Podcast: Play in new window | Embed
Tech News and Commentary
Dave and the team discuss T-Mobile’s expansion, Meta on TikTok, and more.
Joe in Hazleton, Pennsylvania listens Online and is using the AskDave button and asked: “I’m probably the only person listening who doesn’t have a cell phone. I’m finally gonna cave in only because I have a chance to get a free one from Temple University. They have a program for free cell phones and phone equipment for blind people with limited income who qualify. The phone I’m getting is “the Apple 11 SE” Why should I pay $70 for a Verizon contract when I can get a contract for as little as $10 or $20 for phone service? Also, where can I get a case for the phone that doesn’t block the speaker or microphone, and also wireless earbuds with a microphone?”
Joe, there are two reasons to pay Verizon those $70:
You want to finance the phone through them. Verizon is not losing money on that phone, theyre just letting you pay it off over time.
You want better service than youd get from a reseller like Mint Mobile, US Mobile, Tello, Consumer Cellular and others.
Those resellers will usually charge a lot less than the companies that actually own the towers and have licenses over the spectrum, but youll get very low priority on the network and are far more likely to have very slow data speeds or no roaming capabilities.
The other obvious downside is that you will need to pay for a phone and it will likely be a worse phone than youll get from Verizon, but that may not matter much if youll save the cost of a phone over a year or less.
Now, as far as your case question Most cases wont block the speaker or microphone (otherwise no one would buy them), but if you want to be 100% sure you can go with major and well known manufacturers like Speck, Lifeproof, Otterbox, or Apples own cases. The likes of Lifeproof and Otterbox will definitely be bulkier and more likely to bury the microphone and speaker but they will still work normally.
If you use your iPhone on speaker, the earpiece will also act as a loudspeaker, by the way, and theres a front facing microphone as well as the microphone at the bottom.
In terms of wireless earbuds, we cant think of any modern set of wireless earbuds that dont include a microphone. Even the generic ones that sell for very little money on sites like Amazon.
The quality of those microphones and especially the noise cancellation will vary greatly though. For example, AirPods and even Beats earbuds are very popular in Zoom meetings because the noise cancellation is quite good for something that sits so far away from your mouth, the same is true for Samsungs earbuds which are less popular but still roughly around the same price range.
The problem is that that price range is high. Youll be looking at anywhere from $100 to a few hundred depending on the model.
DAVE:Jabras 85ts that weve given away are also quite good, but also about $200.
If thats too much and you expect to mainly use them in quieter settings, you can look at far less expensive generic earbuds on Amazon. For example, you will find roughly the same earbuds sold under names like Traga and Tozo that will sell for as little as $20 and are generally ok. Theyre not great, theyre more prone to interference and the microphone lacks the great noise cancellation other earbuds boast, but generally speaking theyll do the job for very little money.
A reason to maybe consider something more expensive like the basic AirPods is that theyll offer full and reliable Siri integration, which paired with the good noise cancellation may be something worth paying for if youre fully blind and want to be able to use your phone through Siri commands in nosier environments. Other earbuds will offer it as well, but unless you pay for good ones it may be a little frustrating to use the feature in noisy environments in the real world.
When you participate on the show – anytime 24/7 – and we HEAR you with any consumer tech question, comment, help for another listener, tech rage or just share your favorite App these days … you could win prizes.
Jabra: Evolve2 75 Bluetooth Stereo Headset
Kensington: 48Watt 4-Port USB Charger
EZVIZ: Indoor Pan/Tilt WiFi Security Camera
TurboTax: Online codes good for ANY of their products to help you file your income tax fast and easily.
Daan Tech: “Bob” – the ultra compact Dishwasher
All CALLERS — using the AUDIO option on our Free App or 1-800-899-INTO(4686) – automatically qualify to win prizes.
Audio archived for at least 6 months