[Jimmie]

Hi,

Like the title says, I might want a phone for emergencies, so this would be on a Pay As You Go scheme. I've never had a phone before so please excuse what is probably a really stupid question but here goes.....

I'm looking for a phone that simly rings and allows you to make calls. I don't need and nor indeed want*, funky ringtones, texting, camera, intenet access etc. I just want the equivilant of my home phone in my pocket.

Does anyone know of such a phone? I'm willing to consider any network/manufacturer, I realise I'm probably on an impossible mission but I thought I'd ask.

*I'm not all that keen on having one at all but I may have to get one, just incase I have to get hold of someone at work urgently, so the more basic the better.

[Johnr]

Here you go, very nice colour phone for £34.95 that just has the 'basics'

http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=1751&productId=90595&Trail=C$cip=12422&categoryId=12422

Also
http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/st...roductId=84032

If you buy a Virgin SIM card for £10 you get £5 free Airtime. Should be enough for emergencies . Compatible with the Sagem as well even though it comes with a T-Mobile SIM card.

[Jimmie]

I had a look at the Sagem site and sadly that does things like EMS? WAP as well as SMS, which I'm trying to avoid.

Basically I have an ancient pager that work can get me on, if there is a serious emergency, and they need me to call ASAP. The beauty of this is that it is quite expensive to send a message to the pager and so they won't do it unless they really have to. Doubtless someone will find out I've got one, & if this phone has SMS then it doesn't matter if I keep It on or not they can SMS me with all sorts of things that could wait until I get back to the office, and it'll get stored waiting for me to turn the thing back on. The pager doesn't do this if I don't get the messgae first time they have to keep trying every so often, costing a fair bit..

I hate mobile phones, and I want to turn the thing on IF and only if I get a "drop everything" pager message and can't find a payphone. I won't be handing the number out to anyone, I get enough hassle out of hours as it is.

A mono screen or no screen at all would do, with NO Voicemail.

[Johnr]

To be honest I doubt you could find anything with little features these days, you aren't forced to use the features

Tried your local car boot sale?

[Widdy]

I think ALL mobile phones have sms, it is a basic feature.

[Mr Cable]

Not trying to be funny here, but it sounds like you're being just a bit too picky.

There is ABSOLUTELY no phone available to buy in this country (on the high street at least, but I would say that'd you be hard pressed to find one full stop) that you wont be able to text with. I think you might be able to go into the settings and deliberatly sabotage the SMS settings, but many phones protect them in order to prevent you wrecking your handset.

You'd probably be better off with a Sim Free phone (have a look at the Carphone Warehouse, or ebay even!).

Every phone will have voicemail, but you could always turn that off.

You'll find that the above phone, while colour, is cheaper that most mono phones.

In fact, your comment "No screen at all" would almost make me think you were having a laugh and trying to 'start something' amoungst us gadget freaks. Almost.

[Jimmie]

No seriously I can't stand mobiles, and when I had no choice (in a previous job), to have a company one, switched on and wih me for a couple of days, I nearly went nuts.

I got 5 wrong numbers, 2 people phoned & texted several times that weekend to ask about somethings that could have waited until Monday morning, "but as you've got the phone, why wait?" When I handed the thing back on Monday I swore I'd never have one again.

However, recently there was a situation where I was on a slam door train and got a "drop everything" message. I couldn't get to a phone on the train, and has to wait until I got to the destination station. All it took was one phonecall from a payphone to deal with the problem, but It wouldn't have needed to wait if I'd had one.

So I thought about getting one for such a situation, however I will abandon the idea if it's not possible to get one without SMS.

Thanks anyway,

Jimmie

Btw wahat happened to the payphones on those high speed trains? They've just vanished, I was on one of these trains recently and noticed that there wasn't one whilst in the buffet car, buying an over priced bottle of Coke.

[Mr Cable]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimmie

Btw wahat happened to the payphones on those high speed trains? They've just vanished....

No demand for them, everyone's got mobiles.....

Virgin Voyagers still have them tho.

But as I said, you could try to sabotage the SMS settings so you can't receive them - not 100% sure if it'll work tho'....

If you're planning on keeping it turned off until you actually receive a page, does it really matter if you recieve SMS? You could just delete them the few times you actually turn the phone on.

[Jimmie]

I'll have to go without I think, if the phone can receive them, and I get them, the senders will know I got them & I'll end up with an even worse problem when they ask why I didn't respond, when I fnally saw them. At least the pager isn't two way, one saving grace I suppose.

Someone in the office has just pointed me in the direction of expansys.com who she says although the prices fluctuate from day to day, have a good range of mobile "everything". She has also just asked if I'm considering geting a mobile, and have I considered "Three"? So I'm going to give up, before they suggest I should be carrying a mobile, which is I think, is now compulsory as part of any new job offer!

[hello-snufkin]

you might regret not getting a mobile now but seriously you shouldnr care if the cheapest mobile you can find can do more than the first every computer. You shouldnt receive any SMS txts unless you want people to txt you, a new law came out a few months ago making it illegal to send unsolicited marketing txts. The only problem you would really have is the odd chance someone will accidently ring your number and I wouldnt think that would validate even a hair pulling.

I think it's best to be safe with one. Just do as suggested and keep your mobile switched off and only turn it on when you need to. Like was mentioned they don't make inferior mobiles anymore infact even the cheapest ones have become more advanced than those a few years ago.

Better safe than sorry

[Mr Cable]

I think that carrying a mobile is now the norm. I believe that at last count that around 90%+ of the adult population had one.

I understand your reasons for not being contacted, but you'd just need to tell people that you wont respond on weekends - they'll get the message (sic) eventually.

I can see all but emergency services pagers being phased out within the next 5 years.

Resistance is futile....

(Oh, BTW, I'm a big fan of "Three", but they're never suitable for light users)

[Jimmie]

I have just had a 1st generation (i.e. ancient) digital mobile phone offered to me by a colleague and I'm going to see if I can get that working when he brings it in tomorrow. I'm told it doesn't do texts, it only has a one line display & it just needs a new sim so here's hoping. I'm clearly so behind the times in these things I thought "one 2 one" was still around, and asked if anyone had the number handy in the office.

Thanks to everyone who replied,

Jimmie

[Pingu]

You could pick up a Nokia 3210 on eBay for next to nothing, it does send and recieve SMS, but there's no wap or anything.

[Widdy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimmie

I have just had a 1st generation (i.e. ancient) digital mobile phone offered to me by a colleague and I'm going to see if I can get that working when he brings it in tomorrow. I'm told it doesn't do texts, it only has a one line display...

Jimmie, just be careful it is a digital mobile, if it really is that old it colud be a mobile that works with an analogue system and is now useless in the UK as all the networks are digital.

[Jimmie]

They didn't have simcards did they? I'll get it checked tomorrow, by someone who is in the know here.

Thanks again,

[agentz]

I've just received my new work mobile, a Nokia 1100, brand new on Vodafone Government contract.

I reckon its about as basic a new mobile as you're going to get - no colour screen, no polyphonic tones, no WAP, really the most basic of functions available in the marketplace today.

Expansys have brand new 1100's, SIM free (ie no contract) for less than £70:
http://www.expansys.com/product.asp?code=106469

You could just not tell the people at work your number, or give them a wrong number (just change a digit so it's plausible)

[Mr Cable]

I think the Nokia Ringo3 was one of the few phones that couldn't do SMS. Here's one on ebay.

Not sure though, but they have provided a contact number to find out beofre you buy!

Let us know how you get on, whatever route you take!

[hello-snufkin]

I still find it funny that someone would want such an inferior mobile phone ^^ is it common to get wrong numbers and annonymous txts now? I havent had a mobile for a couple of years now but I only ever got one wrong number over the years I used it.

[Pingu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hello-snufkin

I still find it funny that someone would want such an inferior mobile phone ^^ is it common to get wrong numbers and annonymous txts now? I havent had a mobile for a couple of years now but I only ever got one wrong number over the years I used it.

After getting a new mobile number in January, I've had one wrong number, and absolutely no spam texts. (which is more than can be said for an o2 SIM )

[Mr Cable]

I find that whenever I have to give my number - anywhere - I'd sooner give my landline number.

[kev]

until recently my mums phone used to be in the golvebox of the car (some old motorola brick) - always turned off, voicemail disactivated...

She brought it in Saturday night to charge it and took it out on Sunday - the purpose was for if the car broke down she wouldn't have to find a payphone some 3 miles away in the middle of nowhere again.

No one knew whe had the thing. If you have a mate with an old phone you could buy it off of them and use that - any old handset would do - Philips Digi, Motorola M378 etc...

If you have a breif case or rucky you could do the same and dial 141020xxxxxxxx rather than 020xxxxxxxxx when you need to call the office in an emergancy. Put the phone in silent mode and only turn it on when you need it and junk text / wrong numbers won't bother you.

[Mr Cable]

Yeah, we did suggest that - but his mates will get a Message confirmation once his network have recieved it, whether the phone is off or not.

He'll then get stick asking why he didn't respond, and "My phone was off just wont cut it" - that's your situation, isn't it Jimme?

They wouldn't get a message confirmation unless his phone had actually received it, and his network will give up trying to send it to his phone after 72 hours, usually.

[*Joe*]

If you get a phone with orange. The cheapest one on pay as you go will do more than enough. But if you call customer services, they can deactivate SMS messaging (well at least from being sent) and you can turn off your voicemail. The Nokia 3510i is probably about the lowest spec you can get, and it is just £59.99 on PAYG with orange.

Remember, you can always get your work to contact you on your pager in emmergencies, then call them on your mobile (if nececary) the rest of the time it can be switched off. there is no reason not to carry on using your pager. I still use mine even though I have a phone (granted, I only use it as an alarm clock hehe).