Sorry it's boring but please help - mobile phones??

[mumblechum]

After spending nearly an hour researching my brain hurts.

What mobile would you recommend for a 15 yr old boy? He's lost his but it was a bit knackered looking anyway & will buy a new one for his b'day in a month.

It matters what it looks like. Last one was nice cobalt blue Samsung.

Thanks in advance

[mumeeee]

It depends what he wants and how much you can spend. Does he want bluetooth and a camera on it?
DD3 17 lost hers a while a go and she has ben using a very old one that her friend had. That has now stopped working andshe has seen a nice vodaphone one which costs about £30 if you buy £10 credit with it.

[SimpleAsABC]

I really like phone shopping, what's the budget?

[Winetimeisfinetime]

My 15 year old ds's very basic Samsung phone stopped working this week so I took him phone shopping as I know nothing about mobile phones or what looks good.

He chose an LG Viewty and seems very pleased with it. It cost £102 { he paid for it, otherwise it would have been another basic phone from me } on Vodaphone from Tesco. It does look nice and has a touch screen which would drive me made but he loves it as it doesn't look like a phone.

[Winetimeisfinetime]

I sympathise with you as my brain was hurting after doing lots of online research { all wasted as my ds chose something I would never have considered for him }and a reccy mission to Tesco where I had to have mobile phone buying explained to me by a young assistant in Tesco who very kindly didn't treat me with the pity my ignorance deserved.

[SlartyBartFast]

how about a contract phone?
there are some that you put £15 a month on and have free texts?

[Mumwhensdinnerready]

My DS aged 13 has just bought a new mobile.He got an LG cookie from Tesco Direct for £85. It's a touch screen and very impressive looking.

Unless he's going to do huge amounts of calling or texting I would stick with pre pay.
My son had his old phone from his 11th birthday and it still had most of the original £10 credit on it! As the old phone was also Tescos we swapped the sim card into the new phone.
A combination of the novelty of the new phone and a girlfriend means he's now using it regulrly but nowhere near the £15 a month you might pay for a contract phone.

[pointydog]

Can't you ask him the one he wants? It's such a touchy subject with the yoof. Touch screen def.

[mumblechum]

I;'d ideally like it to be a surprise, he chose the last one.& I know the looks will matter as much/more than the functionality. Budget £50 to £100. He doesn't really use the current one too much, between £5 & £10 a month if that.

Thanks everyone, will look at the models suggested

[mumeeee]

Dh found out this evening you xan get some good deals buy going through Amazon. He ordered the Vodaphone one that DD3 wanted and got it for £30 without having to buy £10 credit.

[SlartyBartFast]

how do you know your area will have a signal anyone know?

we have no Orange in the house or at work, so how do i know what will give a signal??????

[Mumwhensdinneready]

We don't have much of a signal at home. You can just about use a mobile by hanging out of a bedroom window.
I guess that keeps the bills down, but I like the boys to have a phone if they go out alone.

I don't think there's much difference in networks, it always annoys visiting workmen - plumbers etc.They can never use their mobiles in our village unless they go stand in the middle of the road.

Maybe you can find out about signals by typing a postcode into the network websites?Like freeview, which we also can't get.

[LollipopViolet]

I'm really no help with this unfortunately! I've just done a very student-y thing and used £300+ of my own money to buy an iPhone.

I am 19 though so bit different. I had a viewty before, and the small touch screen drove me mad, the iPhone's one is so much bigger and is loads better.

Sony Ericsson do nice looking phones, lots of features, and some are quite cheap I think.

[nemo1234]

I bought my 15 year old ds a Nokia phone that is also a really good MP3 player. He's absolutely thrilled with it. He transfers music from his ipod to the phone and it fits nicely in his blazer jacket for school - unseen by teachers - with plenty of music on it. He can bluetooth tracks to friends. It came from carphone warehouse on a 'kids' contract that doesn't allow him to run up a huge bill and I can claim back £180 at the end of 12 months. It was a bit of a surprise present but he loves it.

[geRONtius]

If you go on to a phone company's website, there'll be a thing where you can type in your postcode and it'll say whether you can get signal where you live.
Carphone Warehouse often has good deals.

[slayerette]

I have just got a Sony Ericsson Walkman phone - not touch screen but I love it. camera, internet, walkman, radio...

[tatt]

wouldn't dare try to choose a mobile for my teens, they have very specific ideas about what they should look like. Lately they all seem to have to have music on the phone and a camera is a must. Bluetooth means they can swap things more readily, no idea if that is legal.

Take him out to choose it.

[tatt]

Ones that might suit, T-mobile is good for cheap texts

www.prepaymania.co.uk/mobilephone/Samsung-U800-Soul-B-Silver-t-mobile-payg.html?source=af

www.play.com/Mobiles/Mobile/-/529/686/-/10538040/Samsung-S5230-Tocco-Lite-Vodafone-Pre-Pay-Pay-As-Yo u-Go-Mobile-Phone/Product.html?searchtype=genre#