AT&T Cell Phone Help

[Tacori E-ring]

I think it is time for a new phone. Mine is so old it has the cingular logo on it. I don't want to spend $30 a month on a media/data plan but I do text. The idea of a keyboard is kinda tempting. Any advice?

ETA: I think my contract is up and they are getting nervous b/c they sent me an addition $100 off any new phone coupon.

 

[CasaBlanca]

What do you pay a month now?

 

[charbie]

you are definitely up for a new phone! you''ll probably be able to get a decent one for free. my suggestion would be to go in to the store and try a few out. personally, i LOVE my pullout keyboard. i text/email all the time- it is completely worth it! after you try one out, even if you don''t like it, you should be able to take it back and exchange it. good luck!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Casa, too much! Haha. I think around $150 (after all the taxes) for two lines and 2100 shared mins. My DH has unlimited texting I think I get 200 a month.

Charbie, thanks. Since I keep phones forever I want to get some I like. The options are overwhelming.

 

[CasaBlanca]

Oh I am sooo sorry.

I misunderstood your post. Since you have such an old phone...I thought you were looking for a plan that wouldn''t cost more than $30 a month that included text...I thought well this is going to be tough...

 

[charbie]

You are paying waaaaaay too much in my opinion! Dh and I have a share plan, unlimited texting, and I have unlimited mobile data (wifi, downloads, etc) on my phone...dh doesnt. We share 1400 minutes, but have the "my circle" where you can put the top 10 numbers you call in and those mins don''t count towards your total. We don''t even use half our minutes each month, and I use my phone A LOT for work. We pay $136 a month total. When you go into the store to upgrade, they can evaluate your plan and put you into something that works best for you guys.

 

[Imdanny]

Yes, my advice is consider a touch screen phone.

I have an AT&T account and a Samsung phone. I got my new phone about a month ago. It was the first time I'd used a touch screen. They're great! I love mine.

Touch screen phones have keyboards. The screen turns from a menu with icons, to a dial screen, to an address list, to a keyboard, etc.

The only thing I'd like better is an iPhone but I didn't want to pay the extra each month for it.

I'm not sure how many text messages I can send because I don't send any, but if I were you, I'd compare plans (AT&T's and/or others')- the number you can send will be clearly listed. Good luck!

 

[rierie26]

Get a new phone! ATT has a bunch you can get for free or at a discounted price.

 

[Imdanny]

Yes, mine was free. We have a family plan and got an iPhone at a discounted price and mine was free when we renewed the account for two years.

 

[purselover]

Date: 3/8/2010 11:01:48 PM
Author: Imdanny
Yes, my advice is consider a touch screen phone.

I have an AT&T account and a Samsung phone. I got my new phone about a month ago. It was the first time I''d used a touch screen. They''re great! I love mine.

Touch screen phones have keyboards. The screen turns from a menu with icons, to a dial screen, to an address list, to a keyboard, etc.

The only thing I''d like better is an iPhone but I didn''t want to pay the extra each month for it.

I''m not sure how many text messages I can send because I don''t send any, but if I were you, I''d compare plans (AT&T''s and/or others'')- the number you can send will be clearly listed. Good luck!

I second the iphone or another touch screen phone, it makes texting very easy - I used to be horrible at it but now I can send off messages extremely quickly.

 

[BeachRunner]

I''d try out a touch screen phone before you purchase a phone with solely a touch screen. I bought a Samsung Eternity, and it was awful. I could never get used to the screen; I''d always be making mistakes. The iPhone has a larger screen, making it easier to operate I''m sure. I bought a BBerry, and I love having a keypad.

Happy phone shopping!

 

[mrssalvo]

i just got an iphone a few weeks ago. I totally love it. you can sync it to your mac so all your contacts stay current and are in your phone. it came in handy today when I was at the post office and realized I left the addy I needed at home. then i remembered the contacts in my phone and pulled it it. you don''t have to use all the internet with if it you want to save $ although I love having the access.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Thanks everyone. We do use a lot o f mins. b/c we don''t have a landline. We also have our top 10 of whatever they call it which helps keep the mins. down. I do love how AT&T has rollover mins. Maybe I should look at Verizon just to see what else is out there. Touch screen sounds intimidating. I''ll have to try them out. I didn''t know I could get an iphone w/o the data plan attached. I wonder if I do get into school if the data plan would be worth it to e-mail on the go. I am a low tech girl though.

 

[EricaR]

iPhone
iPhone
iPhone

Then we could play Words With Friends (aka Scrabble) all day!

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Tacori, DH and I just got new phones last month, both of which are touchscreens. On the advice of several PSers, I went with an HTC Hero and I love it!!! DH got a Samsung Moment, and he likes his too, but his touchscreen is a little harder to use than mine is. DH''s phone has a slide-out keyboard (which was an option that he really wanted) and mine does not. I don''t miss it though . . . my touchscreen turns into a keyboard for texting, like Danny mentioned above, and I find it very easy to use.

DH and I have Sprint, and we pay about $130 per month, which includes unlimited data (including GPS), unlimited texting, unlimited calls to/from ANY cell phone (not just Sprint phones), and 1500 minutes. (I think there''s probably some other stuff that''s included, but I can''t think of it right now. LOL!) Also, Sprint gives you $75 toward a new phone when you''ve had your phone for one year, and $150 toward a new phone when you''ve had your phone for two years. This is a really nice feature, and I think Sprint is the only provider that offers it (as far as I know anyway). DH and I almost always upgrade to new phones right at the two-year mark, when we can each get $150 toward a new phone.

Hope this helps! Happy shopping!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Irish does your phone have some sort of lock? I guess I should have mentioned a key lock or something is important with my toddler. I had Sprint WAYYY back when. AT&T is giving me an extra $100 off a phone since it has been forever and a day since I got a new one.

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Date: 3/9/2010 2:36:04 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
Irish does your phone have some sort of lock? I guess I should have mentioned a key lock or something is important with my toddler. I had Sprint WAYYY back when. AT&T is giving me an extra $100 off a phone since it has been forever and a day since I got a new one.

Tacori, my phone goes to sleep when it hasn''t been used for x amount of time. When it''s asleep, the screen is completely black. To wake it up, you have to push the "menu" button, and then the "lock screen" comes up. The lock screen consists of a pretty background (which I get to pick!) and the date and time. You have to swipe your finger down the screen from top to bottom to get the lock screen to go away. I had trouble learning the right way to do this at first, so if T can push the menu button and then swipe the screen just right, she''s an extremely talented toddler! LOL!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 3/9/2010 2:53:27 PM
Author: Irishgrrrl

Date: 3/9/2010 2:36:04 PM

Author: Tacori E-ring

Irish does your phone have some sort of lock? I guess I should have mentioned a key lock or something is important with my toddler. I had Sprint WAYYY back when. AT&T is giving me an extra $100 off a phone since it has been forever and a day since I got a new one.

Tacori, my phone goes to sleep when it hasn''t been used for x amount of time. When it''s asleep, the screen is completely black. To wake it up, you have to push the ''menu'' button, and then the ''lock screen'' comes up. The lock screen consists of a pretty background (which I get to pick!) and the date and time. You have to swipe your finger down the screen from top to bottom to get the lock screen to go away. I had trouble learning the right way to do this at first, so if T can push the menu button and then swipe the screen just right, she''s an extremely talented toddler! LOL!

Don''t underestimate by little trouble maker! She has called people on my cell phone before

on accident and even taken a few pictures. Such a monkey.

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Date: 3/9/2010 3:09:36 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring

Date: 3/9/2010 2:53:27 PM
Author: Irishgrrrl

Date: 3/9/2010 2:36:04 PM

Author: Tacori E-ring

Irish does your phone have some sort of lock? I guess I should have mentioned a key lock or something is important with my toddler. I had Sprint WAYYY back when. AT&T is giving me an extra $100 off a phone since it has been forever and a day since I got a new one.

Tacori, my phone goes to sleep when it hasn''t been used for x amount of time. When it''s asleep, the screen is completely black. To wake it up, you have to push the ''menu'' button, and then the ''lock screen'' comes up. The lock screen consists of a pretty background (which I get to pick!) and the date and time. You have to swipe your finger down the screen from top to bottom to get the lock screen to go away. I had trouble learning the right way to do this at first, so if T can push the menu button and then swipe the screen just right, she''s an extremely talented toddler! LOL!

Don''t underestimate by little trouble maker! She has called people on my cell phone before

on accident and even taken a few pictures. Such a monkey.

LOL! Tacori, can I borrow her for a little while? She could probably teach me how to use my new phone!

 

[janinegirly]

I have Verizon and been v. happy with it (service wise). I think most carriers do offer the $100 when it's time to renew-just so you know. It does sound to me like you are paying quite a bit, it should be around $5 per month for unlimited texting and just try to see if you actually use all those minutes. We also do not have a landline, but Verizon offers free minutes if you call someone else on Verizon which everyone in my family is.

And I hear ya on key pad lock! My plan is up end of this month and that's the first thing I'm going to ask when choosing a new phone. My little trouble maker has called everyone, texted garbled messages to "2222222", and sent a picture of my mother to some other unknown recepient, haha.

Let us know which phone you choose!

 

[mrssalvo]

tacori- you can set the iphone to have passcode to be able to get it to come on. So, even if she got a hold of it, she''d have to know your code to gain any access.

 

[sunnyd]

Date: 3/9/2010 3:19:03 PM
Author: janinegirly
I have Verizon and been v. happy with it (service wise). I think most carriers do offer the $100 when it''s time to renew-just so you know. It does sound to me like you are paying quite a bit, it should be around $5 per month for unlimited texting and just try to see if you actually use all those minutes. We also do not have a landline, but Verizon offers free minutes if you call someone else on Verizon which everyone in my family is.

And I hear ya on key pad lock! My plan is up end of this month and that''s the first thing I''m going to ask when choosing a new phone. My little trouble maker has called everyone, texted garbled messages to ''2222222'', and sent a picture of my mother to some other unknown recepient, haha.

Let us know which phone you choose!

Um, what? What service is that I want to switch!

 

[janinegirly]

Oh

Date: 3/9/2010 4:01:50 PM
Author: sunnyd

Date: 3/9/2010 3:19:03 PM
Author: janinegirly
I have Verizon and been v. happy with it (service wise). I think most carriers do offer the $100 when it''s time to renew-just so you know. It does sound to me like you are paying quite a bit, it should be around $5 per month for unlimited texting and just try to see if you actually use all those minutes. We also do not have a landline, but Verizon offers free minutes if you call someone else on Verizon which everyone in my family is.

And I hear ya on key pad lock! My plan is up end of this month and that''s the first thing I''m going to ask when choosing a new phone. My little trouble maker has called everyone, texted garbled messages to ''2222222'', and sent a picture of my mother to some other unknown recepient, haha.

Let us know which phone you choose!

Um, what? What service is that I want to switch!

Oh maybe sorry..guess it''s $5 for 250 messages which I''m no where near. I text very rarely and they are always trying to get me to upgrade to this. Sorry for being misleading!