Touch or No touch

Traded my wife's phone today for new one. It's straighttalk but the touch/no touch came up. WE both carry flip style and I have a few other flat phones but not touch able. She could have picked anything and there was some nice non contract phones on display. Some with 5" screens and all the whistles. But her words caught mine and the associate's attention. She said "I definitely don't want one of those touch things." I'm wondering how other's are avoiding the touch? WIll the touch come to be the only option? Will people with bigger fingers have to carry a phone with a stylus or pen to type numbers or such? We both use phones as a phone. No myspace facebook twitter. The cameras and ones with video are what we consider good options. Will we soon be left with only touch options?

 

I'm on my third phone with a touch screen and the screen size is just 3". If you don't type a lot of lenghty messages, you're ok. If you do, turn the phone sideways and the onscreen keyboard will be larger. Hopefully other users will post more tips.

 

I have friends with straighttalk touch and they get pretty good service even in some out of the wat places. No contract. $45 a month. Some are from out of country so they go international for$65. Not too bad. This phone just upgraded uses the $45 plan so would be no different. I personally feel smart phones are like 8.1 desktops in that they are happier when always connected. No really my cup of java.

 

WOW!!!
I have a 24 month contract for the equivalent of $9/month. It includes a Samsung Galaxy Pocket Neo GT-S5310, and I get 50 minutes, 50 SMSs and 100MB data per month. :-D

 

My wife and her family/friends were using up 450 X 2 for a double minutes phone in about 3 weeks. That's why I went to straighttalk for her phone. Unlimited 45 a month. I still carry a tracphone with double minutes and a 19.99 card last me 3 months. Phones are out now with triple minutes available. When I upgrade I'll still go with tracphone. They do have an android for around 90$. Triple minutes. Neither of us use sms or data on a phone.

 

Straighttalk is a service of Tracfone. I'm on my 2nd phone. The first one I got I had to have a qwerty keyboard. I really liked that for texting or other typing needs (like input to the calendar on the fly). But Straighttalk doesn't have any of it's own towers, it rents service from other established providers. So when I went out to the sticks my phone had zero service for miles and miles. That's when I dropped into a local Walmart and bought another Straighttalk phone there. It works on a different system (starts with V and rhymes with horizon) rather than the death star'ed logo system my other straighttalk phone worked on. Now I have service everywhere. But my new phone doesn't have a keyboard, it's all touch. I hate that part of it, but I'm kinda stuck with it or another touch only phone. The keyed ones are being phased out.

As for $9 a month... I think I blow through 100mb of data in a day or two.:-D
I use Waze to get around, it's great, but it does use a steady stream of data. Nothing like streaming videos or other such nonsense, but it's steady none the less.

If your new phone connects to a different service, even though it's still Straighttalk or Tracfone, you'll need to set up your voice mail inbox again and you'll lose the old messages stored. It's a leased service from those other carriers, so it's not within Straighttalk's/Tracfone's control. Just a heads up.

 

yeah cabbii I follow you on all points. Both the straighttalks we've had were the 'v' service type. Works from Texas To W.Va and the east coast so far. My old tracphone 2008 model still says 'you have reached a mailbox that has not been set up.' So you know how much I'll evr miss that! As for 100mb - I use a straightt hotspot for my desktop and buy the 25$ 2-gb card last month it actually lasted me 29 days. But some days are heavier than others. On a long saturday or sunday I can burn up >250 or more. And then there's updates also. I like no over charges. Just go buy another card. Don't think I have the time to go to the 45$ 4-gb route so it's fairly cheap for internet. So for a month of phones for 2 plus internet I go about 25$ + 45$ + 10$. Cheaper than contracts or wired internet.

 

Cabbiinc - I have an answer to your question "Where would all the calculators go?
To the bit bucket in the sky!

 

I don't need data on my phone... rolleyes

I pay the equivalent of $10/month for 4GB :cool wireless broadband I use on my PC with a nice 18.8" LED monitor. :-D

 

10$ for 4-gb not bad. What's the service?

 

Vodacom in South Africa. I get 2GB Anytime Data + 2GB Nightowl (12AM - 5AM). Included in the 24-month contract is a 21.6 Mbps Vodafone mobile modem.

I enjoy my Samsung Galaxy smartphone, but it doesn't have a 18.5" screen. roflmao

 

Eldon, I just noticed your lacation. Last week or so was a news item and a thread in the lounge about " Why US pays more for broadband." We are some of the highest prices anywhere. Enjoy your good deal. Maybe one day this place will catch up. Have fun!

 

I remember my Samsung Star Wifi when I read this one. I often turn it sideways, so it rotates and the larger keyboard will appear then I'm able to type more :-D

Touch or No touch? I think it really depends on the user. I find non-touch phones really easy to use when you only need the basic use of the phone (e.g. text and call). On the other hand, if you're a person who enjoy surfing the web then touch screens all the way!

 

I noticed in town this weekend the newer 6" screens on straighttalk. If I was to do much you tube or facebook or such then for 45 a month the larger screen and sideways -like landscape mode- would be the only way to go. But I did feel the fone to be quite large and heavy. Guess with a beltloop holster that would be a non-issue. I'm watching this cuz I believe in the near future that's where the money is for the companies and so that's going to be our only options. Not that that's bad but for some of us it's going to be an adjustment. When it happens I think I'll be able to go with the flow.

 

I also had a Samsung Star with it's terrible first-generation touch screen. Until I discovered the volume up/down doubles as a scroll wheel. And a text magnifier when reading SMSs.

 

LOL. The phone is good but I'm into 4-5in screen size now which for me a good stuff for reading online. My phone is still working just my patience is wearing thin when it loads websites, so need to find another one.

Got to find a good phone but definitely not with a 6inch screen :-D