Is there such thing as a decent NON-smartphone on ATT?

ElizK

<font color="9E2387">I'm a whosoever!<br><font col
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Apr 30, 2004
DD's phone is on its last leg. We were hoping to hold out for her birthday, but her current phone isn't going to live that long.

I asked her if she wanted to pay the $20/month to have a smartphone, and she does not. She definitely wants a phone with a QWERTY keyboard (and doesn't like the QWERTY on the Blackberrys). I've been reading reviews for days, and it doesn't seem like there is ANYTHING that gets better than 3 out of 5 stars, and the written reviews are all pretty awful.

Do you have a non-smartphone that you like? Please help me on this quest!

Thanks!
 
I had an LG phone for about 3 years. QWERTY keyboard. It was great. My parents own the same phone going on 4 years and it works fine. I'll try to figure out the model but I don't think they sell it anymore.

But I have had pretty good luck with LG phones. We did hate our Samsung ones (non-smart).
 
In a word, no.

None of the "name" phone companies have made decent non smart phones for a couple years. When my 4-year-old Sony flip phone broke, the AT&T folks all said it was a far better phone than any of the non smart phones they currently carry.

We combined our plans with my parents and converted to iPhones and do data share. Our bill is about what it was before.
 
I have the LG A340 from work and its bulletproof. I only use it for calls and to recieve texts (not send them) and it works wonderfully. Battery lasts forever and it gets signal even when my smart phone has signal issues.

Could you get a smart phone activated without the data plan on AT&T?
 


Are you under contract or is this pay as you go? If it's PAYG, you can buy a smartphone and just use it as a regular phone with wifi. Both DDs and DH have them and seem to like them ok.
 
With ATT, you can buy one of the Go phone, which are decent texting phones and put your sim card in it. If that doesn't work, just take it to any ATT store and they'll enter it in their computers. I've done that MANY times, when my kids lost or broke their phones.....
 
My DS, DM and myself all have different LGs, and have been pretty happy with them. Like any other electronic or appliance, they don't seem to be made to last anymore....

Terri
 


My son does not have a smartphone and we use ATT. It is a Go Phone. We actually have quite a few regular phones kicking around the house and we have all used them when one of our phones aren't working.

We have this one:
http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/devices/alcatel/871a-silver-prepaid.html#fbid=mPSnMybGQz7

This one:
http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/devices/att/z431-black-prepaid-refurb.html#fbid=mPSnMybGQz7

And a Pantech that looks identical to the AT&T one above. I think we paid $30 tops for each of them and usually purchased them at Walmart. My son uses the Pantech and the AT&T one and he has never had any issues with them.
 
Do they carry the Samsung Intensity III? DD just got one, likes it so far. It was one of the free phones.
I have the Intensity II, great phone.
 
Thanks, y'all. I will look into the suggestions. I appreciate it!
 
I have a Pantech Ease. It has the slide out keyboard and I had them block data so it can never rack up charges.

The only thing I don't like is that it can't hold many text messages before I have to delete a bunch. I ~think~ it has a slot for a memory card which might solve that problem, but it has never bothered me enough to look at it.

I didn't buy it from ATT though. I bought it used off of EBAY.
 
Do they carry the Samsung Intensity III? DD just got one, likes it so far. It was one of the free phones.
I have the Intensity II, great phone.

That's what my Mom & my DD have (though honestly I'm not sure if they are II or III's). They are both happy with them.
 
To add. If you're not finding anything that feels like it's going to last more than a couple of months, you may want to go the used route and swap the SIM card. Since she wants a messaging phone, you don't need the latest HSPA+42 radio in there for voice and text. Check it out first before forking over money or you can take a chance with fleaBay.

Another option, as previously mentioned, is get a smartphone she likes and block the data at the plan level. If there is an available WiFi hotspot near her, she can connect to that for any data needs.
 
To add. If you're not finding anything that feels like it's going to last more than a couple of months, you may want to go the used route and swap the SIM card. Since she wants a messaging phone, you don't need the latest HSPA+42 radio in there for voice and text. Check it out first before forking over money or you can take a chance with fleaBay.

Another option, as previously mentioned, is get a smartphone she likes and block the data at the plan level. If there is an available WiFi hotspot near her, she can connect to that for any data needs.

My understanding is that if we get a smartphone, we're required to pay for the data plan. Is there a way around that? Also, I know for my iPhone, the SIM card is a different shape than for a basic phone... so how would we get around that?
 
Check out the Samsung Brightside. I have two teenage girls, and I bought this phone on Ebay for them at Christmas. They both love their phones. I didn't want to pay the outrageous prices at the store, and I didn't realize I could buy them new from Ebay and still use my Verizon plan! So easy, and it saved me a TON of money. I didn't want to upgrade to smart phones because of the data fee each month. If I did it for one teenager, I'd have to do it for the other as well.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Samsung...1126768197?pt=Cell_Phones&hash=item2a2bff2645
 
Check out the Samsung Brightside. I have two teenage girls, and I bought this phone on Ebay for them at Christmas. They both love their phones. I didn't want to pay the outrageous prices at the store, and I didn't realize I could buy them new from Ebay and still use my Verizon plan! So easy, and it saved me a TON of money. I didn't want to upgrade to smart phones because of the data fee each month. If I did it for one teenager, I'd have to do it for the other as well.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Samsung...1126768197?pt=Cell_Phones&hash=item2a2bff2645

It does sound like a good phone... but looks like it's for Verizon. I need something for ATT. Often times the manufacturers will just rename between cell providers, but I can't find anything re this phone for ATT.
 
Okay the non smartphones at ATT store or LG Xpression, Pantech Swift, Pantech Renue. You buy ATT Zte 431 at Walmart or Radioshack.

The ZTE 431 is pretty good phone texting and basic calling. I think Amazon has for 19.99.

I would go the used route for a non smartphone. I bought my LG VU Plus from ebay and I love the phone. I refuse pay for smartphone. I have non-smartphone data that is unlimited. Plus I install Opera Mini that surf web as good as smartphone.

Here is a List what look for on ebay:

Samsung Eternity I and 2

Samsung Flight 1 and 2

Samsung sunbrust

LG VU
LG Vu plus
LG Prime

Pantech Ease
Pantech Laser

That is all that I think of right now.
 

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