Cell Phone Question...

[mjr]

So I may actually now be at a point where I have to upgrade/replace my cell phone.

The phone I have now is a Katana LX. It appears that the speaker on the ear piece either isn't working, or has been set to an incredibly low volume, and I can't fix it.

Before I go by and/or contact QuickRun (who is my carrier), I thought I'd run it by you guys to see what you think.

I pressed the VoiceMail button, and tried to turn up the earpiece volume that way, but to no avail.

The speakerphone works, though. There's also a red light that no longer works on the outside of the phone. It would flash to notify me if I missed a call or VoiceMail. I've had problems switching to/from camera mode, too (not that the camera is that great...), where switching to camera mode hangs the phone, where I have to power it down to get it back to "normal".

I don't even really know if it would be "worth" fixing at this point if that's the problem.

I don't know how happy my wife would be with upgrading to a SmartPhone. We're not real happy with the plans that QuickRun offers, as far as data goes (we've researched them).

So does this sound like a mistake I made, or does it sound like it's phone components that have failed?

[EricKei]

Especially with the camera/shut down thing, I'm thinking internal wiring, or at least the battery, is messed up in some way.

[mjr]

Especially with the camera/shut down thing, I'm thinking internal wiring, or at least the battery, is messed up in some way.

Something is definitely wrong. The thing with the little red light has been happening (or, not happening) for at least a couple of years now. I don't know if it's the battery, though, so I'm going to go with wiring. ;-)

I say battery because I can navigate it, and the speakerphone piece still works.

[KuariKaydrith]

That is a really old phone! I know that many phone companies tell you that you have to have data with a smartphone, but that's really a load of crap if you don't plan on using data. You can disable the data on your phone via the settings. I think that they say you must have data with a cellphone so that they get more for their commission if they talk you into a higher priced plan. And considering that pretty much everything out on the market these days are smart phones I'd say that a lot of people are buying into the idea that they absolutely must have data.

You will need a SIM chip, yes, as that's what it seems all phones need in order to connect to the phone network. Heck, my kid has my old Samsung smart phone and he's never enabled data on it - it's not even a part of his plan. I've got a small amount of data on my plan only because I need it from time to time, but I only enable data on my phone as I need it.

[wolfie]

The phone I have now is a Katana LX.

Are you considering something smaller, like a Wakizashi, or even a Tanto?

Before I go by and/or contact QuickRun (who is my carrier), I thought I'd run it by you guys to see what you think.

So you get your cell service through Winston? (Think NASCAR trophies, a famous one that got renamed when they had to get a new sponsor due to a ban on cigarette advertising).

[mjr]

Are you considering something smaller, like a Wakizashi, or even a Tanto?

Well, since there's the phrase, "Happy wife, happy life", I might try to see if I can get the Mrs. to agree to let me get something like a Galaxy S7, but I don't know yet. I'm gonna see what they have.

So you get your cell service through Winston? (Think NASCAR trophies, a famous one that got renamed when they had to get a new sponsor due to a ban on cigarette advertising).

Yes. When I got my first cell phone years ago, numbers weren't portable, and they had decent rates (this is when you still had to buy minutes as part of your plan). I've just stuck with them.

[wolfie]

It was a joke. The cellphone model you mentioned shares a name with the traditional Japanese two-handed sword. The items I mentioned are the matching short sword and dagger, respectively.