I have been given a smartphone but I'm not sure if it is in working order. It starts to boot up but doesn't get past the instruction to insert a sim card. I'm not bothered about having one but I thought it might be useful in an emergency or something. Since I'm not that enthusiastic about the whole idea I don't want to sign up for a contract until I know the phone itself is working. If I borrow a sim card from someone else's phone to try it in mine will that cause any loss of data or configuration on the other person's phone?
A smart phone was something I resisted until just over a year ago. I kept a dumb mobile in the car for emergencies but that was it. It's no longer practical to manage without a smart phone. So much security is now based round two factor authorisation where you get sent a message to your smart phone giving a random generated code which then enables you to log into for example your bank account or make payments. You can also check emails on the hoof. I did recently try to call breakdown assistance with a dumb phone and got an annoying message about it being better to use the internet to expedite my request. Sorry but it's already past time to adopt this new technology. It does take quite a bit of work though to build up confidence and basic expertise.
There's a good chance that if you stick the sim card from another mobile in it will work but sim cards come in several physical sizes. If you buy one it's on a credit card sized piece of plastic and has several template options for breaking it into the necessary physical dimensions. There's a special sim card removal tool with which you release the sim card carrier - easier than using a straightened out paper clip.
I take your point about managing without a smartphone and 2FA security. My problem is that I am not in the habit of using one, even a dumb one. Where I live there is literally no mobile network coverage. A few hundred yards up the road a signal of sorts can be received but often only enough for a short SMS to slip through. Therefore since I don't really have a use for a phone and at home at least I have 6mb internet reliably available I don't feel inclined to throw money at a smartphone just to own a fashion accessory. I might be tempted to find a cheap PAYG sim to use in the freebie phone but would still have to leave the house to go in search of a signal.
You may be surprised at how low little a very good condition Android phone would cost you. Don't buy a Nokia though. Our dumb phones are Nokias. They were really well made and maybe collectors items now but the Nokia smart phones have issues with a weak charging port and easily broken screens. It's likely you have a decent WIFI connection. You can get some functionality out of a smart phone using that. Be advised that the jump from PC to smart mobile will cause you some worries. I thought that I was fairly competent tech wise but I'm still not very good using one after a year of ownership. Maybe there is some mobile network that is able to offer you better local coverage? It'll get better. Forget any notion that you can resist the march of technology. We've enough souls on the forum who can't see their way past Windows 7 or XP. My resistance to owning a smart phone was much the same as yours.
