Want a boring phone

**SimonMac** · 28 July 2015, 08:31

I have a Nokia Lumia 435, ticks all the boxes you say, and I have one for the exact same reason you want, main use is PAYG sim card that I give to pimps and throw away when I get a contract.

**expat** · 28 July 2015, 08:49

Originally posted by SimonMac View Post

I have a Nokia Lumia 435, ticks all the boxes you say, and I have one for the exact same reason you want, main use is PAYG sim card that I give to pimps and throw away when I get a contract.

Thanks, I'll have a look at that. I confess that I assumed I was NOT looking at a smartphone because I didn't think that it would get the 5-day+ standby that I am looking for.

**Scrag Meister** · 28 July 2015, 09:15

Nokia 6310i, from many moons ago, had a 14 day stand by.

Ignore that no USB. Sorry

**expat** · 28 July 2015, 09:24

Originally posted by Scrag Meister View Post

Nokia 6310i, from many moons ago, had a 14 day stand by.

Ignore that no USB. Sorry

Thanks for the thought anyway. Yeah it seems to be common still, that the simplest/cheapest phones have a proprietary charger connection. A Nokia wouldn't be a bad idea, you can probably get a replacement charger cable anywhere in the world if need be, and it is only 1 little extra cable to carry around. But the "if I get my druthers" wish is for no extra cable. Or an iphone that takes 2 SIMs with both active!

**Contreras** · 28 July 2015, 13:53

Originally posted by expat View Post

Examples of need:
1. An agent calls. I can't tell them all in advance to hang on 45 seconds. Maybe I could just set a message saying please call my Skype Number.
2. The bank wants to confirm a transaction before allowing it, so they send an SMS.

I can forward calls to a Skype Number and on from there to my main phone, but that takes 35 seconds or more to transfer and some callers hang up before then.
I don't know a way of forwarding SMS to another phone, without having a device + app running back home.

Maybe you really want a dual-SIM smart phone?

If you still want a non-smart phone then look at dual-SIM anyway because they tend to have a higher battery capacity. Beware the quoted standby times are fanciful. Nokia 112 works for me, single charge per week for light to moderate use.

**expat** · 28 July 2015, 14:56

Originally posted by Contreras View Post

Maybe you really want a dual-SIM smart phone?

If you still want a non-smart phone then look at dual-SIM anyway because they tend to have a higher battery capacity. Beware the quoted standby times are fanciful. Nokia 112 works for me, single charge per week for light to moderate use.

Good point about the dual-sim phone.

The main phone will remain an iphone and somehow I don't see dual-SIM iphones soon.

I might have to step back and do social engineering instead:
1. Get a VOIP service and redirect it to my main phone wherever I am. I already do that with a Skype Number but Skype's 35 second delay in call divert is just too much.
2. Tell everybody I know not to text me any more except by arrangement or in reply to a text from me.
3. If my bank declines a transaction, I call them to check it.

**Contreras** · 28 July 2015, 15:59

Originally posted by expat View Post

Good point about the dual-sim phone.

The main phone will remain an iphone and somehow I don't see dual-SIM iphones soon.

I might have to step back and do social engineering instead:
1. Get a VOIP service and redirect it to my main phone wherever I am. I already do that with a Skype Number but Skype's 35 second delay in call divert is just too much.
2. Tell everybody I know not to text me any more except by arrangement or in reply to a text from me.
3. If my bank declines a transaction, I call them to check it.

Yep, 'proper' VoIP is way better than Skype in my experience. I ditched skype for anything other than basic skype-to-skype due to unreliable Caller ID (incoming & outgoing), call routing, and general call quality, not to mention it is relatively expensive. Been a happy customer of Voipfone since.

But I think what you are asking for above (1) could be done with an 0845 number. For that I use TTNC. I see that they, and others, also do geographical numbers. From August it's free to forward to any UK mobile.

**expat** · 28 July 2015, 16:15

Originally posted by Contreras View Post

Yep, 'proper' VoIP is way better than Skype in my experience. I ditched skype for anything other than basic skype-to-skype due to unreliable Caller ID (incoming & outgoing), call routing, and general call quality, not to mention it is relatively expensive. Been a happy customer of Voipfone since.

But I think what you are asking for above (1) could be done with an 0845 number. For that I use TTNC. I see that they, and others, also do geographical numbers. From August it's free to forward to any UK mobile.

Yes, a basic VOIP service is actually cheaper than a Skype Number. I get few calls so the forwarding cost is not a big deal.

**Contreras** · 28 July 2015, 16:35

Originally posted by expat View Post

Yes, a basic VOIP service is actually cheaper than a Skype Number. I get few calls so the forwarding cost is not a big deal.

I meant the ongoing subscription cost ~£40 pa. for skype number vs £0 for the 0845/VoIP. It would be OK if the service performed but so often it didn't.

Want a boring phone