Finally gave in: Bought a smartphone for audiobooks

[haertig]

I finally caved in and bought myself a smartphone (midrange device) to replace my flip phone. Now I can use this and the SmartAudioBookPlayer app to listen to audiobooks.

Being a long time "old technology holdout", I must admit - I was quite impressed with the quick charge capabilities of phones these days. Being a nerdy engineer, of course I had to run a test on charging speed. Results:

From 15% to 40% took 15 minutes
From 15% to 62% took 30 minutes
From 15% to 86% took 50 minutes
From 15% to 93% took 60 minutes
From 15% to 97% took 70 minutes
From 15% to 100% took 90 minutes

The charging was rapid and linear for about 50 minutes (equal to 86% charged), then charging speed started tapering off significantly.

This was using Motorola's OEM charger supplied with the phone, which they label "TurboCharge", but it's actually Qualcomm's Quick Charge 3.0. The phone stayed cool as a cucumber during the entire charging test. The phone is a Motorola G7 (not the "Play" or "Plus" variation, just the straight G7).

And, as expected, SmartAudioBookPlayer runs perfectly on the phone.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by haertig

I finally caved in and bought myself a smartphone (midrange device) to replace my flip phone. Now I can use this and the SmartAudioBookPlayer app to listen to audiobooks.

Being a long time "old technology holdout", I must admit - I was quite impressed with the quick charge capabilities of phones these days. Being a nerdy engineer, of course I had to run a test on charging speed. Results:

From 15% to 40% took 15 minutes
From 15% to 62% took 30 minutes
From 15% to 86% took 50 minutes
From 15% to 93% took 60 minutes
From 15% to 97% took 70 minutes
From 15% to 100% took 90 minutes

The charging was rapid and linear for about 50 minutes (equal to 86% charged), then charging speed started tapering off significantly.

This was using Motorola's OEM charger supplied with the phone, which they label "TurboCharge", but it's actually Qualcomm's Quick Charge 3.0. The phone stayed cool as a cucumber during the entire charging test. The phone is a Motorola G7 (not the "Play" or "Plus" variation, just the straight G7).

And, as expected, SmartAudioBookPlayer runs perfectly on the phone.

I use a mophie battery case on my smart phone (iPhone). The charge on the case lasts all day, so I never actually draw from the internal battery. I recharge the case by plugging it in when I go to bed. I've used mophie battery cases for years and I never had to replace the battery in my smart phone.

[Tarana]

My problem is simply the cost. $20/month for a flip phone, $45-65/month for a smartphone. Unfortunately, flip phones are being blocked out. I can no longer make connections within a store to call Mom to find out which item she wants. If it weren't for the need to be able to call for help when I'm with my disabled brother, I'd quit cell phone use entirely.

[meeera]

Originally Posted by Tarana

My problem is simply the cost. $20/month for a flip phone, $45-65/month for a smartphone. Unfortunately, flip phones are being blocked out. I can no longer make connections within a store to call Mom to find out which item she wants. If it weren't for the need to be able to call for help when I'm with my disabled brother, I'd quit cell phone use entirely.

Do you not have access to a provider with BYO-phone plans? Even here in Australia, basic Android smartphones start at around a hundred dollars new. Way less on the secondhand market.

[haertig]

Originally Posted by Tarana

My problem is simply the cost. $20/month for a flip phone, $45-65/month for a smartphone.

I bought my Motorola G7 outright, at Best Buy, for $269. Unlocked, so I can use it with any carrier (it's compatible with them all). Pulled the SIM card out of my old flip phone, surprisingly enough it was compatible with the new G7, so simply plugged it in and it worked. No contract. I felt kind of silly when I went to the AT&T store carrying both phones, asked them to switch things over and put the new one on my account, and all's they did was pull the SIM card out of the old phone and insert it into the new phone. Oh ... guess I could have done that myself. Oh well, sometimes I just have to accept that I'm a clueless idiot regarding some things. At least they were nice to me at the AT&T store.

As I said, I am extremely impressed with the charging speed of this thing. And I can't believe they label it a "midrange phone". It seems to keep up perfectly when directly speed compared to my wife's iPhone 10, which she paid something like $1k for (!!!) Maybe it would fall behind if I were playing video games - I don't know, since I don't do that. Only problem is, the phone is big. Many people like that. I don't. It's thin, but the screen size is huge.

[haertig]

One thing to consider, when you don't buy your phone directly from your service provider, you may not have access to some of that provider's features. For example: WiFi calling. This is where your phone can switch from cellular to WiFi in areas where cellular coverage is poor. I found that my unlocked Moto G7 will not do WiFi calling with AT&T service, even though the phone is 100% compatible electrically. AT&T only lets phones they sell directly, and a few unlocked others, use WiFi calling. Reportedly, Verizon does not allow any BYOD ("Bring Your Own Device") phones to use WiFi calling. Additionally, the small carriers that use the AT&T or Verizon networks under the hood are banned from WiFi calling as well. So if you really need WiFi calling, it may be best to buy your phone at the inflated price directly from your carrier. I imagine that eventually the government will step in and tell the carriers that they cannot deny certain features to BYOD phones. Just like they were told that they had to accept BYOD phones in the first place. Just like they were told that they had to unlock phones at customers request. Just like they were told that they had to release phone numbers for customers to take with them to other carriers. The government has a tendency to step in and mandate these type of things. I'll bet mandatory WiFi calling will be one of those mandates soon. WiFi calling is not always that great - there can be significant delays in transmission - as if you were talking by radio to someone on the moon. However, transmission delays beat having no service at all.

[Barbara1955]

I pay 10 cents per min for phone part I Don't use internet away from home. Last time we purchased phones we paid $100 for 1000 mins & phone was FREE. Kevin still has 800 mins on his phone & I have 400. We have No Phone bills. Most places we shop at have WiFi FREE. So if we do need internet ....

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by haertig

I bought my Motorola G7 outright, at Best Buy, for $269. Unlocked, so I can use it with any carrier (it's compatible with them all). Pulled the SIM card out of my old flip phone, surprisingly enough it was compatible with the new G7, so simply plugged it in and it worked. No contract. I felt kind of silly when I went to the AT&T store carrying both phones, asked them to switch things over and put the new one on my account, and all's they did was pull the SIM card out of the old phone and insert it into the new phone. Oh ... guess I could have done that myself. Oh well, sometimes I just have to accept that I'm a clueless idiot regarding some things. At least they were nice to me at the AT&T store.

Well, there are different sizes of SIM cards, so you shouldn't feel like a clueless idiot. It wasn't a sure thing that the old SIM would fit the new phone.

As I said, I am extremely impressed with the charging speed of this thing. And I can't believe they label it a "midrange phone". It seems to keep up perfectly when directly speed compared to my wife's iPhone 10, which she paid something like $1k for (!!!) Maybe it would fall behind if I were playing video games - I don't know, since I don't do that. Only problem is, the phone is big. Many people like that. I don't. It's thin, but the screen size is huge.

I have an older Moto--G5 Plus, I think. The turbo charging is great; I'm always noticing that the battery level is low just when I'm getting ready to go out, and even charging for 10-15 minutes gives me enough juice so I don't have to worry.

[lumpynose]

Originally Posted by Tarana

My problem is simply the cost. $20/month for a flip phone, $45-65/month for a smartphone. Unfortunately, flip phones are being blocked out. I can no longer make connections within a store to call Mom to find out which item she wants. If it weren't for the need to be able to call for help when I'm with my disabled brother, I'd quit cell phone use entirely.

You mean all those advertisements I keep seeing that say that a free phone is included are lying?! What's the world coming too?