy!

[seahermit]

I understand that, always liked my little Nokias and really my small Doro keypad phone is in
similar vein, just nice and loud.

But you are limiting yourself, Richard. I don't see the point in resisting new technology when, used in the right way, obviously it can make life much easier. Some of the websites bookmarked on my big Samsung are news, weather, travel (National Rail, Trainline, TFL etc.) - absolutely invaluable if I am travelling (I may go off for a long weekend or two this autumn) and the Samsung is an essential companion. Other people might take a tablet/I-pad. I don't do banking on a phone though - absolutely unnecessary and unsafe. I certainly don't spend my time glued to a smartphone and much of the time the Samsung stays at home, but it is also useful if I want to check things online whilst enjoying a meal in the corner of a pub. Or in some far-away hotel I can watch a film in bed until I get sleepy! Or I can check my messages (like now) quickly and easily without the hassle of booting up the computer.

When mobiles first became pocket-sized (the first Nokia on the Orange network), I took to them instantly and have never looked back. I have a friend who never checks his small cheap mobile and doesn't have a computer. It is very difficult to keep in touch with him because he likes a very simple, quiet life, tending his vegetable patch. I would go off my head in five minutes living in that way!

[Richard]

Call me boring, I refuse to drive, trained to fly light aircraft, but failed to get turned on by all-singing/dancing smart phones.
It's good to be different.