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Best value phone for < $150 ?

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pick up the Nokia Lumia 1520 for $150 at BestBuy just got me a 32mb for $199 woot! its the flagship Win 8 phone with a 6 incher Yo...
 
Muse said:
Did your 520 come with a SIM?
Click to expand...

It did - Microsoft shippedit with an AT&T sim. I didn't use it, I wasn't interested in any of the AT&T plans.

Instead I got a $45 plan from Straight Talk with one of their sims. You don't have to unlock the phone if you stay with a carrier that uses the AT&T system. (did get the 920 unlocked just in case I ever wanted to go with a T-Mobil based carrier)
 
Renob said:
pick up the Nokia Lumia 1520 for $150 at BestBuy just got me a 32mb for $199 woot! its the flagship Win 8 phone with a 6 incher Yo...
Click to expand...

The 1520 is pretty nice - quad core@1500 MHz, that killer screen, and it has a sd card slot.The screen is especially nice in the sun.

It was just too big for me and my current usage that includes being on scaffold at construction sites. Returned mine - with regrets.
 
My Lumia 520 has finally shipped. Been reading reviews. Have this accessory in my Amazon cart:

iLLumiShield screen protectors

The screen is criticized for easily smudging with finger prints. This is supposed to help a lot.


I'm thinking strongly of getting a case such as:

Fosmon DURA S Series Flexible SLIM-Fit TPU Case for Nokia Lumia 520 (Blue)

or

Nokia Lumia 521 520 ( AT&T, Metro PCS , T-Mobile ) Phone Case Accessory Light Green Dual Protection Impact Hybrid Cover with Free Gift Aplus Pouch

but will hold off because I think I may want to be able to access the microSDHC card fairly frequently. Think a case may be more trouble than it's worth for me.
 
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Muse said:
My Lumia 520 has finally shipped. Been reading reviews. Have this accessory in my Amazon cart:

iLLumiShield screen protectors

The screen is criticized for easily smudging with finger prints. This is supposed to help a lot.


I'm thinking strongly of getting a case such as:

Fosmon DURA S Series Flexible SLIM-Fit TPU Case for Nokia Lumia 520 (Blue)

or

Nokia Lumia 521 520 ( AT&T, Metro PCS , T-Mobile ) Phone Case Accessory Light Green Dual Protection Impact Hybrid Cover with Free Gift Aplus Pouch

but will hold off because I think I may want to be able to access the microSDHC card fairly frequently. Think a case may be more trouble than it's worth for me.
Click to expand...

Don't get the second case. It's made for the 521 and won't really fit the 520 properly.

I wouldn't bother with a case, though. The phone is so darn cheap that it's really not a heartbreak if it's damaged.
 
crashtestdummy said:
Don't get the second case. It's made for the 521 and won't really fit the 520 properly.

I wouldn't bother with a case, though. The phone is so darn cheap that it's really not a heartbreak if it's damaged.
Click to expand...
I bought those screen protectors.

Yeah, I'm pretty good with my stuff. My flip phone I've had probably 8 years. There's a little ding in the screen, but it's nothing. Knock on wood, I can't remember a time I've destroyed one of my electronic goodies.

I may wind up keeping my Verizon LG VX4500 flip phone. The coverage is good! I just went out with my sister who has a mini iPad on Verizon, also great coverage. Her partner tells me she used to use AT&T around here and "got dropped calls all the time."

Around the house with her iPad she uses their DSL driven wifi, though, which is AT&T, like mine, although mine is supplied by a 3rd party, Sonic.net.
 
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With the Motorola Moto G, I'm looking to getting something similar to Airvoice's pay as you go plan. If i use it too much, I'll get something similar to straight talk. US GSM instead of Global GSM, seems like a more logical choice for me.

$45 is just too much, for a guy a who makes less than $25k a year IMO. The longest time I've ever been on the phone is to establish a claim with car insurance companies. Of course I wouldn't mind spending $80 for unlimited highspeed internet for my household, lol.

Are their any alternative/competitors to Airvoice's pay as you go plan?

To make up for the battery life, especially in situations when I go camping at sporting events, I don't mind buying a portable charger from, Anker, brand.
 
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I am totally happy with my Nokia lumia....unlocked!

The Lumia 520 is well build and you will be surprised at the quality!!
 
k3n said:
With the Motorola Moto G, I'm looking to getting something similar to Airvoice's pay as you go plan. If i use it too much, I'll get something similar to straight talk. US GSM instead of Global GSM, seems like a more logical choice for me.

$45 is just too much, for a guy a who makes less than $25k a year IMO. The longest time I've ever been on the phone is to establish a claim with car insurance companies. Of course I wouldn't mind spending $80 for unlimited highspeed internet for my household, lol.

Are their any alternative/competitors to Airvoice's pay as you go plan?

To make up for the battery life, especially in situations when I go camping at sporting events, I don't mind buying a portable charger from, Anker, brand.


Last edited by k3n; Today at 10:34 PM.
Click to expand...
Consumer cellular..another one is H2O wireless....
 
k3n said:
Thanks for the response, but i'm unsure whether Consumer cellular includes Data/internet, for access to GPS maps, & news?
Click to expand...

if you have a Nokia Lumia the maps are usable without data or wifi....

Both of what I listed have data that can be included presently....
The wife and I are on a shared plan of 500 minutes a month - $30.00
For an extra $10 -- I can get 100mb of data....also they have lesser amounts...

Here are 2 links...voice plan and data plan --

https://www.consumercellular.com/Info/Plans

https://www.consumercellular.com/Info/Services

H2o -- https://www.h2owirelessnow.com/pageControl.php?page=planMonth

If I had to do it over again I would go with the $30.00 H2o plan!!
 
Why don't you call that number on the service form and ask them. I figure it's free, but call and ask, "there's no harm in asking."
 
Lol, I just found out Verizon were charging me 40 cents a minute, on my family's plan. I used less than 200 minutes, lol.
 
RossMAN said:
http://www.callingmart.com/products/Wireless/ProductDetail.aspx?ID=2&name=Airvoice-GSM-Refill
Click to expand...

Thank you for the quick response. this.

But, I was hoping to sign up for their $10 a month plan for 250 minutes & 500 texting with 7 cents per megabyte.

Is this that I should purchase THEN buy then get the $10 a month plan?

The important things is, I can't activate the sim card before porting the phone number.

And of course I'm hoping I get the pin number through the email?

Thanks for the helpful RossMan.
 
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Moto G. Lumia 521. Software keyboards aren't that bad... especially when you get used to predictions/swyping.
 
Chrono said:
Moto G. Lumia 521. Software keyboards aren't that bad... especially when you get used to predictions/swyping.
Click to expand...
I'm new to soft keyboards. I see people whaling away on them all the time, I should get some lessons. I'm getting better. I think I need a tutor! I haven't checked out the predictive text thing yet, nor voice recognition, so many fun things to do with it.
- - - -
I called Airvoice's number today and asked the CSR a bunch of questions. She said I couldn't use my Gophone SIM supplied with my new Nokia 520. When through talking to the CSR, I ordered a SIM from them online, $5 shipped. I figure I'll start on their cheapest plan, the $10 for 3 months. It has the same rates as the $10/month, it's just $10 for 3 months instead of $10 for a month, so you need to have about 1/3 the usage pattern for that. Will be just putting a toe in the water to start. There's no mention of rollovers, so I assume they don't do that. My pagepluscellular with Verizon for my flip phone does support rollover of unused minutes, but there's a minimum payment every 120 days.

I won't activate until I get the SIM. Those two cheap plans are 10 cents/minute, 10 cents/text, 6.6 cents/MB data. I asked the CSR if there was some way I could check out how much data I'd used up and how much allowance I have left. She said I couldn't find out online but I'd get regular texts from them and they wouldn't count against my allowance.

I asked another guy at the gym who his carrier is, and he gave the answer I always get -- Verizon. That's at least 6 Verizon, zero for all other carriers. It does not inspire. I don't know if Airvoice exclusively goes AT&T, so I said I needed that in my comments of my SIM order. The CSR told me I have to specify that I need a microSIM in the comments or they'd send me one of the big ones.

If I get a Moto G, I don't know if I could use my accumulated Verizon flip phone minutes. In a Moto G, I'd probably look to get the 16GB version. I don't know if it supports offline GPS, though, i figure not. This Nokia 520 seems so cool. The guy at the gym today has an iPhone and he said he needs a data connection for GPS.

I hope my AT&T coverage is reasonably acceptable. I've been carrying the 520 with me and checking the bars at various places. Dropped calls would be a bummer, of course. I can't remember getting that with my flip phone.
- - - -
What is hardest of all? That which seems most simple: to see with your eyes what is before your eyes. - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
 
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Okay, I contacted AirVoice customer support number & they transferred me to the sales department so I get my "refill pin" #, which cost 2.49 & I had to give them my credit card information over the phone.

It seems my moto g recognizes Airvoice, i.e., no longer saying "Emergency calls only".

Now how the hell do I view my phone number on this Moto G? I went to 'wireless setting' and there's nothing there.

Edit: I was able to make a call from home phone to the Moto g. Within 30 minutes of entering the information at the "port your number" page, I was up and running.
 
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k3n said:
Okay, I contacted AirVoice customer support number & they transferred me to the sales department ...

Edit: I was able to make a call from home phone to the Moto g. Within 30 minutes of entering the information at the "port your number" page, I was up and running.
Click to expand...

Are you on Verizon with this or AT&T? Airvoice does Verizon? 😕
 
AirVoice uses AT&T's cell towers.

Verizon phones use CDMA frequencies. The Moto G i got uses GSM frequency, with 850mhz (AT&T), and 1900mhz (T-Mobile & AT&T) bands.

BTW, the AirVoice $10 month policy for 250 minutes & 500 texts is misleading.

If you use up 250 texts then you only have 125 minutes of talking left.
 
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