Mobile Phone Question

[Pandabean]

My current PAYG phone is dying on me at the moment (battery life & middle button screwed up) so I have been thinking of getting a contract mobile considering how much I spend on the PAYG it may work out a lot better & the smartphones look really good as well. For example I was at the bushmoot this year and forgot to switch it off when not needed and the battery died within a day as I don't like wearing a watch it was my main source for the time.

Anyways my question is with these smartphones only having a poor battery life due to all the fancy stuff etc or you don't want to damage it, does anyone have a seperate cheap PAYG phone for being outdoors? Currently my work mobile is a cheap PAYG and I only have to charge it up every couple of weeks (when I remember ).

 

[sapper1]

I have one from the carphone warehouse,it's an lg phone on virgin.The phone and charger cost £4.95 and I had to top it up with a tenner.
It's a basic phone and only does calls and text,nothing else.My son now has it as an emergency phone for school.

 

[resnikov]

Since getting my smartphone (T-Mobile G1 2ndhand), I have used it out on walk whilst geocaching and have been a little worried about looseing it in the trees or it getting it wet in the rain, so my plan when I do go away is to use my old contact phone (with good battery life) with the my current sim card in, then I dont have to worry about changing numbers if I use PAYG. Also to increase battery life turn it off or put it in to airplane/offline mode when there is no signal as this will stop the phone continuously seaching for signal and flattening the battery quickly.

The other thing you could do if you want to use your smartphone out and about is get one solar chagers or the wind up chargers. It is extra kit to carry so pros ans cons. I am currently trying to write an app for foraging for android so would have to take the smartphone out with me and take the chance I dont break it

 

[telwebb]

following on from resnikov it may be worth noting that some of the wind-up led torches double up as chargers for other portable equipment, so if you're carrying a torch anyway the only extra weight is the particular plug for your phone (they come with all the common ones included).

 

[Pandabean]

thanks for the advice, I do have a wind up charger that doubles as a torch & mobile charger, however takes a fair bit of winding to get 1 bar on the battery and as for solar charges...might not work so well where I am, hardly seen the sun last more than an hour the past week or so with this weather. Never really taken that wind up torch out, used for in the house when the power goes out.

I was reading the other thread about smartphone apps which seems to be very handy, however most seemt o be for the iPhone though, however the phone I am looking at has Android.

 

[resnikov]

however the phone I am looking at has Android.

Thats the right choice

Me now puts on flame proof clothing and awaits the the iPhone Brigade

 

[Pandabean]

Thats the right choice

Me now puts on flame proof clothing and awaits the the iPhone Brigade

Me now joins you as well with flame proof clothing. Never been a fan of Apple products myself really (not including Mac notebooks though, not tried them yet).

But how do you gets apps on android, obviously on the iphone its through the iStore, is there a similar setup for android?

 

[WoodenMoose]

I recently got myself the HTC Wildfire from carphone warehouse, i think its name sold it to me. Payed £50 for it, £20 a month for the 1 year contract (1000 texts, 200 minutes, unlimited internet). They say that a signal can be got at 99.9% of houses in britain .. but since it a mobile i assume like me, your home use will be minimal.

Its an android phone and would reccommend it, espcially since its a 1 year contract as opposed to the 24month bog standards elsewhere.

If your worried about breaking one invest in a good quality, padded and waterproof phone cover. Though once your using it it becomes vulnerable again.

Alternatively there is this, which claims to be water, shock and dust proof.

 

[resnikov]

Yeah there is the main Android Market Place which you access through the phone, just make sure you download the big apps via wifi or kiss your data allowence goodbye. There are a couple of other app stores for android which involve installing thier Market app on your phone first, then they work just like the main android one. Or if the apps creators have it you can download from them nromaly via the barcode

on thier site.

 

[Bigfoot]

If you are happy with a cheaper type phone for outdoor use, you might want to buy a phone and then consider a sim only deal rather than getting tied into a contract. My sim deal with O2 is £19.99 for 600 mins, 1200 texts and unlimited email and web browsing - there are loads of sim deals out there if you are prepared to look. If you are concerned about losing your mobile number, don't be, you can transfer it to the new sim card. Just another option for you to consider.

Mind you, if you are thinking of buying a smart phone to use with a sim deal, you will find the purchase price pretty steep (several hundred pounds depending on type!)- that's where the contracts win, they offset the upfront cost. The choice is yours

 

[Retired Member southey]

My wifey and i have Blackberrys from vodafone, with prtty good deals about 25 pounds a month each for the full BB contract, my storm2 does eat the battery quite quikly, charge every three days but can go fo a week if using the auto off\on settings, whereas wifeys phone the bold 8900 lasts for about a week in normal use and upto a week and a half with the on\off funct, we both really like the phones,good functionaliy and apps, I use an otter box protector for mine when out an about as i killed my last by standing on it after it dove out of the hammock,

 

[Pandabean]

Thanks.

Few questions just popped into my head, bit off topic from what I was originally asking.

But with contract phones what happens if the phone breaks either a faulty part or by the user? Do you just go in and get a replacement?
Also what happens at the end of the contract to you have to hand the phone back and get the choice of a new one?

 

[telwebb]

usual 'guarantee' type situation as far as faults etc. go, but if you break it then its down to you unless insured (though some providers will be more lenient than others). End of the contract it is usual to get an 'upgrade' offer - usually a newer phone, could be a loyalty discount or whatever they feel like offering in order to get you to sign up again. The phone you've been using is usually yours to do with as you will at that point.

 

[lostplanet]

http://europe.nokia.com/support/product-support/nokia-5140i

I have an iphone and an Old nokia 5140i on 02 contact and PAYG, the nokia usually sits switched off in my ruck and very rarely have to charge it whilst switched off. 5140i doesn't have many features but is good for what I want outdoors: light, robust, good signal and battery life. Just a real shame that we never got 'Push to Talk' working in the UK, would have been ace to use as a walky-talky.

 

[Bigfoot]

Thanks.

Few questions just popped into my head, bit off topic from what I was originally asking.

But with contract phones what happens if the phone breaks either a faulty part or by the user? Do you just go in and get a replacement?
Also what happens at the end of the contract to you have to hand the phone back and get the choice of a new one?

Check around - some providers will give you free insurance for the first year or so of a contract to cover you for accidental damage and the like (note: most policies do NOT cover you if you simply lose the phone). If the phone is accidentally damaged or breaks down and is covered as an insured risk then they will pretty much get a new phone to you within 24 hours. After your first year you may be charged for insurance cover, again compare providers. At the end of the contract, it just expires and you can keep your phone going on the same price terms you started with however it's always best to check on what other deals are available when your contract expires, you may find something better, even if it is only a phone upgrade. Some providers may contact you to upgrade with a new contract and a new phone but a lot of them don't, since they know that the deal you have at the moment might be more lucrative to THEM than any new deal you are able to negotiate by comparing what's on the market. So, always check what deals are available when your contract expires and switch accordingly (or threaten your provider that you will cancel your account if they don't match a deal you have found elsewhere).

 

[dave53]

hi pandabean i have a g1for sale mint condition with the box plus incar charger pm me if your interested regards dave

 

[resnikov]

Check around - some providers will give you free insurance for the first year or so .

Also have a look at your bank account, some of them do free phone insurance as well depending on your account type.

 

[Man of Tanith]

For my outdoors mobile needs i purchasd a cheap nokia from carphonewarehouse-set me back £20 including £10 credit which i promptly sold to my mum who still runs a PAYG mobile. All i do when the battery of my fancier mobile runs out i just remove the sim and put it in the cheapo phone.

with careful use and mildly neurotic switching off to save charge it lasted the woodlore campcraft course allowing me to phone lady of tanith every evening.

 

[Pandabean]

Cheers all.
Thanks for the offer Dave, but I managed to get something sorted out now.

Now can anyone point me to useful outdoor apps for Android.....

Weird everytime I hear Android all I can think of is "Androids, everybody needs good Androids....." Sorry will get my coat now....ps you may only recognise that if your a Red Dwarf fan.....

 

[lostplanet]

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=61577

Bit of an apps thread starting here