Perfect smartphone for overlanders?
 

https://www.theverge.com/circuitbrea...e-mah-capacity - lasts over a week in normal usage, has wireless charging (you could rig that up in an X-grip!), is water/impact-resistant, and has acceptable internals by modern smartphone standards. Should run Waze/Maps no problem, maybe even Snapseed or another decent mobile photo editor.

Do you reckon that the walkie-talkie functionality will pass through to a Bluetooth headset?

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/iJBQ...DSCF6653.0.jpg

dumb phone
 

The perfect smart phone for overlanders is not having a smart phone.

You travel to meet the people and talk to them, learn from them, so stop staring at your phone and talk to the people and concentrate on the riding!!!!

?c?

mika :scooter:

Interesting. I would be surprised if the walkie-talkie functionality would seamlessly pass through to Bluetooth (both directions) but maybe.

When out on your bike, a phone is more than a phone - it is your camera, navigation device, reservation maker and weather forecaster among other things. Most people see it this way. So despite snarky unhelpful comments by some, I appreciate the post.
Jim


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

maybe you, I ride bike mostly to be alone...

Samsung S5
 

I have used a Samsung S5 to navigate from north America to South America. When my phones charging port broke in Argentina I was looking to get my phone repaired or replace it. I think it is great to have a resource for what phones work for travel work arounds charging using in the rain and using in bright sunlight. For me there are more pros than cons for using a phone to navigate with. So what works and does not work is great.

Pros
Waterproofish
Works well with offline maps
Has a built in compass
Has extra slot for sd card so great for storing maps and photos
The battery is user replaceable
Fairly cheap phone now as it as old model I got a second hand one in Argentina for $150 aus.

Con
The Charging USB is a weak area esp on a motorcycle
Small internal memory 16gb but had SD slot for 128gb
Battery life is short I try to keep mine charging most of the time.
I would not trust it to be fully waterproof but great as a backup to keep the dust out as well.

Hey Mika !! It's the world we live in. The only places you meet people now are where there is no signal or WIFI.

Smartphones are great tech when on the road to check email, banking, maps etc. But it also leads to an anti-social environment. When i started travelling, campsites and hostels were fun places to meet people and interact. Now they're just zombie waiting rooms. Full of people staring at screens who don't want to talk to anybody.

I'm glad I saw a lot of the world before Facebook/instagram/twitter existed !! It seems people are more interested uploading selfies for likes than actually experiencing the places they are visiting.

I don't see myself traveling without a phone because it's such a nifty device. Like what's already been said, it acts as a camera, a map, predicts the weather, and so on. I'm not one to actively seek out people normally, but I try when I'm on the road. I'm often comfortable on my own company though so that doesn't happen a lot :mchappy:

I used the Samsung S9 last year, obviously now there is the S10.

It made great pictures and movies. Especially if you put in a tripod you can even make stable 4K video. Obviously the difference becomes visible when there is less light.

Also used it for navigation etc. Has a microSD slot for extra memory.

An interesting programme on BBC Radio 4 yesterday - the Digital Human. This week it covered mobile phones and how we use them. One of the guests was talking about "phone snubbing" or "phubbing" as they call it (it was about 10 minutes in). For people that were brought up without mobiles it is considered rude to be using a mobile phone whilst "in company" and that this can lead to relationship breakdown. However for those that are brought up with smart phones they do not see it the same way and they understand that you can co-exist in two places simultaneously - in real life and on-line.

The item for those that have a smart phone is available as a pod cast via the following link:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0005mr2

The smart phone is my compass , Maps , and when on wyfy calls to home.
Then I am riding I like my motor and the view.:mchappy:

By the way, I find all the stuff about how "smart phones are bad, mkay" in this thread annoying. Yes it leads to non-social behavior when people are together and all that stuff.

But this is all offtopic. The smartphone is also just another tool for travellers on the road, even when there is no connection for miles. And such a thread is about using it as a tool.
Because in these days they are great cameras, they are great for (offline) navigation. It may be good to have paper maps as a backup and know how to work with them, but I'm always using the telephone as navigation on long trips. Why bring some kind of Garmin or whatever? Just more weight and costs. A garmin that can run on batteries for long is only good for long hikes, but for vehicle based travelling not so much use.
I would not bring anymore cameras when on a bike. Just a good phone and maybe such a tiny tripod to hold the phone.

So lets not use all that great and compact technology because some guys may be looking at their phone while in the company of others.

Agreed. It's not the technology that is bad per se, it's how we end up using it.

So who's posting on here instead of going out and talking to say the bloke outside the coffee shop with his can of Special Brew and Love/Hatt knuckle tattoos? :innocent:

The phone sized tablet computer has to be the most useful tool for riders ever. More navigation power than the Apollo programme had and access to pretty much every book and map ever.

Totally agree on the plugs, but I'd rather have a USB I can get data in and out of than rent everything from Steve Jobbie. Currently have a collection of three Samsungs (the work one gets turned off).

Andy

My Phone
 

For the pas 5 years I have owned a Blackview BV6000S phone.

It's basically a Chinese phone that is the same as a Samsung Galaxy in functionality in a metal case with Gorilla glass. It is shockproof, waterproof, dust proof and has a huge battery so it lasts for a couple of days between charges,

The only down side is the battery cannot be removed/changed without taking the phone apart and de-soldering it from the circuit board but I have not needed to change the battery yet after 5 years use.

It is 4G compatible, takes 2 SIM cards and a memory card.

I have dropped it, sat on it, and stood on it on more occasions than I can remember and it has sustained no damage. I paid about £ 130 (150 Euros) for it on Ebay and it came unlocked so it can use any network.

Cheap and rugged phone.

I only use it as a phone with a UK SIM for my WhatsApp and a local SIM in whatever country I am in for data so I can use WhatsApp to keep in touch with friends etc. This way is much cheaper than making calls using either my UK or local SIM cards..

I use paper maps to get around.