Time To Move On From NOKIA E72

[Stubby]

Hi Folks,

 

My mobile phone is a Nokia e72 and it's a good few years old now. That said, it still works just fine as a mobile phone and music player, etc. Alas, as I get older and my eyes weaken I feel the time has come for one of those larger touchscreen smartphones that everyone seems to have.

 

The problem is that there's so much choice around it's overwhelming. I certainly don't want to spend a small fortune buying a brand name that has more bells and whistles you can a shitty stick at. At the same time I don’t want anything that's going to fall to bits or stop working in a few months. I think the old Nokia's will take some beating on that front.

 

So if any of you tech heads can guide me a little that would be great.

 

All I really want are the following key features:

 

• Internet radio
• Music player
• GPS
• Ability to swap SIM cards with zero hassle

 

I can't see that I'd use anything else though I'm sure even a basic smartphone will have plenty of extras.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Stubby

[SheungWan]

You need to tell us your budget. t

[Stubby]

Hi SheungWan.

 

The price isn't really an issue, it's the type of phone that interests me the most. Obviously it's not going to be at the higher end as I don't need the bells and whistles of an all-singing, all-dancing smartphone. Just something reliable that ticks the boxes above. I doubt anything these days will ever be a hardy as the old Nokias, or as easy to replace broken parts. But there must be a popular no-nonsense smartphone that suits us older blokes? I have been into a couple of shops but they soon lose me with their:  This is the #1 phone  because it has bla, bla, bla ... lol :)

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Stubby

[SheungWan]

Sorry, but no such thing as no-nonsense when you buy a smartphone. How much nonsense depends on which apps you decide to download. I would recommend a Samsung purely because there  will always be someone around familiar with Samsung environment and will be able to help you out. I would also get a bigger screen than 5". Lastly be OK with buying last year's model which will be on discount eg Samsung S7. Easy to buy these in Hong Kong, but don't know where you will be buying your phone.

[Stubby]

Thanks SheungWan,

 

I'm a bit put off by Samsung phones though. I had one a few years back (not touch screen) and it wasn't cheap. I dropped it and cracked the face. I took if for repair and they had to send it to Singapore. It took two weeks before they returned it - still with a cracked face. The shop told me it was cheaper to buy a new one than replace the glass. I couldn't believe it. I vowed never to buy Samsung again. You could replace the entire front of a Nokia - locally - for about 300 B. 

 

Unless Samsung have improved their repair and replace service, I doubt I'll give them my money again. Or perhaps all Smartphones are buggered if you damage the casing these days? 

 

Thanks anyway, I appreciate you taking the time to post

 

Stubby

Edited July 22, 2017 by Stubby

[amvet]

16 hours ago, Stubby said:

Thanks SheungWan,

 

I'm a bit put off by Samsung phones though. I had one a few years back (not touch screen) and it wasn't cheap. I dropped it and cracked the face. I took if for repair and they had to send it to Singapore. It took two weeks before they returned it - still with a cracked face. The shop told me it was cheaper to buy a new one than replace the glass. I couldn't believe it. I vowed never to buy Samsung again. You could replace the entire front of a Nokia - locally - for about 300 B. 

 

Unless Samsung have improved their repair and replace service, I doubt I'll give them my money again. Or perhaps all Smartphones are buggered if you damage the casing these days? 

 

Thanks anyway, I appreciate you taking the time to post

 

Stubby

The world has moved on.  Samsung new phones and many others have Gorilla Glass 5. 

Or you may want a

Spigen Tough Armor Galaxy Case.

I have one and use it to smack soi dogs and Pattaya robbers, it works great as a defensive weapon. Gorilla glass takes care of the front and the case the back.

Edited July 23, 2017 by amvet

[Stubby]

Thanks amvet, that's interesting. I didn't know that.

2 hours ago, amvet said:

The world has moved on.  Samsung new phones and many others have Gorilla Glass 5. 

Or you may want a

Spigen Tough Armor Galaxy Case.

I have one and use it to smack soi dogs and Pattaya robbers, it works great as a defensive weapon. Gorilla glass takes care of the front and the case the back.

 

Thanks amvet, that's interesting. I didn't know that.

[amvet]

You can do a lot with phones.  Below are a couple of mine.  I use the small A5 at home and the Note 4 if I have to go out and work but don't want a Tablet. The IRing in the back is a kickstand or to hold it for one handed operation.  I get 3 or 4 days battery life depending on what I want to do. 

[Stubby]

They look great amvet.  So any of those will give me:

 

• Internet radio
• Music player
• GPS (talking)
• Ability to swap SIM cards with zero hassle

Aside from texting and the occasional call, that's all I need from a phone. 

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Stubby

 

[amvet]

50 minutes ago, Stubby said:

They look great amvet.  So any of those will give me:

 

• Internet radio
• Music player
• GPS (talking)
• Ability to swap SIM cards with zero hassle

Aside from texting and the occasional call, that's all I need from a phone. 

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Stubby

 

My old A5 does.  There are many better music players.  I have Sony earphones to listen to my music.  MDR AS 200 for when I'm expecting to get pushed into a pool and over ear to match my shorts.  If you don't care about fidelity Plantronics makes a great one ear bluetooth receiver that sounds great even if your are talking from a fast moving Song Tau or motorcycle taxi.  I don't really know why you want radio in Thailand but each to their own.  64 gig memory is enough to store 15,000 songs.  Easy to find a phone you want.  There are a lot of extras that make it fit what you want better. 

 

 

 

Edited July 23, 2017 by amvet

[Stubby]

Thanks again amvet. I use bluetooth headphones whey i go cycling. As for the radio, I like to tune into some UK shows from time to time or various music stations depending on the mood. It seems that any smartphone has everything and need a plenty I don't. Perhaps it's just a question now of picking something at a sensible size and reasonable budget.

 

Thank you very much,

 

Stubby

[amvet]

On 7/24/2017 at 9:25 AM, Stubby said:

Thanks again amvet. I use bluetooth headphones whey i go cycling. As for the radio, I like to tune into some UK shows from time to time or various music stations depending on the mood. It seems that any smartphone has everything and need a plenty I don't. Perhaps it's just a question now of picking something at a sensible size and reasonable budget.

 

Thank you very much,

 

Stubby

Local radio is available from FM stations if you have no internet access or from everywhere in the world if you have internet or wifi just download a free radio application.  For the A5 radio to work you need connected earphones because the wire acts as an antenna.

[Stubby]

I Folks,

Thought I'd better give an update here in case any lurkers were also interested in buying their first smartphone.

 

OK, so I went out shopping again only this time, rather than being bombarded with choices I asked a simple question: What's the cheapest phone that has Internet radio, music player and GPS?

 

Well, not even I could believe what she brought out from the window. Now I don't know much about these things, but I do know that 2,300 Baht is less than half what I thought I'd be paying.

 

It's got everything I need, including a duel SIM Card slot. But why anyone would need two SIM cards is beyond me. Of course it's got a thousand other things I don't need, but that’s fine.

 

I've never heard of the brand before, but if feels reasonable quality. It's also dead easy to use, and it comes with a one year guarantee. The phone is a Wiko Jerry (see image).

 

 

Anyway, I thought I'd update the forum.

 

Best regards,

 

Stubby
 

[guzzi850m2]

Good to hear you are happy with your new phone, enjoy.

 

A smartphone is pretty useful to me, weather forecast, exchange rates, social media, maps online/offline and much much more.

 

Dual Sim?

 

1: If you have a lover and you don't want your wife to know about it, then you can have a official no (wife/family/friends) and an unofficial one (Mia Noi), ha-ha. I am not saying that I do, but just saying.

 

2: I go a lot overseas for working and I always get a Sim card for the country I am in (if possible), so I find it handy to have 2 Sim slots. Sometimes the non Thai Sim card(s) are still valid when I re-visit a country so I can mount the Sim card before leaving my house so when my flight lands in that country, I am already on-line and perhaps book a taxi while I wait for my suitcase to arrive.

 

3: I have a True package deal (I-net-TV & Sim) but I didn't bother changing my no from the old carrier so I use the True Sim for i-net only and the other Sim for phone calls.

[Stubby]

Thanks, guzzi850m2,

 

Yes, I was thinking along the Mia Noi lines or keeping other secrets lol :). The phone's as cheap as chips though, I don't know how they do it, I really don't. My little Nokia E72 cost about 13K seven years ago.

 

It's lovely to have world radio again. I've even bought a holder for my mountain bike and downloaded a cycling app. I just hope I don't become another of the world's lost souls who spend more time in the virtual world than the real one.

 

Naar, there's no risk of that, it's a part of modern life I can't abide

 

Stubby

[amvet]

On 8/3/2017 at 7:29 PM, Stubby said:

I Folks,

Thought I'd better give an update here in case any lurkers were also interested in buying their first smartphone.

 

OK, so I went out shopping again only this time, rather than being bombarded with choices I asked a simple question: What's the cheapest phone that has Internet radio, music player and GPS?

 

Well, not even I could believe what she brought out from the window. Now I don't know much about these things, but I do know that 2,300 Baht is less than half what I thought I'd be paying.

 

It's got everything I need, including a duel SIM Card slot. But why anyone would need two SIM cards is beyond me. Of course it's got a thousand other things I don't need, but that’s fine.

 

I've never heard of the brand before, but if feels reasonable quality. It's also dead easy to use, and it comes with a one year guarantee. The phone is a Wiko Jerry (see image).

 

 

Anyway, I thought I'd update the forum.

 

Best regards,

 

Stubby
 

Actually I think you have a two year guarantee. 

[Stubby]

Thanks Amvet, two years would be an extra bonus.

 

Still, at 2,300 Baht there's not much to complain about. I'm sure over time I'll discover why some smartphones cost 25K, but right now I have more than I need. I bet I haven't got that Gorilla Glass 5 you spoke of earlier though

 

Stubby