What smart phone

Reggie.

There was a good thread going before the site went belly up earlier about what phone ye all use so since I'm thinking of changing the phone in the next month or so I thought I'd get it going again as some of the answers were interesting. I've a Motorola defy, which is two years old now and worked fine at the beginning but is gone very slow to date and has a habit of dropping calls on me. From a farming point of view which phones do ye recommend/use

kay 9

Reggie. wrote: »

There was a good thread going before the site went belly up earlier about what phone ye all use so since I'm thinking of changing the phone in the next month or so I thought I'd get it going again as some of the answers were interesting. I've a Motorola defy, which is two years old now and worked fine at the beginning but is gone very slow to date and has a habit of dropping calls on me.

new iPhone, Samsung galaxy s3 or the newer s4.Have the s3 myself no problems touch wood and good battery life. Motorola would be Android so if you like that setup forget the iPhone.

Reggie.

kay 9 wrote: »

new iPhone, Samsung galaxy s3 or the newer s4.Have the s3 myself no problems touch wood and good battery life. Motorola would be Android so if you like that setup forget the iPhone.

Not really tied to any system as yet as it was my first smart phone. OH has iPhone and well used to using it but others reckoned the android system was far better.

stoeger

Reggie. wrote: »

Not really tied to any system as yet as it was my first smart phone. OH has iPhone and well used to using it but others reckoned the android system was far better.

Using s2 at the moment i have a new s4 in the box just waiting for a good heavy cover for it personally i don't like i phones but that's just me had one for a year prefer android

stoeger

Reggie. wrote: »

Not really tied to any system as yet as it was my first smart phone. OH has iPhone and well used to using it but others reckoned the android system was far better.

Using s2 at the moment i have a new s4 in the box just waiting for a good heavy cover for it personally i don't like i phones but that's just me had one for a year prefer android

Farrell

stoeger wrote: »

Using s2 at the moment i have a new s4 in the box just waiting for a good heavy cover for it personally i don't like i phones but that's just me had one for a year prefer android

What about Windows phones?

munkus

Farrell wrote: »

What about Windows phones?

Mighty job, have a lumia 800. Great phone.

Muckit

Samsung s3 mini here. Was finding it great but lately it takes to turning itself off even though battery level fine. Very frustrating, apparently a common enough fault. I'm hoping it rights itself as only have phone less than 6 months.

Reggie.

Muckit wrote: »

Samsung s3 mini here. Was finding it great but lately it takes to turning itself off even though battery level fine. Very frustrating, apparently a common enough fault. I'm hoping it rights itself as only have phone less than 6 months.

My Motorola does the same at times. Either turns off or the battery heats up and drains itself in a matter of minutes.

Rovi

For discussion of the general merits/features/faults of various mobile phones, there's the always excellent Mobiles forum!

From a FARMING point of view (HINT HINT!), I'd find it difficult to be without a smartphone of some sort at this stage.
I've has a couple of variants of iPhone over the years, and currently have a Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini.
All have lived in a suitable Otterbox Defender case, as these thing are expensive and worth minding.

I made the switch from Apple to Android as iTunes was pissing me off mightily with its constant updates and its reluctance to let me do things the way I wanted to.
I'm very happy with the Android phone so far.

I find it invaluable to have Internet access pretty much anywhere, camera, GPS, etc on hand at all times, and the ability to carry and access copies of all my accounts and management records is fantastic.

Reggie.

Rovi wrote: »

For discussion of the general merits/features/faults of various mobile phones, there's the always excellent Mobiles forum!

From a FARMING point of view (HINT HINT!), I'd find it difficult to be without a smartphone of some sort at this stage.
I've has a couple of variants of iPhone over the years, and currently have a Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini.
All have lived in a suitable Otterbox Defender case, as these thing are expensive and worth minding.

I made the switch from Apple to Android as iTunes was pissing me off mightily with its constant updates and its reluctance to let me do things the way I wanted to.
I'm very happy with the Android phone so far.

I find it invaluable to have Internet access pretty much anywhere, camera, GPS, etc on hand at all times, and the ability to carry and access copies of all my accounts and management records is fantastic.

Noted and edited

biddy2013

have a htc 1 phone, torch is very handy for being out in the yard in the evening, saves alot of charging torches, looking for the torch etc

Farrell

Muckit wrote: »

Samsung s3 mini here. Was finding it great but lately it takes to turning itself off even though battery level fine. Very frustrating, apparently a common enough fault. I'm hoping it rights itself as only have phone less than 6 months.

I've the Blackberry 9860 Touch, good phone, but same as you turns itself off, freezes, & can unlock itself now & again.
Contract is up & the OH is pussing an Iphone 5, it's not too big, & lots of apps with apple, have any of you experience ?

Munkus how you find the lumia with apps etc? Is it possible too big for the pocket?

John_F

have samsung galaxy x cover here, taken a few drops on concrete and use it with wet gloves and sh1t on hands.

looking to upgrade now, x cover 2 is out there but looks like i have to buy it online as phone companies don't seem to do it.

sony have the the xperia z and now the xperia z1. they are actually bigger than the s4 but looks like it would take a good bit of abuse and can go under water

good few videos on youtube of the above. ottterbox etc are fine but the problem is the sound gets a good bit lower, hard to hear people on the other end of the phone with one, from both sides??

whitebriar

HTC one mini here.
Smaller than the HTC one but bigger than an iPhone.
If you have a smartphone, then you must have 3g phone reception on the farm.
Otherwise don't bother.
You need 3g for to use it out and about.
That's a 3g or a H symbol up on the coverage bar.
It will work with an E up there too (edge coverage) but slower.

If you are on the three network be aware that you might be roaming on Vodafone if they don't have a mast in your area and this will be at 2g which is so slow it is useless.
So always go with a network with the fastest speed.
Most have similar data packages, though 3 is the best one.

If you like music ,Vodafone have a three month free trial of spotify,which is top quality add free streaming of any song imagineable.
Tune in radio is another excellent but free radio app.
If you are in a 3g area,you will be listening to CD qualiy sound.

So much stuff on a smartphone. For example,I have a folder on mine storing notes on all cows.
I take a photo of the cow,and type in a comment if I need to.The file backs up to the cloud so if the phone goes I still have everything.
It's a blog on all stock.Handy for reference, easyto keep and is there for anything that needs entry to the register later.

Camera function is brilliant, take a photo of any document and email it straight away.

lakill Farm

I have a blackberry q10. (Half touchscreen half qwerty keyboard). Its about my 4th model of blackberry and about 6th blackberry phone. Previous ones were killed by coffee and a track of a digger. others sold off after 1 - 1.5 years hard work. I like the bb myself.

my colleague at work has the z10 blackberry (full touchscreen) and an iphone 4 and likes both of them.

She has a samsung s3 and then bought a S4 and sold it within 3 weeks for the Z10 as she said the S4 was in her works "crap" and not what it was on bit what it was suppose to be like

oh network wise my q10 on vodafone i think €55 a month

the z10 is on emobile for €35 and z10 on vodafone for €45.

tabby aspreme

Have a Lumia 800 here , don't have much apps on it , good phone except it freezes when in an area of poor reception as did previous I phone, one big disadvantage is it doesn't have Flash Player

John_F

whitebriar wrote: »

..........

So much stuff on a smartphone. For example,I have a folder on mine storing notes on all cows.
I take a photo of the cow,and type in a comment if I need to.The file backs up to the cloud so if the phone goes I still have everything......

there really is so much stuff on it #snowden 'we have sensors in our pockets that track us everywhere we go.'

doubt the NSA have much use for cow numbers etc though

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA5Odb0fg5I

Timmaay

Rovi wrote: »

I made the switch from Apple to Android as iTunes was pissing me off mightily with its constant updates and its reluctance to let me do things the way I wanted to.

Ugh, I'm abit annoyed with my samsung s3 updating once a month or so, as the internet speeds are rubbish here and it takes forever, so maybe not a good idea to go to an iphone so! But even still, from using friends iphones, I think I'd have one over the s3, just easier to use, better touchscreen etc.

The other thing for anyone purchasing a smartphone, if ya use them for farming stuff they are a valid farm expense and can be put down against tax!

Bactidiaryl

Reggie. wrote: »

Not really tied to any system as yet as it was my first smart phone. OH has iPhone and well used to using it but others reckoned the android system was far better.

If your Oh has an iphone then if you get one you can use the face time and sync and merge apps from iTunes. Also I use the life proof cover on mine and find it great even at €70. :eek:

munkus

Farrell wrote: »

Munkus how you find the lumia with apps etc? Is it possible too big for the pocket?

Find it great. Small enough phone, 4.5 inch screen. When it comes to apps, how many do you actually need? Most of them are just skins for websites. plenty of apps in the windows marketplace. Have a look for the essientials before you buy.

MFdaveIreland

HTC oneX here, great job, I was die hard Nokia man before hand, had one for near 15 years between different handsets,

I can only speak for myself, found the Windows system in the lumia handsets a bit of a balls, few people suggested that they might nt be hanging about too long,



Honestly think android or Apple the way to go, and from that Apple are over priced for what they are, personally would go android, HTC or Samsung to be fair.

jersey101

Google nexus 5 here. Brilliant phone. Screen shots is the best I've seen but battery life is poor. Just about get a day out of it.
Its working on the 4G network so even on one bar internet is pretty fast compared to 3G.
Had a Nokia lumia before this and hated it. No mainstream apps for it at all.

Farrell

jersey101 wrote: »

Google nexus 5 here. Brilliant phone. Screen shots is the best I've seen but battery life is poor. Just about get a day out of it.
Its working on the 4G network so even on one bar internet is pretty fast compared to 3G.
Had a Nokia lumia before this and hated it. No mainstream apps for it at all.

"4G" talk about the privilaged, think we'll be waiting a good while before it comes this way. Sounds worth waiting for:)

pms7

Nexus 4. Great value phone!
I look at a lot of apps, but there arent many farm ones.
See FRS Herdwatch bringing out herd managment app soon..
Dairygold are bringing out app to see your milk info.
I use Genial Writing to take handwritten notes, things to get, cow calved, find it handy.
What apps do other people find useful?

moy83

pms7 wrote: »

Nexus 4. Great value phone!
I look at a lot of apps, but there arent many farm ones.
See FRS Herdwatch bringing out herd managment app soon..
Dairygold are bringing out app to see your milk info.
I use Genial Writing to take handwritten notes, things to get, cow calved, find it handy.
What apps do other people find useful?

How does genial writing work ?

just do it

Samsung galaxy s2 for 2.5 yrs. Happy with it however quality of pictures aren't as good as they were originally. Also last summer battery life started deteriorating and now only get a few hours out of it. If changing I'll probably go for a bigger phone as you end up reading so much on it. Would nearly chance the galaxy note 3 but think that is just too big for the pocket.

Motorola have a new cheap smartphone out that got a good review in the indo tech section last week.

pms7

moy83 wrote: »

How does genial writing work ?

Write on screen with finger,
different pages, like having notebook in pocket only better

Boaty

IPhone 5 would be a good choice, plenty of apps and loads of cases to protect the phone.

pms7

just do it wrote: »

Samsung galaxy s2 for 2.5 yrs. Happy with it however quality of pictures aren't as good as they were originally. Also last summer battery life started deteriorating and now only get a few hours out of it. If changing I'll probably go for a bigger phone as you end up reading so much on it. Would nearly chance the galaxy note 3 but think that is just too big for the pocket.

Motorola have a new cheap smartphone out that got a good review in the indo tech section last week.

Replacement batteries cheap on Ebay

RobertKK

Have an iPhone, it is a hardy phone, given I drove the tractor over it and it still worked - had a protective case over it which has the scars of battle on it...

restive

I have the Galaxy Note 3. Large screen 5.7 inches. I have started doing up small spread sheets on it, keeping lists, shopping etc. Looking at boards, donedeal and watching videos (although the wifi should be better).

munkus

I find everynote is a great app for taking notes and can attach pictures. It is cloud based so what's on your phone is synced with laptop, PC etc.

jfh

just do it wrote: »

Samsung galaxy s2 for 2.5 yrs. Happy with it however quality of pictures aren't as good as they were originally. Also last summer battery life started deteriorating and now only get a few hours out of it. If changing I'll probably go for a bigger phone as you end up reading so much on it. Would nearly chance the galaxy note 3 but think that is just too big for the pocket.

Motorola have a new cheap smartphone out that got a good review in the indo tech section last week.

i've the same phone for the last 3 years also, great phone, got a new battery from anker on amazon & it's like new again.

just do it

pms7, jfh
Did you update the operating system or still using the version it came with? I've had a look at updating it recently but looks to be a techie step too much for me.

just do it

restive wrote: »

I have the Galaxy Note 3. Large screen 5.7 inches. I have started doing up small spread sheets on it, keeping lists, shopping etc. Looking at boards, donedeal and watching videos (although the wifi should be better).

Do you carry it in your pocket? The size is the only thing that turns me off it. Otherwise I'd say it's great. My sis has the kindle app across her various devices and I reckon it would work well in the note.

pms7

just do it wrote: »

pms7, jfh
Did you update the operating system or still using the version it came with? I've had a look at updating it recently but looks to be a techie step too much for me.

The updates come in automatically, you just say yes to them. Come fast to Nexus, but have to wait a while with others as makers have their own skins on android

just do it

pms7 wrote: »

The updates come in automatically, you just say yes to them. Come fast to Nexus, but have to wait a while with others as makers have their own skins on android

I'm still on android version 2.3.3 which is gingerbread. I've never been asked to update. Just looking at wiki the latest version is 4.4 kitkat. Have gone into settings and clicked on software updates and it tells me there are none!

jfh

just do it wrote: »

I'm still on android version 2.3.3 which is gingerbread. I've never been asked to update. Just looking at wiki the latest version is 4.4 kitkat. Have gone into settings and clicked on software updates and it tells me there are none!

I update the firmware thru Samsung kies, use kies to sync all info on phone to pc.
I'm on ice

restive

just do it wrote: »

Do you carry it in your pocket? The size is the only thing that turns me off it. Otherwise I'd say it's great. My sis has the kindle app across her various devices and I reckon it would work well in the note.

I carry it with me and it fits neatly into my pocket. When you are using it you very quickly forget about the size. However would definetly recomend getting a good case for it. I got trident of the internet.

A kindle screen is 6 inches and a note 3 5.7 inches.

nashmach

HTC One S - it has survived dust and dirt and a kick from a Limo so far and I forgot a good wallop of diesel :rolleyes:

If I was getting a new phone in the morning I'd go for the Sony Z1. It is a high end android phone, with a great camera and most importantly is waterproof and dust resistant. I have the HTC One, and am very happy with it, but am always afraid of it getting soaked and destroyed. There have been too many close calls with water toughs, power hoses and even just being out in the rain.

kingstown

Had Nokia for years and changed to a iPhone earlier in the year.
Didn't like it at first but now that I can do a few things with it I think its a terrific phone.
Still has things in there that I will never know how to use or will ever want.

just do it

jfh wrote: »

I update the firmware thru Samsung kies, use kies to sync all info on phone to pc.
I'm on ice

Upgraded through kies on Tuesday night but ended up with a locked phone. I switched network last summer and three automatically relocked my phone. They couldn't unlock it so found a lad that could do it for a tenner. Nicer interface but now auto-space when using Swype isn't working. Bummer !

just do it

restive wrote: »

I carry it with me and it fits neatly into my pocket. When you are using it you very quickly forget about the size. However would definetly recomend getting a good case for it. I got trident of the internet.

A kindle screen is 6 inches and a note 3 5.7 inches.

Stuck a note2 in my pocket today and it fitted fine. It's pretty much the same size as note3. Tempted :rolleyes:

farmerjj

Deleted User wrote: »

If I was getting a new phone in the morning I'd go for the Sony Z1. It is a high end android phone, with a great camera and most importantly is waterproof and dust resistant. I have the HTC One, and am very happy with it, but am always afraid of it getting soaked and destroyed. There have been too many close calls with water toughs, power hoses and even just being out in the rain.

this is probably 2late but I,v a sony xperia and find it terrible,keeps freezing and battery life is brutal about 12hours of average use! AVOID!!

Bizzum

I use herselfs hand-me-downs in the phone dept. I have a HTC Desire S now, and I like it. Herself has the HTC ONE S and likes it too. That'll be my next phone!

John_F

farmerjj wrote: »

this is probably 2late but I,v a sony xperia and find it terrible,keeps freezing and battery life is brutal about 12hours of average use! AVOID!!

xperia what?

z/j/miro/u/t/miro??