And a note about the Samsungs... I don't know the XCover and whatever OS it runs, but I've used their CDMA featurephones (SGH-something) which look a bit like the E1200. The OS drove me up the wall - simple things like turning off the keypad tones seemed to be impossible, so my pocket made beeping sounds as I walked around. And they have a navpad where the central click doesn't do anything - you have to press a separate button to the left to accept/OK/whatever. A truly horrid experience, and I was happy to get back to a basic Nokia asap.
The best phone ever is indeed the 6310i and you may as well get another one.
All the fancier models have relatively crap battery life because the screens use so much power.
In fact ALL the smartphones are crap on battery life, compared to the
6310i and other phones from that era, but most people have accepted that, in return for the multimedia functionality.
I have a Nokia 808 which manages 2 days and 2 nights ON if you hardly use it. The other extreme is satnav, max brightness, 3G on, GPS on obviously, etc, and it will go for maybe 6hrs. But in a car you can power it. Heavily used for phone calls it will last a whole day and that is pretty good for smartphones. It has a superb camera - the best there is in a pocket size.
The "standby" time is a complete lie. It is never achieved. It may be the time before the battery flattens itself powering the clock, with the phone switched OFF.
In message , at 18:42:02 on Thu, 18 Apr 2013, Peter remarked:
It's also because 3G takes much more power than 2G. How quickly people forget that the first tranche of 3G phones were much delayed because they couldn't get the battery life up to an acceptable level (8-10hrs standby perhaps).
I agree, but as far as I can tell it's not available in the UK.
I did see a review which said "Set to launch at the end of March, we're still awaiting UK pricing and availability for the Nokia 105" but "launch" may refer to some other country, not here.
I think I had one of the Nokia 62xx series. It was good for the time, but I wouldn't want to go back to it now.
Yes, but the important word there is relatively.
Yes.
Having actually dispensed with mobiles altogether for a number of years, I approached buying a new one with a very great deal of scepticism. However, I needed one while I was between houses, and bought a Samsung Galaxy II GT-N7100, together with a car charger, and now I wouldn't want to be without it.
While I was between houses, I was able to read email, browse the web, check my bank account, etc. If only because the phone had an unfamiliar interface, it wasn't as hassle free as being back in my own home and using ADSL and a laptop is now once more, but at the time such a phone was absolutely essential for managing my life. I was able to keep it charged up using the car charger as I drove around looking at houses.
Now, I simply charge it overnight next to my bed, and its alarm will wake me in the morning.
Besides being just a phone, there are so many other things I find useful about it ...
+++ I can read most things on it without glasses, and certainly all the important things.
+++ It seems to be fairly robust. I thought that it might break when I dropped it, and/or the screen scratch really easily. I've dropped it onto tarmac from around chest height, and, although I had to clip some of the back into place, it seems none the worse for it. I'm quite careful about protecting the screen as far as possible. I either put it in a pocket with nothing else in it, or at least ensure the screen is facing the material of which the pocket is made. After six months, it's virtually pristine - there are a couple of very small blemishes in one corner, probably from the drop, but otherwise, still smooth and shiny, which is much better than I expected.
+++ The excellent camera. It's really surprisingly good and versatile, again much better than I ever expected it to be.
Although I still use a torch and mirror to see into inaccessible places, the camera is also very good at that too.
Photos of the labels on the underside of my laptops, scanner, etc, so that I have readable and permanent proof of ownership. Yes, I could do that with my digital camera, but the batteries don't last two minutes.
Photos of events on the notice-board outside the local shop. Photos of the local chippy's opening times.
Happly holiday snap pictures in all sorts of lighting conditions, even driving rain at dusk (as long as you don't get water on the actual lens, which is so small that the result will be blurred, but that's easily cured just by wiping it clean):
formatting link
Panoramas - more years ago than I care to admit remembering, I staggered to the top of Ben Cruachan with a rucksack full of some fairly expensive still film camera equipment, with which I hoped to create a panorama from the top. However, because I forgot that I should take them all at the same exposure (doh!), I was never able to join the individual pictures together. Now my mobile phone, which, though large, still fits in my trouser pocket, can do a better job - I say 'can', by which I mean that in about 1 or 2 out of 10 attempts, the result will be near perfect, with barely visible or completely invisible joins, in about 6 the joins will be visible to a greater or lesser extent, and another 1 or 2 just won't work at all. However, it, too, doesn't take the pics all at the same exposure, and I think I could get a higher percentage of usable results if I had more control over the stitching process. Nevertheless here are two pretty good examples:
formatting link
formatting link
+++ Travel directions - set up the journey, and have it warn you by 'voice' of upcoming junctions and tell you which way to turn. This is especially useful where you need to turn off a main road onto a side road, as it saves you missing the turning. Would like to be able to wipe the history list though. This drains the battery quite fast, but I have the car charger.
+++ Dropbox or equivalent syncing mechanism
Previously, I used to carry my shopping list in my head, confident in the knowledge that, should I forget anything, I was at least within walking distance to the nearest supermarket. Now, I live a LONG way from the nearest decent supermarket, so it's VERY important NOT to forget things! However, I maintain a permanent shopping list on my PC, and when in the supermarket I can scroll through it on the phone to check I haven't forgotten anything.
Likewise, I keep a list of local services such as shops, library, recycling centre, etc (-: now including the chippy :-), with their rather odd opening times. That too is replicated on my phone.
+++ Google Maps and Streetview
Essential tools when looking for a house to buy.
+++ Internet - before buying, can check prices and opinions for products one sees in a shop, etc.
+++ Alarm/Timer - also available on older phones, of course.
+++ Can read downloaded literature. In fact, I keep that in my Dropbox as well, so that it's available on any machine I use.
+++ Apps, for example:
QR and barcode recognition app RSPB bird recognition app UK Tides app
Surely I must have some dislikes about it? Yes ...
- It's relatively large size, though great for avoiding the need for glasses when wearing it, does mean that it needs quite a large pocket. Also, in certain pockets, and having its on-off switch buttons on its side, sometimes when I bend over, say to tie a bootlace, the phone reboots.
--- The legends on the maps are often illegibly small, so that, for example, you can't even read a road number such as A87.
--- Would really like to share at least the camera and other data folders so that I can manage files and back it up via Wifi from a PC. There are apps that allow this, but they all require rooting (gaining root, administrator, access to) the machine. However, I can at least back it up by direct connection via USB.
--- Would like the phone's software to work with W2k. After all, it's the same major version number as XP, so how different can it be under the bonnet? However, at least I've managed to upgrade my standard W2k build to XP, at last, so this laptop can talk to it.
You might care to try actually owning one for a while. As my experience above shows, even an old sceptic like me can be converted to a smartphone!
However, if you really do need just a basic phone, then doubtless some of the other suggestions will do.
Most smart-phones seem to default to everything switched on.
The charge in my smart-phone battery lasted less than a day when first purchased. It now lasts 4 days+
Screen backlight turned down to a minimum
3G turned off most of the time (GSM only rather than WCDMA preferred) GPS turned off until needed Wi-fi turned off until needed Mobile network turned off until needed Bluetooth turned off until needed
Gorilla glass. I too have been very impressed with the scratch resistant capabilities of this glass on my s3. I would not now buy a smartphone without it.
Does the phone also store the individual shots? If so there are free stitching programs out there.
I understand about keeping the same exposure, but how do you handle it if the lighting conditions are such that some of the shots would be unacceptably under/over exposed?
As far as I've been able to establish, no, unfortunately. This is where the actual digital camera would win, if its batteries weren't so f**ked that it never stays on for long enough to allow experiment.
You just have to accept that, say, the area around the sun will be over-exposed, but that's at least better than this, where the whole shot containing the sun has been exposed differently, and therefore the stitching is unacceptably obvious:
It depends critically on whether you want an all singing all dancing Swiss army knife that requires carefully sharpening every night or a titanium blade pen knife that works almost forever without any fuss.
Which is fine if you want to watch video on a screen the size of a postage stamp and do battle with a miniscule touch screen. I don't.
If I want to browse the web I use an Android tablet or iPad. I have (access to) a Samsung Galaxy. I don't like it the battery doesn't last that is why I want something compact and reliable as a *MOBILE PHONE* and yes I am shouting because some people still don't seem to have got the message. My specification is precise, knowledgeable and deliberate.
I want a near minimalist phone with the longest possible battery life that will work well in a low signal area. End of story.
A 3G dongle at about £40 inclusive of 3GB of data would give you a better user experience. A MyFi for a little bit more better still.
My Three 3G connection at home in a borderline signal area at 5Mbps is actually twice the speed of my ADSL landline on a prehistoric exchange. If I didn't burn so much data bandwidth I would consider dropping my ADSL service. Mobile coverage for 2G at home is even more borderline.
If it works for you then fine, but I know exactly what I want. Unfortunately the market seems determined not to provide it! :(
I already have access to a Samsung Galaxy but I don't like it. The GUI fluff just gets in the way and eats battery to no good end.
In message , at 10:21:33 on Fri, 19 Apr 2013, Mark remarked:
I use Pro HDR Camera by eyeapps, available for Android and iThings. It doesn't do panoramas, but the PC application "ptgui" copes with quite severe differences in exposure when stitching normal photos together. It's not free, though.
If the new gaff is around that area perhaps indicated re the grumbling of the poor mobile phone coverage I reckon the view and surroundings win's hands down:).
Where is that exactly?, and is there a small cottage in the middle on the left hand side?..
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.