Bit the bullet. I got the old lady a "smartphone" for her birthday, which was yesterday. She had been wanting one for a couple of years. Peer pressure, I presume. After reading a number of reviews, and visiting several stores, I decided upon the Samsung Galaxy S6, GSM model, 32 GB. I found it to have a price ranging from $520 to about $700. I got it from new egg for $521.09. The tech review mags all come down to two, the Apple iPhone 6 and the Samsung Galaxy S6, both of which have a msrp of just under 700 dollars, but can be bought more cheaply on line. I played around with both of them for a while at the mall before deciding that the Samsung just felt better in the hand.
We went to the AT&T kiosk in the mall today and they took the chip out of her "feature phone" and installed it in the new Samsung and we changed plans. It took all of about ten minutes, and most of that was taken up by our asking questions regarding the use of the phone. Overall, I was really impressed with how quick it was to change plans, and the low cost of the new plan. She gets 3GB data--I have no practical idea how much we really need, but we can change, cancel, or upgrade at any time because there's no contract--on a 4G LTE network (whatever that is), and unlimited text and calling for about $42 dollars per month plus tax.
I'm sticking with my trusty 4-year-old Motorola "flip phone" despite pressure from all quarters to upgrade. My phone plan, which also apparently includes unlimited calling text, will remain about 29 per month, so our total bill should be about $71 per month for both phone lines, unless she goes over. Right now our fourth-grader is teaching us how to use the new phone.
Actually, if this one turns out to be the best thing since sliced bread, I may get a smartphone at some future date, although I'll have to pick a different color to tell them apart. Being as how I've already discovered that microwaveable, pre-made tortillas are the best thing since sliced bread, I'm not holding my breath.
Would vote "bought it outright" in a new thread, given recent events. Just wanted to share.
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