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General => Gear Questions, Information, Reviews and Competitions => Topic started by: LennyJ1 on March 07, 2013

Title: New phone for the hills
Post by: LennyJ1 on March 07, 2013
Found this article and thought it would be a great phone for the hills.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2289540/Talk-IS-cheap-New-mobile-phone-goes-sale-just-1.html (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2289540/Talk-IS-cheap-New-mobile-phone-goes-sale-just-1.html)
Title: Re: New phone for the hills
Post by: specimanYak on March 07, 2013
Not bad as a spare phone to keep in the rucksack for emergencies, i like this one though, runs on an AA battery:

http://goo.gl/fnIeY
Title: Re: New phone for the hills
Post by: whoRya on March 07, 2013
I looked at that one before Yak, and ever since it comes up as an advert on every bloomin' website I look at now!
Title: Re: New phone for the hills
Post by: LandyLiam on March 07, 2013
The SpareOne phone looks good, but at $99 i'll just continue to bring an old phone as backup, which also works without sim card, a lighter option is to bring a spare battery for my main phone  ;)
Title: Re: New phone for the hills
Post by: Wolf_Larson on March 08, 2013
I only use a tesco £15 phone full time, I don't like fancy phones  :o
Title: Re: New phone for the hills
Post by: specimanYak on March 09, 2013
I looked at that one before Yak, and ever since it comes up as an advert on every bloomin' website I look at now!

Yep, it's happening to me as well.  :)

The SpareOne phone looks good, but at $99 i'll just continue to bring an old phone as backup, which also works without sim card, a lighter option is to bring a spare battery for my main phone  ;)

It's retailing for about £40 - £50 in the UK which is a bit steep for what it is, the fact it runs on an AA battery is its main selling point but it doesn't send or receive text messages which is a bit of a drawback. As a first generation device it will get better in later versions, hopefully a more rugged, waterproof design with the SMS option.
Title: Re: New phone for the hills
Post by: Ed on March 09, 2013
I looked at that one before Yak, and ever since it comes up as an advert on every bloomin' website I look at now!

Yep, it's happening to me as well.  :)

The SpareOne phone looks good, but at $99 i'll just continue to bring an old phone as backup, which also works without sim card, a lighter option is to bring a spare battery for my main phone  ;)

It's retailing for about £40 - £50 in the UK which is a bit steep for what it is, the fact it runs on an AA battery is its main selling point but it doesn't send or receive text messages which is a bit of a drawback. As a first generation device it will get better in later versions, hopefully a more rugged, waterproof design with the SMS option.


My ultimate solution would be:

http://tinyurl.com/cwcqx9c (http://tinyurl.com/cwcqx9c)

Sony Xperia Z - all the features of a modern android smartphone - but waterproof. People take underwater pics with it and dunk it in a glass of water, so it's safe to say it'd survive use in heavy rain at the least.

But poor battery life you cry. That's why I have one of these (it also charges my headtorch:

http://tinyurl.com/bpt4he3 (http://tinyurl.com/bpt4he3)

A new trent IMP120D Icarrier. Holds 12000 mah - so can charge my phone six times, my head torch five times, or a combo somewhere in between. Bring the charger with it and you only need one overnighter in a B&B to charge it up for every four days or so on a big trip. You'd probably need a drying room by day four anyway. I'd say you could get a fortnight out of it if you kept phone use down to essentials.