Cell phone question

[10-K]

I'm starting to get interested in a new phone and am considering an iphone.

I currently have a Boulder G'Zone ruggedized phone with an extended battery that lasts for quite a long time (10x longer than the regular battery easily). This phone is also water/dust/shock proof within certain limits.

The thing I do not like about Apple products is that you can't buy extra batteries.

So... I'm thinking about getting the iphone for around the house and overnight/weekend hiking trips and switching service back to my Boulder whenever I'm going out for a week or so which isn't so often that it'd make swapping phones a hassle.

You can do that, right (switch phones back and forth on the same line)... ?

I have yet to enter the smartphone world. I can barely text actually.

BTW, what is real world battery life like on the iphone?

[mweinstone]

i would concider these pros and cons ive noticed. i dont own a i phone.

iphone is heavy
has a large screen witch is more fragil than small ones
cannot hold charges as long as others because its never really off
does not have extra batt


has apps that can save a life
can be charged by more power cords from other devices than any phone alive
is a tool far beyond a phone more akin to a computer and a photoshop
it has high resale value compared to other phones

[mweinstone]

dave is a friend of mine who has allways owned cutting edge stuff but more, he knows more about it. he does things with his iphone that are incredible. this week he showed me an app that makes a seamless panoramic interactive photo of anyroom or place by simply snapping shots of the room.he can tell you how the programs work and what millitary offshoot it came from. think about this when you concider how things trickkle down from industry to us.,....the common 2$ dust mask you buy for protecting your lungs from dust, was an offshoot of the playtex bra . its just a cup from a bra with a strap and a dent for your nose. truhistory.
the iphone contains threds of tecnologies from the fabric of the cutting edge of human acheivments . owning one is a privlage i imagine. i concider this device a tool for art, music and film , not to be under estimated.

[Spokes]

10-K, I recently got an iPhone after carrying a flip phone for years. WOW! What a great transition. It is a heavy phone as mentioned. Battery life depends on how much you use it obviously but more about how much time you spend on the "data" side like internet. Mine can go a couple days with normal use or a half day if I'm surfing the net. Battery life also gets gobbled up if you have apps constantly running in the background.

I tell you I'm very happy with the iPhone and cant wait to do another long hike with it. Just having the power of that type technology at your fingertips equals out all the negatives most people associate with smartphones and hiking

Come to think of it, I'd be just as happy with an Android device too.

Cheers!

[person14]

I assume you are with verizon. Iphone 4 is old technology, it runs on verizon's 3g network. If you must have an iphone wait until iphone 5 comes out in late summer. It will run up to 10 times faster on the new 4g network. My two cents: if you want a new verizon phone soon I would get the android samsung charge(runs on 4g network) along with some cheap batteries from ebay so you can hike with it for multiple days. Better features than iphone 4, faster, and the ability to uses as many batteries as you feel like buying or carrying. Just quit my job with verizon for a south bound thru attempt so I am up on smartphones.

[mweinstone]

10-k, i recently got an iphone after carrying a flip phone for years. Wow! What a great transition. It is a heavy phone as mentioned. Battery life depends on how much you use it obviously but more about how much time you spend on the "data" side like internet. Mine can go a couple days with normal use or a half day if i'm surfing the net. Battery life also gets gobbled up if you have apps constantly running in the background.

I tell you i'm very happy with the iphone and cant wait to do another long hike with it. Just having the power of that type technology at your fingertips equals out all the negatives most people associate with smartphones and hiking

come to think of it, i'd be just as happy with an android device too.

Cheers!

+1.................................

[LDog]

I'm thinking of upgrading to iPhone 4 this fall in anticipation of my AT thru next year. 4G is currently only in large metro areas, [map] so I don't care about waiting for the next phone - Yet. I understand it weighs ~4.8 ozs. That big glass screen is tough as nails. There are a gazzillion aftermarket companies making everything imaginable for iPhone - including any number of screen protectors, body armor, and waterproof enclosures. The camera on the iPhone 4 is miles ahead of the crappy camera on the 3.

As for battery life, yes, you can turn it completely off when you don't need it. You can also put it into "Airplane" mode so that it isn't expending energy looking for cell towers, and still use it as a GPS, for journaling, take pics, photo manipulation, showing pics of your gear ... Fire it up to upload journals and photos, check email, or call to your Mom on mothers day.

Great apps available for GPS navigation with topo maps, and for photo manipulation. Adapters available to load pics from cameras to iPhone for manipulation and uploading to your favorite forum.

To provide additional charges between town visits, I like the Brunton Inspire Portable Power Device [link to REI]. It's essentially a battery you recharge in town, then plug into your iPhone (or whatever) to recharge it. It weighs 5.5 ozs and will charge your iPhone ~3 times. Currently out of stock at REI but available at Amazon and others for $59. I've looked at solar (AT too shady) and at nPower (too heavy), and don't think the performance is worth the weight. I'm not sure 5.5 ozs is worth the capability. Depends on how much I'm gonna want to mess with pics, journals, WB, etc. (Cue the technology naysayers ...)

Havn't really spent any time looking at Android phones ...

Hope this helps

[Snowleopard]

...
The thing I do not like about Apple products is that you can't buy extra batteries.
...
You can do that, right (switch phones back and forth on the same line)... ?

Not being able to buy spare batteries is annoying. I think that's not a problem with Android phones, but check before buying a specific phone.
Switching phones is easy on ATT, just switch the SIM card; I know nothing about Verizon.

[Point Man Chef]

I go with a droid and use an extra extended battery, the one that doesn't require a new back (after market). I also only turn it when I want to use it. Got Verizon service which is good. As mentioned, apps running in the background will eat up battery life. So, I downloaded an app that I use to kill apps when it is on. I just use what I want. Being able to just view weather radar with it is a great feature. Especially when you are in or getting ready to be in some inclement weather.

[Spokes]

.......... If you must have an iphone wait until iphone 5 comes out in late summer. .........

I learned long ago if you wait on the newest technology to come out you'll end up never buying anything.

Now let me go and eat my Space Ice Cream.

[LDog]

Originally Posted by person14
.......... If you must have an iphone wait until iphone 5 comes out in late summer. .........

I learned long ago if you wait on the newest technology to come out you'll end up never buying anything.

I've always been the cheap bastard that would wait for the newest technology to come out, and buy the previous version at a discount. I'm looking forward to a cheap, perhaps recon, iPhone 4

Now let me go and eat my Space Ice Cream.

Want some Tang to go with that?

[Tennessee Viking]

10-k

I loved my Boulder. It was pretty rugid except for the battery catch that broke on me twice. And for some reason a piece of insulation crept on top of the screen on me twice. But it was very good phone other than that. The big battery lasted me over a week as long it had a signal.



I switched up to the Gzone Brigade. No extended life battery. But the keyboard is a lot more friendlier for texting.

For the iPhone, you will definitely need a task killer app that will stop all unwanted apps from running in the background.

[Spokes]

Want some Tang to go with that?

hehehehehehe........ Coffee just shot out my nose!

[10-K]

Ok, so I'm going to rule the iphone out because of the battery issue. I'm sure it's an awesome phone but due to work/home requirements I need to have a reasonable expectation of making and receiving calls at any given time and I don't want to carry a Brunton type device to keep it going.

So... if I want a smartphone that leaves an Android.

What's a good choice - something that I can carry a spare battery for, and even better one that has a long battery life.

The Samsung Charge (recommended above) doesn't appear in the list of phones I have the option to upgrade to.....

Looks like the Droid Pro, Droid X, Thunderbold, Fascinate, Incredible, Citrus and Galaxy Tab are my main choices.

Dang...

[Spokes]

10-K, there's lots of good smartphone reviews on YouTube for the various models you mentioned. It may be worth some time watching them. I know I watched a bunch of them before taking the leap.

Good luck!

[10-K]

10-K, there's lots of good smartphone reviews on YouTube for the various models you mentioned. It may be worth some time watching them. I know I watched a bunch of them before taking the leap.

Good luck!

What's a YouTube? Do you need a smartphone for that??

[Sheneequa]

Dude, forget about becoming a slave to a smartphone and switching back and forth, (which is a pain in the ass) especially if you barely text. Just stick with using a computer and your G'Zone—it serves its purpose, and it's hardcore. Oh, and where did you buy an extended battery?

[Spokes]

........ with that kind of thinking we'd all still be hiking in blue jeans, tube socks, and Segen wood frame packs.

[sherrill]

What's a YouTube?

It's where the Space Ice Cream goes.

[10-K]

........ with that kind of thinking we'd all still be hiking in blue jeans, tube socks, and Segen wood frame packs.

https://picasaweb.google.com/tbradnc...43565309315874