Advice please- using smartphone instead of laptop

rosehip

Hi guys, first time on this forum

I have 20 euro a month on o2 phone, basic phone.

On last month of o2 broadband at 20 euro a month. Can't afford it now.

Laptop needs replacing and can't afford it.

Am not a big user of internet. Use 1gb average of 15gb allowed. Light browsing and email.

Would it be mad to change to change to 3 jedward phone offer (it has a plain cover - and i'll throw out jedward !!!) and their 20 euro a month deal with all you can eat data.

I need to check email, bank balance occasionally and the odd query - more than browsing.

Am i missing something?

Can a techie enlighten me? I'm not too well up on this area.

Thanks, Rose

Alanstrainor

That phone is a piece of crap, if it's the one on the ads, it is literally awful.

Not matter how good a smart phone you get it wont replace a laptop being honest!

rosehip

Thanks alan, but i don't really want to replace a laptop. I phrased that badly.

I just need some access to internet. Very basic.

Is there a cheapish basic smartphone you would recommend? I can't replace laptop, moneywise that is.

Thanks, Rose

Sponge Bob

You pay O2 €40 now on 2 packages...1 voice and one data, there is no all in one €40 package that will give you voice and 1-2Gb data with O2. O2 will give you 150Mb at that price ( plus calls/texts)

You need to go elsewhere. eMobile or 3.

eMobile do 300 mins and 300 texts and 2Gb data for €40 a month.

rosehip

Thanks Sponge bob, but €40 is no more:(

The thing is the budget is only €20 for everything from next month so i'm wondering - is 3's 20 euro all you can eat data and a smartphone the way to go?

And what is a good basic smartphone? nothing fancy, no music or games or anything needed.

My current one is not smart, years old, a basic, the cheapest nokia, so would need to change phone.

Kind regards,

Rose

Sponge Bob

You cannot get decent voice and data for €20 a month with anyone...and you gotta take some minutes too.

€24 a month will get you somewhere..or €25

http://www.emobile.ie/phonesplansmore/plans/postpay/detailsCallTextBrowse/?gid=73
http://www.three.ie/products_services/priceplans/billpay/flex_plans.html
http://www.tescomobile.ie/data-bundles.aspx on top of voice

Forget O2 and Voda.

cookie1977

If you want cheap then you could buy a smartphone on pre pay with meteor then get the 15euro sim only plan which gives 1GB data, 200SMS, 200mins and free meteor to meteor calls and texts.
http://www.meteor.ie/bill-pay/

Three have sim only plan for 30euro per mont for free unlimited data, 250mins, 200SMS, 3000mins three to three calls and free unlimited landline calls any time of day. Again buy the phone on pre pay.

The phones would be more expensive but you get cheaper plans and the flexibility of not being in a long contract.

Test both networks before moving to them with free pre pay Sims to see that you've good 3G coverage. Both networks allow tethering so you can connect them to your laptop and you can use them as modems.

dr ro

Meteor's 15 euro deal seems the way to go. If you're only browsing the Web occasionally, you'll not use near 1gb

whiterebel

dr ro wrote: »

Meteor's 15 euro deal seems the way to go. If you're only browsing the Web occasionally, you'll not use near 1gb

Seems the best deal by far at the moment.

Donny5

Sponge Bob wrote: »

You cannot get decent voice and data for €20 a month with anyone...and you gotta take some minutes too.

€24 a month will get you somewhere..or €25

http://www.emobile.ie/phonesplansmore/plans/postpay/detailsCallTextBrowse/?gid=73
http://www.three.ie/products_services/priceplans/billpay/flex_plans.html
http://www.tescomobile.ie/data-bundles.aspx on top of voice

Forget O2 and Voda.

What about the Three deal the OP mentions. You get free data, free three calls, free texts and free calls to anyone at the weekends if you top up by €20 a month. Other calls are 30c/min.

xsiborg

unfortunately OP, with the AYCE data offer on Three pre-pay, it is against their terms and conditions to tether (i think that's the word you're looking for if you want to use your mobile as a wi-fi hotspot or modem). thats not to say it isnt physically possible, but just to make you aware that it IS against their terms of use.

so anyway, with that out of the way, i bought a samsung europa on 3 myself when they were doing that €50 on pre-pay offer, and while I personally think it's a great little phone for the €50, i dont know how technically minded you are, but i put cyanogenmod 7.1 on it and it turns the phone into quite the little animal!

i was in the 3 shop the other day though looking at phones for someone else, and tbh i have to say for the €80 that you'd spend on the europa, i'd sooner get the sony xperia 8, also €80, but purely just to my eye alone, it has a much, much better screen than the europa- brighter, more vibrant colors, sharper screen, and it has a 3.2MP camera as opposed to the píss poor 2MP camera on the europa (it does the job for my 7 year old son, thats about it!).

also with the sony x8 you can put cyanogenmod on it and basically what that does is enable you to make various advanced tweaks to the phone that wouldn't normally be available to you.

hope this helps.

rosehip

Really really brilliant info, thanks a million guys!


Am looking into all you've mentioned and the deals are exactly what i want - i'm wary of going into phone shop and asking as advice may be biased:D

The tethering on some plans could suit as i knew you couldn't do it on plan i mentioned on 3 - but my laptop is really wrecked and won't last too long.
I was just going to leave it for typing a letter etc.

Thanks for the recommendation for the Sony phone - but i didn't understand what you said you did to it ...:o - so i probably wouldn't be doing that to it BUT better screen and camera i did understand!

Kind regards,
Rose