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I'm thinking I may have to get a smart phone

TheCatWoman

Please be gentle with me and try and explain in the language you'd use to someone who'd come 100 years into the future.

What would you recomend as a starter smart phone for someone like me who can crash a digital egg timer?

I know there are two types, apple and android and apple is more expensive although some find them easier to use.

I did have a smart phone once for a few weeks, but couldn't get on with it, I don't think it was set right as the screen kept going black whilst I was looking for things like settings and I never worked out how to answe a call on it as the screen was black and gave me no hints at all and it's connectivity was so bad I only had to be a couple of hundred yards away from the A55 for it to be useless. That was a few years ago now and I think conectivity has improved.

If I'm honest I don't want one for myself, but because it's becoming so hard not to have one now, I don't think I'd want it to do much, just calls texts and maybe whatsapp and a satnav. Later I suppose I'll have to have a banking and car park app too, but I think thats about it. I know previously when I asked a friend for help she freaked out because there was so little on it.

Apart from emails, a little shopping and here I don't really used the internet for anything else, I have a kindle and thats my lot, I don't even stream tv or music, to be honest I wouldn't know where to begin with either of them. I'm quite happy for it to be second hand, given the price of the things and how much I'd use one I don't think I could justify the cost of a new one. I'm not fussed about cameras or anything like that.

Thanks in advance for any help, but I'll understand if nobody wants to give any because I'm such a klutz and my understanding is so low, people often ask me "helpful questions" and they go right over my head. I may chicken out again, if it gets too technical or people get cross.

  • in reply to TheCatWoman

    Your successful complaint tactics about the Loops.

  • in reply to leveller61

    For what? Sorry I don't understand?

  • in reply to Homebird

    I usually have my laptop plugged in. So even though getting the thing stoked up take a little while at least I know how to use it, I don't understand much tech stuff.

    I had a win today, I'd bought some earloops and they didn't fit and I tried sending them back and at first they refused to accept a return because tey hadn't got them registed as delivered, despite me not only havng them in my hand but having had a email telling me they'd been delivered. Then when I went back a few days later to return them they said the only ways of doing so were either to use a QR code, or print a label, I don't have anything that can take a QR code to the post office not do I have a printer. I got a very snotty email back from them telling me I had no choice and that I'd have to return them another way at my own expense, they didn't give a return address. I wrote back and said they had until today to sort it out or I was going to take it to the consumer pages of the national press, today it's magically all sorted out.

  • in reply to TheCatWoman

    I used a smartphone to look on here as it takes so long to get on laptop and the charge doesn't last long. However I get your frustration. I was supposed to look online to make a change on a government organisation, but couldn't do it and I get frustrated at the time I spend not being able to do these things. It proved much easier calling, once I got past the AI recognising my date of birth because I hesitated in the middle whilst my brain was thinking. The man I spoke to gave me very helpful information, without frustration. 

  • in reply to Sierra Bravo

    Thanks but I'm not having one, I've decided to be thrawn and dig my heels in, I don't need one for me, I need one for everybody else's convienience.

    I know I'm a weirdo, but I never watch youtube, I hate it with a passion.

  • Nokia and HMD (Human Made Devices).

    Smartphones (aka touch screens) range from £75 up to £350. Featurephones (flip or brick) range from £35 to £80. They are available to purchase from HMD, Argos, Currys, etc. Keep in mind stock availability may vary depending on location.

    If you are interested, British YouTuber / tech reviewer "Tech Spurt" reviews are variety of different phones, watches and other gadgets. You may like his review of the Nokia 3210 2024 reboot. As well as a range of other known brands, such as Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, etc.

  • I'm not quite sure how I stumbled onto this post (I am new to this site) so apologies for jumping in late, but want to say staff at your local library would quite likely be able to help!  Many have regular sessions for this kind of thing (getting acquainted with computers or smartphones) and in general I think the staff are quite used to supporting this kind of struggle. And I feel like the library setting makes them more acquainted with autistic people than the avg, too.

  • in reply to TheCatWoman

    Apart from using the app, unlike a lot of people I don't like taking my phone out in public places. I have been told however that no one would want to steal my cheap android. 

  • in reply to Lotus

    Age UK isn't across all the UK, it's England only, the devolved nations have thier own seperate versions and North Wales one all of it's own, and they're totally useless.

    I can't do youtube videos, theres something about them that just hits my inner kill switch, i've tried numerous times with them and I just can't get on with them, I don't know if it's about it being video, the music, the constant adverts or all three.

    Sorry to sound so negative, I'm trying not to be, I think the smart phone I had before was a smasung galaxy.

  • in reply to Lotus

    Yes! I hadn’t said about verification on a dumb phone. I was thinking of the tablet but my fingers didn’t keep up with my brain.

  • in reply to ArchaeC

    Yeah, payment verification can also be done by the bank sending a code by text to a dumb phone.

  • in reply to Lotus

    That’s what I said, but I don’t know if  saw my reply.

    Banking verification can be done by email only.

  • I have a Samsung Galaxy phone, and if I get stuck with it I ask Google. A YouTube video of how to use the phone you choose might be of help - it won't lose patience with you, and you can pause and replay it as you wish - for example, I found this video which explains how to use a Samsung phone:

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bDtqORX8fzc

    If you decide to start using online banking, some banks now offer help with getting set up and showing you how to use it, and Age UK have a guide too:

    https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/work-learning/technology-internet/online-banking/

  • in reply to TheCatWoman

    I hope that they don't get rid of online banking. I do have a smart phone - I need to use apps to pay my rent and to access my home insurance, unfortunately - but I'd much rather access my bank accounts through their website.

  • in reply to Homebird

    Yes there's no choice anymore at a lot of carparks you either use the app or you phone them and pay via your online banking, it's never occured to them that many people don't have either. You see a lot of particularly older people reading the car park payment signs and turning round and driving off again, they may have a smart phone, but it dosent' mean they know how to use it and downloading something maybe beyond them. I think businesses in tourist areas must be losing business because of it. The last government promised to have alternattives to apps, for car parks, but it's either an app or mobile banking, so much for cunsumer choice? Your choices are use the app, use mobile banking to call the company, don't pay and risk a fine or go home. I'd hate to go into one of those carparks that don't let you out again until you've paid, only to find that you have to do it by app.

  • in reply to TheCatWoman

    I hope they are not getting rid of online banking, as I don't want a banking app on my phone.

    It is just as well I don't drive now as where I live you have to use an app to pay for parking.

  • in reply to Lotus

    I'd heard that online banking was being wound down in favour of smart phone app's?

    I'd love not to have one, but so many things are asking for mobile numbers and try and send me something that requires more than my phone will do, like photo's or some kind of zoom thing. I'd quite like to have something thats totally seperate from my laptop, in case I do one of my "I don't know what I did but it crashed" things. I manage to do these things in such spectacular fashion that the machine won't work, I've already been asked by Iain and a couple of others to let them know in advance if I get online banking so as they can liquidise their assets before I do something like accidently crash the world banking system, which whilst unlikely is entirely possible given my previous history.

  • Do you really need a smartphone? Unless you really need it for a sat nav and parking app, you can use your dumb phone for calls & texts and a tablet or laptop for emails, shopping & online banking.