MrsD. has noticed that all the trendy young ladeez are sporting a new accessory called a "smart" phone, and decided this must be a Very Good Thing for us to learn about before we are too  :-{) (conceding it's already too late for me, because I FUCKING HATE ALL TELEPHONES  :-(( ).

So... any recommendations for a cheap -ish (~Can.$100 - 150) noplan device? What to avoid, etc.

Something without a terribly steep learning curve, for someone who has a very short fuse when it comes to baffling/broken technology.

How about e.g. this https://shop.telus.com/preowned_samsung_gs3_mini.php yes/no?

 

Has she used a tablet of any sort? Android? iPad?

My mum isn't really techie but had used an Android tablet occasionally. She got a cheap Samsung Galaxy S3 from someone at work, I was dreading the constant questions but she's been absolutely fine with it.

We discussed that. She knows I have a tablet, but after I explained to her it is really just a cut-down pc that's much less easy to use (than a real pc), we agreed she really means a phone. Main uses (at a guess): phoney stuffs, and texting. Web browsing not so much (but maybe a bit).

How much is the moto g or moto e where you are? I'm not convinced a smartphone is any easier than a tablet to learn (well, if anything it is harder since it adds telephony and puts it all into a smaller screen) but those seem well regarded as the best budget Android options.

An iPhone of some sort would perhaps be easiest of all but doubtless incompatible in some way with your computer stuff and definitely not cheap.

Righteous!

I think Ant meant more in terms of familiarity with the UI and how they work in general, Android vs. iOS ect.

Yeah, that's what I was getting at. She had some experience of Android and touch screens so the phone wasn't too much of a leap.

The only thing I warned her about was battery life. She wasn't going to get a week out of it.

Ah right. Well, she has a kobo e-reader which she doesn't use. Prefers real books. I've passed my tablet to her a few times and she seemed to get the hang of it alright. If she gets an android phone at least I can help  (fail)

So back to this... MrsD.'s birthday approacheth. A Forever 21 gift card seems... inappropriate.

More talk of needing a smart phone.

Now I'm thinking beyond the device and about the device+ (paygo) plan.

couple of options looking relatively good (for various reasons):

http://www.speakout7eleven.ca/prepaid-cellphones/acer-liquid-z220
(found through here)
and

http://www.techsourcecanada.ca/store/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=1486

Any norteamericanos here that have/friends used the 7eleven network?

Comments on quality of said phones/plans for a cell n00b gratefully appreciated.
 

OK, so this review says the acer has a shit screen -- not too surprising, given the price.

I went ahead and ordered the Z220. Fingers crossed...

Just discovered 7eleven's 'speakout' runs on the Rogers network. While I loathe Rogers for being money-gouging parasites (actually they're my home ISP, THE GREEDY FUCKS), they are alleged to have the best cell network in canuckistan. So there's that.

I set it up this morning. It seems to be a capable device. The screen is a tad dim, so that will a problem in bright sunlight. Otherwise it seems reasonably sharp and clear. When I activated our $100 prepaid account it credited the phone with $129.00. So that was good. Also it has a replaceable battery, something I didn't expect (I actually tried to charge it before I realized the thing that came with it was a battery and not a sim). Need to get a protector because the back cover seems really flimsy

What? You confused a battery for a SIM card?

Though I suppose some phones in NA don't have SIM cards?

I've never set eyes on either before, so yeah I did (didn't actually look closely at the thing but it seemed very small to be a battery). I assumed the battery was not user-replaceable and did not expect to find it outside the phone (unlike the sim). I dunno if you can buy sim-less phones, but you can buy sims separately. This phone even supports two sims (one a mini).

"The screen is a tad dim, so that will a problem in bright sunlight."

TBH I find even the brightest of screens to be pretty difficult in bright sunlight. I think it's more about reflectiveness than brightness.

Let me rephrase: she found it dim and turned on the room light. That made it worse.

Given your confusion with batteries and sim cards, it's seems prudent to check if you've got the brightness turned up/auto brightness turned on.

auto (default)

Auto can be a bit slow to respond, try wacking it up to full.

I showed her where preferences live.