Inexpensive unlocked android smartphone

[GA Russell]

I am thinking about purchasing an inexpensive unlocked android smartphone to use with the new magicJack android app.

I will not be subscribing to a traditional wireless phone service.

Can anyone recommend a smartphone that fits the bill?

[ngrant]

LG Optimus Zone Android 2.3.6 4GB 3.2" smartphone - Verizon & Page Plus

I use this phone on WiFi and it's just fine for the price. Takes Micro SD cards and runs Google Play Store. I also have it on Pay-As-You-Go PagePlus Cellular, which costs me $10 every 120 days - total $30 per year for 400 minutes, or you can use the "minutes" as 3G data in an emergency. Verizon's network is very good in most parts of the USA.

The Android version is older, only 2.3 and not upgradeable but if it can run the Apps you need, why pay more?

This website nomorerack.com has newer refurb Android phones as well as iPhones. Great customer service and easy returns if the item is defective or not to your satisfaction. I got a 16GB iPhone 4 (Verizon) there for $149 which is still going strong one year later. Hope this helps!

[Dr. Drib]

Moved to the "Which One Should I Buy" thread, where these types of posts belong.


Don
(Moderator)

[ngrant]

Originally Posted by delph

I've had an OBi for about a year and a half now, though I use mine with a paid VOIP provider. Great little device.

+1 for Obihai and -1 for MagicJack. Obi100 x 2 working perfectly for more than 2 years. Google Voice never stopped working but I also signed up with PhonePower.com through the Obihai website for their special $59/year unlimited USA. The basic model Obi100 allows 2 providers so I have GV as the first and Phonepower as the second. I have a second Obi100 in our vacation home so we can make and receive calls using the SAME Obi account and same phone numbers. GV handles the voicemail. Even on very basic DSL service (1.2 MB down, 0.3 up) the Obi provides crystal clear VOIP calling.

Oddly enough the Obi200 model is currently cheaper than the Obi100 at Newegg.com, only $49 with free shipping. Recommend highly.

[Ripplinger]

I've used MagicJack for several years now, and it's worked just fine, especially for the price. I was really ticked about them charging an extra $10 each and every year for your ported number which I didn't find out about until after I switched, but they did away with that charge this year, you only pay a fee when you have the number first ported (which is understandable, I didn't mind that charge at all), and after that pay only the basic yearly charge now. While we rarely use that phone, it was the least expensive way to keep our home number that we've had for close to 30 years now instead of paying AT&T $35/mo, which I only kept since I had Earthlink DSL which required a working phone line.

I've really been tempted to switch that number to Google Voice, but there are no guarantees about Google Voice. They keep saying at some point it will no longer be beta and there will be a charge for the service, but without a clue what that charge will be, or even if it will ever happen and when, and not sure if I could then switch my ported number back from Google again, I decided to not try it. It would be a hassle to switch it as well, I'd have to first port the MagicJack number to a cell phone, and then port it to Google. But totally free phone service for that number would be great, but $30/year for the MagicJack isn't bad.

Edit: And I wouldn't have thought to put it under "Which one should I buy" either because it's under the subforum heading of "E-Book Readers".

[GA Russell]

Thanks ngrant! I'll study what you've suggested.

[GA Russell]

I see that Walmart has the LG Optimus Zone 2 for $29.88.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Verizon-LG...phone/36182576

They also have the Net10 LG Prepaid Optimus Fuel Android L34C for for $19.84.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Net10-LG-P...phone/41277517

I guess I should contact magicJack to ensure that their app will work on either of these.

Thanks again, ngrant!

[GA Russell]

Oops. I should have said that the magicJack app works for wi-fi and 4G.

It looks like these LG Optimus phones work for 3G.

So maybe I need something else, do you think?

[GA Russell]

LOL! I forgot about this thread, and started another one today. I'll see if I can get them combined. Sorry!

[GA Russell]

My apologies. I now realize that I started a thread on this same topic March 2.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=256746

Would the mods please combine the two?

Thanks!

[Ripplinger]

The app looks interesting, but I've got a decent unlimited call plan now so no real need to save minutes, and I don't think I'd want to link the MagicJack phone number to my cell since the MJ number has been associated with everything in our lives for years, so if there are going to be any telemarketing calls or other nuisance callers, they all go to that phone and stay off the cell phones.

It would probably be a great feature if you use a cell phone service like Ting to save on monthly bills (which I've really been tempted to switch to, I'm not a huge phone talker and usually get by with under 100 minutes/month and would probably cut my phone bill by half).

Quoted from the other thread:

Originally Posted by GA Russell

Oops. I should have said that the magicJack app works for wi-fi and 4G.

It looks like these LG Optimus phones work for 3G.

So maybe I need something else, do you think?

Every phone should be able to connect to your home wifi and I'm pretty certain that's how the MJ app will make calls. So you'd be limited to using it at home or from free public wifi locations (or some 3G plan if you have one). I'm pretty certain you'd also need the MagicJack adapter as well, the app information is a bit misleading like you can place free calls with just the app.

Edit: I installed the app just to test it out and it seems to work just fine for me, the free version is of course ad-supported. I'm on KitKat 4.4.2, but it says it requires only 2.3 (but I would shoot for higher since updates generally start dropping older versions). You really don't have any old cell phone laying around to test it out on?

[GA Russell]

LOL! I don't have home wi-fi.

I have a basic cell phone (not a smartphone) which I never use, but I carry around with me in case the car breaks down.

[Ripplinger]

If you have the MagicJack VOIP service, you must connect to the internet at home to use it, right? You could just add a $20 wifi dongle to your computer and you'll have free wifi. I've been using 2 of these by TP-Link on 2 computers when I switched to AT&T Uverse (so I could dump the landline) and didn't need my wifi router anymore. They're both over 4 years old now and never a problem with them.

I do have them on USB extension cords moved closer to where I need them, and leave them sort of hanging free so air circulates around them better. They can heat up a bit, so I just did that as a precaution. And the 2 PCs I use them on are WinXP machines, so there's no problem there either. I really didn't expect them to last long, but they've been surprisingly fine and one is in use 24/7, the other not as often.

Edit: You might double check that your existing modem/router (often a single combo unit now) isn't also capable of wifi. Quite a few of them do at this point as standard issue.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by GA Russell

Oops. I should have said that the magicJack app works for wi-fi and 4G.

It looks like these LG Optimus phones work for 3G.

So maybe I need something else, do you think?

Yep. So, it appears, Magic Jack is using VoIP over WiFi and VoIP over cell phone data (4G). Which means you would have to activate the phone and have some kind of service plan to use the phone when away from WiFi. You might find it's cheaper (with higher quality voice coverage) to just buy a "standard" prepaid plan. For example, that Net10 phone for $20 can work over BYO Wireless. Right now $5 will buy you 250 minutes, 250 texts and 50 MBs of data a month using Verizon coverage (they have a half price promotion -- this would only be for the first month, but enough time to try it).

[conan50]

Why not use a Tracfone like the LG Optimus Fuel which adds 3x the minutes. It would only cost about $7 a month to keep it active. You could then use Google Voice calling for any time you have Internet access. I'm thinking seriously about doing this next year when I drop T-Mobile. I would like to get the Moto E for Tracfone, and keep the least needed minutes just for calling outside of a wifi network. Of course it depends on your needs, and I don't use calling much.