[FLIP] The Rise of Anti-Smartphones

I can't find a Flip Phone without a browser (usually built with JAVA) & WiFi & Bluetooth. I've had some odd behavior on my smartphone that numerous calls to many tech supports can't figure out; it seems to be something beyond the phone itself; perhaps the actual phone #. If it's some sophisticated malware, I don't want MY phone to suddenly turn on WiFi and/or Bluetooth in a crowd and infect those around me -- or for MY phone to infect a polling location or medical office.

But it seems like the flip-phones of the past 10-15 years are the telephony equivalent of smart TVs and printers -- too dumb to protect themselves against malware, but smart enough, after a rogue update, to become spyware or vectors of malware.

Your article doesn't specify if there are any phones with NOTHING beyond talk/text & headset-jack.

My old Motorola flip phone (TracFone) was getting slow so i tried to get a new battery from Motorola but they were out of stock. Then i got an email from TracFone that the 2G cannot be used in my area any longer. They sent me a 3G LG flip phone for free. When i looked the phone up i saw that Walmart sold it for $5.99. I said to myself "how can TracFone send me such a cheap phone?" I like the phone, the screen is easy to read, it tells you all the information you need to know about the phone at the touch of a button. Everything is very clear, fast and simple.

And you can call it a "communicator"

I have the ultimate no frills phone. The SpareOne by AT&T. It cost $50 and then you pay $25 (120 minutes) for a YEAR. You can get an add'l 100 minutes for $10. I wanted a cell phone for emergencies -- to carry in my car in case I break down or get lost. It has a flashlight which can send out an SOS in Morse Code. It has the 911 emergency number programmed in as well as an opportunity to set it up to make calls to friends when the emergency button is pressed. And you don't have to worry about recharging the battery because it runs on 2 double A batteries. Works for me. Oh, and I went to the local AT&T store to register it (pay my $25) and they helped me set it up.

Just a bit of an fyi for mmcquownm - the "obamaphone" should actually be called the "reaganphone" as he was the one who started the program. No insult intended, it's just a bit frustrating when people use that term and don't know the real story behind it and too many don't want to because it'll mess up their hate of President Obama.

My $0.01, all done, no more.

Thanks!

@Michael >> "...And believe it or not, there are a few telecommunications experts insist that the Obama Phone program began all the way back in the early 20th century during the Woodrow Wilson administration." From

Q. >> What brand of phone did Hillary Clinton make famous? No cheating!

The small size might be nice, for $100.
But I got a phone for $20, an Alcatel phone, with touch screen, voice to text, internet and all the features of an iPhone and with excellent coverage from Straight Talk. The only difference is that the camera is not as fancy.

Push buttons are nice, but no good for typing words. The big screen area for phone numbers on my touch screen works well for me. The tiny space for typing words on the screen, that is more challenging. Getting voice to text to be more accurate, that would be the real advance.

Sorry the person who used the FCC phone (called Obama phones because the program shifted from land lines to cell phones during his administration, nothing to do with him personally). My friends who get those phones, they just request another phone, one that does work. Or ask for assistance. That program is truly fantastic, though the details of it vary by state. In California, they hand out touch screen phones that take text messages & calls. What is limited is the minutes on the phone.

Commenter "Nancy" has it correct. Services using AT&T will no longer support the 2G, therefore the efficient flip phones will no longer work as of December 31, 2016. We were notified by PureTalkUSA, an MVNO of AT&T that consumers using the 2Gs will have to use a newer phone. That is both bad and good news for some. I still keep a quad band flip phone for international travel as an "emergency" phone using a foreign SIM. I love flip phones too!

I think the comment by jphuf should be removed.

Jphuf wrote, "The remark posted by mmcquuownm (I ordered an "Obamaphone") is inappropriate for this website, comments like that, I can get on Fox News, if I were that stupid. It should be removed, although, it should not have been allowed to be posted."

That's an interesting perspective, Jphuf. For myself, I prefer not to have someone else decide what I may and may not read.

We're losing a lot of our freedoms in this country, it seems to me, but one that remains so far is our freedom to speak our mind (in most places) without censorship.

Just as mmcquuownm has the right to say what he chooses here, within the bounds of good taste, freedom from slander, and common sense, you have the right to read, comment on, or ignore what he said.

Please, Mr. Rankin, don't succumb to those who are uncomfortable hearing ideas they disagree with and want them eliminated from public discourse. There are many governments in the world that do that for for their citizens. Fortunately, at least for now, the U.S. is not one of them (except on those college campuses where "soft" millennials can't bear to consider opposing ideas and actually think for themselves).

A smart phone is an ergonomic nightmare, ever worse than a tablet or laptop computer. The keys are too small for typing. Holding the phone high enough for you to see the screen stresses your shoulders and neck. Besides, do you really need to play games or surf the internet while you are at work or school?

I use a small cell phone, just a little larger than a flip phone, that has a slide-out keyboard for texting. Everything I do on the internet is from a desk top computer with a full-size keyboard and a full-size display.

And for those of us who remember (and used) both rotary dial 'phones and central live operators ... As with much of technology, many of those terms are remnants of those systems. A bit like a "carbon copy" of an email. ;>}

On the serious side, we have a flip 'phone, with the text feature disabled, and a landline. Don't miss a "smart phone" at all.

My wife has a flip phone and loves it. But she's also glad she can ask me to find travel routes, traffic info, weather, pay for Starbucks, get Yelp reviews of restaurants, check Red Sox scores, and check our bank balance on my Nexus 5 smartphone.

I can't believe it!! I'm finally up-to-date with something!! All I've ever owed are 'dumb' phones with a pay-as-you-go usage rate. Thanks to Trackphone, the phone cost $20 a few years ago, and it costs about $6/month for about an hour of talk time. It's all I need to call anybody I want whenever I want. It's crazy how some people pay a small fortune to do that.

just a little levity:

The POP sensation's name is spelled: R-i-h-a-n-n-a

LOL!

YES! I have a smart phone but I longed to get my hard flip-phone back . . . Thanks for the reminder, Mr. Rankin!

We Love You here in Brooklyn, New York!

i

A lot of people seem to miss the big point... these smaller phones (and flip-phones) can be carried around your neck on a lanyard, so you don't have to worry about stuffing them into (or them falling out of!) a pocket.

Like several other commenters, I used to have a small LG phone from Net10, and they replaced that with a LG flip phone (that still will work with my lanyard). I pay $100 for 1500 minutes every six months, and those minutes roll over (I have 3810 minutes presently, and am about to add 1500 more since I've only got 7 days left...).

And, yes, the battery lasts nearly a week between charges.

(Will my old Net10 2G phone work on T-Mobile's 2G network, or are they retiring that 2G network too?)

My boss supplied us with smartphones; balky, unwieldy, too much crap I don't need. Use my flip phone instead-sturdy, push a button, get it done, texts IF I HAVE TO. Plus, he can't find me w/out the GPS.

I'm still a fan of the simplicity and durability of "old fashioned" flip phones. About the only reason I recently "upgraded" to a smart phone was, as mentioned above, the fact that the older 2G service is being phased out, and that I work for a number of event management companies at trade shows and conventions, and the program guides are all done by apps (eventbase, guidebook) rather than a printed program book. Smart phone becoming a necessity.

And to enter the fray: the so called Obamaphone is probably in reference to the SafeLink program (part of TracFone by the way), part of a govenment supported Lifeline program. It provides phone service to those with limited incomes and is actually cheaper than providing landline service. And no, they aren't Galaxy 7s or something, but the ones I've seen are often the older 2G style phone-calls-only phones, not smartphones. Although you can now get a free refurb smartphone from TracFone (see website). And yes, the last time I looked flip phones were still available on same TracFone website.

Really glad to see this article for I have been so mad about not being able to get a decent basic flip phone. I am with Cricket and the last two basic phones they offered were junk; very poor battery life and poor reception. How can cell phone companies think that everyone needs a smart phone?
Internet and email I prefer to do on my laptop. Navigating through all the icons on a smart phone is a hassle. And it is easier to type a text message on a flip phone than the touch key pad on a smart phone. Give me talk, text and decent camera and good battery life.
Thank you