Posted on 01/30/2019 8:01:20 AM PST by knarf
A friend wants me to get a smart phone and install VIBER so we can chat.
I don't have a smart phone and probably will never get one.
The VIBER site requests a smart cell number I don't have.
Is there anything I can do ?
Try to install it on your rotary dial phone......
Google Voice number?
Buy an iPhone?
Nope ... tried that .... it don’t work.
I got a cheapie TRAC phone from Walmart two years ago. I think it was $50.
Then I pay $30 every three months for the cell service.
There is a PC (and MAC) version, but you must have an account on your mobile phone.
If you have a PC, you can use a cell phone emulator program.
https://www.androidauthority.com/best-android-emulators-for-pc-655308/
This is the model I have:
http://tracfone.devicebits.com/tracfone/home.seam?custId=TFALA466BG&locale=en_US
I might be able to help you learn to trust a properly setup smartphone.
The key to smartphone usage is to not download anything. They are Soooooo tempting to download games and use it to go online. But if you use it as strict communications device it works out pretty well.
Once you start browsing the web, you’ll see that a lot of pages ask to notify you and it’s sublime - they’ll get you to click it. Next thing you know, it’s going crazy in your pocket with enough BS to make you toss it.
My mother is affected by this. She uses it as an internet machine and it’s ruining her life. every other day she’s at my house while I reset it and bring it back to normal.
I use mine to host some apps that I don’t use. Uber, for instance. I belong to Uber in case my car breaks down (My wife and I have no support system of friends who help... we moved across the country). Uber just sits on my phone as an emergency.
I also use it to take pictures. But then Google tries desperately to get me to upload the pictures into the cloud, where they can do anything they want with them. And if they can’t do what they want, they re-write the terms and post them somewhere on the moon where I’ll never find the new rules.
You know what ? Forget it. I think I’m going to get rid of my POS phone.
Viber is the worst kind of spyware. I distinctly refuse to use this considering it wants access to literally EVERYTHING on your device. My suggestion is use something else. Skype, say.
You can always use the chat function on the PC, but if you want to speak to the other person you have to make sure your microphone/speaker work correctly.
Tried and tossed a smart phone a few years ago. Always something going on in the background. No control over what it is doing. The wife recently started using one simply to see pictures on her Facebook account.
Bought a cheap Samsung tablet to play games on and only access the internet to read FreeRepublic. But it is always doing something in the background. While playing Sudoku it sometimes hangs doing something. Again, no control over devices these days. Will never buy an Amazon or Google thing that accepts verbal commands as much as I like front line technology. I bought one of the FIRST HD TVs that first came out. Won’t say how much it cost. :<(((( Bought the DirecTV system when it first came out and mounted and aligned my own dish. Still have DirecTV although it is a bit pricey.
Getting old.
Is the 2mp camera still crap? I have an earlier 2mp version, and it’s great for fuzzy pics. Mine looks smart, but it aint.
We're home bodys and are not into being umbilicalled to a cell phone for ANY reason.
My friend insists on VIBER and I HAVE tried it on the throwaway, but it ate everything up and I uninstalled it
Just tell him to use Skype like a normal person.
https://www.viber.com/download/
You don't need a smartphone, but you do need a cell phone that can receive text messages to authenticate. If you don't have cell phone, you can try a Google Voice account which will let your receive text messages. If you can't receive text messages on a cell phone, you are out of luck.
I put data saver in the on position on my phone and leave the phone’s data plan off unless I need it temporarily...then it goes back off. Wifi and blue tooth also stay off unless I need them. That halts the extraneous back ground activity. Every three months I’ll turn the wifi on to up date and then turn it back off.
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