If you’re looking for an ideal first phone for a child or a grandparent, you’ll find that the simple cell phones route is usually the best one to travel. That’s because these are no fuss phones that are easy for just about anyone to use. When you’re new to the medium you want to start out pretty small. Remember how confusing your first phone was? Took you a while to get the hang of didn’t it? Just imagine if you’d never used anything handheld and electronic before like a senior citizen. Adjusting to the concept can be hard, but simple cell phones make it really easy.
These are stripped down phones that feature only the types of abilities that a phone absolutely needs. That means instead of focusing on email, internet use, and other things that you don’t really need, these types of phones remain fantastic for just placing calls. After all, you are buying a phone in the first place, so sometimes having calling at the forefront of your feature set is a welcome refreshing change.
But of course, there are both pros and cons to buying simple cell phones, and here is what you need to know before you commit.
First up, the positives:
1) Basic cell phones are perfect for kids or the elderly.
Because these phones are so stripped down, and are literally just for calling, they are really ideal for those that have never had a phone, or would have trouble adjusting to the latest smart phone. They feature large and easy to read as well as manipulate buttons. Plus you can ensure a large readout for easy reading and dialing. This way, everything is designed to make calling about as easy as can possibly be expected when it comes to a mobile phone.
2) These types of phones are usually pretty cheap.
You know how that last great Smartphone cost you $400 to buy without a contract? Well that’s a problem that you don’t have to worry about when it comes to simple cell phones. These are made to be cheap, so that literally anyone can get them, so that it won’t be a pain financially when you choose to upgrade to a more advanced type of phone down the line, which so often happens.
3) Great selection of different types of phones.
Whether you’re after the classic Jitterbug, or even stripped down Disney phones, you can find those that are perfect for your audience. That means you can get a fun and Disney specific type of phone for your child, when you’re buying them their first bit of real responsibility. Or you can also go with the jitterbug if you’re buying for a more elderly audience. These types of basic cell phones are designed with senior citizens in mind, so it should make using them a breeze.
Of course, there are some negatives as well, due to the limitations that a basic cell phone is also going to feature:
1) The stripped down design can be a curse.
Because the design is so basic, you will find that some phones don’t include some pretty basic features that would make them so much easier to use. That can include volume buttons that are easy to access with the press of a button. With a lot of simple cell phones you actually have to go into a few menus to lower the sound volume, which sort of ruins the point of being able to take quick calls from anywhere.
2) They are only good for calling.
The biggest problem with basic cell phones is that they are just that. They are basic to a fault, because you’re going to find that they really are not able to do anything besides make calls. That means your phone is just not going to get the job done if you were looking for something that could text, check emails, or keep up with friends on social networking sites.
3) Not a good selection of top phone manufacturers.
If you’re a diehard fan of the phones that HTC produces, or even Apply, Samsung, etc, you’re going to be sorely disappointed when you’re after simple cell phones. You’ll find that there’s just nothing in the way of major brands, and usually the only places that you can find truly stripped down phones is going to be through specific designers like Jitterbug.