Mike wants to remove his Google account from a Samsung Galaxy S9. Leo says that in settings, he can find an accounts feature, select account, and then remove the account. But he may have to have a Google account in order to use it. It may also remove all contacts, emails, and other data while doing it.
Mason saw an A50 smartphone in T-Mobile which is free with a two-year commitment. But is it junky? Leo says that all mobile carriers offer cheaper phones that they can offer for free, and it's a mixed bag if they're decent or not. But you can bet that the cameras aren't very good. Leo recommends the Motorola Moto G6 or the Samsung Galaxy S10. What about buying a phone from overseas that are unlocked? Leo says that he can do that, but the radios in the phone may not support the frequencies here in the US. But that A50 should be fine.
Joe has an old Samsung mobile phone and he thinks it may be time to upgrade. Leo says if the phone is working fine, there's no real reason to get a new one, EXCEPT, older mobile phones aren't secure because they are rarely, if ever, updated. So getting a new phone for security reasons is a smart idea. Also, eventually, the older phones will gradually stop working with apps because developers have just moved on. The Motorola G7 is a great phone for around $200 with a great price
Jenna is a veteran and she doesn't use her tablet much. She's thinking of selling her tablet and going with a cheap phone and a cheap internet plan. Leo says that's a good plan, especially if she goes with a low-cost data plan with WiFi. T-Mobile has a plan for those over $50. It's pretty cheap. But there's also MINT Mobile, an MVNO that resells phone service from T-Mobile. $15 a month or less, and she can bring her own phone.
Albert travelled overseas and brought his T-Mobile phone because it offers free 2G/EDGE speeds. Leo says that it works great, even if it's slower. He can pay $10 a day for a limited amount of data on other wireless plans, too. And that's largely thanks to T-Mobile disrupting the industry. Leo also says to google Prepaidwithdata Wiki and go to the page to find out where he can get a MiFi card when travelling overseas.
Ross' 96-year-old mother listens to Pandora at home and has heard that Jitterbug has a new smartphone. Leo says that it just came out and it promises to be the simplest smartphone ever. It's only $100, though, so it's not going to be that complex. It's been highly modified Android device with a special launcher that makes for big buttons that are easy to read. Can he put Pandora on it? Leo says that it's hard to tell by the specs. If they don't have an app store, then there's a challenge there. Leo says you need to ask them to find out.
June 29, 2007, twelve years ago, Steve Jobs announced the first iPhone. Apple hadn't invented the app store yet, so the original iPhone didn't really have but a few very basic apps. In fact, Steve Jobs thought everything would be done through websites, not apps. It was listed at $499 and people lined up three days before it launched to get one. But a smartphone wasn't really new, what did change the world was having a full-time connection to the internet in your pocket.
Gloria wants to know how can she buy a phone without a plan. She heard of a new phone plan called "Visible" for $40 a month. Leo says that Verizon's Visible plan is very interesting and she can buy an unlocked phone anywhere, including Amazon. She just has to be sure she gets a phone that supports Verizon. Here's a page that shows which phones are compatible - https://www.visible.com/compatibility
Leo likes the Motorola Moto G7. Price is between $200-300.
Leo doesn't really get what's going on, but it appears that Huawei is now allowed to be sold in the US. For the last few years, Huawei was declared as a "dangerous foreign entity," but now it appears that at the recent G20 summit, the President has officially lifted all restrictions. Which is puzzling, because recent news reports hint that Huawei has been up to no good. Huawei is much more vulnerable to hackers, perhaps even intentionally, according to a recent report.
Vicky recently dropped her Samsung Galaxy S6 phone and cracked the screen. So now she needs to get a new phone. She's retired and is on a budget, so what should she get? Leo recommends the Motorola Moto G7. It's about $200, and Best Buy is offering $100 off right now. A great phone with a descent camera. And AT&T may give her a deal to keep business. But don't accept any lesser models.
