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2:24 pm
I am looking into Speak Out for my 82 year old mother who simply wants a phone in her car for emergencies. Yes/No, any comments?
Also, K, I'm kind of stupid apparently...what's a SIM card and does it come automatically with a phone purchased on this plan?
4:51 pm
October 14, 2008
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Hi Lisa,
You are NOT stupid
I highly recommend SpeakOut Wireless for your mother. I also recommend the Nokia 1208. It is a great basic phone. Also, SpeakOut uses Rogers network, which I consider the best. I have been all around Ontario with both my Virgin phone (which uses Bell's network), and my SpeakOut phone, and the SpeakOut/Rogers coverage blows away the Bell coverage.
A SIM card is a card that fits under the battery in virtually all GSM phones. Basically, it is tied to a provider, and is needed to get on to that provider's network. It's also hold the contacts in your address book. Yes, when you go into a 7-11 and buy the package, the sim will be included. There are also lots of phones and SIM cards that are up for sale on this fine site usually.
Rogers is the sole GSM provider in Canada. In the USA, AT&T, and T-Mobile are that country's providers.
Hope that helps
10:45 pm
Speakout would be the ideal provider for you, since the pay-as-you-go airtime doesn't expire for a full year, unlike most other cell companies where the airtime expires after 1 or 2 months.
The SIM card is a card that goes in the cellphone to identify that phone as being yours. along with all the important details like your phone number, etc. The reason it's not built into the phone is because it allows you to take the SIM card out and place it in another phone whenever you please. If you buy a new phone package from 7-11 it should come with a SIM card already.
I would recommend getting a car charger as well. If you keep your cellphone in your glovebox for too long, the battery might drain, and she won't be able to use it when she needs it.
I recently got the Nokia 2760 flip for my 75 year old dad. That might be the best model that Speakout or PetroCanada Mobility offers for older folks, at least in my opinion.
11:45 am
March 15, 2008
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I am looking into Speak Out for my 82 year old mother who simply wants a phone in her car for emergencies.
Having elderly parents myself I'd say the most important thing to look for is a simple phone with the largest, easiest-to-use keyboard you can find. Seniors can have great difficulty pressing keys on some of today's miniaturized phones.
You might even want to look for a used older-but-larger dualband GSM phone. As you probably know, even a locked Rogers phone will work. As stated above, if this is a car phone then you don't care about the state of its battery because it will be used with a car charger.
Because the phone wlll be used infrequently I would create a small "cheat sheet" that shows how to connect it to the charger and what buttons to press to turn it on, off, place/receive calls, etc. Also preprogram the phone with the numbers your mother is most likely to need in an emergency, e.g. you, your siblings, CAA, etc.
