NationStates Jolt Archive

Well, I've managed to kill another cell-phone. So far I've discovered that Nokias are not designed for survival in toilets.

LG's standard flip-phone cannot survive a sailing trip (double plastic bagged), nor can they stand up against getting run over by a bus (admittedly this was not my doing; my brother is the one who dropped it under the wheel.)

AT&T's $19.99 Trac-phone can stand up against a lot of abuse, but are no match for my temper and walls when they don't have reception literally right next to another cell-phone on the same plan.

Which brings me to my favorite phone of all time- the Motorola C139. http://www.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=2979564

The most annoying ringtones ever. No ability to modify anything on the phone; backgrounds (other than whats preprogrammed), ringtones, etc.

However, I managed to run it over, (I do a lot of 4-wheeling, and it fell out of my jeep, got buried in 6" [Roughly 15cm] of mud, run over by 3 vehicles and still worked perfectly,) go swimming with it, throw it, drop it, kick it, and it never failed.

Alas, they no longer make them.

Anyone have any suggestions other than Nextel (I know they're renowned for durability, but I don't want one) for a good solid phone? I'm thinking something that comes just short of lava-proof.

I'd also like to know if anyone else is as hard on their phones as I am...

Instead of getting one super resistant phone I suggest getting hundreds of really cheap phones instead

Nextel i580 is pretty damn solid. We use a couple of them for our drivers. Plus they have that handy GPS tracking our drivers don't know about.


http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=875

From a customer review:

EXCELLENT - I use this phone as my personal line as a Base MP out @ 29 palms CA.
I literally had to submerse it completely in water rescuing a drowning victim, and it came out NO PROBLEM.
I have RUN IT OVER with a 2007 Impala Police Interceptor & it came out fine , No problem, It has been thrown, smashed, &even shorted due to a lightning strike to my house, still came out fine.



HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT FOR THE JOB WHERE YOUR CELL PHONE IS CONSTANTLY AT RISK.


VERY IMPRESSED - Only con is sometimes Ive had a few dropped calls, however the network out here for NEXTEL isn't exactly the greatest (mountains) / attack range - there are no towers on either

My Sony Ericsson suffered from an epic failure, so I found my mums really old Nokia 33-10. It's fucking indestructible, I've smashed straight on the floor multiple times, has been put through the wash many times. However, it's a shit phone.

LG Chocolate is pretty durable, at least the original. I've had it for more than two years and it still works just fine. Dunno about the newer models.

Instead of getting one super resistant phone I suggest getting hundreds of really cheap phones instead

That'd be my Motorola. However I lost it, and recently killed a Samsung slider. It was pouring rain and I ended up dropping it into a puddle.

I figure I can spend the same on hundreds of cheap phones without the hassle of getting a new SIM card every month or two.

Those start to add up.

I don't think the phone is the problem...LOL

The US army probably has a killer one.

Instead of getting one super resistant phone I suggest getting hundreds of really cheap phones instead

Instead of getting new phones of whatever quality, I suggest re-thinking one's behavior if one is prone to doing things like smashing one's phone against the walls.

My old Nokia 3410 can basically survive anything. Dropped it in a pond once - still alright. My newer and more frequently-used L6 is a bit weaker of build, though.

I have a crappy LG flip phone that I sent through the wash and it still works perfectly.

Anyone have any suggestions other than Nextel (I know they're renowned for durability, but I don't want one) for a good solid phone? I'm thinking something that comes just short of lava-proof.

my grandma used an old Nextel, i think, to break the glass in her door when she got locked out one time

i've had a few nokia's that stood the test of time well. my g/f has an inexpensive little one now that seems to survive a good bit of throwing about - though i'm not sure how well it survives being run over.

i wouldn't recommend my samsung Omnia... its solid and all, and no problems yet, but i feel like if i look at it the wrong way i'll get all sulky and stop working 0.o

Anyone have any suggestions other than Nextel (I know they're renowned for durability, but I don't want one) for a good solid phone? I'm thinking something that comes just short of lava-proof.

Ericsson R310.

You can pick a used one pretty cheap, and they've got lots of lifetime. Unlike virtually all others (except for Nokia 5210), it's not just a regular cell phone with a bit of rubber, but one built from the ground up for heavy duty, from a special, well protected PCB, to high-strength casing and the small rubber antenna it always lands on, bouncing off and thus surviving any fall.

Some phones have accounts of surviving surprising torture; R310 can survive all such cases, that's the difference between just a sturdy one and a special industrial model made all for durability.

http://www.dialaphone.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/zack.jpg

Nokia 3310, or 3315. Still the greatest phones ever made.

I threw my 3310 off a 3 storey balcony into a swimmingpool, then used it to call an ambulance after stupidly diving in after it. How's THAT for durability?

But of course, it was old.... and couldn't be used with the new carrier I wanted.

Perhaps you should abandon the classic type of mobile phone alltogether, and look at other designs ?
Wristwatch ?
Implant?