Rugged, simple cell phone for a person working outside? Does one exist?

[Bibbyman]

Mary is disappointed in her cell phone choices.  Most of the models have a blizzard of features she never uses and the displays are only readable when inside.  There is no way to read them outside in the sunlight.

She had got a tip that the Samsung Rugby II phone was a rugged phone and the display was more readable outside.   In searching for one of these, one place recommended the Motorola Barrage.  Both of these are built to military specs.  Both are loaded with all kinds of features she wouldn't use.  Both are expensive.  And none are in stock in four places we looked for them.

I got to think there is some kind of phone out there that is somewhere between the simple/cheep, fancy/expensive and expensive/military spec. phones that a person working outside can be happy with.

[Cedarman]

I make calls.
I take calls.
I look at the clock.
I listen to voice mail.
I listen to achived voice mail.
I like caller ID.
I like to see missed calls.
I like to see phone numbers of calls I have received.
I like to see phone  numbers of calls I made.
I want to see it outside.
I want to have a loud ring.
That's it.
I don't need anythings else.

[Bibbyman]

I make calls.
I take calls.
I look at the clock.
I listen to voice mail.
I listen to achived voice mail.
I like caller ID.
I like to see missed calls.
I like to see phone numbers of calls I have received.
I like to see phone  numbers of calls I made.
I want to see it outside.
I want to have a loud ring.
That's it.
I don't need anythings else.

Do you have such a phone or, like Mary,  want one?   

[Dave Shepard]

I know someone who got a mil-spec Motorola, and the outside display cracked the first day in his pocket with some loose change. : I bought a Motorola Razor about a year ago, because they are much cheaper and out of style now. :D I use it around the mill, doing excavation work, etc. and it has worked very well. It isn't mil-spec by any means, however. Reading displays outside is always a challenge, I cup one hand over the phone to block the sun and that helps.

[Dana]

My wife and I both have  Samsung flip phone's. They were included free with our ATT contract. Very durable and fit easily into my pants pocket. They often work in low bar areas where "better" phones won't.

[stumpy]

I have a casio Boulder from verizon.  I've had alot of phones and this one is the toughest.  It's military spec and also waterproof(although I would never test it). I am very tough on phones and this one has been great for a year now.

[DanG]

What Dana said.  My simple Samsung flip phone has ridden in my left pocket for several years and is still like new.  It doesn't even have a camera,  but does have all the things Cedarman listed.

In order for a phone to do what it needs to do and still be compact, it is necessarily a delicate instrument.  Don't put a folding phone in the same pocket with your change or keys.  Coins and keys can work their way into it and wedge it open, then when you lean on it, the display screen will be destroyed.  Like any other tool, including the anvil, it will serve you well if you take care of it, but will not if you don't.

[ely]

motorola tundra phone here. it is a tough phone but ATT service still leaves much to be desired.

[Raider Bill]

Oh boy this is going to get me slapped I can feel it now........................

I live near a retirement ALF home. I generally eat at a corner diner where many of the  residents go for breakfast and lunch. They seem to like the Knack phone.. It's a plain jane phone with large buttons and screen, loud and simple. No frills. Theres also one called the Jitterbug
I know Verizon has them but not sure about other compaines.

[sprucebunny]

Motorola Quantico is mil-spec and supposed to be tough but I haven't got one yet because I really like my old Nokia 6019. My cell provider no longer sells Nokia but I buy them on ebay for $25, keep spares and the cell company doesn't mind switching them over when one gets too troublesome.
It lives in my left front pants pocket by itsself and takes a beating.
Not waterproof (I've drowned one : )
No camera
No music
No color
Easy to see outdoors.

[iffy]

Don't know what model it is, but I have been seeing one in American Legion magazine that has large numbers, Makes and receives calls, and that's it. Sounds like it might be one of the phones Raider Bill is talking about.

[DouginUtah]

Cell phone for old folks...  ;D  :D

[nas]

Read this thread this morning, and went outside and my phone fell off the mill :( and I must have stepped on it.  Now the screen is cracked :  Lucky I have a small collection of spares  to bad the collection of spares is a lot smaller than the collection of broken phones :D

Nick

[Gary_C]

Good one Doug.  :D :D

Did you know you can almost read your phone number on that rotary?  :D :D

[Holmes]

I have a Casio  boulder by verizon it is my 2nd one . The first 1 I used for 2 1/2 years and needed a new battery I wanted to upgrade but bought the same thing . I've had it for more than a year and it has been great. It has been dropped ,kicked, scratched it,  and banged into stone and concrete walls it looks like DanG but it still works great. It even has an electronic compass so you can find your way home from the mill. Holmes

[ARKANSAWYER]

  Jitterbug.  Renee's says when I become the Judge I have to have a cell phone.  Simple is good.

[Bibbyman]

Big thing for both of us is, can it be read outside in the sunlight?  Often times when we get a call we're running the mill and have to go out in the logyard to talk.  Or if we make a phone call we have to go out in the loggyard to make it.

[Texas Ranger]

Casio boulder, tough, wont slip in your hand, loud, simple, got stuff I will never use, but hey, it beats the others.  My wife has a flat screen and hates it, forever doing stuff in her purse.

[John Bartley]

We just bought a Sanyo Pro-200 for my wife. It seems pretty rugged, all cased in rubber, does NOT have a camera, and has both nice big numbers and nice big buttons (compared to phones we've had previously). It's good and bright, and seems to be easily viewable in most outdoor conditions. It's not cheap ($319cdn here in Canada), and that's a drawback.

cheers

John

[Bibbyman]

'Nether question...

Are these phones tied to one phone service?  I see listed phones for AT&T, Sprint, Nextel,  etc.

We got AT&T.  So does that mean we are limited to phones that are specific to AT&T?

[Mark K]

I have a samsung Rugby 2 through at&t. Best phone i have ever had. I set the phone for outdoor settings which is ring and vibrate. I carry it in a case that clips to my belt and can feel it vibrate when someone calls. Also the speaker is louder, I can drive the skidder or be in the mill and hear perfect. I've dropped it in water, drove over it and lost it for a day in the woods, still works as good as the day I bought it. Well worth the money.

[Bibbyman]

I just checked on E-bay and they have used ones from $75 up and new ones for just under $200.  A lot less than what the AT&T store wanted for ones that didn't have in stock.

[DouginUtah]

Are these phones tied to one phone service?  I see listed phones for AT&T, Sprint, Nextel,  etc.

We got AT&T.  So does that mean we are limited to phones that are specific to AT&T?

I think this is where the term unlocked comes into play.

If someone can explain unlocked please do so.  ;D

[SPIKER]

Im like the others, I have had SAMSUNG phones for years, the first one cheap free one through Verizon lasted 3 years was dropped in creek 3 times,. went through the washer in my pants and also into the toilet several times.   It was dropped 1000 times once off the stair railing and down 2 flights of wooden stairs.   once from 15' in air onto concrete.  finally died when it was caught while on my pants flipped open fell off and a clod foot stepped on it.  (Ya my own clod hoppers landed on it.)
I now have a newer version "SAMSUNG U340" it is 3+ years old same battery and it still lasts 3 + days for a full charge, when new it lasted a week on full charge on 16hrs a day.  This phone also has made it into the washer while in my pants pocket. it fell off tractor as well.  didnt run it over that I'm aware.  it spent 2 days out in the woods until we finally found it by walking the woods & calling it repeatedly with my womans phone.

I regularly drop my phones so I expect them to be able to last a while.  I also put a  leather padded case on them to help them survive makes taking pictures harder but the leather padding & clips make it worth it.   I usually but the leather cases at radio shack seem to be better quality and cheaper than the verizion store.

I have not upgraded due to so many people complaining the new SMART phones or TOUCH screen phones are easliy damaged.   not something I want lol...

be sure to read the reviews on line, there all over, I read them at my VERIZON log on account there are people that tell the truth there for sure...

Mark

[scsmith42]

'Nether question...

Are these phones tied to one phone service?  I see listed phones for AT&T, Sprint, Nextel,  etc.

We got AT&T.  So does that mean we are limited to phones that are specific to AT&T?

Bibby, there are several different cellular base station technologies used in the US, including CDMA, TDMA, GSM, and iDEN.  Because of the mergers between the carriers over the years, they all have a variety of technologies on their network, as well as different spectrum. ATT used to be the most complex; as I recall they had seven different tecnhologies deployed across the US.  Sprint has two - CDMA and iDEN. 

Each one of these carriers has had "dual mode or tri-mode" handsets developed that allow them to work seamlessly on their national network, even though you may be using ATT TDMA 800 Mhz service in Colorado and ATT CDMA 1,800 mhz service in Missouri - two totally different technologies on two totally different spectrum bands.

In some instances, a specific carrier may have some dedicated spectrum that is used for control channels.  Nextel and Southern Linc come to mind.  Even though they use the same underlying technology, because they use different frequencies for their control channels their phones will not work on one another's networks w/o being re-flashed.

Some technologies are portable - such as GSM.

For these reasons, it's safest to stick with the carrier that the phone was originally sold for.