electronic device needed for work

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maxwell_smart007

maxwell_smart007

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I am not a fan of electronic time wasters like smartphones, but I've reached the point that I need to buy something that connects to the internet to get called for my work.

Starting this year, I am going to be called in for work by an electronic call-in system, but I also have the ability to 'scoop' jobs on the internet. The trouble is, everyone else seems to have a smart phone, and they're going to be scooping all the jobs!

I don't need a portable telephone, and cannot afford or justify spending the 50 dollars a month to use it - is there a device that I can carry in my pocket that can use firefox, but not cost anything each month?

I heard that an iPod touch can do so - but I don't know which 'generation' to buy...
 
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Top question Andrew - are you looking for something that available pretty much anywhere, or just something that connects to wi-fi points?

Ipod touch needs wifi. If you need "anywhere" its gonna be nearly impossible to avoid a monthy charge.
 
I just want to be able to walk away from my computer and go downstairs to my shop, or out in the yard, without worrying about missing work...right now, I click 'refresh' every five seconds on the computer, and it's getting old already.

I can get a wireless thingie for the internet here, and they have hotspots at the coffee shop - and the school has free wireless as well...

So I think non-everywhere is ok..depending on how well wifi works (never used it before)
 
My experience with my iPad is that sometimes I want Internet connection but WiFi isn't available, so I got 14.95/mo. plan from AT&T for tablets (tablet only plan they have) to cover those instances. It gets me 250 meg/mo.

After I broke down and updated to and iPhone, I took a different for that device to have minimal access to internet and use WiFi whenever possible. I got a wireless plan from Consumer Cellular (Consumer Cellular - No Contract Cell Phones with the Best Cell Phone Plans), where you can pick the voice plan you want and pick the data/text plan you want. They've got low fees for people who don't use a lot of data and no contract commitments. You can even change you plan from month to month to meet your needs.

Neither of these are free solutions, but the costs are about as minimal as I was able to find for my own needs.
 
I'm confused....

If you don't have access to WiFi, you will have to have some kind of smart phone that will access the Internet. Now that can get expensive depending to the data plan you choose. With that comes the cell phone charges too.

With an IPad, you will get a data plan. Again, expensive.

If you have access to WiFi, there are a number of tablets out there for under $200.00.

I don't understand the refresh part. Not matter what you get, unless there is an app for it, you will have to refresh.
 
if you have access to wifi and need something to connect to internet.

Ipod would work but don't think you can use firefox on it(I don't use Apple devices so I am not sure)

If you know anyone who has a extra droid smartphone see if you can borrow it and try it out on wifi and see if it will work and I know you can get fire fox for droid.
 
If you can get your hands on someone's old smartphone, you can just use the wifi portion of the phone as long as your wireless signal can reach you. You won't be able to use it for voice but it doesn't seem like you need to. You'll end up with a smartphone minus the phone part which should work just fine for what you need.
Check out Craigslist, check out the local phone stores and see if they'll give you or sell you one that someone's traded in for a new model.

I'll bet there's someone here that has one that would work for you sitting in a drawer - just get the word out.

p.s. there's probably a pulldown menu for you to set your refresh rate - I don't know that there's a 5 second one but I have mine set for 2 minutes.
 
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I have an iPod Touch. I got a Skype phone number and use my Uverse WiFi connection around the house. But my wifi range doesn't go all the way out to the back of the lot. I do, however, get a ring tone wherever I am if a call is coming in and Skype account takes a message on the iPod Touch if I'm out of range of a Wifi connection. I pay 2.99/mo for the phone number
 
Missed one more piece... You say firefox - Just so you know the portable devices have a mixture of browsers. Typically chrome or safari... It shouldn't matter much but just a tidbit of info.

For what you are looking to be doing, any generation of touch should work fine.
 
So any generation of iPod touch can get the internet?

I say 'firefox', because it has a built in application thing that can check for changes and refresh the page for me every minute, and beep at me - then I can just take the thing out of my pocket and accept the job. Otherwise, I have to sit at a computer and click refresh every minute myself, or have no chance at taking a job.

Being in Canada, and in the middle of nowhere in Canada at that, there's a very limited selection of plans to get - probably less so here in the sticks than in a major centre.

Anyone have an old wireless internet thing that they want to sell? :biggrin: I'll have to scour eBay, I guess....anything to look for? I don't care how much memory it has, but I want to make sure it connects to the internet...
 
alphageek said:
Missed one more piece... You say firefox - Just so you know the portable devices have a mixture of browsers. Typically chrome or safari... It shouldn't matter much but just a tidbit of info.

For what you are looking to be doing, any generation of touch should work fine.
Click to expand...


If it's Android based, Firefox does have a mobile browser Mozilla
 
i use my galaxy from verizon. 29.00 per month with 2 gigs of service. plenty of time and the new ones are 4g so they are blazing fast. would be willing to sellmy 3g for about 200.00 and i would upgrade.
 
I have an older Samsung Prevail I'd let you have just for the shipping, but you can't ship the battery in International mail.
 
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An iPod Touch requires access to wifi. Free wifi is available in many locations, but it's far from universal;.

It sounds like what you need is a device that connects to the internet using 4G technology. That's going to cost money.
 
I have a lg optimus V from virgin mobile. I pay $25 a month for unlimited text , unlimited data, and 300 minutes. I believe they raised the price to $30 or $35 a month, but this is the cheapest deal anywhere. It also runs on the sprint network. It has a android operating system on it. It does everything that any other smartphone does.
 
I use an Ipod touch for diferent things and I would say not to use it for what you want. Unless the latest version has a faster operating system. It is convenient if you don't want too much speed. But mine is old. 2nd generation.
 
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