Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: Lazydocker on 12 October 2011, 21:07:21
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I'm hoping to draw on the wealth of knowledge available on this forum.
I need a second handset for the business, on the O2 carrier, to maximise the chance of me having signal when out and about ::) Not worried about contract/PAYG debate as I'm big enough to make my own decisions on that ;D But I am interested in people's experience and knowledge of handsets which meet my requirements.
They are:
- Must have Bluetooth (for the H/F Kit)
- Good signal strength and reliability
Other than that, nothing is that important ;)
Any opinions? Thanks :y
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always been totaly happy with my sony erricsons, many friends now use HTC tho, and dont seem to have problems with them. can you even get a mobile without bluetooth now lol dont think much of nokias or iphones they seem to be the ones most ppl complain about problems with. thats my experience
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Just got a Samsung Galaxy S2 White! (Came out last month) Its the mut's nuts! Android, user friendly, nice big screen, superb 8megpix camera, 16gb internal memory, 1.2 gb twin core processor..........and it makes phone calls too!
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Nokia 6310 was by far the best mobile phone ever made, and has enough of a bluetooth stack to work with Bluettoth HF kits.
Finding one that hasn't been dropped though... ;D.
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Just got a Samsung Galaxy S2 White! (Came out last month) Its the mut's nuts! Android, user friendly, nice big screen, superb 8megpix camera, 16gb internal memory, 1.2 gb twin core processor..........and it makes phone calls too!
Seeing as glassback already has a gayphone, and has asked for a phone with a good signal and a bluetooth stack, I'm guessing he just wants it for calls, and the best possible coverage for a given network. Therefore, all smartphones are out of the equation.
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my experience..
samsungs galaxy and wave models, strong , steel chasis so not easily effected from drops.. screen very hard to scratch (amoled models).. but gps definitely crap.. galaxy better but expensive.. have many applications on them that you will rarely use except internet and mails.. photo quality good on daylight but crap in any dark place..
nokias.. still good mobiles although their op system is prehistoric.. gps works brilliant and catches the sat signals almost eveywhere ??? photo qualities depends on the model but even 5 mp models crap in dark and acceptible in daytime..
but if you will use it just for talking and messaging no need to invest an expensive model..
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Smartphones are low on the list of possibles... As said, I already have an iPhone for my email/web/smartphone needs, this handset is a backup and signal strength and reliability are the top concern ;) ;)
Plus, I had a Samsung handset once, for 15 hours, and sent it back because the user interface was incredibly poor ::) I don't need to be asked 4 times if I really want to send a text FFS >:( >:( Anyway... That kind of put me off them ::)
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I have to agree with TB here a Nokia 6310 :y
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Indeed Cem... In fact, as it's likely to be purchased "Sim Free" I'm reluctant to pay out for a handset with all the whistles and bells when I have a perfectly good iPhone for that :y
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Smartphones are low on the list of possibles... As said, I already have an iPhone for my email/web/smartphone needs, this handset is a backup and signal strength and reliability are the top concern ;) ;)
Plus, I had a Samsung handset once, for 15 hours, and sent it back because the user interface was incredibly poor ::) I don't need to be asked 4 times if I really want to send a text FFS >:( >:( Anyway... That kind of put me off them ::)
if signal strength is important for you, very old motorolas that have a long antenna outside are perfect for the job..
they can catch signal even in mountains.. but not sure you can carry it ;D
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I have to agree with TB here a Nokia 6310 :y
I know TheGroomerBoy's preference on handset but interested in other people's opinions :y Nokia 6300 has been recommended by a couple of people :-\ :-\
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Smartphones are low on the list of possibles... As said, I already have an iPhone for my email/web/smartphone needs, this handset is a backup and signal strength and reliability are the top concern ;) ;)
Plus, I had a Samsung handset once, for 15 hours, and sent it back because the user interface was incredibly poor ::) I don't need to be asked 4 times if I really want to send a text FFS >:( >:( Anyway... That kind of put me off them ::)
if signal strength is important for you, very old motorolas that have a long antenna outside are perfect for the job..
they can catch signal even in mountains.. but not sure you can carry it ;D
I used to use one of the old "house bricks" in the past... Signal was awesome but no Bluetooth ::) Also needs to be a little practical ;) ;)
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I have to agree with TB here a Nokia 6310 :y
I know TheGroomerBoy's preference on handset but interested in other people's opinions :y Nokia 6300 has been recommended by a couple of people :-\ :-\
They've got excellent bluetooth & signal strength, I once dropped my old one kicked it across a car park floor, and then dropped it again after picking it up (I know how can that happen >:() and it was fine, one of the most robust phones I've ever used, the others being even older Nokia's 3310's, 3210's etc :y
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6310 is (was? It was discontinued 6 years ago) a great phone.. you can still pick them up refurbed online, too.
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only 6 years ago? lol i thought it was more like 10 ;D
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Smartphones are low on the list of possibles... As said, I already have an iPhone for my email/web/smartphone needs, this handset is a backup and signal strength and reliability are the top concern ;) ;)
Plus, I had a Samsung handset once, for 15 hours, and sent it back because the user interface was incredibly poor ::) I don't need to be asked 4 times if I really want to send a text FFS >:( >:( Anyway... That kind of put me off them ::)
if signal strength is important for you, very old motorolas that have a long antenna outside are perfect for the job..
they can catch signal even in mountains.. but not sure you can carry it ;D
I used to use one of the old "house bricks" in the past... Signal was awesome but no Bluetooth ::) Also needs to be a little practical ;) ;)
they were/are a life saver , I see them can talk where other phones has lost the signals hours ago ;D
really recommended when you decide to go places far from civilization..
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Smartphones are low on the list of possibles... As said, I already have an iPhone for my email/web/smartphone needs, this handset is a backup and signal strength and reliability are the top concern ;) ;)
Plus, I had a Samsung handset once, for 15 hours, and sent it back because the user interface was incredibly poor ::) I don't need to be asked 4 times if I really want to send a text FFS >:( >:( Anyway... That kind of put me off them ::)
if signal strength is important for you, very old motorolas that have a long antenna outside are perfect for the job..
they can catch signal even in mountains.. but not sure you can carry it ;D
I used to use one of the old "house bricks" in the past... Signal was awesome but no Bluetooth ::) Also needs to be a little practical ;) ;)
they were/are a life saver , I see them can talk where other phones has lost the signals hours ago ;D
really recommended when you decide to go places far from civilization..
are they the ones with the huge brick sized power pack? i think my mum had one in the early 90s lol said it was for security, she could knock someone out with it haha
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Knock the house bricks all you like, they are fantastic handsets for signal strength :y :y :y
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Knock the house bricks all you like, they are fantastic handsets for signal strength :y :y :y
erm im talking about one of these http://www.retrobrick.com/4500x.html (http://www.retrobrick.com/4500x.html)
do they even still work?
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Knock the house bricks all you like, they are fantastic handsets for signal strength :y :y :y
erm im talking about one of these http://www.retrobrick.com/4500x.html (http://www.retrobrick.com/4500x.html)
do they even still work?
No TACS phone will work in the UK now, TACS/ETACS was all shut down years ago...
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Knock the house bricks all you like, they are fantastic handsets for signal strength :y :y :y
erm im talking about one of these http://www.retrobrick.com/4500x.html (http://www.retrobrick.com/4500x.html)
do they even still work?
Not that one but a few years back my brother in law had the next generation on from them (still big, but flatter) which would take a credit card sized sim and work :y :y
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Knock the house bricks all you like, they are fantastic handsets for signal strength :y :y :y
erm im talking about one of these http://www.retrobrick.com/4500x.html (http://www.retrobrick.com/4500x.html)
do they even still work?
Not that one but a few years back my brother in law had the next generation on from them (still big, but flatter) which would take a credit card sized sim and work :y :y
I had a load of 1st generation GSM phones, from Ericsson and Motorola (who used full sized SIMs). Then the Nokia 2110 "Brain Burner" came along and blew all the competitors out of the water.
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Im sure i had a nokia with the credit card sized sim! might of also been a motorola not totaly sure.
one nokia i had that was pretty tough ment to be splash and drop proof, cant remember the bloody number tho!
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Knock the house bricks all you like, they are fantastic handsets for signal strength :y :y :y
erm im talking about one of these http://www.retrobrick.com/4500x.html (http://www.retrobrick.com/4500x.html)
do they even still work?
nope not this one, couldnt find a picture on web yet :-\
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Knock the house bricks all you like, they are fantastic handsets for signal strength :y :y :y
erm im talking about one of these http://www.retrobrick.com/4500x.html (http://www.retrobrick.com/4500x.html)
do they even still work?
Ah,memories of my first phone,worked well too when it wasn't flying from the seat into the footwell ::)
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Odd question but... Does it need to be a mobile or can it be a carphone?
Reason I ask is that, at best, a handset is going to be a Class IV device which IIRC will only ever have a maximum Tx power of 2 Watts. The point is that a GSM (well any cellular phone) device needs to reach a minimum of three cells, be that base stations, micro sites or whatever, it must reach 3 in order for the network to triangulate the position and make mathematical calculations as you move towards / away from cells, when you are out in the sticks a 2W transmitter is challenged and this isn't helped by the lesser number of cells in lesser populated areas. When (if) the triangulation of cells is calculated the minimum power negotiation from the cells (which based on a Class IV device the return can only reach a maximum of 2W!)
The easiest solution to this is a more powerful handset and that would take the form of a Class II device 8 Watt, namely a carphone, these devices will make it possible to reach the minimum number of cells where a less powerfull device can't, the cells can then negotiate the return at up to 8W.
There are other factors to consider such as dual / triple band infilling to get over coverage issues, this is something that a single band carphone cannot handle.
Sorry for the technical description!
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Technical description fine, but...
Needs to be a mobile so it can be taken out of the van into home, particularly when I have someone else working for me too ;)
Good thought though :y
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Best bet, as others have said, is a Nokia 6310i, For in car use I would forget the bluetooth kit and fit a Nokia Cark-91 car kit with a proper 1/4 Wave colinear aerial. The 6310i has a proper connection on the back (if you take the rubber bung out!) that when docked in a Cark-91 allows the fully wired antenna to be connected.
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Best bet, as others have said, is a Nokia 6310i, For in car use I would forget the bluetooth kit and fit a Nokia Cark-91 car kit with a proper 1/4 Wave colinear aerial. The 6310i has a proper connection on the back (if you take the rubber bung out!) that when docked in a Cark-91 allows the fully wired antenna to be connected.
Is the antenna actually powered? Only ask because the van already has built in BT, plus a Parrot BT kit fitted too so I may be tempted to chuck the correct cradle in (for the antenna) and charging if it's worth the effort ;) Not too worried though as it will be predominantly a back up handset for when my iPhone is out of signal :-\ :-\
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Odd question but... Does it need to be a mobile or can it be a carphone?
Reason I ask is that, at best, a handset is going to be a Class IV device which IIRC will only ever have a maximum Tx power of 2 Watts. The point is that a GSM (well any cellular phone) device needs to reach a minimum of three cells, be that base stations, micro sites or whatever, it must reach 3 in order for the network to triangulate the position and make mathematical calculations as you move towards / away from cells, when you are out in the sticks a 2W transmitter is challenged and this isn't helped by the lesser number of cells in lesser populated areas. When (if) the triangulation of cells is calculated the minimum power negotiation from the cells (which based on a Class IV device the return can only reach a maximum of 2W!)
The easiest solution to this is a more powerful handset and that would take the form of a Class II device 8 Watt, namely a carphone, these devices will make it possible to reach the minimum number of cells where a less powerfull device can't, the cells can then negotiate the return at up to 8W.
There are other factors to consider such as dual / triple band infilling to get over coverage issues, this is something that a single band carphone cannot handle.
Sorry for the technical description!
I think that, because the vast majority of phones are class 4 these days, the networks are planned to support them. In any case, cell reselection is based more on the mobile being able to report the strength and relative timing of surrounding cells so the TX power class isn't as much of an issue. One decent cell in range is fine. I would rate dual band functionality (and the likelihood that the phone is newer and likely has a better receiver / equaliser) ahead of a higher power class, TBH.
I would second the Nokia 6300 recommendation. I've had one for years and I wouldn't want to change it for any other current phone.
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Smartphones are low on the list of possibles... As said, I already have an iPhone for my email/web/smartphone needs, this handset is a backup and signal strength and reliability are the top concern ;) ;)
Plus, I had a Samsung handset once, for 15 hours, and sent it back because the user interface was incredibly poor ::) I don't need to be asked 4 times if I really want to send a text FFS >:( >:( Anyway... That kind of put me off them ::)
if signal strength is important for you, very old motorolas that have a long antenna outside are perfect for the job..
they can catch signal even in mountains.. but not sure you can carry it ;D
I used to use one of the old "house bricks" in the past... Signal was awesome but no Bluetooth ::) Also needs to be a little practical ;) ;)
they were/are a life saver , I see them can talk where other phones has lost the signals hours ago ;D
really recommended when you decide to go places far from civilization..
Afaik he will be working around the A12 in Suffolk and Essex Cem, so will definitely be a very long way from civilisation. :y ;D ;D
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Avoid Vodafone, use O2, by far best for signal. For signal my old Nokia 6230i was fantastic, really good battery life in its day :y
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Avoid Vodafone, use O2, by far best for signal. For signal my old Nokia 6230i was fantastic, really good battery life in its day :y
Carrier is already sorted ;) Just handset I'm interested in :y
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Hi Kev, how stable is the 6300? Although I can get 6310i online I'm just a little concerned that it's an old, unsupported handset so tempted with a slightly more modern 6300 ::)
SMS visibility is also important and I think I'd prefer the colour screen :-\
Key features are stability and signal strength, with battery life high on the list too
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Avoid Vodafone, use O2, by far best for signal. For signal my old Nokia 6230i was fantastic, really good battery life in its day :y
Carrier is already sorted ;) Just handset I'm interested in :y
Got a fair few handsets here your welcome to :y
One of these:
Nokia 6230i
(http://mobiguru.ru/f/image/4/7/7/4773_nokia_6230i_4.jpg)
E61
(http://www.filesaveas.com/images/nokia_e61hand.jpg)
Nokia N97:
(http://regmedia.co.uk/2009/06/23/nokia_97_1.jpg)
Even got one of those old ones from the Matrix, 7110:
(http://www.retrobrick.com/nokia71102.jpg)
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got some others, but cannot remember their models :-[
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Avoid Vodafone, use O2, by far best for signal. For signal my old Nokia 6230i was fantastic, really good battery life in its day :y
all depends where you live, we have found vodafone the best for signal and by far the best customer service
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Avoid Vodafone, use O2, by far best for signal. For signal my old Nokia 6230i was fantastic, really good battery life in its day :y
all depends where you live, we have found vodafone the best for signal and by far the best customer service
I had O2 for 7 years, never ever struggled for signal, no matter where I went from Scotland to Dorset, always had signal!
Moved to Vodafone (only reason I did was company phone = no bills) I always, always struggle for signal. Went to Chrisgixers couple of days ago, struggling for signal.
Their data speeds are shite too!
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Thanks for the offer Tunnie... May just take you up on it ::)
TBH, I'm quite happy to buy the handset... I just want to make sure I don't end up with one that's as useful as a paperweight ::)
Think the 6300 is edging it at the moment as a reasonably modern handset with no frills but good signal strength and reliability :-\
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Thanks for the offer Tunnie... May just take you up on it ::)
TBH, I'm quite happy to buy the handset... I just want to make sure I don't end up with one that's as useful as a paperweight ::)
Think the 6300 is edging it at the moment as a reasonably modern handset with no frills but good signal strength and reliability :-\
I had a 6300, very reliable little thing. Well built, although tad heavy for its size. But thats due to metal case and glass for its screen.
Screen resolution is good too. As a phone its really good, crap at web browsing though. But thats not one of your needs.
I have two of these if your interested? Nokia 6500. I'll have to double check, I think they *maybe* locked of Voda, but that can be sorted. :)
(http://www.hasslefreecell.com/images/nokia-6500classic.jpg)
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Even got one of those old ones from the Matrix, 7110:
(http://www.retrobrick.com/nokia71102.jpg)
I had one of those - great phones.. it wasn't the phone from the Matrix, though ;) The phone in the Matrix was an 8110 modified to have a spring loaded release.. </geek>
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Hi Kev, how stable is the 6300?
Mine has probably currently got an "uptime" of several years with no problems. ;)
Get a leather case for it and it's rugged and small enough to stay in the pocket under cars, etc. and will survive being dropped. It'll go a week on a battery charge (admittedly my usage is low).
Does everything needed. Basic browser and email client if you need something from the web in an emergency, USB and bluetooth connectivity, basic camera, decent calendar . organiser functionality. About 3 key-presses from locked to see an incoming SMS. Decent predictive text entry and keys that are just about big enough to be usable.
It has good RF performance IME. No external antenna connection for a car kit, though. It works well enough in-car without, though.
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I resurrected a 6230i at home, new SIM, new cover, like new for < £5
Work phone is a Nokia N8
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Avoid Vodafone, use O2, by far best for signal. For signal my old Nokia 6230i was fantastic, really good battery life in its day :y
all depends where you live, we have found vodafone the best for signal and by far the best customer service
I found Vodafone to be universally poor for coverage. Probably the worse of all networks. Where I live - a small market town - Vodafone is the one network with no coverage (ignore their coverage maps, they are a pure work of fiction). I work in Milton Keynes - a very large town - Vodafone is very weak in many parts of the town.
I switched back to an O2 carrier about 6 months ago, universally always get a usable signal for calls/texts. O2 probably don't have the same 3G coverage as 3 or Orange though.
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Avoid Vodafone, use O2, by far best for signal. For signal my old Nokia 6230i was fantastic, really good battery life in its day :y
all depends where you live, we have found vodafone the best for signal and by far the best customer service
I found Vodafone to be universally poor for coverage. Probably the worse of all networks. Where I live - a small market town - Vodafone is the one network with no coverage (ignore their coverage maps, they are a pure work of fiction). I work in Milton Keynes - a very large town - Vodafone is very weak in many parts of the town.
I switched back to an O2 carrier about 6 months ago, universally always get a usable signal for calls/texts. O2 probably don't have the same 3G coverage as 3 or Orange though.
Where i live its Orange with the worst signal, with orange i can just about get a signal if upstairs and lean out the bedroom window....and thats for voice calls!
O2 I can get gprs inside my house, outside it quickly switches to 3G
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Smartphones are low on the list of possibles... As said, I already have an iPhone for my email/web/smartphone needs, this handset is a backup and signal strength and reliability are the top concern ;) ;)
Plus, I had a Samsung handset once, for 15 hours, and sent it back because the user interface was incredibly poor ::) I don't need to be asked 4 times if I really want to send a text FFS >:( >:( Anyway... That kind of put me off them ::)
if signal strength is important for you, very old motorolas that have a long antenna outside are perfect for the job..
they can catch signal even in mountains.. but not sure you can carry it ;D
I used to use one of the old "house bricks" in the past... Signal was awesome but no Bluetooth ::) Also needs to be a little practical ;) ;)
they were/are a life saver , I see them can talk where other phones has lost the signals hours ago ;D
really recommended when you decide to go places far from civilization..
Afaik he will be working around the A12 in Suffolk and Essex Cem, so will definitely be a very long way from civilisation. :y ;D ;D
I didnt estimate it was bang on ;D :y