Mobile Phone advice (OT)

Nov 07, 2016 45 Replies

I have a very old and basic Nokia 1616 (it has a torch and that is as good as it gets) I use Pay AS you Go with EE.


I would guite like a smart phone (Android) now as I find my tablet useful but a bit big.



I really don't understand about SIM cards and things. If I see a phone at Asda or somewere - can I just buy it and put my card in.


Theoretically yes, but inprobability no. Over the last few years, SIM card sizes have reduced, so your old card probably won't fit. All you need to do is to got a shop of your service provider and ask for a replacement card of the correct size.

Dunno - I don't have a "proper" mobile phone, but you can get these satelli te phones which cost nothing to buy and cost just £50 for 100 mins of calls from and to anywhere in the world.

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New mobiles are too small for my manly hands and so I prefer to type on thi s - good for the train too.

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charles wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@candehope.me.uk:

So would an EE Shop transfer my info to a new small sim?

Likely not as I discovered when changing a not that ancient Nokia N95 to a Samsung S4 a few years ago. The simm card was different. But my local Vodaphone shop sorted it for free. Or rather almost. They transferred my account, but not my contact list.

With the Samsung, MyPhoneExplorer (free for a PC) was a saviour as it allows you to access all the internal directories and transfer stuff easily. Unlike the software Samsung supply for the PC.

Some do have both sockets though. The cheaper never heard of them ranges tend to be this way I understand, but of course one might actually then need to get some data on the pay as you go and this can be expensive. I'm going to be in a similar position soon, and looking at prices and the abilities of the new phones it could well be cheaper to use one on a contract with all the thrown in freebies. I do howeveer want to keep my number, so this might be where I get an issue! Brian

Is this not going to very soon be obsolete though? Brian

Dunno - I don't have a "proper" mobile phone, but you can get these

No.

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You'd have to ask. Vodafone have done it twice for me.

Do those global star handsets work with iridium then?

How many times do you need to "discover" or be told that what you have isn't an iridium phone?

you just use a scissors and cut it to shape, easy enough

I would avoid any "cheapies" still running older Android versions, functionally the differences between lollipop/marshmallow/nougat aren't

*that* great, I wouldn't go any older than those on a tablet, but on a phone you should probably be more concerned with security updates against things like rogue MMS messages etc.

I use Tesco SIM only, and as I've swapped from mini to micro and nano phones, just pop into the shop, pick-up a new SIM card and pick a convenient time (e.g. over a weekend) to activate the old number onto the new SIM, I presume EE will do the same.

Usually what happens is that they give you an entirely new multi SIM and transfer your old number onto that within 24 hours.

You may have to do something clever by synching your contact list to an external storage or the could before the SIM swap is done.

If you are at all nervous I expect anywhere reputable that sells mobile phones will help you overcome the number transfer issues. It is common since almost no modern phones accept full size SIMs any more.

ok, two potential problems; one the sim card may be the wrong size - easy to fix by getting a replacement or cutting down the one you have (templates on the web).

Two; the phone you get from some supermarkets (like tesco) will likely be locked to their network. So make sure you buy from a place the does unlocked phones (carphone whorehouse normally do, as do plenty of online sellers)

No - they have their own similar network though, which, if it ever shut down, would mean I'd get an Iridium phone. In fact, before I go on a world cruise, I'd get one anyway.

Yes, that phone uses a mini sim and some androids use the same sim.

Not all tho, but EE will swap it for a nano sim if your new android uses one of those instead.

Tesco also sells unlocked 'phones. .

The info isnt stored on the sim anymore with current smartphones. Its in the smartphone now.

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