Bare-bones Cell Phones

Timmy

So, I own a digital camera and I own an MP3 player and I own a DS which leaves me with a bit of predicament when I'm looking at new cell phones. Why would I need a device that attempts to emulate all of these things when all I want to do is make a phone call? Does anyone know of any phones out there that are just phones with contact lists? I suppose texting would be okay too but it's certainly not necessary. I tried to find this on my own and just came up with the Xperia Pureness but it is crazy expensive and completely impractical. And also pretty dumb. So please help me, brothers and sisters, for I apparently cannot help myself!

Elin

I'm not trying to be unhelpful but, if you don't care about the features, why not just take whatever free cell phone your contract offers you and only use the features you want? Unless you are in a job that bars camera/wifi/ect on phones it's going to be a hassle to find a phone without those features anymore. You don't have to use them just because they're there, and their presence on the phone isn't costing you extra monthly.

And if you want help finding a cell phone, your carrier would be very helpful.

Alpine

I had a Sanyo Katana for a long time, it was built like a brick for being a thin flip phone, it had a responsive keyboard, and a big screen. Battery lasted a long time. If your carrier has it, I would definitely suggest trying to find a deal where you can get it subsidized with a new contract.

Deathwing

Yeah, we really need to know what carrier you're on to make useful suggestions. To get a completely bare-bones phone, you're looking at most likely getting something that's pretty out-of-date - the base standard has steadily moved upward over the last several years. Most of the free phones you can get with a new contract are likely to be newer models also.

Lurk

Motofone F3 is the barest bone phone you can get. It's thin and nearly indestructible.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_FONE_F3

FyreWulff

Tracfone. Prepaid and you can buy more airtime right from the phone with your credit card.

Sir Carcass

FyreWulff wrote: »

Tracfone. Prepaid and you can buy more airtime right from the phone with your credit card.

This is what my wife uses. I think the phone was like $20 and you only pay for the minutes you use.

JHunz

My father has a phone specifically made for old fogies, with large buttons and no camera or MP3 player or fancy stuff. It's not the F3 posted above, but a similar concept. I think he's on Sprint, but I don't remember the model - I'd have to ask.
But try asking a sales rep if they have any phones for aging luddites.

matt has a problem

JHunz wrote: »

My father has a phone specifically made for old fogies, with large buttons and no camera or MP3 player or fancy stuff. It's not the F3 posted above, but a similar concept. I think he's on Sprint, but I don't remember the model - I'd have to ask.
But try asking a sales rep if they have any phones for aging luddites.

Jitterbug!

Darkewolfe

I enjoy the claims of Luddite. Though I did the same thing when I bought my ipod nano. (The nano is the smallest ipod, usually used by people who just want something tiny to exercise with. It has some exercise-oriented features.) The damn thing has a video camera and plays video now. Feature creep in everything means that right now I have three different tools that practically do the same thing, all of which I want on hand often. Argh!

As for phones, I echo the suggestion that you buy whatever phone is free and most aesthetically meets your needs (so, probably small.) You may find that you want texting more often further down the road, as that's a growing form of communication even in the workplace.

Timmy

Sorry for not specifying about my carrier, that probably would be helpful. I have Verizon Wireless currently but my contract is up so I'm fine with trying anything right now. I really really appreciate all of the suggestions! The F3, in particular, looks completely awesome. But, Darkewolfe, you have a very good point about texting. I don't like it now but it's probably something I may need eventually. I usually keep my cell phones around for five or six years so it may not be a bad idea to think about the future.

Captain Vash

I like T-mobile, where I live they have great service and in 2 years have not had a single dropped call.

and chiggity check out the deals!

http://www.cellstores.com/mobile/tmobile-phones.aspx?referringdomain=newegg

I personally would recomend the blackberry pearl, I had one for the better part of a year and that phone wrapped in a silicone case was a tiny tank, I dropped it countless times and though I've moved onto a new phone, it never stopped rocking.

The pearl may be more of a smart phone than you're looking for, but even as a basic phone, or a phone/sms'er I really liked the ergonomics and general design of the phone.