View Full Version : New Phone built for hikers?
http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/14/intivation-intros-umeox-apollo-smartphone-100-solar-powered/
That might be worth checking out when more information is available. If nothing else, at least the solar panel is guaranteed to work with this phone.
I bought one of these crank chargers but the cords wouldn't work with my i-phone so, For light-weightness, I just put my sim card in a little cheap light nokia phone I really don't think you need a phone to go backpacking and if you do take one, you shouldn't absolutely rely on it and it should be kept OFF. That said, if you do keep an phone powered off completely, the battery will last for about 10 days and the charger cord is pretty light. I suppose it is kind of nice if you want to call a ride or a hostel or something. People that sit in the shelter and talk on the phone to their parents or something all evening really miss out on the experience and detract from others' too.
reviews.cnet.com/4520-11288_7-6427792-2.html
I bought one of these crank chargers but the cords wouldn't work with my i-phone so, For light-weightness, I just put my sim card in a little cheap light nokia phone I really don't think you need a phone to go backpacking and if you do take one, you shouldn't absolutely rely on it and it should be kept OFF. That said, if you do keep an phone powered off completely, the battery will last for about 10 days and the charger cord is pretty light. I suppose it is kind of nice if you want to call a ride or a hostel or something. People that sit in the shelter and talk on the phone to their parents or something all evening really miss out on the experience and detract from others' too.
reviews.cnet.com/4520-11288_7-6427792-2.html
http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/14/intivation-intros-umeox-apollo-smartphone-100-solar-powered/
And it uses GSM, so you know that connectivity will suck(either AT&T or T-Mobile), and in any event no word on a North American release date.
Oh yeah, I'm excited. :D
I suspect this won't be able to do more than supplement regular chargings for those hiking in a long green tunnel. I mean, even if you strap it to the top of your pack, it's not going to see much sun ...
I'm thinking a Brunton power pack for those who need a recharge or three between town visits:
http://www.rei.com/product/800240
I'm on AT&T, so I guess that's good. 17 hours for a full charge. Good thing I hike on this side of the country. It uses a standard sized headphone jack. It has a low resolution screen, but that might be good enough to get a weather report on postholer.com. It's a bit heavy at 100 grams.