Non-motoring > A simple phone for an older person Specialists
Thread Author: No FM2R Replies: 43
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New Tue 8 Mar 16 14:54 
 A simple phone for an older person - No FM2R

My Mother has a Blackberry. This is a complete POS, but she is used to it. However, it is dying and Whatsapp will not be supported on it in the future, so it needs to be changed as Whatsapp is how she keeps in touch with my daughters

She needs;

- Phone calls
- SMS
- Whatsapp
- Camera

In a perfect world the new phone would have an actual keypad not a touch screen.

The regrettable truth is that most modern phones are beyond her. Despite its general crappiness she likes her current Blackberry because its a Curve and so has an actual keyboard and not a touch screen.

Anything beyond the basic functions that she actually needs will only confuse her. She is a person who will simply refuse to use anything which intimidates her.

My life will be easier if its an Android, since then I can talk my Father through any problems over the phone or email, but ultimately it is more important that it is easier to use. My Mother will have to learn a new phone changing from a Blackberry as it is.

I have previously tried asking my tech savvie nieces to set stuff up for her, but they persist in setting things up as they would like - they can't seem to grasp "simple". And since they are three teenage females, neither do they grasp "listen".

I can dispatch someone to collect and deliver it for her, but I don't have anyone to set it up. So simple is the word.

I would very much welcome your thoughts.
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New Tue 8 Mar 16 15:05 
 A simple phone for an older person - Zero
Just obtained a Alcatel One Touch flip phone (model number 1035) for my aged (85) mother. Think Motorolla Razr flip phone with "apps" I took the apps shortcut bar off to make it even easier.

I'll drop the instruction manual for said phone on an email for you, so you scan decide for yourself.

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New Tue 8 Mar 16 15:08 
 A simple phone for an older person - R.P.
Anyone on the forum locally that might be able to set it up Mark ?
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New Tue 8 Mar 16 15:12 
 A simple phone for an older person - No FM2R
I don't know, but experience tells me that setting stuff up for my Mother is not a task to be taken lightly!!!

Also my Mother will refuse to ask questions, however kindly the helper. She'll just say that everything is fine, she has no questions, she is very happy, and then once the helper has left she'll tell my Father that she didn't understand a thing!

I may scream for help if the sticky stuff hits the whirly thing, but hopefully we can survive without it.
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New Tue 8 Mar 16 15:13 
 A simple phone for an older person - No FM2R
Thanks Zero, that looks quite good. I will look for the email.
Last edited by: No FM2R on Tue 8 Mar 16 at 15:13
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New Tue 8 Mar 16 15:19 
 A simple phone for an older person - No FM2R
I think it won't support Whatsapp, nor does it have a camera. I shall look to see whatother models they have.
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New Tue 8 Mar 16 15:07 
 A simple phone for an older person - Armel Coussine
I have had for years a simple, slim, lightweight Nokia phone with a camera in it. It's always worked perfectly. You have to take it apart from time to time and wipe the dust out.

I don't know what Whatsapp is so it doesn't seem necessary to me. Likewise SMS.
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New Tue 8 Mar 16 15:13 
 A simple phone for an older person - Falkirk Bairn
Whatsapp is dropping support for Blackberry & Windows phones at the end of 2016.

So this leaves Android + Apple (+ some odd phones from Far East with even odder OSs)
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New Tue 8 Mar 16 15:26 
 A simple phone for an older person - BrianByPass
>> Whatsapp is dropping support for Blackberry & Windows phones at the end of 2016.
>>
>> So this leaves Android + Apple (+ some odd phones from Far East with even
>> odder OSs)
>>

You gave me a fright there for a minute. Windows reference applies only to Windows 7.1

" by the end of 2016, we will be ending support for WhatsApp Messenger on the following mobile platforms:

BlackBerry, including BlackBerry 10
Nokia S40
Nokia Symbian S60
Android 2.1 and Android 2.2
Windows Phone 7.1"
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New Tue 8 Mar 16 15:28 
 A simple phone for an older person - Armel Coussine
My children and grandchildren have masses of stuff on their phones, but they operate them so fast that I can't understand what they are doing. Dainty and/or chubby little fingers going swipe swipe dab dab.
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New Tue 8 Mar 16 15:14 
 A simple phone for an older person - henry k
I have similar but simple problem
SWMBO has a Nokia 3310.
SMS and calls are all she can cope with.
She cannot work out how to use my faithful Nokia 6310i
I will have to hope Ebay continues selling old 3310s for ever.

Son always needs the latest phone ( for his business you understand) so there are always "spare" very recent phones around but all to no avail.
He bought a "simple" replacement phone for SWMBO but it has never been used.

The one thing that impresses me ( for my uses ) is the Google traffic stuff.
The rest I can lie without.
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New Tue 8 Mar 16 15:28 
 A simple phone for an older person - R.P.
How about a stripped down iPhone. All removable apps (other than Whatsapp) binned ?
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New Tue 8 Mar 16 15:32 
 A simple phone for an older person - No FM2R
I wondered about that, I'm not sure to be honest.

It'd still need to be set up, which would be a challenge, and every time it needed an update ro something changed it'd all fall apart again.
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New Tue 8 Mar 16 15:38 
 A simple phone for an older person - R.P.
The updates are not a real worry. They just generally sit there waiting for instructions to proceed, doesn't affect the functionality of the phone - she'd be stuck with some un-deletable apps and that's it.
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New Tue 8 Mar 16 15:42 
 A simple phone for an older person - WillDeBeest
And even the permanent apps could be shuffled off to a second screen (or a folder if iOS still allows those) out of sight and out of mind.
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New Tue 8 Mar 16 15:42 
 A simple phone for an older person - Runfer D'Hills
Sadly, it might be a tough one. My late mother couldn't even cope with a TV remote. I tried getting her a simple one with big buttons etc but she still managed to not understand that either. My in laws wanted a 'computer' but when we burrowed into it what they actually wanted was a way of emailing and browsing the web for holidays. It was decided that a basic ipad was the line of least resistance and as Rob alluded to we stripped off anything which they wouldn't use.

My son has to go to their house most weeks to reset everything ( 'because it's not working' ) nonetheless...
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New Tue 8 Mar 16 15:43 
 A simple phone for an older person - BrianByPass
In my experience, non-tech users find Windows phones a doddle to use. If you are convinced by that, then consider getting

www.microsoft.com/en-gb/mobile/phone/lumia640/ for about £100

other versions www.microsoft.com/en/mobile/phones/lumia/?order_by=Latest

If you go for an android, then Samsung Galaxy J5 may be a good choice. I know an 85 year old lady with limited education (didn't go to school after age 12) who has learnt to use Whatsapp on it despite having no previous experience of using computers or smart phones.


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New Tue 8 Mar 16 15:50 
 A simple phone for an older person - R.P.
Windows dropping Whatsapp support ? I had one as a work phone in CAB....erm...I wouldn't want one.
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New Tue 8 Mar 16 15:57 
 A simple phone for an older person - BrianByPass
>> Windows dropping Whatsapp support ?

No. Only windows 7.1

>> I had one as a work phone in CAB....erm...I wouldn't
>> want one.
>>

I wouldn't give up my windows phone by choice. Nor many other people I know.

Maybe tech has moved on since then? Or horses for courses?
Last edited by: BrianByPass on Tue 8 Mar 16 at 15:57
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New Tue 8 Mar 16 20:11 
 A simple phone for an older person - Manatee
My wife is not at all dim but has no patience with "computers". I couldn't get her to use an iPhone 4S or a cheap HTC android phone (which in fairness was so slow I wouldn't have used it either, but in trying to sort various things out on it I thought it was the least intuitive thing I have ever used).

She has taken to the Lumia 640 like a duck to water. I had thought of mentioning it but I don't know what will happen to Windows Phone under MS's new strategy. It has Windows Phone 8.x and is slated for Windows 10, rolling out in Poland now I believe.

It will be a great shame if Windows Phone disappears; I can't believe MS won't want phones in its eco system but how they plan to achieve that I just don't know. Android maybe?
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New Tue 8 Mar 16 20:58 
 A simple phone for an older person - No FM2R
Windows Phones never seem that simple to me, although I've only ever even touched one about twice.

It seems like overkill for her limited requirements, which truly are phone, SMS, Camera, Whatsapp and nothing more.
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New Tue 8 Mar 16 21:31 
 A simple phone for an older person - rtj70
>> It seems like overkill for her limited requirements, which truly are phone, SMS, Camera, WhatsApp

It's only the WhatsApp requirement that makes the requirement a smartphone. Making the whole device more complicated.
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New Tue 8 Mar 16 15:47 
 A simple phone for an older person - Focusless
Doro make allegedly easy to use phones - anyone tried one? Eg.
www.amazon.co.uk/Doro-Liberto-820-SIM-Free-Smartphone/dp/B00QGJWELM
www.doro.co.uk/
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New Tue 8 Mar 16 16:19 
 A simple phone for an older person - rtj70
If she likes her Blackberry because it has a keyboard, how about a Blackberry as a replacement? One that runs Android apps.
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New Tue 8 Mar 16 16:33 
 A simple phone for an older person - No FM2R
Blackberry are, IMO, awful these days. However, as far I can gather only the Blackberry Priv runs Android and that does not have a keyboard. Do correct me if I'm wrong.

I looked at the Doro; Its not as simple as I'd been hoping for, but it is pretty simple. That might well be the answer. And its available from Tesco. The one and only time I bought a phone from Tesco they did do an excellent job of getting it set up and working. Anyone bought one from them recently?

As it is I've sent my Father links to the Alcatel recommended by Zero, which is ok except it'll cost be a b***** fortune for my girls to send MMS instead of Whatsapp, and to the Doro, which doesn't have a keyboard but otherwise seems ok.

We shall see.

I appreciate the efforts, and if anyone has any more thoughts then please let me know.
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New Tue 8 Mar 16 16:37 
 A simple phone for an older person - Zero

>> I looked at the Doro; Its not as simple as I'd been hoping for, but
>> it is pretty simple. That might well be the answer. And its available from Tesco.
>> The one and only time I bought a phone from Tesco they did do an
>> excellent job of getting it set up and working. Anyone bought one from them recently?

Funnily enough, my mothers Alcatel came from Tesco, and my Andoid is Tesco sourced. Service was good in both instances, for my mother taking her to the till to show her how to use the top up card.
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New Tue 8 Mar 16 17:56 
 A simple phone for an older person - rtj70
I wasn't thinking of a BB running Android. I was thinking of a BB10 phone running Android apps on top of BB10.

I have no way of knowing if this would allow WhatsApp to run on it but I had thought the ability to run Android apps on BB10 meant all apps. You'd need to install WhatsApp but presumably that's in the Amazon App Store and you can side load the Amazon App Store on BB10.

I could be talking rubbish of course. But worth investigating if she'd be better off with a physical keyboard on a device that's similar to her old BB.
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New Tue 8 Mar 16 18:02 
 A simple phone for an older person - CGNorwich
The Blackberry Priv runs Android and has a physical pull-out keyboard.
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New Tue 8 Mar 16 18:04 
 A simple phone for an older person - rtj70
I was thinking of a BB10 Classic for his mother running an Android version of WhatsApp. BB10 (so actually QNX) runs Android apps.
Last edited by: rtj70 on Tue 8 Mar 16 at 18:05
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New Tue 8 Mar 16 18:27 
 A simple phone for an older person - smokie
PRIV is quite expensive for a phone on which limited features only are required - well over £400 even on eBay.
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New Tue 8 Mar 16 18:30 
 A simple phone for an older person - rtj70
Which I suggested a BB10 Classic. Assuming WhatsApp Android app works. Still about £300 SIM free for a new one. Which is a lot for features that are not going to be used.
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New Tue 8 Mar 16 18:34 
 A simple phone for an older person - R.P.
Where the hell did Blackberry go wrong ? I loved my work Bold so much I got my own....they were brilliant......!!
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New Tue 8 Mar 16 19:03 
 A simple phone for an older person - rtj70
Good question. And one of the appeal to the youth for a BB over an iPhone was BB Messenger. Now it's such a big deal to lose native support for WhatsApp!

Apple nearly went out of business so things can turn around. Who'd have thought a phone and music player could have been so important. You have to admire Apple since Jobs took control for the second time. Tim Cook will not be so fortunate.
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New Tue 8 Mar 16 20:13 
 A simple phone for an older person - Zero
>> Where the hell did Blackberry go wrong ?

Three things.

1/ The blackberry servers fell over for a long time rendering the phones useless as anything other than an ancient old mobile.

2/ Apps. They didn't have any, still dont have any, and wont get any.

3/ Encryption on the phone. AKA Apple vs FBI.

Given those three RIM/BB were rendered useless overnight.
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New Tue 8 Mar 16 16:34 
 A simple phone for an older person - Old Navy
How about one of these, they must be simple, even I can work them. Some have a facility for remote setup.



www.doro.co.uk/mobile-devices/smart-phones.html
Last edited by: Old Navy on Tue 8 Mar 16 at 16:36
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New Tue 8 Mar 16 16:44 
 A simple phone for an older person - Old Navy
Missed the edit

Doro also have a range of Easy phones which have keypads and also have a remote setup facility. (Same website)
Last edited by: Old Navy on Tue 8 Mar 16 at 16:46
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New Tue 8 Mar 16 21:09 
 A simple phone for an older person - Runfer D'Hills
I had three Blackberrys in a row. I thought they were truly brilliant ( apart from the non-functional letter T on the last one towards the end of its life )


And then I got an iPhone and realised that Blackberrys were prehistoric by comparison to it. Currently using a 5s and it is great at most things ( apart from being a phone funnily enough )

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New Tue 8 Mar 16 21:13 
 A simple phone for an older person - R.P.
I had the non functional T as well and my password contained a "t" - awkward..
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New Tue 8 Mar 16 21:21 
 A simple phone for an older person - Runfer D'Hills
The reason I changed was them ( Blackberry ) denying any responsibility for the missing T.

I* was mos* inconvenien* no* *o have a le**er * !
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New Wed 9 Mar 16 10:08 
 A simple phone for an older person - Mapmaker
Mark

Why does she need Watts App? (I don't think that's right, but I can't be bothered to check.) I was persuaded to download it the other week. I can't work out what it does that's different from text messages. Educate people to send her text messages! (I'm guessing that it's mostly grandchildren who Watts App her.)
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New Wed 9 Mar 16 10:24 
 A simple phone for an older person - Manatee
>> Mark
>>
>> I can't work
>> out what it does that's different from text messages.

Pictures and videos. You can also set up groups that all members can post to or view.
Last edited by: Manatee on Wed 9 Mar 16 at 10:25
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New Wed 9 Mar 16 10:36 
 A simple phone for an older person - No FM2R
As Manatee says, also free. Pictures and videos from South America to UK cost a damn fortune by MMS
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New Wed 9 Mar 16 10:41 
 A simple phone for an older person - No FM2R
>>Educate people to send her text messages

Hardly the issue. They send SMS all the time. I just would prefer they didn't do it internationally.
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New Wed 9 Mar 16 11:33 
 A simple phone for an older person - Mapmaker
Ah. I probably was thinking of iMessages.

iPhones all round then.
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