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Looking for a cheap smartphone for dad
ney
12-07-2015
Im looking for a cheap smartphone for dad as his birthday is this month. For the phone hes been using for emergencies will no longer fully charge up and sometimes till not charge at all.
Hes now in his early 80s and wants a phone that will give him the weather and let him use the Youview app. As well as phone and maybe text.
Phone can be sim free or 02 as he can keep the same number as he had on his old phone.
Also phone has to have a lest a 4 inch screen mim as dad eye sight is starting to fall a little.

Darren
finbaar
13-07-2015
The Motorola Moto E would be a good choice for your dad. If you can pick up a 1st gen cheap go for that or the 2nd gen is less than £90 from Argos. I wouldn't go much cheaper than this as you want the device to be solid, good to use and reliable - the Moto E is all three.

Android is your only choice given the YouVeiw requirement. You will be able to set the phone up with a weather widget, phone, text and youview all on one home screen to keep things nice and simple.
Mark in Essex
13-07-2015
2nd one for the Moto E (or even the Moto G with the slightly larger screen for a little more that will be easier to use).

Both available to look at in Tesco and can even get a 10% staff discount if you know somebody that works there and a lot of the time there are £10 off vouchers on the Internet).
BKM
13-07-2015
Originally Posted by ney:
“Im looking for a cheap smartphone for dad as his birthday is this month. For the phone hes been using for emergencies will no longer fully charge up and sometimes till not charge at all.”

I would recommend looking at Windows smartphones (something like a Nokia 640).

I think the "tiles" interface is very intuitive for new users and the range of built-in apps is very good - including satnav. While the add-on apps cannot match Android or iPhone they do include enough to satisfy many people - iPlayer for example.
ney
13-07-2015
Don't think dad would like a windows phone as he may find the tile format hard to get used to.
As finbaar says a phone that's nice and easy to use is the best and I think having the apps dad would use the most on the home screen as finbaar says would be better for him. Also dad stopped driving just under a year or so ago so he would no longer find much use for a satnev app. Also as said in my post above his eye sight in the last year or two has started to fail a little.
I got just under 9 days until his birthday to try and get him a phone.
cooler
13-07-2015
On a Nokia Lumia phone, you can pin your favourite apps to the home screen.
ney
13-07-2015
Originally Posted by cooler:
“On a Nokia Lumia phone, you can pin your favourite apps to the home screen.”

Dose the Youview app work with a windows phone though. For dad wants to be able to use the Youview app on any new phone he gets. Just like I can use the Youview app on my Nexus 4.

Darren
dellzincht
13-07-2015
God don't go windows phone, Microsoft are no longer supporting the operating system and there's barely any app support for it.

Android is your friend, as has been said the Motorola E is the cheapest smartphone currently available, however I'd recommend the brand new Vodafone Smart Ultra 6. Specs to rival the Samsung Galaxy 6 and only £125 on payg. exclusive to Vodafone but you can get an unlock code for a couple of quid on eBay. Might be a bit too big for your dad mind, it's about the same size as a Galaxy Note.
motsy
13-07-2015
The Huawei y300's a decent one and gets my suggestion.
ney
13-07-2015
I have been swing towards Android as that is what I used ever since I had a smartphone 4 years ago. I'm also not to keen on getting him an HTC as I was put off HTC ever since I had a bad experience with the HTC Desire S due to a design fault with the antenna.
I also take it most Android phones now come with at lest Android KK 4.4.
Don't want to change networks as dad wants to keepp his o2 number and I think he still has some unused credit cards n his old phone.

Darren
alan1302
13-07-2015
Originally Posted by dellzincht:
“God don't go windows phone, Microsoft are no longer supporting the operating system and there's barely any app support for it.”

So Windows 10 for the phone doesn't exist then? If you are going to commenting at least get your facts right!
dellzincht
13-07-2015
Didn't say it doesn't exist, but the future looks bleak for Windows phones, only Nokia will make them for a start, most app developers aren't willing to develop for a platform that is seen as dying, and overall it's too restrictive. Microsoft's only hope is to allow android apps to run on its OS (like you currently can do in Windows using Bluestacks) but if that's the case then you might as well just buy an android phone, there's so much more choice out there and in my opinion they're a lot more user friendly.

Microsoft got it badly wrong with WP8 and I don't think they're going to really recover. They will always be bottom of the pile when it comes to smartphone choice.
d123
13-07-2015
Originally Posted by dellzincht:
“Didn't say it doesn't exist, but the future looks bleak for Windows phones, only Nokia will make them for a start, .”

You really are out of date with your (lack of) knowledge.

Nokia doesn't make Windows phones...
alan1302
13-07-2015
Originally Posted by dellzincht:
“Didn't say it doesn't exist, but the future looks bleak for Windows phones, only Nokia will make them for a start, most app developers aren't willing to develop for a platform that is seen as dying, and overall it's too restrictive. Microsoft's only hope is to allow android apps to run on its OS (like you currently can do in Windows using Bluestacks) but if that's the case then you might as well just buy an android phone, there's so much more choice out there and in my opinion they're a lot more user friendly.

Microsoft got it badly wrong with WP8 and I don't think they're going to really recover. They will always be bottom of the pile when it comes to smartphone choice.”

You said it's no longer supported - the fact that they are launching a whole new version shows that they are. MS have very deep pockets and I don't see them giving up the mobile sector just yet even is WP8 didn't work out as intended.
finbaar
13-07-2015
Darren has come on here to ask for advice and it has descended into childish bickering.

The YouView app is not (and probably never will be) available on Windows Phone. The Smart Ultra 6 is also a fine device but way more than Darren's dad needs and at £125 is nearly twice the price of a 1st gen Moto E. They are available on Amazon for about £68.
ney
14-07-2015
Originally Posted by finbaar:
“Darren has come on here to ask for advice and it has descended into childish bickering.

The YouView app is not (and probably never will be) available on Windows Phone. The Smart Ultra 6 is also a fine device but way more than Darren's dad needs and at £125 is nearly twice the price of a 1st gen Moto E. They are available on Amazon for about £68.”

Thanks finbaar. I will have a look. I do have a quick look on the Argos and 02 sites.

Darren
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