Latest Moan From You and Me 2025

My latest moan! I have to replace my faithful Nokia phone, as it won’t work after they close down 2G. I have been doing my best to research the topic and it is doing my head in! I only use my current phone to send the odd text, and maybe a short phone call or two, it’s mainly for emergency use. OH is keen for me to get a smart phone (although he doesn’t actually use his much) and I suppose it would be helpful for checking bus and train times when I’m on the move. It would also be handy to use as a camera. However, I am finding the prices shocking! I looked in the phone shop in town this morning, and was staggered to see one of the phones was priced at £1800! What the blazes does it do for that money?
My old phone cost about £25. I don’t want to buy something so expensive that I’d be afraid to take it out in case I dropped it or lost it, even £200 seems like a reckless extravagance. It’s all a real bore, and I wish it would all just go away!

 

Well it can go away if you go back 30 yrs.
Go out without worry about taking your phone, etc.
I think there are some so called Brick phones you can get..

 

@Ergates, I bought my Samsung smart phone 3 years ago via Tesco and paid for it monthly along with the usage bill. About £11 per month. Like you, I didn't want to splash out on an expensive phone if I then found I didn't like it.
I could upgrade to another one but don't see the point. I only use it to text, email and sometimes even phone someone! It's invaluable on the move to look at Streetview, weather forecasts etc and traffic news. I don't listen to music, watch TV or bank on it.

 

Look for a cheap sim free (unlocked) phone @Ergates and then a cheap sim deal, I pay £4.95 a month with Talkmobile. Money Saving Expert offers good sim deals, often exclusives.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/cheap-mobile-finder/sim-only/

 

Even GP graduate level jobs need the right level of training support by the local practice so I should think they are limited in numbers. My local health centre always has several trainee GPs but their appointments are twice as long as normal and one of the permanent GPs has to be available to advise them.

 

@Ergates, I'm not sure 2G is being turned off. Isn't it 3G, with 2G being kept for a while?

I have a Doro dumb phone. Cost £35. Sim from GiffGaff, PAYG costing a 10p text every couple of months to keep the line. It will become my main phone shortly as my landline is going at the end of my current Plusnet contract. Then I'll move to a £6 a month deal.

 

If you're not that fussed about a smartphone @Ergates, you could look at a Doro. I have one, ideal for calls and texts. It does have a camera, but I can't comment on the quality as I don't use it.

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/124...kZzAkdDE3NjU2OTk2NTEkajYwJGwwJGgxNDc1NzExMzgw

Edited to add, I've just noticed this model is 2G. Info re various switch off dates.
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and...itch-off-our-expectations-of-mobile-providers

 

You can get very similar Nokias now, supporting 4G. They're actually in demand by parents who want a non-smart phone for their kids. I'm thinking of getting one as a backup phone since I no longer have a landline - seems like a good idea to have a simple phone that holds a long charge, on a different network from my smart phone.

 

It depends on the network. All 2G services will go by the end of 2033. O2 started shutting down 2G and 3G last year and will complete that by the end of next year.

 

My wife handles all the Christmas card sending and used to send loads. That was cut right down as price of postage rose. She now sends less than a dozen, and they are to family members and good friends who live a long way away and we rarely get to meet. One is sent to a couple we met on holiday about 40 years ago and got on really well with. We haven't actually met since but there is always a note in the card from them with information about what's happening in their family.

 

Ah, OK. I knew I had heard a date in the 30s, but didn't realise some providers were bailing early. GiffGaff piggybacks onto O2, so I may have to dump my current Doro. Shame, as it is perfect for my needs.

 

Just checked and apparently GiffGaff is expecting to offer 2G till 2033 on older devices. So . I really don't want to shell out for a smart phone I will get very little use from. If I'm buying new tech, I'd rather have a 13" screen ipad, which I would use for several hrs daily.

 

All this talk about phones has made me take a closer look at my dumb phone. It is 2G of course and the phone itself may need replacing soon. If you buy a "dual sim" phone - which is what the (4G) Nokia I'm looking at has - can you insert just one sim? Does anybody have any experience of that?

 

I think you can, @Bluejayway, though, goodness knows, I am not an expert on the subject.

I have just checked whether I can move from a 2g physical sim to a 4g digital one at some future point and still keep my number. Apparently I can. This is good as when 2g goes, at least I won't need to change my number on multiple sites.

 

We use O2, via Tesco Mobile, as it is one of the only services that work inside our house, we are in a bit of a mobile black spot. I’ve had loads of text reminders about the switch off, but I’ve been sticking my head in the sand! I have identified a 4G version of my current Nokia ‘brick’ for very little money.
However, it looks like Tesco are discontinuing the Pay as you go service I’ve been using, and moving everyone over to monthly contracts. My phone useage is very low, I put £10 on it and it lasts for months before I need to top it up. If I decide to go with a minimal contract, I might as well get a phone that I can use the included data on.
I’m also very keen to keep my current phone number, as it use that when the bank etc need to send verification numbers, it would be a right nuisance having to notify people.

As an added complication, when my mini iPad died last year, the replacement was so expensive that I went for a regular sized iPad. I’ve found that it is just that much heavier and bigger, that it’s not so easy to pop into my handbag, and a disaster if I try to hold it above my head for furtive, middle of the night, reading in bed! So maybe now is the time to make the move with the phone.

I also find it hard, as mobile phones are one of the things I can’t get excited about, like watches or handbags. I just want one that works and I can forget about. Unlike shoes! Luckily I'm constrained by whether they are actually comfortable enough to walk in, otherwise I’d probably have the house full!