[kacir]

Originally Posted by gmw

You don't mention where your corner of the world is. In my corner the only service (realistically) available is the Telstra "NextG" service for which telephone selections (that are recommended for remote regions) have been very limited. (The selection has expanded slightly in the years since I got the phone we are currently using.)

Europe.
Recently we have one fantastic provider called O2.
You buy your own phone beforehead. If you do not have money, they can make 1 year contract and you pay phone in 12 installments. Recently they have only one "plan" available, called Zero prepaid minutes, fair, flat constant rate regardless of where or when you call or whom you call, Zero monthly pay (if you do not call, obviously). You ONLY pay for minutes you actually use. You go for holiday for one month, you pay ... zero for that month. If you anticipate that you might want to call a lot in the next 30 days, you can activate "plan" - buy calling minutes wholesale. Just send an SMS, and they charge you some sum and ... voila ... here are your "free" minutes to spend. You spend that in 10 days, OK, send another activating SMS. Simple.

Even with the much less fair providers, you can purchase your own (unlocked) phone in supermarket and buy a service (and get a SIM for phone). They DO try very hard to persuade you to buy LOTS of prepaid minutes, they offer great phones in seemingly very attractive "plan packages" if you sign contract for 2 years ...

Originally Posted by gmw

However I wonder if your post was intended to be amusing, that only seniors could want just-a-telephone.

No. It was't intended to make fun of seniors.
LOTS of people of all age groups buy such phones, and lots of seniors are fond of their touch-screen gizmos.
But they *are* called phones for seniors. Officially.

I was trying to point you to somewhere where you could find your desired phone. I have used a very simple Nokia 3210 for many, many years. Then I caved in and got a phone with camera in a "too good to pass up" deal. It is great to have camera with you, you can snap picture of a connector you are just about to take apart, or make a photo of specs sheet you are too lazy to write on a piece of paper (that would get lost anyway ;-) )

Originally Posted by gmw

... that dedicated ereaders are probably doomed - regardless of those that may want just-a-reader - because eventually simple/dedicated readers wont be available.

Yes, they ARE doomed. Even now, all "better" models have at least a browser and mp3 player integrated, making them, (at least technically, at the moment) a combination of reader AND primitive browsing machine AND an mp3 player. Virtually nobody buys them primarily for browsing or mp3 functionality... yet.

I am not looking forward to time when you will HAVE to buy universal device - with some inevitable compromises to book-reading function. I am not against more functionality, for the same price, I just do not want to compromise the primary function ...