Re: Cheapest PAYG phone tariff in Canada please?
 

If you're thinking of going with a cheaper mobile then just stick with your iPhone 4, becki. Tbh it would be a better phone than the cheaper ones

SL, where did you order your N5 from? And is it unlocked? (Ie can you go back to the uk and put a vodafone or three etc SIM in it?)

And if becki wants can she order the S5 from there as well?

Re: Cheapest PAYG phone tariff in Canada please?
 

I got the N5 directly from Google - https://play.google.com/store/device...s_5_white_32gb. It comes unlocked, I've used it in both Canada and the UK (on O2 but it supports all networks). Google sells their N5 directly, it comes with stock Android, and no bloatware since it's not linked to any carrier. It's a great phone, I am so happy with it. :)

So that means no, can't order the 5S from there - Google devices only. :)

However, if you/she did want to order an unlocked 5S, then go straight to the source and buy an unlocked/sim-free version directly from Apple.

Worth noting as well, some carriers (such as Koodo) do sell phones straight out with no requirement to get a contract or plan with them as well. I have a friend who did that with the Nexus 4 when it first came out. The demand was WAAAY more than Google was expecting, so there was about a 2-month period when it was out of stock. Koodo still had some, though, so he went to Koodo to buy it. He did pay a bit of a premium (I think it would have been $440 from Google and Koodo's price was $500 or something like that) but he didn't want to wait for Google to get it back in stock so he just picked up theirs. Again, no bloatware/preloaded software/etc.

I heart Google.

(I also have a Nexus 7 tablet, which I also adore.)

Re: Cheapest PAYG phone tariff in Canada please?
 

Can someone with more tech saavy brains tell me what difference exactly the 500+ dollar phones do that the cheaper ones dont?

I only use my to talk, text, and email, and my girlfriend who is an Apple nut and only buys apple phones and computers can't really explain why she only buy's apples, other then good marketing.

What do these fancy pricey phones offer over the cheaper versions? I am so not technology smart, so I really have no idea.


I am the kind of person who buys the cheapest phone and laptop...(I just can't see spending 1,000+ on a Apple laptop for example just to surf the net...lol)

Re: Cheapest PAYG phone tariff in Canada please?
 

My Huawei Android smartphone was $70.

I cant get my head around anyone paying $700 for a phone, Id rather give that money to Oxfam!

Re: Cheapest PAYG phone tariff in Canada please?
 

I think that is what my Huawei was when I was with Wind in Vancouver, still works, they just don't offer service where I am now.

I spent 150 on my current phone, but it was the cheapest in stock at the time, and cheapest overall that wasn't a flip phone, I did want an internet capable phone or I would have gotten the 50 flip phone...

Re: Cheapest PAYG phone tariff in Canada please?
 

I can try. Techy nerdy stuff is kind of my guilty pleasure passtime.

So your $700-800 phones (iPhone, Galaxy, HTC One, etc) are basically mini computers. Top of the line processor, lots of RAM, larger hard drives, bigger battery, higher-quality components generally, better quality cameras. More bells and whistles (fingerprint scanner, pedometer, slightly higher resolution screen, stronger backlight, etc etc etc).

The more midrange phones, like the N5, will cut corners in some other places. So my N5 doesn't have some of the fancier bells and whistles (like the fingerprint scanner, or an FM radio tuner), and the camera isn't quite as good as on the more expensive phones, but it hasn't cheaped out in other places. I'll take the handful of features that it doesn't have if it means I get a great phone at half the price.

For the lower-range phones, I'll compare to my husband's $200 Moto G. It's not as fast as the N5, and the camera is only just passable. The phone isn't that peppy, it starts to bog down if a lot of programs are open. However, it does have an FM tuner! But nothing else that's particularly fancy. The processor isn't the most modern, and the battery is notably smaller. However my husband just needs something to pass the time on the GO train, so for just internet it works well enough, and the reception it gets is fine. YOu can tell holding the phone that it doesn't feel as solid as the better phones (N5 included - I personally find the N5 feels better than the Galaxy!), but it does the job and he's not fussed about phones. His phone also does not have LTE capability, it only has 3G.

(I didn't really need to get myself an N5, but I wanted a new phone and I'm a bit of a tech nerd so I decided to treat myself.)

Hopefully that works a s a quick overview, happy to elaborate more on any area if you want!

Edited to add:

As for your comment about your other half only buying Apple, etc.

I have used both. For ages I had everything Apple - I had a Macbook and I've had two iPhones (3G and 4). Great products. Loved how slick they are - definitely a case of "Everything just works!". Great product, good quality, durable, reliable. For people who wants a product that's easy to use and runs well, Apples are great for that. The whole Apple ecosystem also integrates exceptionally well. If you have an iPad or an iPod or other APple products, they seriously all play very nicely together.

However, after awhile, I wanted to start to be able to play more. I wanted to be able to tweak more of the settings, to install custom software, to sideload software, to do things with torrenting, etc, and Apple was just too locked down for me. I wanted more flexibility to play with my phone. I'd tried jailbreaking but it destroyed my battery, and I figured, I shouldn't need to completely break the software to be able to install custom stuff. So I swapped over to Android after that, with an HTC One S, which I used for a year, then got the N5 in November.

Apple is great if you want something reliable that "just works". Apple's customer support is also great, particularly with warranty work. Android is a bit more disjointed but that's also because there are so many more providers and "versions" of it. Android behaves differently on different phones because of the "skins" that manufacturers put on it (Samsung's, whose name is escaping me... Touch?, HTC Sense, stock Android, etc etc).

Apple in particular tends to have a very loyal fanbase who rave about Apple products without really being able to explain why. Apple stuff just works. It's non-hassle. It doesn't require a lot of set up. It's very intuitive. It just clicks. There's also a certain power in so many people having Apple products - a friend of mine who has no other Apple products (Windows laptop, BlackBerry phone) got an iPad because her nieces all have iPads and iPhones and she wanted to be able to do Facetime with them. Sure you can download Skype, but that requires downloading the app, signing up for an account, logging in, etc etc etc, whereas Facetime is built right into the phone and, well, just works. So she went with the iPad for that reason.

Android at its base does work but there's more customization on it you CAN do if you want, which is what I like. The more recent versions of Android are more intuitive, but those who have been using Apple don't want to switch. So you tend to get more people buying Android who are either "NOO BOOO EVIL APPLE", or who are a bit more like me who just don't want to be as locked into using their phone the way the company says you should use their phone.

Done now. :)

Re: Cheapest PAYG phone tariff in Canada please?
 

:goodpost:

Re: Cheapest PAYG phone tariff in Canada please?
 

Forgot to say thank you for this Siouxie :)

Yeah I thought about $700 for the phone ( slightly cheaper then the UK)

I love my iPhone but I hate how restrictive apple is in regards to their software. I brought the iPhone in 2010 and when I tried to connect it to my MacBook 10.4 (purchased in 2006) - I said I needed to update my software - to be fair to them the MacBook (despite no more updates for it) and iPhone are still going strong although the latter is getting slower and slower

Thank you that's useful to know!

As I said it's getting slow, it is unlocked though but I've never put another SIM card in yet. I'd still like to try the galaxy as the camera and screen look amazing. Yeah I know the 5S is loads better than the 4 but it might be time for a change.

I kind of agree but my MacBook has lasted 8 years so far ( can't say that about a windows laptop lol). It's the initial outlay that puts me off.

Re: Cheapest PAYG phone tariff in Canada please?
 

Your complaint about Apple's restrictions around their software is ultimately why I jumped ship and went to Android. I wanted to be able to install Swype. I wanted to be able to move icons around on my home screen without having them necessarily start from the top and cascade down. I wanted to have widgets on my home screen and, in some cases, on my lock screen. I wanted a Swype keyboard (which I adore so much). All these rather basic things that shouldn't require a jailbreak to accomplish.

As to the point about Macbook and how long it lasts... yeah that makes sense. I bought my MacBook in 2007. It still runs today, albeit not well. The battery is completely dead so it has to be plugged in all the time. I spent about $2400 on it in 2007 (did a lot of upgrades), and it's still chugging along.

In retrospect, I probably would have been fine spending $1200 in 2007, and then $1200 again in 2010 - a 3 year old $1200 laptop arguably would be in better condition than my $2400 6 year old laptop... and certainly would have better specs.

This was the logic a friend of mine used in University - a new proper top of the line laptop was about $2500 (circa 2003, haha). He decided instead to buy a $500 laptop every September. He repurposed the old ones for gaming or downloading and kept the newest one as his "clean" one for schoolwork, etc.

It's not a bad plan.

Actually, it's part of the reason I was completely content to just buy my Nexus 5 for $460. If it needs to be replaced in 2 years, I'll be content with that. I'd be super pissed off needing to replace an $800 phone in two years - and really, most phones need to be replaced every 2-3 years currently. My husband said he'l porbably just buy a new $200 phone next year and then use the Moto G as his spare phone.

(It also makes the repair/replacement bill easier to swallow in the event of drops/breaks/etc.)

Re: Cheapest PAYG phone tariff in Canada please?
 

Windows PCs are much less restrictive than Apple's in that sense too. If the software needs to be updated on Windows, then you update it. No restrictions on that. I am gearing up to pay almost $1400 for a top of the line Windows HP gaming laptop. I had a MacBook once, within about 3 months I used boot camp to install Windows 7, and within a year gave it to my mum. Despite being an iPhone/iPad fan, I am definitely not a Mac fan, and if given the chance I would try an android phone. (and would probably like it) (But my dad thinks their all shit so he prefers we all have iPhones. Fine by me-i aint paying the bill;))

Re: Cheapest PAYG phone tariff in Canada please?
 

Pro's buy Windows Phones though. Best OS on phones by a significant distance.

Re: Cheapest PAYG phone tariff in Canada please?
 

I disagree. Best OS for customization-Android
Best OS for someone who wants it "simple" and "no hassle" - iPhone.

Windows phone-MS came in the game too late. I don't like it. Not enough apps in the Windows app store.

Re: Cheapest PAYG phone tariff in Canada please?
 

You can't really get more simple and no hassle as WP8. It's also properly designed and coded so that it performs exceptionally well on all hardware.

Dunno how you think MS were in the game too late...they were in it before Google and Apple lol.

Re: Cheapest PAYG phone tariff in Canada please?
 

We just spent $1200 on a Lenovo YogaPad... we are really happy with it. :) We bought a netbook in 2011 for $250... that worked well but after 2 years seriously started to freak out.

Mac just kind of depends on the audience. If you are doing super stuff with graphics, then yeah, more of an argument to be made for Macs - they really do just get things more vibrant. My brother and I chose to get my parents a Mac when we bought them a new computer a few years ago, got them a Mac Mini, since they had a good screen already. It's great for them because they use the computer in a way that lends itself really well to Mac. My mom likes to play games and she doesn't mind paying for them; the Mac App store gives her a one-stop-shop to buy games and not be too concerned about the source or if she's downloading something shady. My dad occasionally gets it in his head that he wants to go "exploring" in the computer... it's much, much harder for him to create a mess of the Mac (which I then am the one to clean up!). Mac works very, very well for their purposes. (They also have an expectation that their computer should last a billion years... I bought them a Dell Dimension desktop back in 2004, it's still running, although just - and has had a lot of its guts replaced through the years. The Mac at least I know will last awhile and stay in reasonable condition as they won't replace it until it actually dies!)

Haha at 15 I can understand just being okay with what dad says since he's the one paying - but do give Android a shot once you're choosing your own handset. :) Even my mom is find on her Android phone! She works at a school and one of the 10 year olds saw her "Swyping" to type, and was like "OOOOOO THAT IS SO COOL HOW DO YOU DO THAT" and then proceeded to be all jealous when Mom was like "your iPhone can't do that! HAH!" Too funny.

And just saw the other posts - I personally loathe WP8!

Re: Cheapest PAYG phone tariff in Canada please?
 

Maybe, but they didn't advertise themselves or make good phones. I will admit the Nokia Lumia's looked decent on a budget, but I prefer SL's choice of the Nexus 5 :)