ATTN: PHONE THAT WORKS IN USA & PHILIPPINES

I need to ask a couple of questions before I make a recommendation. There are a lot of phones that will work fine in both countries. How is your visual acuity? It sucks having to find your glasses just to read your phone and my arms aren't long enough so I prefer a larger screen. I can also find larger screen phones with larger batteries that let me charge every other day even with fairly heavy usage, like what the Dude mentioned, using it as my internet modem.

The phone with the most powerful processor, most advanced android operating system may have 3GB of ram...but that is because they have to have that or it wouldn't work. Most of them have fairly high capacity batteries and still they have a hard time getting through a day. Yes, it's cool that they could compute orbital mechanics in realtime, but do you really need to? As good as they are, they still can't beat my laptop that cost half as much and I can wait until I get home to do such work.

I have a Huawei Media Pad X1 7 inch screen, 1.6Ghz quad core processor, 2GB ram, LTE for Smart HSPA+ (up to 42 mbp/s) for just about every carrier and the battery (5,000 Mah) life with casual use is 4 days. It will stream video for about 10 hours. Has a camera that is good enough it is my only camera and records some pretty d*mn nice video. Has good audible and quality sound. This has been superceded by the X2 with a better screen, more powerful processor. I thought about upgrading but there is nothing wrong with my X1. It's a tank, will not fold in half. It is the maximum size that will fit in a pants pocket. Makes a good tablet also. Was my internet modem tethered to my laptop. Not good for people with below average sized hands. Wifi hotspot and reception are good as Huawei makes pocket wifi, routers/broadband sticks. Did I mention it makes great calls? Good on both ends.

Huawei makes the Mate2. 6.1 inch screen 4000 Mah battery, LTE works about anywhere. Pocket Now on youtube calls it the phone that will not die. Pretty much the same internals as my X1 but smaller form factor but still pretty large and easy to read.

You might consider buying your own phone and have them buy you a tablet that makes phone calls. Huawei Media Pad M2 is 8 inches and almost pocketable due to very high screen to face ratio. Has very high specs, works as an LTE phone, modem, hotspot, good camera. I can get one in the Philippines for a little over $300 USD. I might pick one up there. Backup for the backup sort of thing.

If you don't have a tablet and think you might want one, I would certainly get one in the US as they are much cheaper and the selection is no comparison. I just bought my brother a Onda V891W 8.9 inch dual boot windows and android 4.4 64GB retina screen tablet for $130. 1.84 Ghz quad core, 2 GB ram. Retina 255 points per inch screen 1920X1200. I specifically wanted Kitkat because it is a light operating system with everything he needs and nothing he doesn't. Kitkat runs well on phones that have 1/2 GB ram. The latest and greatest isn't always better. Same tablet if you could even get it in the Philippines would be $300 or more. Bring all your tech electronics with you.

I also have an AT&T Gophone Microsoft 640 that I picked up at Walmart for $60 because I wanted to play with a Windows phone. Microsoft 640 sells for about $240 in the Philippines

AT&T will unlock them for the asking as long as you have never registered the phone with them, just go to their website.

I actually like Windows phone. I like this phone and it is great value for the money. With windows you basically get root access automatically and can move apps to the microsd card (128-200GB) "IF" the person who wrote the app allows it. The 640 has average 5 inch 720p screen, lackluster but useable camera. If I were having someone else pay for a phone, I might pick one of the high end Windows phones with 20 megapixel camera. Cortana works fine as your personal assistant. Wifi reception on this phone is nothing short of awesome. battery life on this phone is about 3 days.

So...how is the eyesight, hand size? and are you planning any missions to mars and handicapping yourself by doing it all on your phone just for laughs?

I like a good-very good camera on a phone because of the old saying, "the things you see when you haven't got your gun". I may be an indifferent photographer but at least the shots are clear.

 

There are lots of choices. I suggest you go to an att or t-mobile store and look at the phones. I mention these carriers because they use the GSM system. Verizon and Sprint use CDMA and won't work, unless you have the dual radio version. Pretty much every modern GSM smart phone (LG, Sony, Apple, Samsung) is quad band and will work in both places as long as they are unlocked. Once you pick a phone double check all the specs being mentioned above if your interested getting all G version frequencies (2G, 3G, 4G/LTE). You will also need to check to see what frequencies the Philippines is using for the newer frequency bands. The phone will need to be unlocked so it works on more than the carrier the phone was bought from. ATT and t-mobile no longer offer contacts so no discount on the phone, but they will set up a payment plan. Once you pay off the phone, they will unlock it for you.

 

Dear Robert k and cabb:

Thank-you for all these pointers!

Yes, my hands both work well, but I do wear glasses, so I suspect a larger screen or medium-sized (larger than standard-sized) icons would work best for me.

I will NOT have much say-so in what the "VA phone" will be as I'll get whatever they have in their "inventory". My therapist will be getting all the info from your responses as to what does work, so in the CHANCE the VA does have such a beast in their inventory, she will be able to lasso it for me.

So we are shooting for the stars, and hoping for the best outcome. Hopefully, the VA won't send me a couple of carrier pigeons - but one never knows with the VA....

**** About a month before I arrive, I WILL be getting a list from you guys on little things you need that I can bring with me from the States. Wrye83 says he needs cables right now, so I will post a thread just for those last minute things you need at that time and hand carry them with me. No worries.... that's what friends are for! So far, I have can-openers, high thread count flat sheets and charging cables, but we will cross that bridge when we get there, and adjust fire as needed.

Just don't ask for bullets, right? (Holy Cow!)

V/R,
nwlivewire

 

I hope they have a cool choice for you. Not that all is lost if they don't. I have heard that people who have the local Myphone brand have good luck with them and they are reasonably priced...for the Philippines. I had a simple Starmobile phone and it lived in my sweaty pocket with keys and change and it survived. Even the upper tier Cherry mobile phones seem to be ok if one is careful plugging in and unplugging the charging cable. The big problem there is the warrantee service and not the fact that the phone broke but someone can replace the charging socket and printed circuit to fix it for about $5. From what I hear CM after sales service is run by Helen Waite so if you need anything, go to Helen Waite.

In the Philippines, I buy phones from CMK cellphone, they ship all over and have brick and mortar two places in Manila and one in Cebu last I heard. Their prices are usually comparable to Lazada on the things I would buy.

 

Wrye, Cherry Mobile has Alpha series tablets that use type C. Maybe they have replacements they sell.

 

I guess this is in reverse of what he is needing, but I bought 4G Android Firefly's (3 of them), (of course all are unlocked) at Robinson's Mall. Used them while still in the Philippines, and still using them here in the U. S. with AT&T sim cards with no problems. Great phones!

 

Dear Okiebound:

Thanks for posting this!

V/R,
nwlivewire

 

This is another good point. Maybe you are super careful and never lose or break anything. Or maybe you are going to go through some phones as you learn some lessons. You might want to get a relatively cheap phone just for this reason.

I got around the pocket / forgetting issue by always carrying my phone in a pouch attached to a strap which went across my chest. I have accidentally left my backpack at several places, but never my phone. It always goes straight to the pouch and I'm always wearing the pouch. The backpack sometimes gets left because I'm not always wearing it.