Any hints or rumors of a new basic phone in 2013?

[BasicGuy]

What I like in a phone:

1. A quality product that will last for at least a few years.

2. A good camera (by today's standards, not by 2005's standards).

3. WIFI would be a nice option, but it's not a requirement for me.

What I've observed lately:

1. No new basic phones have been introduced into Verizon's shop in quite some time.

2. WIFI is not an option in ANY of the current basic phone offerings.

3. Camera quality is generally very poor by today's standards.

4. On the customer phone reviews, from a scale of 1-5, no basic phone scored between a 4 and 5 (one had a 3.9).

5. There used to be a "Feature Phones" section on the Verizon Wireless site, but it vanished a long time ago.  Feature phones do not require a data plan and were actually decent.

6. On Verizon's "Basic Phone" page, they have a large icon of a speakerphone, advertising a speakerphone as on of the main features to boast about.  Seriously, a speakerphone is considered a hot feature these days?

7. Google "Verizon Basic Phones."  The second link is an old "Basic Phone Finder," but the page hasn't been updated in years! https://www.verizonwireless.com/deviceFinder/basic.html

8. Every smart phone requires a data plan.

9. I can't help but feel like Verizon is intentionally offering garbage basic phones because they want to push people to get data plans.

So this leads me to my question:  Are there any hints or rumors of a new basic phone in 2013?

Please no rude replies here (I'm well aware I can purchase a data plan and pay more monthly, or use a different carrier).

Thanks!

[tikibar1]

BasicGuy wrote:

So this leads me to my question:  Are there any hints or rumors of a new basic phone in 2013?

Nope

[SydneyK]

I've not heard any basic phone news, and the selection is rapidly shrinking. It's easier if your carrier is GSM, because you can buy unlocked basic phones with better features.

Have you picked up the Samsung Intensity 3 yet? I just handled one in Best Buy and it actually feels really solid. The bad news is, I have seen posts on here about problems connecting via Bluetooth and problems with the alarm being unreliable. And it's no longer for sale on this site, at least in my ZIP code, but it is available at Best Buy and Wal-Mart.

Unfortunately, I don't think CDMA basic phone manufacturers will invest in adding a good camera or Wi-Fi. However, you can get both those features if you buy a Kin off eBay. Those are pretty old though, so who knows how long they'll last.

Good luck in your search.

[BasicGuy]

Thanks for the reply Sydney.  It's funny you mention the Kin as I do have one myself, and it was an excellent feature phone but was clearly not built to last (mine only lasted a year before turning off by itself for no apparent reason).  For that reason I activated an old Samsung brick I had in 2007, which is a windows 6 phone with WIFI and lots of great features you won't find today.

The Samsung Intensity 3 looks almost identical to the LG Cosmos 2.  I've decided to get the Cosmos 2, but sadly this phone comes standard with adware (Verizon's "Daily Scoop") which is apparently a non-removable app -- you can only disable it after jumping through some hoops.  Oh, and thanks for the new $30 upgrade fee Verizon, which you have justified by saying it's for some bogus "educational phone" programs.

By the way, there are quite a few non-smartphones with excellent cameras out there (specifically from Nokia and Sony), but either Verizon doesn't see a market for them or they're intentionally not offering them in fear of people dropping their data plans.

Whatever happens, I want Verizon to know how disappointed I am with the current basic phone offerings.  I don't need a data plan, but that doesn't mean I should have to choose from such a poor, dated selection of devices.

[tikibar1]

Don't forget that you might find a great buy on a 'new in the box' but discontinued basic or multimedia phone from somewhere like ebay (just ensure that the phone is Verizon branded with a clean ESN and that it's not outdated to the point that it's no longer compatible with your calling plan).  You might get additional features over what's currently offered on Verizon's site, you'd avoid the $30 upgrade fee, and you wouldn't extend your current contract.  I enjoyed using the LG env3 and contrary to a lot of reviews, never had any issues with it.  The Convoy and Convoy 2 aren't bad, either.

It is sad that there's such a limited offering of basic phones when not everyone wants or needs a data plan, nor does everyone want a touch-screen phone.

[Heretic1989]

Here's a rumor.

http://www.phonearena.com/news/LG-Cosmos-3-and-Revere-2-basic-phones-coming-to-Verizon_id41674