Tough cell phones?

I had one of these and it was tough but I lost it.

http://www.phones.com/news/samsung-rugby-indestructible-mobile-phone/

Hey Michael,

I needed a new phone a few years ago.. had to NOT have a camera. I found (and bought) a Sanyo Pro-700 for Sprint. It's ruggedized (Mil-Spec 810F), but I'm not sure it would survive being dunked in salt water. Apparently you can drop it, kick it and throw dust at it, so if the dingy is grounded, you might be OK.

Don't know which one you should buy but I suggest you buy a ZipLock bag to go with it 🙂 (I've dunked a cell phone or two at boat ramps over the past couple of years before finally learning the value of the ZipLock.)

I did a quick search on Phone Scoop's site for ruggetized phones and more than 20 models popped up. Enter ruggetized plus some other things you want or don't want here: http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/finder.php

There are some great waterproof cases. Zip lock baggies don't really cut it. Try www.budgetmarine.com for some good ones!

Voice of experience!

Pamela

I respectfully disagree Pamela.

In my experience a simple waterproof case is a good start but isn't enough because the problem is you need to protect your phone, wallet, remote control key fob for your car, Mp3/iPod player, etc.. Nothing beats the effectiveness and cost of putting your junk in a Ziplock. I've had waterproof cases for iPods and cameras that still allowed water to incurse. A properly sealed bag works at least as well in my experience if not better and is much more ubiquitous than specialized cases for every electronic item of worth you need to protect while on the water.

I used to have a Nextel fone that I drove a truck over among other indignities and it just kept on trucking.
I did the baggie thing for a while but it gets old and sometimes I find a hole in said baggieand think what would have happened ......
so I was just hoping for a fone that wouldn't need extra protection. From what I have read even "mil spec" fones really aren't all that tough so just wondering what you had found to work.

It looks like just buy cheap fones and when they die not too many tears...

Sorry to say but tossing them in water seems to kill them all.

Pamela

Actually Pamela I was working up inside an a/c unit and the nextel fone fell into the drain pan and made screechy noises and died so I pulled the battery and put the fone on the dash of my truck and let it bake in the sun and it was just fine. my primitive old kyocera saw more than one trip the the washer and drier and was no worse for the wear. I think if you get a good fone out of salt water quickly and soak/rinse it in distilled water it may survive even that.... I will however try to avoid finding out first hand LOL

BTW this is the size of a/c equipment I work on so you can see how I could be up inside it

Yes, I can see. Mine tend to be "oops, the phone was in my pocket when I leaned over the side to release that line from the dock". Sad to say they don't normally recover from that unless very, very waterproofed 🙂 Takes a while to fish them out unless they float.

pamela

Um, Michaelds, I wonder how much it cost (per hour) to run that sucker on WAPA?

If you got AT&T, and your rough on phones,get one of those go phones for $20, back up your sim on a old fashion phone to your computer via a USB cable.
So when you destroy another phone, you can reload your contact data onto the new cheap, crap phone(Radio Shack offers this service for $5, or $10).

The $20 phones are bare boned, you can`t text or browse with them, but, they talk as well as the fancy ones!
Alternately, you can buy a 5 lot or so from Ebay for $10-$15/phone of nearly new, old technology(if you are as bad as I used to be about dunking phones).
This is what i used to do.

There are phones that are tough and waterproof.

For instance the Sonim XP3 claims that it can be submerged to 1 meter for 30 minutes. It also claims that it will survive a 2 meter drop onto concrete.

You wont find them at a phone store subsidized by the carrier. The last time I looked an unlocked XP3 would cost you $430.

Jim

DUN that machine is on one wing of a hospital in Dayton, Ohio at 6C per KW. I'm sure there are simular units and Yes it would eat a hospital alive on WAPA just one more reason they are in trouble.

@ $450 for a hardened fone guess I'l go the cheapy route

Michaeld9,
Will that AC Unit fit on your Boat?

Michaeld9,
Will that AC Unit fit on your Boat?

Not quite but it would prolly cool everything in C'sted w/o working too hard.

DUN that machine is on one wing of a hospital in Dayton, Ohio at 6C per KW. I'm sure there are simular units and Yes it would eat a hospital alive on WAPA just one more reason they are in trouble.

@ $450 for a hardened fone guess I'l go the cheapy route

6C/KW...MUST BE NICE!
What are we at now, .35(or so)?

Yeah, go with the cheapo phone if ya gonna be a boater!

In my experience, old, crappy phones last forever, & the new fancy ones JUMP! out of your pocket, into the bilge of your boat or dingy!
And, DON`T buy the insurance, as the $50 deductible is way more than a cheap phone (& W/O the hassles of shipping it back & swearing it didn`t get wet).
Get one CHEAP from Ebay BEFORE you need it!
Last tip,If AT&T, the sim card can survive immersion (usually).
So if it`s not too deep, put your mask on & get it!

Agree on the old crappy phone. I have a 5 year old Nokia these days. Doesn't take pictures. A friend was showing off her new I-phone the other day and when she saw mine she commented "Pam, you can hardly talk on that thing". LOL.

Pamela