My aging mother wants a smart phone

[badMojo69]

Honestly is WP even worth considering at this point? To me its the most straight forward OS that you can't get lost in. I just don't know if Microsoft will deep six it in the next year.

I bought her a Amazon Blu R1 HD and I put a different launcher on it and she still can't figure out how to answer the phone when it rings

So now I'm like she needs a BlackBerry, Windows Phone or Apple phone.
Apple is a stretch, because I'm not trying to spend a ton of cash on this. What do I mean by a ton...more than $200.

--I just ordered a 650. I played with my 920 and was like there is no way she can get lost in this OS. As long as the phone can make phone calls, save contacts, text and allow alarms to be set she should be fine.

 

[xandros9]

I'd get her a iPhone 5s in good condition.

As foolproof as it gets without the fancy advanced stuff of Android, without the quirks of W10M and without the usual high pricetag of a new iPhone.

 

[RumoredNow]

Last November I got my inlaws both on Lumia 635s. Their first smartphones and very little tech experience between the two of them. They were 79 and 81 at the time.

They took to it like ducks to water with just a few examples of how to do things.

My mother in law is really into it. She has "Cortina" doing all sorts of stuff for her.

The large size of the tiles, IMHO, makes setup for seniors and use by them a natural.

However, since you already got her the BLU R1, why not check out some launchers they make for converting to easy senior use on Android?
https://play.google.com/store/searc...QoHc2VuaW9yc3oFGADAAQKKAQIIAQ==:S:ANO1ljJEMlo

 

[badMojo69]

I did try Big Launcher and the SSMS would not work, so I had to leave it on stock which...she gets lost in

They've been this way since I was a kid. Extremely tech adverse.
But she wants a smart phone for some reason, probably so my sister who lives in another state can send her pictures of the kids.

 

[RumoredNow]

Honestly then, I think Live Tiles and large tiles on Start with Windows 8.1 is probably the best bet. Lumia 640 has a pretty good screen, don't update it to W10M and she won't have to worry about updates being pushed all the time, etc.

Cortana is a big help if you get her using it. Set up her Start for her and that one screen will work wonders for her usage, IMHO. Camera is nice. Show her Skype for video calling (and make sure other family members know she is on Skype), emails and calendar in Outlook and make sure her MMS is dialed in and show her picture messaging (especially save the pic from MMS to her phone) and that would probably do it.

My father-in-law treats his 635 like a flip phone for the most part and just dabbles in other stuff. He uses the weather and news. I also set up NOAA High Def Radar and he likes that.

My mother-in-law gets a bit deeper. She loves to get MMS and she is always looking stuff up for shopping, recopies, etc. Cortana has become her friend.

9 months in they both still tell us how glad they are they got those phones.

 

[Mohd Fadil A]

windows smart phone are best for non tech savvy especially the old generation. Just pin the necessary live tiles on start screen

 

[pin30127]

Honestly is WP even worth considering at this point? To me its the most straight forward OS that you can't get lost in. I just don't know if Microsoft will deep six it in the next year.

I bought her a Amazon Blu R1 HD and I put a different launcher on it and she still can't figure out how to answer the phone when it rings

So now I'm like she needs a BlackBerry, Windows Phone or Apple phone.
Apple is a stretch, because I'm not trying to spend a ton of cash on this. What do I mean by a ton...more than $200.

--I just ordered a 650. I played with my 920 and was like there is no way she can get lost in this OS. As long as the phone can make phone calls, save contacts, text and allow alarms to be set she should be fine.

I got my Father the Samsung J3 with easy mode. Big apps icons and big contact pictures.

 

[patcherd]

I gave my dad my Alcatel one touch XL and he likes to listen to music sometimes on it. He just plays around with it at home, not enough to switch from his Jitterbug flip. Lol.

 

[Scienceguy Labs]

I bought my Mom and Dad a couple of 640XLs a little over a year ago. They just need call, text, music, and news browsing capabilities, so the poor state of affairs in the app department isn't an issue for them, yet.....
My Mom, however, has become a bit more adventurous with apps, and has started asking about a few that she's become interested in that aren't in the Windows app store. She must likely will move back to Android in the coming months. But, if your Mom just needs a phone, there 640XL is a good choice.