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What is the best mobile phone for birding? (1 Viewer)

Mike C said:
I'm fast approaching the end of a vodafone contract (nokia5230 'not-so-smart' phone) and I'm finding this fascinating.
Darling Daughter lives at the cutting edge and looovvveeesss her iPhone and is trying to 'sell' me on the idea. I quite like the look of the HTC products. I suspect that (being a tightwad) my choice will be price driven......
Click to expand...

I've got an HTC Desire HD - has the bigger screen which is nice for ID photos and a perfectly adequate processor.
I've got a spare battery and a Trent charging system but typically don't use them - went on a River Exe birdwatching cruise yesterday and managed to check on Cornwall & Devon sightings all day plus use Birds Pro help others ID birds.
Was going to use 'MyPlayer' to watch the F1 qualifying but had forgotten that while showing the FreeView TV channels BBC isn't on it due to IPlayer.
 
The battery life of large screen android devices can be a bit dire. However there is a super cheap solution which is impossible for iPhone users..........a spare battery! These can be bought on eBay in a package deal of 2 batteries AND a stand alone mains charger for about £8. I have used these on several android phones and they are excellent. Stick a spare (or 2) in your pocket and simply forget about your phone dying while your out.

For some of the best phone deals try............ www.buymobilephones.net Super fast delivery too.

Pete

Link to the batteries and charger for my phone (LG 3D) just search for "your phone" and "battery".

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-1500m-B..._MobilePhonesCasesPouches&hash=item2c60b84ba9
 
Last edited:
IPHONES ARE FANTASTIC!

My iPhone is my right hand man!

Get something like bird news anywhere for your eyes and ears on what's about.

Get birds of Europe app for detailed descriptions and calls/songs.

Get the tapatalk app for fast connection to birdforum and surfbirds etc.

Get facebook app to contact your cool facebirder friends.

Get the Birdjournal app to record sightings (a new app, still in it's infancy that I hope will get much better).

Get the Butterfly app if you like.

Use the fantastic camera to digiscope.

Tip: if you have to much time on your hands... Like me! Take photos (in HDR mode) of all the pages of your favourite bird guides/books (text and pics) and get an app that will organise this mass of photos in a logical fashion... you will be WELL equipped and you won't look like a proper dude flicking through your Collins!

Ps, don't forget to phone in those rarities you're now equipped to nail in the field!

Sent to you via tapatalk and iphone :)
 
OK, I have followed this thread with great interest (thanks for starting it Sean!).

I am sold on an iphone but I'm on a (very) low income. It seems I could get a good deal (£23/month for everything) on the iphone 3GS 8GB now that the iphone 4 is out. Is it worth paying an extra, say, £13/month to have the iphone 4 8GB or not?

Thanks
Hobbes
(p.s. I know absolutely nothing about mobile phones and don't use one....yet!)
 
I'm amazed at how much people will spend on a phone!! Surely a cheap phone for making
calls plus birdguides/rba txts, a field guide and if need be a map and a cheap digital recorder would be substantially cheaper albeit marginally bulkier!! And if you lose your phone or have it stolen you only lose a cheap gizmo rather than your whole life!!
PS Replace the fieldguide with a cheap notebook and biro. Simples!!
Russ
 
Hobbes, I think I have seen adverts for the iPhone 3GS for as little at £15 (Orange/T-Mobile) sadly can only find £20 as their cheapest deal for now
 
Mike C said:
Hobbes, I think I have seen adverts for the iPhone 3GS for as little at £15 (Orange/T-Mobile) sadly can only find £20 as their cheapest deal for now
Click to expand...

Thanks, Mike. I should have been a bit clearer about the deal. It's unlimited texts, unlimited data/internet, 100 mins phone time. For more limited deals (250 texts, 100MB data, 50 mins phone time), they go as low as £13.50/month. Knowing nothing about phones or how much data/texts one needs, I thought I should opt for the unlimited option.

Is 100MB enough for occasional internet use? How many texts does an average person use, lol!??! I'm unlikely to actually use it as a phone.

thanks
Hobbes
 
Hobbes2 said:
Thanks, Mike. I should have been a bit clearer about the deal. It's unlimited texts, unlimited data/internet, 100 mins phone time. For more limited deals (250 texts, 100MB data, 50 mins phone time), they go as low as £13.50/month. Knowing nothing about phones or how much data/texts one needs, I thought I should opt for the unlimited option.

Is 100MB enough for occasional internet use? How many texts does an average person use, lol!??! I'm unlikely to actually use it as a phone.

thanks
Hobbes
Click to expand...

I'm the same I don't use my smartphone as a phone - I keep an ancient mobile who's battery lasts a week for vital calls.

When buying an Iphone or Ipod touch (I have an Ipod touch too) - buy the biggest one (memory) that you can afford as you cannot upgrade Iphone/Ipod memory - I have a 32GB and it's full.
After the birdguides I have trees, insects, moths, geology, wild flowers, maps, sound recorders & anaylzers, Birdguides videos, Fred Dibnah videos, Eddie Izzard, Geoff Samples birdcalls, music....
For work I have an electronics database and all my machine manuals.


I also have an HTC Desire HD - Android phones use SD cards so you can expand memory and you can pop in a spare battery.
Get unlimited data as you will find uses for the phone you never dreamed of - I have 'catch that bus' which gives a departure board for very bus stop in the land, 'toilet finder', live timings for all the rail network, AIS which gives info on shipping (there's one for planes), Myplayer which gives you Freeview TV, tide tables, scanner radio, AA travel....tons more.

I bought my phone and am on PAYG with GiffGaff.
 
I would definitely recommend iphone for anyone wanting to have an impressive phone as part of their birding gear. Many birders in the US use iphones extensively and their popularity is increasing here. Coupled with a great app such as Rare Bird Alert's Bird Alert Pro then bird news and photos become amazing. Upload some CDs of bird calls too and it becomes a great field birding tool.
 
Phones and birding

I would definitely recommend iphone for anyone wanting to have an impressive phone as part of their birding gear. Many birders in the US use iphones extensively and their popularity is increasing here. Coupled with a great app such as Rare Bird Alert's Bird Alert Pro then bird news and photos become amazing. Upload some CDs of bird calls too and it becomes a great field birding tool.
 
Hobbes2 said:
OK, I have followed this thread with great interest (thanks for starting it Sean!).

I am sold on an iphone but I'm on a (very) low income. It seems I could get a good deal (£23/month for everything) on the iphone 3GS 8GB now that the iphone 4 is out. Is it worth paying an extra, say, £13/month to have the iphone 4 8GB or not?

Thanks
Hobbes
(p.s. I know absolutely nothing about mobile phones and don't use one....yet!)
Click to expand...


That sounds expensive for a phone that has 30 month old technology, a 600mhz single core processor, blimey I think Noah had one of those in the Ark. Dual cores are the norm these days running at more than twice the speed.

Here's the specs................http://www.gsmarena.com/apple_iphone_3gs-2826.php

This time next year you might see one on Antiques Roadshow ;)

Pete
 
Mad_Sunday said:
That sounds expensive for a phone that has 30 month old technology, a 600mhz single core processor, blimey I think Noah had one of those in the Ark. Dual cores are the norm these days running at more than twice the speed.

Here's the specs................http://www.gsmarena.com/apple_iphone_3gs-2826.php

This time next year you might see one on Antiques Roadshow ;)

Pete
Click to expand...

lol, thanks, Pete. That's useful to know. I'll keep your perspective in mind ;)
Hobbes
 
Chris Oates said:
I'm the same I don't use my smartphone as a phone - I keep an ancient mobile who's battery lasts a week for vital calls.

When buying an Iphone or Ipod touch (I have an Ipod touch too) - buy the biggest one (memory) that you can afford as you cannot upgrade Iphone/Ipod memory - I have a 32GB and it's full.
After the birdguides I have trees, insects, moths, geology, wild flowers, maps, sound recorders & anaylzers, Birdguides videos, Fred Dibnah videos, Eddie Izzard, Geoff Samples birdcalls, music....
For work I have an electronics database and all my machine manuals.


I also have an HTC Desire HD - Android phones use SD cards so you can expand memory and you can pop in a spare battery.
Get unlimited data as you will find uses for the phone you never dreamed of - I have 'catch that bus' which gives a departure board for very bus stop in the land, 'toilet finder', live timings for all the rail network, AIS which gives info on shipping (there's one for planes), Myplayer which gives you Freeview TV, tide tables, scanner radio, AA travel....tons more.

I bought my phone and am on PAYG with GiffGaff.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Chris. Very helpful indeed. :t:
Hobbes
 
Just seen this thread.

I'm after a phone that has the best birding apps (eg, Birdguides), access to hotmail, best touch screen, best screen for photos, adequate internet access (500mb? Is that enough). All for £35 a month for up to 24 months.

What do you reckon?

Cheers,

Andy.
 
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