Curious about phones?

[oldugly]

There is a lot of talk about how "smart" phones can help your business, etc. Just curious out there what kind of phones do most of you use, why, and how reliable they are for you. I have a Verizon phone, (evidently one of those "dumb" phones), but am thinking about upgrading to one with a better camera, and some software that may be handy in the field.

I am a little nervous about the investment, however...because of the nature of our work. My "dumb" phone supposedly can fall 10 stories and not get hurt, be imersed in up to 10 feet of water and not damaged. And I have not had any trouble with it in two years. So out of curiosity I thought I would ask the people here involved in the same work, what they carry, why, and how useful the extra stuff really is.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

Well, I'm not in your line of work, but I finally got a smart phone about 6 months ago. So, from that perspective, I'll toss a few thoughts your way.

For starters, your smart phone is likely to be a lot more fragile than a dumb phone. It's just the nature of the beast. Get a good protective cover for it

If you don't take the time to learn the software, you are wasting yoru money. Planner software can be a wonderful thing, but not unless you use it. I mean ALWAYS use it. Put your life in there (and do have backups!) and it can really save you time.

But if you aren't the kind of person to be disciplined in using a tool like that, save your money.

And while we're on the subject of software, just what do you want the software to do for you? If you can't define the need and how the smart phone will help you, you'll not likely get much use out of the thing.

 

[oldugly]

I could see some software, such as e-mail, or calculating proposals, even mapping an area, or before and after pictures, could be useful. I am just wondering with all the gadgets attached to a cell phone avalable now, do others find the smart phone useful or not. and why, how often, and is it worth sacrificing durability for the extra gadgets?

 

[treeseer]

with new Iphone I can shoot video in the top of a tree and email it to a client below. Then they can see why the extra work I am selling is worth buying.

very sturdy but i bought insurance cuz stuf happens.

 

[demographic]

I'm not sure if my phone is classed as "Smart" (Sony Ericsson W995) but its got a decent (ish) camera which is useful for err... taking pictures, because its always in my pocket I always have it. Proper cameras are great but how many times do you leave it at home, or in the car when out for a walk?
It will obviously also take video footage but its not the best quality.

Its got a usable MP3 player so I can load it with music or whatever and play it when I'm out and about.
Plays FM radio also.

There's lots of other little features on it that I can't be bothered to list but the cameras the main one for me and I really wouldn't buy a phone without one now.

Not sure how durable it is as I haven't dropped it yet.
I'm pretty easy on phones anyway cos I keep it in one of my front pockets where it doesn't get much hammer, back pockets are great for dropping phones out of when going to the loo and if the bloke in the phone shop is to be believed its quite common for people to drop phones down the bog

 

[treeman82]

I've got a Verizon Ozone? I think I should have bought something a little better, but I can say this...

For me, just having the e-mail is a wonderful thing. A lot of my clients get in touch with me through that. Before I invested in the smart phone, there were times where I would come home from work, check my e-mail, and a client would have been in touch with me... "Matt, can you take care of ___ if you have time." Meanwhile I was working right up the road, and could have taken care of it that day.

The camera is nice too, though I don't use it as much as I could... but the picture quality is good.

The day planner is very nice. I don't use it for EVERYTHING, but it's got all of my important appointments in there.

I've got my dump spots listed in there, along with pending jobs. Just about all my regular clients are in there, home phone, e-mail, cell in some cases.

Couple times I've gone online to find things in a pinch... phone numbers, addresses, etc. etc.

 

[tree MDS]

Yo treeman, maybe we'll get some damage with all this wind today. I heard on the news theres some roads closed out by kent...seems to be dying down a the moment though.

 

[rambrush]

Look towards a Military spec phone for durability, Motorola makes several.
I also use the insurance as the phone tends to take abuse from everyday use and insurance helps in the case of losing it.
The advantage with smart is if you are a one man operation business your e-mails can follow, if you have a question and need a answer its there to provide internet access for research. Videos and pictures can be sent via text message or e-mail on site instead of back to the office. IF you have coverage and data service.

 

[Blakesmaster]

When I go phone shopping I buy the most durable period. Camera's are nice but they don't mean #### if the phone broke from falling off your lap in the pickup. Mine does have a halfway decent camera and more and more phones of the "durable" variety are fairly high tech compared to what was on the market a few years ago. I bought 3 of what verizon claimed was " The most durable phone on the market " this spring and have since had to replace a phone 4 times due to breakage, so I may be a little rough on phones. In this case I believe Casio's Boulder was just poorly engineered though.

 

[tree MDS]

Yeah, my plan has been up for some time now. I think its time to tell sprint to go pound sand. Been hearing good things about verizon in the last couple of years. its either them or at+t it seems.

I might just have to get one of these new fangled phones, just to have a new toy...dont think I'd use all that stuff, but it might be nice just in case.

 

[jomoco]

It's only a matter of time until a miniaturized version of the POV1 wide angle digital camera with enhanced comm features becomes standard equipment for high risk jobs like police work, military and search&rescue.

I personally think our elected politicians should be forced to wear them during work hours to ensure their honesty!

Bring on the future already!

jomoco

 

[fishercat]

i have the Casio G'zOne Boulder.

i am amazed how durable it is.sound quality was an issue early one but they updated it and it improved.i have replaced it once in almost two years.i beat this phone hard and it keeps ticking.
i like the phone because it uses a dock for a charger.i hate having to plug those stupid little connectors into the phone. i also like the extended life battery that is available.the holster has been extremely durable as well.

the Casio G'zOne Rock model came out this month with several improvements.i will be getting that it looks like.

i'm picky about phone details.i went and looked at the smart phones.they look fragile.i have friends that have them and they aren't near as rough on phones as me and they have had many problems with breakage.i do not ever text message.if people need to talk to me,they need to call.i do not have time to play on the phone all day.i think i will avoid the smart phones and the extra expense.

after my experiences in the past,i will only use Verizon.AT&T sucks at CS and they are anti-gun so they can go to hell.

 

[tree MDS]

Anybody got the blackberry tour? I was just checking out the one with the camera...not sure if I really need another device (like this computer) that I really dont know how to use making me feel like a retard though. lol

 

[Blakesmaster]

i am amazed how durable it is.sound quality was an issue early one but they updated it and it improved.i have replaced it once in almost two years.i beat this phone hard and it keeps ticking.
i like the phone because it uses a dock for a charger.i hate having to plug those stupid little connectors into the phone. i also like the extended life battery that is available.the holster has been extremely durable as well.

the Casio G'zOne Rock model came out this month with several improvements.i will be getting that it looks like.

i'm picky about phone details.i went and looked at the smart phones.they look fragile.i have friends that have them and they aren't near as rough on phones as me and they have had many problems with breakage.i do not ever text message.if people need to talk to me,they need to call.i do not have time to play on the phone all day.i think i will avoid the smart phones and the extra expense.

after my experiences in the past,i will only use Verizon.AT&T sucks at CS and they are anti-gun so they can go to hell.

They've taken the Boulder off the market down here. The plastic tab ( painted to look like metal ) that holds the battery in place broke on 4 of my phones from very minor falls. Like three feet onto carpet type falls. A terrible replacement from the previous model IMO. I told Verizon if that's the best they can do I'll cancel my ####### contact. I've had fifty dollar phones from walmart tumble down 2 flights of stairs and keep ticking. I'll look into the Rock you speak of but I'm more than pissed about the Boulder.

 

[oldugly]

I think I have that "rock" GZone with the verizon plan. Because my kids and wife all have literally everything on their phones, it was just as cheap for me to put everything on the all inclusive plan. So with the phone I have, I am paying for internet, unlimited text, and navigator, but the phone is very hard to use for any of these. I am basically a one man show, so the idea of having internet available to me, and e-mail, is kind of attactive...but the fragility of most of the "smart" phones I've seen scare me.

The other problem I have is big hands, and big fingers. (Although I think they are just normal man sized). Those little keyboards, and itty bitty touch screens seem like nothing but headaches for me.

 

[oldugly]

by the way, tree mds...I don't need technology to make me look stupid. I do that all on my own.

 

[tree MDS]

I think I have that "rock" GZone with the verizon plan. Because my kids and wife all have literally everything on their phones, it was just as cheap for me to put everything on the all inclusive plan. So with the phone I have, I am paying for internet, unlimited text, and navigator, but the phone is very hard to use for any of these. I am basically a one man show, so the idea of having internet available to me, and e-mail, is kind of attactive...but the fragility of most of the "smart" phones I've seen scare me.

The other problem I have is big hands, and big fingers. (Although I think they are just normal man sized). Those little keyboards, and itty bitty touch screens seem like nothing but headaches for me.

I've been looking at the droid as a possibility, looks petty cool. I think its all metal with rubber edging.

As far as the finger thing goes...you have to remember, it is made by the Chinese, lol.

 

[Greenstar]

I am very happy with the Blackberry (Crackberry!). Smart phones are a VERY valuable asset to your business by expanding all your options, making you very versatile, and super productive. I would never go without one now.
Any down time in the field now can be spent EMAILing a client, taking notes on supplies or parts with the MEMO/NOTES PAD, or drafting a letter or plan with the memo pad (I use this all the time to write things), I'll sometimes just go sit in the truck for 30 mins while the guys work and I need a break to recuperate, or to generate more business and email a client when I'm inspired, do follow-up emails, etc.., write down heady, good, stuff when I'm inspired, as long as I like, I can write pages, then easily copy and paste them into an email to myself after if I want to have them later in word processing format for use on my computer.
Planning your schedule in the DATEBOOK can be a great tool when really busy or needed, or putting date & time reminders for easy to forget appointments in the datebook, daily reminders, weekly reminders, monthly reminders, repetitive reminders, the features are endless.. I do not always enter everything in there, but still use it very regularly, sometimes I use it all the time without fail. Depends on how patient I am.
Of course the ADDRESS BOOK has many great features such as an easy to use entry of multiple phone numbers, fax numbers, and email addresses. I TEXT a lot with clients now more and more on occasion for small details such as, "Be there in 15 mins. Ben, Greenstar Tree" Or "Sorry running about 20 mins late. See u. Ben -Greenstar Tree" etc...
Also, having weather.com access, and espn.com so I can constantly keep an eye on weather patterns, or sports scores, if I really wanna work, but dont want to miss out on the game!!
The CAMERA obviously can be great. I took a picture of some baby racoons up in the top of a tree!
A VOICERECORDER I use a lot to record meetings with clients, for training purposes, or just for personal voicenotes.
The CALCULATOR I use occasionally.
I just started using the free Sprint GPS occasionally on the phone when I do not want to use the mapbook.
PANDORA radio is AWESOME!! Takes 1 min to download, and once you have it, takes a second to turn on and GREAT tunes whenever I want now! Better than satellite radio, try it.

All in all I'd have to say the blackberry curve is a pretty durable little phone too, with great battery life. I've dropped it many times, its been banged up, and has withstood over 1.5 years of hard use, and the battery will still go two days of all day use on just one charge. None of that stupid Nextel crap of phones dying ALL THE TIME which I endured for over 3-4 years with Nextel crap!

Its a great phone with many other features. I learn stuff new ALL THE TIME on it. ####, I just found my Google maps icon which I never use, and will probably use on occasion when the map book is buried!

Good luck.

Oh, PS. VERY EASY TO JUST PLUG INTO YOUR COMPUTER AND DOWLOAD ALL YOUR CONTACTS AND ADDRESS BOOK ENTRIES FOR BACKUP WITH ONE CLICK OF THE MOUSE. SUPER EFFICIENT AND EASY TO USE BACK-UP SOFTWARE. I'm not a big computer guy, but this is easy to just plug in. Automatically the software opens and says backup. All you do is click "yes" and it does it all automatically and you're done.

 

[oldugly]

You like your blackberry, and you make some compelling points. However I have tried my wife's and daughter's storms, and I cannot push one key at a time. they are simply too small. To some that may sound funny, but it is a factor to me.

You make a compelling argument for all the apps, however. Just curious how you navigate that small of a keyboard. I mean this as no insult to you, or anyone else...but do they make a smart phone for men?

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Smart phones are ~$1200/annum just to for basic usage, per phone. My three basic phones are less then that with a 700 minute plan (I've found that I do not need the bigger package with so many clients on AT&T)

I've heard that you can link the smartphones to Skype to reduce your usage.

You could save money by putting a netbook in the truck on a personal WiFi.

I send pictures with my old phone, though I cut had to cut the data package off my phone this summer to cut cost from the budget.