Will I need a smart phone in the future?

[otherclive]

With the push for 5 G there are numerous places that we have visited that I would happily accept 3G or 4g coverage. Even at home our mobiles are pretty unstable on the normal signals so we use landline or WiFi calling.

 

[Thingy]

The 5g signal is fairly short range, and you almost need to be adjacent to the mast to get a lockon, but when you have a lock, the speeds are blistering. I can see a day when 5g coverage is way better, there will be no need for home broadband. I have just run my Speedtest at home, and evwn on 4g here I am getting around 70mbps and its stable. My home broadband gives 65mbps.

 

[Jcloughie]

Even in the caravan on 4g I can stream OK with both of us looking at other things simultaneously all tethered to one phone. Neither of us have a 5g enabled phone but don’t feel the need.

But business requirements are quite different. When at work we had about 2,000 internet enabled machines networked across 30 miles. The IT dept were excellent and I can not remember an issue. Lots of streaming done as well.

For a few years my son worked for what was Cable and Wireless, now Vodafone. Evidently they have the main fibre conduits across the country. He had a few accounts to maintain, a betting office chain and a police force included.

It makes home use insignificant in comparison.
Let’s just hope the major companies keep our data safe! Personally, I don’t let that worry my. Apply sensible and recognised security and, in the words of my Mother. Trust in God and keep your bowels open.


John

 

[otherclive]

Even in the caravan on 4g I can stream OK with both of us looking at other things simultaneously all tethered to one phone. Neither of us have a 5g enabled phone but don’t feel the need.

But business requirements are quite different. When at work we had about 2,000 internet enabled machines networked across 30 miles. The IT dept were excellent and I can not remember an issue. Lots of streaming done as well.

For a few years my son worked for what was Cable and Wireless, now Vodafone. Evidently they have the main fibre conduits across the country. He had a few accounts to maintain, a betting office chain and a police force included.

It makes home use insignificant in comparison.
Let’s just hope the major companies keep our data safe! Personally, I don’t let that worry my. Apply sensible and recognised security and, in the words of my Mother. Trust in God and keep your bowels open.


John

I get notifications of any company or website that I use if they have a declared data leak. Also to safeguard against identity theft I also get a notification if any of my details should be active on the dark web. Only once have I been notified but it was only one of my email addresses and not one that I use for important stuff like money activities.

 

[Jcloughie]

I get notifications of any company or website that I use if they have a declared data leak. Also to safeguard against identity theft I also get a notification if any of my details should be active on the dark web. Only once have I been notified but it was only one of my email addresses and not one that I use for important stuff like money activities.

I have similar.

John

 

[ProfJohnL]

.... Whoever designed these things could make millions if he/ she applied the same principles to caravan manufacture.

I don't think so. there's a far bigger and more lucrative market for mobile phones that touring caravans.

 

[Dustydog]

I don't think so. there's a far bigger and more lucrative market for mobile phones that touring caravans.

Just a tongue in cheek comment Prof😉

 

[Raywood]

I think we will need them for most things in the future. I gather land lines are at risk and my CAMH membership card is now on my phone so I need one.

 

[otherclive]

I think we will need them for most things in the future. I gather land lines are at risk and my CAMH membership card is now on my phone so I need one.

The CMHC will still provide you a membership card if requested. So a smart phone isn’t required for such.

 

[Beachball]

The CMHC will still provide you a membership card if requested. So a smart phone isn’t required for such.

I am in agreement with you (had a membership card for 13 years now)

 

[bertieboy1]

What we do not like about our so called Smart phones is that they have numerous useless apps that you will never use in the lifetime of the phone!

Hi,
Like you I didn't like my "smart " phone,they're not smart at all just daft with loads of junk you'll never use.I've swapped it for a basic phone and switched off all connections to the internet and blue tooth,I was getting charged for automatic updates to useless apps I never use.
All I wanted is to make/receive phone calls and send/receive the occasional message.

 

[Woodentop]

I‘m not sure, but I think that the networks have an agreement whereby they share networks if a 999 number is used. Older phones I have had, actually said across the top. “Emergency use only” when there was no signal from the network it was signed up to. I think they may also be usable for 999 if the bill hasn’t been paid.

In fact, I am sure that is the case, just found this.

In 2009, UK mobile phone networks introduced “Emergency Call Roaming”. This means that although a mobile phone might display a ‘no signal’ message, an emergency call will attempt to contact to another network. However, you will be unable to receive a call on that network, even if the inbound call is from emergency services.

With regards to the. roll out of fibre broadband. Great news in many ways, but I worry about the priorities behind it and getting it into outlying and rural areas.

We have had Virgin fibre since it first appeared and it works very well. At present we get 200 mbps and I could upgrade, but no reason to.

For the past month, and still ongoing. City broadband is being installed.

Why?

Surely there are more needy locations,

John

You are correct in the comments about Emergency Call Roaming <BUT> what is often missed is that the facility will only work if there is a SIM in the phone to identify it. In some other countries you can make an emergency call without a SIM but in most places this is not the case.

I too have VM, in fact I was a beta tester on NTLWorld in about 2000 when it was still dial-up! The undoubted advantage of VM that is often missed is the reliability. I have had fibre/co-ax feed since about 2003 and it has only been off (IMSMC) four times - and one of those was when a drunken idiot drove into a street cab at the to of our road!

Why should CityFibre parallel feed fibre where VM already exists?
Two reasons: at the time it started the Fibrenation project was instigated by TalkTalk but a way into it they sold the operation to CityFibre. Our area was piped and the fibre tubes inserted early last year and it theoretically goes live around the end of this year - at which time I am told it will carry TT, Sky, and Vodafone;

The second reason is that they are significantly cheaper. Depending where you live VM can be charging you anything between £30 and £60+ for 100Mb broadband plus phone; I am told that the York area is already active with CityFibre and you can have guaranteed minimum 900Mb BOTH WAYS for £36/m and phone for £4 extra - which makes VM and even some BT deals look a bit sick!

 

[otherclive]

Hi,
Like you I didn't like my "smart " phone,they're not smart at all just daft with loads of junk you'll never use.I've swapped it for a basic phone and switched off all connections to the internet and blue tooth,I was getting charged for automatic updates to useless apps I never use.
All I wanted is to make/receive phone calls and send/receive the occasional message.

Why did you buy the smart phone in the first place then?

 

[Dustydog]

Why did you buy the smart phone in the first place then?

What exactly is the definition of a smart phone? The goal posts seem to move monthly. Mine is a very unsmart I phone 6. SWMBO has the I 12 whistles and bells. Are we getting ahead of ourselves?
All I have wanted and still want is a Mobile phone!!

 

[otherclive]

What exactly is the definition of a smart phone? The goal posts seem to move monthly. Mine is a very unsmart I phone 6. SWMBO has the I 12 whistles and bells. Are we getting ahead of ourselves?
All I have wanted and still want is a Mobile phone!!

There isn’t a definition. My BIL bought a basic IMO just for calls and text. It looks like an old style original mobile. But it comes with camera, email, Bluetooth, radio etc. I think it cost him only around £15 from Tesco. It’s battery life on standby is amazing. But he had real difficulty using it as the icon for incoming text is so small at the top of an already small screen. He’s got Parkinson’s so you can imagine the problems he has navigating the screen icons.

So we got him a basic Doro large touch screen phone. He’s really pleased with it but only uses the phone calling and texting features along with the contacts. That’s all he wants so he just ignores the other icons.

 

[Jcloughie]

You are correct in the comments about Emergency Call Roaming <BUT> what is often missed is that the facility will only work if there is a SIM in the phone to identify it. In some other countries you can make an emergency call without a SIM but in most places this is not the case.

I too have VM, in fact I was a beta tester on NTLWorld in about 2000 when it was still dial-up! The undoubted advantage of VM that is often missed is the reliability. I have had fibre/co-ax feed since about 2003 and it has only been off (IMSMC) four times - and one of those was when a drunken idiot drove into a street cab at the to of our road!

Why should CityFibre parallel feed fibre where VM already exists?
Two reasons: at the time it started the Fibrenation project was instigated by TalkTalk but a way into it they sold the operation to CityFibre. Our area was piped and the fibre tubes inserted early last year and it theoretically goes live around the end of this year - at which time I am told it will carry TT, Sky, and Vodafone;

The second reason is that they are significantly cheaper. Depending where you live VM can be charging you anything between £30 and £60+ for 100Mb broadband plus phone; I am told that the York area is already active with CityFibre and you can have guaranteed minimum 900Mb BOTH WAYS for £36/m and phone for £4 extra - which makes VM and even some BT deals look a bit sick!

Interesting, but a small correction. I can see the competition advantage of having VM and CF, But it seems unfair when there are large areas of the country without a service at all. I understand that it may not be financially viable to supply less populated areas but I was under the impression that new fibre was being installed using the taxpayers money. I seem to remember it was in the manifesto.

But from what you have said we, in my area, will be the winners. I look forward to the new negotiations with VM and telling them I might be switching to CF.

John

 

[Jcloughie]

What exactly is the definition of a smart phone? The goal posts seem to move monthly. Mine is a very unsmart I phone 6. SWMBO has the I 12 whistles and bells. Are we getting ahead of ourselves?
All I have wanted and still want is a Mobile phone!!

Like humans, some are smarter than others. I would certainly say an iPhone 6 comes under ‘smart’. We have both just moved from the old SE (iPhone 5), me to an, X (10), Marj to an 8+. Both hand me up’s from my son and dil. There is little of the extra smart features we use, but the face recognition is great, so long as you don’t have a damn mask on. But the speed of use and quality of the camera are a world of difference. Oh, and screen size is bigger on a physically smaller phone.

I think it’s excellent that there is so much choice available to suit people’s needs, (or lack of needs). Apple miss out on that as they don’t seem bothered with the basic phone demand. Although I am with Apple, I think it is the Android open source project which drives innovation.

John

 

[Beachball]

There isn’t a definition. My BIL bought a basic IMO just for calls and text. It looks like an old style original mobile. But it comes with camera, email, Bluetooth, radio etc. I think it cost him only around £15 from Tesco. It’s battery life on standby is amazing. But he had real difficulty using it as the icon for incoming text is so small at the top of an already small screen. He’s got Parkinson’s so you can imagine the problems he has navigating the screen icons.

So we got him a basic Doro large touch screen phone. He’s really pleased with it but only uses the phone calling and texting features along with the contacts. That’s all he wants so he just ignores the other icons.

otherclive my new phone i haven"t got using is Doro and cannot wait to try it

 

[otherclive]

Like humans, some are smarter than others. I would certainly say an iPhone 6 comes under ‘smart’. We have both just moved from the old SE (iPhone 5), me to an, X (10), Marj to an 8+. Both hand me up’s from my son and dil. There is little of the extra smart features we use, but the face recognition is great, so long as you don’t have a damn mask on. But the speed of use and quality of the camera are a world of difference. Oh, and screen size is bigger on a physically smaller phone.

I think it’s excellent that there is so much choice available to suit people’s needs, (or lack of needs). Apple miss out on that as they don’t seem bothered with the basic phone demand. Although I am with Apple, I think it is the Android open source project which drives innovation.

John

Screen size bigger on a smaller phone on a 10 and 8+ I have a Generation 1 SE and haven’t seen any subsequent iPhones that have larger screens on smaller phones. You’d find it hard to get smaller than mine. Even my wife’s 6 is larger.
Like you though we are now awaiting hand me ups from daughter and granddaughter but really I’m not sure the extra size is a benefit when stowing the phone in a pocket.

 

[Jcloughie]

Screen size bigger on a smaller phone on a 10 and 8+ I have a Generation 1 SE and haven’t seen any subsequent iPhones that have larger screens on smaller phones. You’d find it hard to get smaller than mine. Even my wife’s 6 is larger.
Like you though we are now awaiting hand me ups from daughter and granddaughter but really I’m not sure the extra size is a benefit when stowing the phone in a pocket.

To be more precise, it’s the 10 that has the full screen. It’s as big as the 8+ but in a smaller body as it has tiny margins. I find it excellent. My previous 7+ was not pocket friendly.


John

 

[otherclive]

To be more precise, it’s the 10 that has the full screen. It’s as big as the 8+ but in a smaller body as it has tiny margins. I find it excellent. My previous 7+ was not pocket friendly.


John

Thanks for the clarification I read it as the new phones had smaller bodies and larger screens than the SE you and your wife moved from. But where’s the 7+ come into the discussion it wasn’t in your post that I commented upon. If we are not careful Parksy will be commenting that this is better than a conversation on a Friday night in the pub (lol)

 

[Jcloughie]

Thanks for the clarification I read it as the new phones had smaller bodies and larger screens than the SE you and your wife moved from. But where’s the 7+ come into the discussion it wasn’t in your post that I commented upon. If we are not careful Parksy will be commenting that this is better than a conversation on a Friday night in the pub (lol)

Your right, I just did not go right into the detail, I had the 7+ after the SE, Marj went straight from the SE. The X is good as it has max screen but still pocket sized. But, as with all things Apple, big pockets are needed to start with, thank god for hand me ups I say. I am sorry to say that most of my family have to have the 12. And the watch as well. More money than sense I think.

I tell them all to take care of them as we will inherit.

John

 

[Dustydog]

otherclive my new phone i haven"t got using is Doro and cannot wait to try it

BB , it doesn’t have

• WiFi hotspot and tethering: No
  Not sure it would be any use to me whilst caravanning. Ok for phone calls I expect. These super smart things really make you and me look like dinosaurs. 😵‍💫😵‍💫

 

[otherclive]

BB , it doesn’t have

• WiFi hotspot and tethering: No
  Not sure it would be any use to me whilst caravanning. Ok for phone calls I expect. These super smart things really make you and me look like dinosaurs. 😵‍💫😵‍💫

Some DORO will give WiFi hotspot to other devices, but shudder the thought that BIL would want to go down that route. Trying to talk him through that procedure at 85 miles range doesn’t bear thinking about. 😂😂😂

 

[Hutch]

I stiĺ have a Knokia 3310, original that I bought in Nigeria, Phone calls and text , great , but I even have the Snake game on it.
I now use a Huawie, cheepo. On ID, £3.99 a month 5000 text, 500 minutes and 500mb data. Always roll over.