DS Forums

 
 

Smartphones - advice needed


Reply
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 04-08-2013, 20:28
KnowAll27
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 2,489

Hi, hoping someone can offer some advice!

As my sister's taken herself to the far side of the world the entire family have installed whatsapp and viber on our phones to keep in touch cheaply.

However, we need to get my dad a new phone so he can do the same. I've already ruled out a touchscreen as he couldn't work an iphone, xperia, galaxy or htc when we got him to do a trial run on our phones. I was thinking a blackberry might be the answer, but i'm not sure if the keypad would be too fiddly for him to manage - he's not exactly a natural typist, and finds using a computer keyboard difficult enough!

I don't know anything really about blackberries, or windows phones for that matter; Android and iOS i can manage!

Can anyone recommend a phone for him? I'm going to take him to carphone warehouse and o2 during the week so he can play around with a few handsets and get a feel for them, but as I'm shopping for him instead of myself I'm pretty much going in blind!
KnowAll27 is offline   Reply With Quote
Please sign in or register to remove this advertisement.
Old 04-08-2013, 20:39
jabbamk1
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: London, UK
Posts: 8,759
Have a look at the ASHA range from Nokia.

Use the filters at the top to get rid of the touch screen ones.
http://www.nokia.com/gb-en/phones/asha
jabbamk1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-08-2013, 20:59
ASIFZED
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,020
The BlackBerry Q10 and Q5, both with keypads, have WhatsApp and Viber on their app stores. Think your Dad should just have a play around instore and see what he prefers.
ASIFZED is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-08-2013, 21:05
KnowAll27
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 2,489
Great, thanks. I'd done some browsing online earlier and was thinking the Q5/Q10, so good to hear it from someone else!

The ASHA look pretty much like the Nokia version of a Blackberry - will they host the likes of Whatsapp or Viber, do you know?
KnowAll27 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-08-2013, 21:08
1saintly
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 3,665
Great, thanks. I'd done some browsing online earlier and was thinking the Q5/Q10, so good to hear it from someone else!

The ASHA look pretty much like the Nokia version of a Blackberry - will they host the likes of Whatsapp or Viber, do you know?

http://www.whatsapp.com/faq/

http://www.viber.com/#blackberry

http://conversations.nokia.com/2013/...touch-devices/

http://helpme.viber.com/Knowledgebas...m-requirements
1saintly is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-08-2013, 21:12
booie
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 370
What about a android tablet for your dad? both the apps you want him to use work on android tablets and the larger screen he may find much easier. something else to try if you dont find a suitable phone.
booie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-08-2013, 21:18
coachtrip_fan99
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 2,127
What about a android tablet for your dad? both the apps you want him to use work on android tablets and the larger screen he may find much easier. something else to try if you dont find a suitable phone.
don't think you can install whatsapp on a tablet, I'm afraid!
coachtrip_fan99 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-08-2013, 21:20
KnowAll27
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 2,489
What about a android tablet for your dad? both the apps you want him to use work on android tablets and the larger screen he may find much easier. something else to try if you dont find a suitable phone.
Not sure he wants to take that leap just yet - he gets frustrated trying to use the internet on my iPad but I'm beaing it in mind!

The ASHA 300 looks like it might be perfect (assuming we can track one down somewhere) - I'd searched earlier for things like this but no joy. Thanks a million!
KnowAll27 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-08-2013, 21:24
booie
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 370
don't think you can install whatsapp on a tablet, I'm afraid!
linkhere
booie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-08-2013, 21:31
coachtrip_fan99
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 2,127
oh wow - sorry - my bad. that must be new!
coachtrip_fan99 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-08-2013, 21:38
TheBigM
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: moon
Posts: 12,983
oh wow - sorry - my bad. that must be new!
This is some third party thing, not official whatsapp, not sure I'd want to use it.
TheBigM is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-08-2013, 21:43
coachtrip_fan99
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 2,127
oh wow - sorry - my bad. that must be new!

doesn't seem to be compatible with my nexus 7 tho!
coachtrip_fan99 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2013, 09:57
grumpyoldbat
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 3,636
More importantly why would you want to spend extra money on an Android tablet, when you could buy a Nokia Asha for under £100 SIM free, and still achieve the same result.

With the greatest respect, if the OP's dad is a bit of luddite and can't cope with a touch screen, giving him the cheapest, simplest phone option possible would be the best idea, because you're not wasting much money on something he might not use, and the less complex the phone is, the more likely he is to use it!
grumpyoldbat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2013, 10:26
bri160356
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Made it Ma, Top of the World!
Posts: 4,010
With the greatest respect, if the OP's dad is a bit of luddite..
Not much respect there.
bri160356 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2013, 10:30
SkipTracer
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: The City and County of Bristol
Posts: 2,623
I have tried the Whatsapp app on my Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 six months ago as it’s an easy enough procedure to side load the app but can say unless you have got the 3G version of the tablet, it does not work.

Unless something has changed the past 6 months.
SkipTracer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2013, 13:39
KnowAll27
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 2,489
More importantly why would you want to spend extra money on an Android tablet, when you could buy a Nokia Asha for under £100 SIM free, and still achieve the same result.

With the greatest respect, if the OP's dad is a bit of luddite and can't cope with a touch screen, giving him the cheapest, simplest phone option possible would be the best idea, because you're not wasting much money on something he might not use, and the less complex the phone is, the more likely he is to use it!
I'd say 'technologically challenged' rather than 'luddite' but you make a good point!
KnowAll27 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2013, 14:22
pi r squared
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 4,185
Not specifically what you asked for, so I'll give advanced warning that this is a fairly tangential response, but does your dad have a PC? If so, it could be worth moving using Google Hangouts, since this works across most platforms (not Blackberry yet, though) but more importantly, a bit like Skype, works from a PC too. I've started to move my family onto this as, whilst we're not exactly half a world away from each other, it does make for convenient staying in touch.
pi r squared is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2013, 14:28
grumpyoldbat
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 3,636
Not much respect there.
Luddite isn't an insult. It's a perfectly valid word to describe someone who doesn't like or choose to use technology. Plenty of people prefer not to embrace technology in their lives. It was not meant as an insult, but purely to point out that getting someone to embrace technology who isn't really interested is easier said than done.
grumpyoldbat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2013, 15:10
KnowAll27
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 2,489
Luddite isn't an insult. It's a perfectly valid word to describe someone who doesn't like or choose to use technology. Plenty of people prefer not to embrace technology in their lives. It was not meant as an insult, but purely to point out that getting someone to embrace technology who isn't really interested is easier said than done.
He likes the idea of embracing new technology, and enjoys poking away at new things. He just doesn't learn to use them properly because he can't be bothered taking the time to.......(not so much an active choice not to learn/use, but rather a can't-be-bothered choice!)
KnowAll27 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2013, 17:34
grumpyoldbat
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 3,636
He likes the idea of embracing new technology, and enjoys poking away at new things. He just doesn't learn to use them properly because he can't be bothered taking the time to.......(not so much an active choice not to learn/use, but rather a can't-be-bothered choice!)
Pokes at them - check!
Can't be bothered to learn things properly - check!
Doesn't read manuals (I'm presuming) - check!

Ok, he's not a luddite, he's a man.
grumpyoldbat is offline   Reply With Quote
 
Reply




 
Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 11:06.