Off Road Expedition Phone

[Kyle]

http://cheapphonessale.com/runbo-x5...oof-dustproof-gps-wifi-smart-phone-p-408.html

im definitely going to be picking one of these up in the near future! Also has a built in 70cm amateur radio built in! what do you guys think!?:thumbs:

 

[f5moab]

Wouldn't you have to have it already connected to a carrier for service? My old Droid X has held up under some wet and dusty conditions and some falls down some ledges that broke other items. I guess at that price, I personally, would be worried about the quality. But let us know how it is.

 

[Kyle]

Wouldn't you have to have it already connected to a carrier for service? My old Droid X has held up under some wet and dusty conditions and some falls down some ledges that broke other items. I guess at that price, I personally, would be worried about the quality. But let us know how it is.

i have Verizon and i went to the store the other day and asked if they could activate it using one of there new sim cards they have and he said buy the phone and come try it out, if it doesn't work, i can use it as a ham, SOS device, and it has an app that downloads the maps to the sd card so i can use it as a gps while off roading, plus ill use it for tons of other stuff! ill keep you guys posted for sure!

 

[LagunaH1]

What do you want to do with this device? If emergency communications is part of it I would *not* rely on this type of device. Yes, it does appear to be able to transmit on the 70 cm HAM band but with such a small antenna I seriously doubt you'd be able to reach anyone. The specs even describe is as "within 5 KM" (3.1 miles) - in other words not far at all. Also keep in mind that those 3 miles most likely have to be "line of sight" to reach whoever you want to talk to. So, not going to work in a canyon, across mountains etc.

I'd suggest you look into getting a HAM license (which, strictly speaking you'd need anyways if you want to use this device as a radio) along with a HAM radio, or get a Satellite phone

 

[Kyle]

What do you want to do with this device? If emergency communications is part of it I would *not* rely on this type of device. Yes, it does appear to be able to transmit on the 70 cm HAM band but with such a small antenna I seriously doubt you'd be able to reach anyone. The specs even describe is as "within 5 KM" (3.1 miles) - in other words not far at all. Also keep in mind that those 3 miles most likely have to be "line of sight" to reach whoever you want to talk to. So, not going to work in a canyon, across mountains etc.

I'd suggest you look into getting a HAM license (which, strictly speaking you'd need anyways if you want to use this device as a radio) along with a HAM radio, or get a Satellite
phone

i used to use hams all the time actually sold my yaesu 2meter the other day!, no emergency use for the phone i think its just a cool! i doubt it would be a good radio, like you said the antenna is tiny! lol just a cool gadget thats all!

 

[Kurt]

It's a neat product, I'd lean more towards getting an iridium phone with an emergency plan at that point.

I'm worried about software support since it seems to be a small player in the mobile space, especially if it gets orphaned from future android OS updates.

I wonder how they handle RF interference or how the HAM is integrated into the unit.

If it had the backing of a larger company I'd be more excited about it...

 

[Kyle]

It's a neat product, I'd lean more towards getting an iridium phone with an emergency plan at that point.

I'm worried about software support since it seems to be a small player in the mobile space, especially if it gets orphaned from future android OS updates.

I wonder how they handle RF interference or how the HAM is integrated into the unit.

If it had the backing of a larger company I'd be more excited about it...

Yea, android is getting really annoying with there updates and only choosing certain phones, i thought it would be fun to buy and just mess with, its only 400$!

 

[Steve #1]

Yea, android is getting really annoying with there updates and only choosing certain phones, i thought it would be fun to buy and just mess with, its only 400$!

For the record, it's the manufacturer or the carrier that determines what gets updates not "android".

 

[Kurt]

That's why I use the nexus phones direct from google, they are the "reference" development platform and get all the latest OS updates and don't have the bundled pack in software or custom interfaces.

With the exception of Android 4.1, I believe the Nexus One and Nexus S can only be upgraded to Android 4.0 now but that's still ahead of 95% of the handsets out there.

 

[Kyle]

For the record, it's the manufacturer or the carrier that determines what gets updates not "android".

Hmph you learn something new everyday! Well being an apple user I wouldn't have known that!


Sent from some shady car dealership looking for an h3

 

[Kyle]

i dropped my iphone 5 today and cracked the screen, so im going to go for it and buy one of these! lol

 

[Portager]

Here is a review of rugged phones you might be interested in. http://androidandme.com/2012/08/smartphones-2/whats-the-best-android-phone-for-outdoors-enthusiasts/

 

[Big2dabank]

Looks like one of those fancy Chinese bricks to me. I'll stick to yodeling as my emergency form of communication.

 

[Kyle]

Looks like one of those fancy Chinese bricks to me. I'll stick to yodeling as my emergency form of communication.

preferably i dont want another phone at all. (how many 17 year olds do you hear say that??) i like not having the distraction in my life.