With ever more sophisticated mobile phone handsets being launched
virtually each month, it is time people asked themselves if they really
need to have the latest model all the time when all they ever need their
phones for is to receive and make calls, and perhaps, text messages. If
that is all you need your mobile phone for, you should think again
before you splash out a lot of cash for the latest models.
People
who should be considering alternatives include parents who want to
provide their children with a simple and reliable way of staying in
touch without worrying about thieves and bullies relieving their
children of their handsets; people who want a simple and easy to operate
means of keeping in touch with elderly relatives who live alone, and
who in turn want a way to communicate with helpers in an emergency; and
of course, businesses that want a cheap and reliable means of
communicating with staff working away from the office.
With a
sim-only contract now readily available with virtually all the UK mobile
phone operators it is possible to substantially keep your mobile
communication costs down if used with a recycled refurbished low cost
phone. Even for individuals, the combination makes it possible to have
two or more phones cheaply, each designated for different aspects of
one's life. For example you can have one for work, and another for your
social life.
Each year, as new models are launched by mobile phone
manufacturers, literally millions of quite good and serviceable
handsets are being recycled, refurbished and made available at a
fraction of the cost of new ones. Some sellers specialise in certain
brands such as Nokia. In the early 2000s this manufacturer brought out a
few handsets which have become iconic. They are well designed, robust
and very simple to operate. Also their accessories such as batteries and
chargers tend to be standard, readily available, and cheap. Fascia
covers and keypads (from the original or specialist phone accessory
makers) are also cheap, readily available and very easy to fit. In most
cases one simply takes off the old covers, and click on the new set, all
done in minutes. With a new cover (plain or picture) the appearance of
these phones can be very much enhanced. Covers that reflect your
interests or likes such as animals, cartoon characters or football club
are readily and cheaply available.
Although the simplicity of
these phones is what is being stressed here, most of these so-called low
end handsets incorporate such useful features such as polyphonic
ringtones which one can download, a fairly large phonebook, organiser,
alarm clock, folder for pictures (which can be transferred by infra red,
Bluetooth or by connection to a PC), a calculator and a stopwatch. Some
models have a torch light which can be quite useful in a dark alley. So
when we say they are basic, they still incorporate certain useful
features.
Unlocking these handsets so that they can be used on any
network is very easy. All that is needed is in some code which one can
get online for free or for a very modest sum. One does not need to worry
about this, however, as these handsets are usually available already
unlocked during the refurbishing process before they are offered for
sale.
One should note that as most of the early phones are 2G they
do not accept "3" network sim-cards which require 3G handsets to work.
So, if you have a "3" simcard, check that the handset you are after can
work with it. Or you can go to a 2G network and take your number with
you.
The only thing missing on most of these early models is a
camera although some makers such as Sony Ericsson included a camera in
some of their very early smart phones such as the P800 and P900 series.
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