advice needed on smart phone

[swaythling5]

want to now get a smart phone to access internet when travelling in Europe and uk have never owned one what do people recommend

[tonyg3nwl]

Hi, personal recommendation, dont bother.just get a very simple payg phone, and forget fancy internet rubbish.Internet and data costs for roaming run away and bills on contract phones can be frightening, particularly when you get back home

Use the phone as emergency use only, and forget the worlds troubles whilst away on holiday.Leave the number with a relative or friend for emergency use only.

 

Tonyg3nwl

 

 

[ips]

Samsung galaxy or galaxy mini are very good cheaper and apparently better than i phone but as has been said above be careful of high charges abroad.

[Billggski]

Join the gang parked at Macdonalds' free wi fi on any phone or tablet.

If you really must.

 

[Guest JudgeMental]

europe a BIG place....if you buy a dual SIM phone and get a local SIM its a cheap way of getting online and staying in touch...most countries with the exception of france (dont do france as to wet and cold) this is cheap and easy..As others have said forget about roaming on a UK contract! 8-)

 

I like the new Acer liquid S2 due out this month..or Samsung's good, but premium price for most models

 

http://www.androidcentral.com/hands-6-inch-acer-liquid-s2

[Guest Had Enough]

Despite what at least one person says some of us do need and want to stay connected when in Europe.

 

Here's what I do.

 

I use a good smart phone (Samsung S3) and with my service provider (T-Mobile) I can get 50 MB of data for £10. I turn off data transmission just in case it tries to update apps etc and turn it on when I want to send or check my email. Just using the phone for email the 50 MB lasts a month. Not bad for a tenner.

 

Next I carry a laptop. I see no point in having a netbook or a tablet. Space is no problem in a motorhome so why not have the convenience of a decent sized screen and keyboard?

 

If we're on a site with wi-fi or outside any establishment offering free wi-fi, and there are many, I access the web and send mail using the laptop. Much nicer than fiddling with a relatively tiny smart phone.

 

I also use a wi-fi booster for the laptop, something you can't do with a phone or tablet and pick up wi-fi from a goodly distance away. Useful outside retail establishments or on sites where the wi-fi has limited coverage.

 

Smart phones are brilliant but as others have said, be very careful about data prices in Europe. Call costs aren't too bad now, and texts are very cheap.

 

 

 

 

[Patricia]

I use a Samsung S2 which I find very good as it picks up wifi signals quickly and easily. I tested it recently in a McD in France against a Nokia and it signed on to the wifi without any problems whereas the Nokia (with a French SIM in it) took longer. The Samsung has a good sized screen too.

 

O2 charge £1.99 a day for a limited amount of mbs (midnight to midnight). I can't remember how many but I ran out because my French Orange SIM (which I normally use as I get 100mb month as part of the house wifi system) was not working correctly. Fortunately, I have now sorted out this problem.

 

3 charge more but if you are visiting one of 7 countries offered you get the same number of minutes and data etc. as you get at home. Unfortunately, France and Spain are not listed but Italy and Ireland are.

 

I have just bought a French SIM for phone calls to French mobiles with some data attached from Leclerc for 1.50€ per month. Calls are only 0.09€ so useful if you break down. I paid 9.95€ which includes 5€ credit which has no time limit (but the 1.50€ will be deducted each month). Any credit put on the phone is carried over and the number will be valid for a year. It operates on the SFR network.

 

I used to use Orange Mobicarte but credit is only viable for a very short time (5€ lasts a week only) and you lose the number quite quickly if you do not keep topping it up.

[peterjl]

Had Enough - 2013-10-15 9:23 PM

 

Despite what at least one person says some of us do need and want to stay connected when in Europe.

 

Here's what I do.

 

I use a good smart phone (Samsung S3) and with my service provider (T-Mobile) I can get 50 MB of data for £10. I turn off data transmission just in case it tries to update apps etc and turn it on when I want to send or check my email. Just using the phone for email the 50 MB lasts a month. Not bad for a tenner.

 

Next I carry a laptop. I see no point in having a netbook or a tablet. Space is no problem in a motorhome so why not have the convenience of a decent sized screen and keyboard?

 

If we're on a site with wi-fi or outside any establishment offering free wi-fi, and there are many, I access the web and send mail using the laptop. Much nicer than fiddling with a relatively tiny smart phone.

 

I also use a wi-fi booster for the laptop, something you can't do with a phone or tablet and pick up wi-fi from a goodly distance away. Useful outside retail establishments or on sites where the wi-fi has limited coverage.

 

Smart phones are brilliant but as others have said, be very careful about data prices in Europe. Call costs aren't too bad now, and texts are very cheap

 

Hi

 

I agree with most of the above except you can use a wifi booster with a tablet, it works a treat. (That being said i also carry a small laptop for backing up pictures but it doesn't get switched on that often)

Tablets are also easy to take into towns to get free wifi.

 

I noticed on our trip through scandinavia we had free wifi at most sites + more and more sites in france/germany have free wifi. If no free wifi i never pay, just walk into town.

 

Even in the UK free wifi is earsier to get, Barclays, John Lewis, M&S all have free wifi + more cafe's and restaurants have wifi.

 

If you do not want to pay apple prices for a tablet the Nexus is good (we have one as well as an ipad) and the tesco offereing looks a good price.

 

I have used DATA on my Iphone when abroad but rarely and selectively for a specific purpose - free wifi is the way forward.

 

Good Luck

 

peter

[Frankkia]

You don't have to spend a fortune on the big brand 'phones. I bought a Star N9500 from flea bay for much less than the big brands. It has a 5" screen so not too bad a size for a bit of browsing but it is much more.

 

It has 2 SIM slots - 1 for the UK SIM and 1 for a data (both can be used for voice if you want one for UK and one for the country you are in).

 

A 32gb memory card slot so you take a fair bit of data with you.

 

A 12 meg pixel camera.

 

It can be used as a Mifi so will wirelessly connect other gear (laptop, tablet etc).

 

It has GPS so with the good and free navigation app and mapping available for the included Android 4.2.2 operating system it becomes a portable sat Nav.

 

With this 'phone I use a "Europa SIM" which for 3 Euro per day, anywhere in Europe, gives a great data connection with "unlimited" data - at 500mb it slows down dramatically but yes that is 500 meg. Yes you can buy local SIMs which would be cheaper but if you intend to travel in a few countries you may not wish to end up with several on the go.

[Guest 1footinthegrave]

I'm not sure what the bloke above is talking about, most satnavs on smart phones that I've come across rely on expensive data connections abroad.

 

If you just want to access email get a cheapo 3g connection pay as you go phone,or for some internet my old Nokia N73 is perfect for the job ( plenty on Ebay ) with a pay as you go sim from the 3 network, my hugely expensive Motorola Razr i smartphone went on Ebay, as once out of the UK the cost of using it on any network was a joke

[Frankkia]

The bloke above was saying that the mobile he has is equipped with GPS (not AGPS) which means that with the "navigator" app, which is free and the maps which are also free to download and use, the phone becomes a fully functioning sat nav. Better still it is free of roaming charges.

 

[colin]

1footinthegrave - 2013-10-16 9:18 PM

 

I'm not sure what the bloke above is talking about, most satnavs on smart phones that I've come across rely on expensive data connections abroad.

 

Nokia mobiles can have their proprietary maps downloaded via t'internet prior to trip.

Android phones can use CoPilot and similarly be downloaded before trip

[Guest 1footinthegrave]

colin - 2013-10-16 9:52 PM

 

1footinthegrave - 2013-10-16 9:18 PM

 

I'm not sure what the bloke above is talking about, most satnavs on smart phones that I've come across rely on expensive data connections abroad.

 

Nokia mobiles can have their proprietary maps downloaded via t'internet prior to trip.

Android phones can use CoPilot and similarly be downloaded before trip

 

When I looked at that option the European maps were about £35, didn't bother as I have a dedicated satnav, was I missing something, as it also said the app was chargeable after 14 days and additional maps would be chargeable as well ? or is there something called a free lunch after all

 

Anyway the bloke wants affordable internet access with his smartphone so perhaps he too has satnav, the problem I found with my Motorola Razr i smartphone was it downloaded background data, and used up all my credit constantly by not doing much of any help to me.

[Guest Had Enough]

1footinthegrave - 2013-10-16 9:18 PM

 

I'm not sure what the bloke above is talking about, most satnavs on smart phones that I've come across rely on expensive data connections abroad.

 

 

No they don't. Google Maps for instance does require a data connection but proper dedicated smart phone sat-nav applications such as Co-Pilot Live do not. You download the maps you want, which may be all of Europe or just specific countries and it then works like any normal sat-nav, which only needs a GPS connection, which is free.

 

I should know, I've been using one all over Europe for two years and it hasn't cost me a penny in data charges, in fact I switch off all data connection. On my Galaxy S3 it's as good if not better than many stand alone sat-navs.

[Guest 1footinthegrave]

I think I've covered that and of course I realise the GPS finder does not incur costs, but data charges for some satnav apps is prohibitive, or £30 for Co-Pilot Europe maps as featured in the play store means they are not free, nor are others that some may want, again unless I'm missing something, I did use one ap that was free, but that only allowed a free download of a specific pre planned trip, which for many is useless.

 

Please lets have some specific information if others have it to these free aps and full and free European satnav maps, that would be very useful, as would an answer to the OPs question, how to use a smartphone in Europe at reasonable cost. As I said it don't matter to me, mine went on Ebay.simply because I couldn't find a way, but then I may be thick, I've stuck with my Satnav on a much bigger screen, with full European maps of fleabay for £40, and a cheapo Nokia for email that costs pennies on payasyougo to access on the move ;-)

 

Isn't part of the problem with smart phones is there updating in the background all the apps, that for the novice is a real pain, and costs a bundle in data charges when over the water.

 

It's a bloody minefield to the average bloke, phones locked to a Network, so buying a sim in Europe is a non starter, phones on contract, again locked in and with big charges if they are not savvy, oh well, god knows how we all survived before the internet eh.

[Guest JudgeMental]

buying a SIM in europe a non starter? phones locked? What planet are you on!lol..could not be easier, with the exception of france which we have no interest in anyway..even flying you can buy a SIM at most airports on arrival....getting a phone unlocked likewise.

[colin]

1footinthegrave - 2013-10-17 12:25 AM

 

Please lets have some specific information if others have it to these free aps and full and free European satnav maps, that would be very useful,.

 

As I posted above, Nokia maps is free (well included in the cost of the phone) and I've used it worldwide with no data costs.

There are apps which can be used for controlling data connections, but not having an Android phone I have only a passing interest.

 

I would point out that the OP asks about Europe and UK use, so no need to get totaly fixated on Europe.

 

TO OP

My suggestion is to list the things you think are must have and then see what suits, I will soon be updating my phone, My must have criteria are screen big enough to be able to read webpages with ease, sat nav with worldwide free usage, and a camera/video that is good enough to not want to carry a separate item. I've pretty much settled on a Nokia Lumia 1020.

 

 

[Guest 1footinthegrave]

JudgeMental - 2013-10-17 5:05 AM

 

buying a SIM in europe a non starter? phones locked? What planet are you on!lol..could not be easier, with the exception of france which we have no interest in anyway..even flying you can buy a SIM at most airports on arrival....getting a phone unlocked likewise.

 

Well given I guess the vast majority go to France, most not much further than Normandy admittedly it is a pain, and of course unless I'm mistaken, once you've stuck the other sim in no one can contact you, hardly ideal is it ?

 

 

[Guest Had Enough]

1footinthegrave - 2013-10-17 12:25 AM

 

I think I've covered that and of course I realise the GPS finder does not incur costs, but data charges for some satnav apps is prohibitive, or £30 for Co-Pilot Europe maps as featured in the play store means they are not free, nor are others that some may want, again unless I'm missing something, I did use one ap that was free, but that only allowed a free download of a specific pre planned trip, which for many is useless.

 

Please lets have some specific information if others have it to these free aps and full and free European satnav maps, that would be very useful, as would an answer to the OPs question, how to use a smartphone in Europe at reasonable cost. As I said it don't matter to me, mine went on Ebay.simply because I couldn't find a way, but then I may be thick, I've stuck with my Satnav on a much bigger screen, with full European maps of fleabay for £40, and a cheapo Nokia for email that costs pennies on payasyougo to access on the move ;-)

 

Isn't part of the problem with smart phones is there updating in the background all the apps, that for the novice is a real pain, and costs a bundle in data charges when over the water.

 

It's a bloody minefield to the average bloke, phones locked to a Network, so buying a sim in Europe is a non starter, phones on contract, again locked in and with big charges if they are not savvy, oh well, god knows how we all survived before the internet eh.

 

If you have a decent smart phone with a largish screen and are in need of a sat-nav you have two choices. Buy a stand-alone sat-nav for three figures or spend thirty quid on Co-Pilot European maps (including UK). Co-Pilot is a superb application and as good as any Tom Tom etc.

 

Bit of a no brainer really.

 

Apps do update automatically, if you give them permission to do so. However, all smart phones have a setting -'Update on wi-fi only' so there are never any data costs for updating.

 

If people go abroad without having the commonsense to check up on their settings or neglect to switch off data transmission ( a five-send operation) then that's their problem. It's no different from ensuring that our tyres aren't worn out or that we have oil in the engine. We have a responsibility to behave intelligently and sensibly.

 

As for the minefield of choice, how did you go about buying a motorhome, or your latest TV? You do a bit of research, which has never been easier with the miracle of the Internet!

 

Personally, I'm all for more choices for everything than fewer. Competition is what drives down prices and innovates products. Without it we'd all be driving Trabants.

 

 

 

[Guest Had Enough]

1footinthegrave - 2013-10-17 10:02 AM

 

JudgeMental - 2013-10-17 5:05 AM

 

buying a SIM in europe a non starter? phones locked? What planet are you on!lol..could not be easier, with the exception of france which we have no interest in anyway..even flying you can buy a SIM at most airports on arrival....getting a phone unlocked likewise.

 

Well given I guess the vast majority go to France, most not much further than Normandy admittedly it is a pain, and of course unless I'm mistaken, once you've stuck the other sim in no one can contact you, hardly ideal is it ?

 

 

You must let me know where you get these pills that make you so positive about everything One Foot. ;-)

 

When I go to EU Europe I don't bother with other sims. Texts cost peanuts, phone calls are now lower than ever and I switch off my data transmission and only turn it on when there's free wi-fi.

 

As it happens my supplier gives me 50 Meg of data for a tenner so I can actually send and receive emails for a month as emails use hardly any data. It really is incredibly simple!

 

I can keep in touch by email, I send texts to my daughter and my office and occasionally make a phone call. What's the problem?

 

 

[Guest 1footinthegrave]

Had Enough - 2013-10-17 11:28 AM

 

1footinthegrave - 2013-10-17 10:02 AM

 

JudgeMental - 2013-10-17 5:05 AM

 

buying a SIM in europe a non starter? phones locked? What planet are you on!lol..could not be easier, with the exception of france which we have no interest in anyway..even flying you can buy a SIM at most airports on arrival....getting a phone unlocked likewise.

 

Well given I guess the vast majority go to France, most not much further than Normandy admittedly it is a pain, and of course unless I'm mistaken, once you've stuck the other sim in no one can contact you, hardly ideal is it ?

 

 

You must let me know where you get these pills that make you so positive about everything One Foot. ;-)

 

When I go to EU Europe I don't bother with other sims. Texts cost peanuts, phone calls are now lower than ever and I switch off my data transmission and only turn it on when there's free wi-fi.

 

As it happens my supplier gives me 50 Meg of data for a tenner so I can actually send and receive emails for a month as emails use hardly any data. It really is incredibly simple!

 

I can keep in touch by email, I send texts to my daughter and my office and occasionally make a phone call. What's the problem?

 

 

If its that simple perhaps omeone could answer the OPs question fully, he wants to know how to use the internet on a smartphone he's proposing to buy, I guess without it costing him an arm and a leg to do it. As for free wi-fi apart from a couple of sites we stopped at and McDonalds in France it was a bit thin on the ground IME, the smart phone I had could easily use up 50 mb in a very short space of time, just downloading background data, yes I know you can switch that off, but like I said not everyone is up to speed with the implications of smartphones when used out of the UK, lets just try and help the guy rather than saying how simple it all is, like most things it's simple if you know how, he apparently doesn't, nor do I based on my experience with an android phone, my symbian based Nokia avoids all the pitfalls of android.

[Patricia]

 

Today at 12:20 PM

 

If he still has a phone capable of receiving data, he could go down the road I outline above with a SIM from Leclerc for a long stay. For a short stay he could pm me I will see if an Orange Let's Go is possible for him as he may have to have a French address. For €20 he can get online for 3 weeks but I am off out now so no time to look up details. Re locked phones it is easy to get unlocked as lots of websites do it immediately for little or no cost.

Re Nokia phones, which I always had before my Samsung S2, are in for big changes.

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest Had Enough]

peterjl - 2013-10-16 10:26 AM

 

 

I agree with most of the above except you can use a wifi booster with a tablet, it works a treat. (That being said i also carry a small laptop for backing up pictures but it doesn't get switched on that often)

Tablets are also easy to take into towns to get free wifi.

 

peter

 

I'm considering buying a Google Nexus 10" tablet when the new model comes out in a few days. With this in mind I have researched the tablet/booster problem, both with a booster manufacturer and with experts on an Android forum that I frequent.

 

My research tells me that the upshot is that you cannot use a conventional wi-fi booster on any of these Android/iPad tablets. There are two main reasons, one being the relatively large power drain used by many boosters. This is up to 5 volts and whilst that's not a problem for a laptop it would drain a tablet so much that it wouldn't operate properly.

 

The second is that. unlike Windows for instance. the basic Android platform does not allow the necessary drivers to be used.

 

However, one can buy a booster which works by creating its own wi-fi zone, into which any device that has wi-fi can link, be it a laptop, smartphone or tablet.

 

The problem with these is two-fold, the first being the expense and the second being the relatively complex setting up, a pain if you've just stopped for a couple of minutes on a retail park to use the free wi-fi offered by various supermarkets and other establishments. They are not exactly 'plug and play' like a 'normal' usb booster.

 

The cost of this kind of kit can be from £110 to £200. I have two usb boosters for my laptop. The first is a small one with a three-inch aerial and it plugs into my laptop's usb socket and cost a tenner! It greatly increases the sensitivity and is often all that I need.

 

If this doesn't work I bring out the big gun that I got from Faculty-X. This is about 18 inches high and is waterproof. I attach it on the outside of the 'van with a very secure suction pad and it has a long lead that again, plugs into a usb socket.

 

I can buy the wi-fi-zone creator, for want of a better word, that will enable me to set up a wi-fi zone that a tablet can log into but it's another £60 and, as I said, is a long way from being plug and play!

 

I'm interested to know what system you use, as I simply cannot find any way of using a reasonably priced aerial usb booster on a tablet. Do you have one of these set-ups that creates a wi-fi zone?

 

I'm hoping that you can tell me something I don't know here, as the lack of a usb booster is all that's stopping me from buying the tablet of my choice and sticking with a laptop.

 

Thanks.

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest 1footinthegrave]

I'm a gadget man, got a Blackberry playbook, ( currently up for sale ) had a Motorola razr i smartphone, all a pain in the arse ,can't be doing with those onscreen keyboards for one, so I've just bought a Samsung series 3 wifi Chromebook, does everything I want internet wise, and to be honest I don't understand the preoccupation people have with tablets. Maybe worth a look for you as well as it may well be able to achieve what you want, but I'm no expert ;-)

[Guest Had Enough]

1footinthegrave - 2013-10-22 12:43 PM

 

I'm a gadget man, got a Blackberry playbook, ( currently up for sale ) had a Motorola razr i smartphone, all a pain in the arse ,can't be doing with those onscreen keyboards for one, so I've just bought a Samsung series 3 wifi Chromebook, does everything I want internet wise, and to be honest I don't understand the preoccupation people have with tablets. Maybe worth a look for you as well as it may well be able to achieve what you want, but I'm no expert ;-)

 

Perhaps you could tell me how to migrate all the Android applications that I currently use, some of which are vital to me, onto a Chromebook? There is currently no synergy between Chromebooks and Android.

 

As you state, you're no expert, which is perhaps the reason that you don't understand those who prefer a tablet? Apart from which the tablet is simply a very convenient adjunct to a laptop and a smartphone. I will have occasions when either one will be preferable to use.