New Cell Phone

[Biggkidd]

After almost ten years I broke down and got a new phone today. Only because Verizon is discontinuing the service that runs the old phone. They have been mailing me notices and emails just about twice a day saying it could stop working any day as soon as they get around to switching our tower.
First the people at Verizon were stunned I was using a phone over 9 years old and that it still worked. Second they tried to sell me all the high end phones and I flat told them the only kind of phone I was interested in was another Mil-spec phone, a newer version of the old phone in other words. They had one and only one but it was no where out on display which I thought odd since they had lots of 1500 and 2000 dollar phones on display. Then they were telling me about all the discounts and coupons the high end phones had but the one I wanted was the sticker price period NO DISCOUNTS No Coupons etc. Finally the guy went in the back to get it then had to come back to get the manager to get it out of the safe! Now why is a $900 dollar phone in the safe while all these $2,000 phones were out on display? Also why is it they only had the one and why did they say they probably couldn't get another? Anyway once they were convinced they couldn't talk me in to buying a new I-phone or something else exotic they started the process of switching all my stuff over but none of them really knew how to work it as they sell only one or two of these a year they said. So after several hours they finally got it all done but now I really wonder what the big deal is about this phone or type of phone.

It's Kyocera Duraforce Ultra Do any of you know what the big deal is about this type of phone and why they acted the way they did? My old one is a Kyocera Brigadier. Every phone I've had in the last 20ish years has been a mil-spec phone since I know they will stand up to the abuse I dish out. But now I'm really curious as to why they tried so hard to sell me on something else, anything else. They were very nice about it but I could tell they really didn't want to sell it to me. Is it simply because they loose multiple phone sales since these last so long? The one before the last I had for almost 7 years and the one before that about the same. I know most people get new phones every couple years but I hate trying to learn new devices and change. lol

The worst part of the whole deal is now I have a three year payment on a new phone I really didn't want to buy!

 

[Bacpacker]

After almost ten years I broke down and got a new phone today. Only because Verizon is discontinuing the service that runs the old phone. They have been mailing me notices and emails just about twice a day saying it could stop working any day as soon as they get around to switching our tower.
First the people at Verizon were stunned I was using a phone over 9 years old and that it still worked. Second they tried to sell me all the high end phones and I flat told them the only kind of phone I was interested in was another Mil-spec phone, a newer version of the old phone in other words. They had one and only one but it was no where out on display which I thought odd since they had lots of 1500 and 2000 dollar phones on display. Then they were telling me about all the discounts and coupons the high end phones had but the one I wanted was the sticker price period NO DISCOUNTS No Coupons etc. Finally the guy went in the back to get it then had to come back to get the manager to get it out of the safe! Now why is a $900 dollar phone in the safe while all these $2,000 phones were out on display? Also why is it they only had the one and why did they say they probably couldn't get another? Anyway once they were convinced they couldn't talk me in to buying a new I-phone or something else exotic they started the process of switching all my stuff over but none of them really knew how to work it as they sell only one or two of these a year they said. So after several hours they finally got it all done but now I really wonder what the big deal is about this phone or type of phone.

It's Kyocera Duraforce Ultra Do any of you know what the big deal is about this type of phone and why they acted the way they did? My old one is a Kyocera Brigadier. Every phone I've had in the last 20ish years has been a mil-spec phone since I know they will stand up to the abuse I dish out. But now I'm really curious as to why they tried so hard to sell me on something else, anything else. They were very nice about it but I could tell they really didn't want to sell it to me. Is it simply because they loose multiple phone sales since these last so long? The one before the last I had for almost 7 years and the one before that about the same. I know most people get new phones every couple years but I hate trying to learn new devices and change. lol

Never had that brand before. Can you pull the battery on it? Samsung and Apples will not.
Is it usable on the internet? Touch screen? Screen size?
You've got me curious now

 

[Wingnut]

Jeez... I would never pay that much for a phone, but then again, I'm not using a phone as much as other folks. When I buy a replacement for my 3G flip-phone, it'll be a 4G flip-phone, lol. Let's just say that I'm not big on phones, aye? I'd rather talk to a person IN person, if possible, otherwise it's the simplest flip-phone I can find. After Lasik surgery, I can see like a hawk in the field, but I don't like looking at those tiny phone screens... I'd rather use my laptop computer for all web searches. Just the way it is in the boondocks... but I can still bomb down those mountain trails at speed on the thumper, lol.

 

[Bacpacker]

I agree with you, but I use my phone a ton at work so I really need it. Once I retire I'm not sure I'll keep one

 

[backlash]

It's a smart phone so yes to all those questions.
https://www.amazon.com/Kyocera-DuraForce-Smartphone-Verizon-Wideband/dp/B093XYRGFN

 

[Biggkidd]

No I don't think you can pull the battery, I know the old one couldn't. I'm using it as a hot spot for my laptop now which is 99.5% of what my phone gets used for these days. It's a little smaller than my daughters Samsung A3 and a lot larger than my old phone. I pray it's as durable! I've only made one phone call to my daughter just to see if it would actually work here inside the house which it does. It's apparently going through my old 3G Wilson signal booster like the old phone did even though the signal booster is not rated for or supposed to work on 4G or 5G. But when I tried turning the booster off the signal went to zip nada nothing.

 

[Biggkidd]

Boy they got me didn't they? I will be calling them tomorrow about that price difference!

 

[Biggkidd]

Just pulled that Amazon page back up so I'd have it handy when I called to raise cain with Verizon tomorrow. Then I noticed that's a used phone not a new phone. I do think I probably overpaid but at least not as badly as I thought when I first saw that add. I understand they are financing it for three years at 0% interest sooooooooooooooooo maybe not a terrible deal after all!

 

[TeeJ]

I've used that phone for a couple of fabricators at work that are just absolutely brutal on their phones. One of the nice features is that the screen is sapphire so it's super scratch resistant & all around durable. It's the only phone that has survived over a year for either guy!

 

[Biggkidd]

I've used that phone for a couple of fabricators at work that are just absolutely brutal on their phones. One of the nice features is that the screen is sapphire so it's super scratch resistant & all around durable. It's the only phone that has survived over a year for either guy!

And that right there is why I ONLY buy Mil-spec phones!

 

[zoomzoom]

A couple thoughts.
Verizon is giving all customers that have 3G phones (no 4G or 5G) a free flip phone. Not a good phone but just a heads-up for the forum.

Them taking a couple hours to transfer your info sounds like a scam. It's an Android phone. In my experience, the last time I got a phone (from Verizon with Android system), when they did the transfer to the new phone, a copy of everything on the phone was sent to Google. The Verizon guy admitted it. For my next phone, I'm going to do the transfer myself. I think most phone mfgr's provide an app to transfer data.

 

[Biggkidd]

A couple thoughts.
Verizon is giving all customers that have 3G phones (no 4G or 5G) a free flip phone. Not a good phone but just a heads-up for the forum.

Them taking a couple hours to transfer your info sounds like a scam. It's an Android phone. In my experience, the last time I got a phone (from Verizon with Android system), when they did the transfer to the new phone, a copy of everything on the phone was sent to Google. The Verizon guy admitted it. For my next phone, I'm going to do the transfer myself. I think most phone mfgr's provide an app to transfer data.

My old phone was the hold up for a couple reasons. 1) it had almost ten years of crap to transfer 2) it's been beat all to pieces over the years and got shot 80-85 feet across a yard once by a weedeater. Far as google getting things they already have it you can bet besides let them have it I don't have ANYTHING of interest to anyone on there anyway.

 

[Wingnut]

Was that a gas-powered weedeater?

 

[Strycnine]

I use the Kyocera Duraforce Ultra for work. So far it seems ok.

 

[SoJer]

..Only because Verizon is discontinuing the service that runs the old phone...

Doesn't that Suck? I mean, even '3G' was Never 'laggy' for Me, even when using as a 'hot-spot' - Used to get better DL / UL speeds than my Cable modem! But, ya know... "Progress"..

..And yeah, Man, I Loved my old Kyoceras.. First Gen I had (this was like Y2K-2001-ish) was the 'QCP 6035'..

..Loved the 'write-on screen' / write-to-text, etc, and it had All kinds of Cool Apps, that worked via the 'IR' transfer-LED... ie: One of my 'Favorite Pranks' was to sit at some Bar / Lounge (ie: airport, etc) and clandestinely change the Channel / Volume on the TV Yep, that 'TV Remote app' was really fun..

..Then the '7135' - Totally Awesome little 'Star Trek Communicator' flip-phone...

..and ya know? IF they hadn't (all of the Carriers..) 'Deep Sixed' the 3G (or, somehow made these 'forward compatible', etc) I would Still be rocking these puppies.. the 'iPhones' have just gotten worse and worse and worse (Just, for example, finally traded in my i4s (up to a 6s) "because 5G" (even though the 4s Was a "4G / 5G compatible", they said it 'really was / wasn't'

..But, I refuse to go 'any Higher'.. Even the 8 (and Especially the 'X', and higher) are just Too Intrusive-capable.. Yeah, the NSA / FBI can go Get Stuffed..

Oh, well, "Progress", I guess.. ¯\_ (ツ)_/¯

jd

 

[Biggkidd]

Had the weedeater clamped in the vise mounted to my iron horse. Phone was sitting on the horse the vibrations of the weedeater running at high RPM adjusting the carb walked the phone down it in range of the head where it caught at about 15,000 RPM and launched across the shop workyard. Took us hours to find it. It was in a dead zone so calling it didn't work. My daughter who found it paced it back to the iron horse to see how far it had gone. IIRC this happened in 2016. It cracked the screen which is still cracked to this day. lol

 

[Wingnut]

Tell me more about Verizon handing out free 4G flip-phones... are they the 'no-contract wireless' kind? That's all I need here in the boondocks, and if they're giving them out, I'll go ahead and ask for one. But if they're selling 'plans' with the free phones, then I reckon I'm better off buying the 4G flip-phone for no-contract wireless at WallyWorld, that one only costs $40 + tax, lol.

 

[zoomzoom]

I don't have the details on the free phone. The Mrs. takes care of that. IIRC, she said to get the phone, you must be on a plan.

 

[Wingnut]

I reckoned so, and I'll probably just buy a 4G flip-phone designed for no-contract wireless... I'm old school, I only use a phone to actually TALK to friends & family, lol. If we had a 'Phone Porn' thread at this site, I'd post a pic of an old black rotary-dial gubmint phone, lol. The kind found on military installations back in the '70s, those things were bulletproof, aye? You could actually bludgeon somebody to death with one of those, and it would work just fine afterward... if you threw it against a wall, the wall would suffer, not the phone, lol. Now THAT is my kinda phone, 10-4? Not these sidewalk sissy "smart phones" that go kaput as soon as ya drop 'em on concrete, lol. I remember my sister (who worked in tech) telling me years ago about how tech companies were "ruggedizing" their phones and other products to withstand the abuse received in anything other than an office environment. The old black rotary-dial gubmint phones didn't NEED any "ruggedizing"---they were bulletproof right from the start, lol.

 

[Biggkidd]

I reckoned so, and I'll probably just buy a 4G flip-phone designed for no-contract wireless... I'm old school, I only use a phone to actually TALK to friends & family, lol. If we had a 'Phone Porn' thread at this site, I'd post a pic of an old black rotary-dial gubmint phone, lol. The kind found on military installations back in the '70s, those things were bulletproof, aye? You could actually bludgeon somebody to death with one of those, and it would work just fine afterward... if you threw it against a wall, the wall would suffer, not the phone, lol. Now THAT is my kinda phone, 10-4? Not these sidewalk sissy "smart phones" that go kaput as soon as ya drop 'em on concrete, lol. I remember my sister (who worked in tech) telling me years ago about how tech companies were "ruggedizing" their phones and other products to withstand the abuse received in anything other than an office environment. The old black rotary-dial gubmint phones didn't NEED any "ruggedizing"---they were bulletproof right from the start, lol.

I grew up with one of those black rotary phones must have weighed 10lbs and yeah just getting hit with the handset would knock you out! You dang sure didn't want to carry it around!

 

[Wingnut]

Wait, it's 'Cell Phone Story Time' here at the ol' hacienda! My nephew in San Diego used to live and work in Ocean Beach, cooking & slinging pies at a popular pizza joint down by the pier, and he told me the funniest story. This place also served heaps of craft beers, and it was a great place to hang out and watch the crowd go by out front. Well, one night the place was going off, and a young hand had too much to drink... he stumbled into the bathroom and bent over the toilet to blow chowder, at which point his flip-phone slipped out of his shirt pocket and fell with a splash into the bowl. Seeing his phone in the funky water, the kid then said "F#% it!" and FLUSHED the toilet, BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! The phone actually made it down far enough to become lodged in the pipes, and it created a massive backup... the owner of the pizza joint had to call a plumber to clear the clog the following morning. At least there was a second bathroom available for the rest of the evening, lol. I always thought it was pretty funny, the kid flushing the phone... sometimes, I feel like doing the same thing, lol.

 

[Cascadian]

My phone is about 4 years old, but very similar. Probably an older model. At&t gave me this one because I was breaking my S8 pretty regularly.

 

[backlash]

those black rotary phones must have weighed 10lbs

I remember how good it felt to slam the handset down when hanging up on some fool.

 

[Strycnine]

On the left is a Sonim XP8 and on the right is the Kyocera Duraforce Ultra. I use the XP8 mostly for ham radio apps and zello. It has a couple programmable buttons I use for PTT.

 

[Supervisor42]

Tell me more about Verizon handing out free 4G flip-phones... are they the 'no-contract wireless' kind? That's all I need here in the boondocks, and if they're giving them out, I'll go ahead and ask for one. But if they're selling 'plans' with the free phones, then I reckon I'm better off buying the 4G flip-phone for no-contract wireless at WallyWorld, that one only costs $40 + tax, lol.

I held out and they sent me a new flip-phone without me even asking.
It cost me $19.95 to get the stuff transferred from my 10-year old flip-phone but it took the girl over 2 hours to do it.
As said earlier, since I am retired it rarely gets used, but I have to be 'reachable'.