Gear

I'm looking to change my mobile phone from a simple-but-sturdy Sony Ericsson K810i to.... something else.  I'm being urged [the penalty of having teenagers in the house] to go for a touchscreen phone.  I do, however, wonder how robust the present generation of touchscreen models are.

I keep my present phone in a Boxit case when it's in my rucksack, but I don't think they make a suitable case for newer phones- could well be wrong.

So, anyone got experience of using touchscreen phones in less than hospitable surroundings/weather? Any advice welcome.

I had a Samsung touch screen phone and it wouldn't register properly with light weight gloves on or if my finger tips were cold and damp. Something to do with conductivity.

There are techy ways to get round it, but I just found it a pain to use and went back to using a brick phone.

All you need is to stitch in some silver thread to the tips of your right (or left) index finger apparently thats all those TNF gloves are.

BTW I have an old Viewty and the touchscreen does start mis-behaving after less than a year of use (mine is just over one year old). They are good but the screen material is very flexible and I doubt its durability.

Also it is hard to get a protective case for any one but the I-phones. The viewty was a common phone but no phone shop sells any case to go with them. You have to work with the one protective plastic stick-on screen protector which scratches very easily for it. Personally a zip bag works well as you can see the screen and operate it without ever needing to take it out in the rain. Howevr IOMHO touchscreen phones are not a good idea in the outdoors as just a phone. Obviously the GPS functions, if needed, would probably mean you get one of those phones. I'd personally get a GPs for GPS usage and a phone for phone useage and be dammed with the weight.

The GPS on the work blackberry if used for long drains the battery quite quickly. Compare that to a gps with 28 hours of use with an alkaline battery and a standard phone that has a longer standby time.

You pays your money and makes your choice. Just ignore the teenagers. Leave a 2 litre bottle of cider out that'll get them out of your hair while you choose the phone you want!!  (You must be 18 to purchase or drink alcohol, please do not encourage juveniles to consume alcohol).

Ive got some of those TNF gloves and they work great, although if you can get some silver thread like time to go says you can easliy make some.

 i have an ortleib safe it bag to keep water etc off, its got a clear flexible front that still allows you to use the phone with the cover on, although you need to take it out of the bag to take a photo.

there are more than one type of 'tough screen' phone:

some manufacturers use a 'clickable' touchscreen which means that you can feel a click, a bit like a conventional phone. this sounds good but it requires a gap around the screen that can get clogged with dirt and other substances.

others use ones that work by sensing the heat from your finger so wont work with gloves on (apart from some TNF gloves that have a reflective finger tip that reflects the phone's own heat back at the screen)

others use a stylus. the obvious downside is the stylus can get lost and can be very annoying to use in real life

 i would recommend getting a phone that is 'half touchscreen' i.e. you can use the touch screen or the conventional keypad (qwerty keypads are common these days) have a look at some of the phones from blackberry or the palm trio

imho you cant beat a good old brick, sony ericsons are built to last its a shame my W810i is gettign outdated

heat sensitive? are you sure they're not capacitance driven. they work on the capacitance created between body and device which is why they don't work with gloves on - but will if a circuit is made with a bit of conductive thread between device and fingertip.

the Angel has a nokia touchscreen phone which makes a curious clunk when you select something on the screen. (no idea what model it is - it has expressmusic on the front screen.)

That will be the Nokia XpressMusic Parky

I have one of those.

Buy her Viewranger....she'll love you more

How could she love Parky more? I've never encountered such a lovable guy!

I'm slightly upset that nearly everyone I know has that Nokia phone. I used to have cheapo, clunky really basic mobile phones that no-one else had, now I have a 'real' mobile, everyone else has the same one

lol. that would be it ed. strange, slow, clunky unresponsive thing. you can't beat a good old fashioned button that makes a reassuring click when you press it. the satmap is a bit better than viewranger if only for the battery life. the Angel has suggested that she knows where she is so why does she need a bunch of things floating in space to tell her what she already knows (at this point it's either the Angel or Basil Fawlty that's speaking - often muttering "i wish you were a mouse")

i thought it was only nokia that made phones that were worth having kate.

(wanders back into the cave. picks up silver coloured tablet shaped thing. nope, not edible. contents self with pressing buttons)

sorry i got them mixed up ther are two differnt types, ones that work through conductivity and other that work through heat

the only reason i wouldnt want a full touch screen phone is becasue you cannot touch text (texting by feeling the buttons and not looking at them) works great when in lessons, i mean when not in lessons

cough cough*

My first year lecture group had their last warning yesterday. Next mobile interruption, the owner gets ejected. Forcibly. At high speed.

You might try the zoom button , in or out.

my 5800 had the maps pre loaded so has my 6303

I highly recommend an iPhone, from three angles.

First of all, they're cracking multi-function bits of electronica - mine has effectively replaced my music player, stills camera, video camera and simple GPS (phone signal required so it's not a full replacement for GPS).  The touch screen is unsurpassed in my experience and the massive range of apps means you can find something to do nearly anything, from organising kit lists to ticking off Munros.

Second, they're pretty hardwearing.  I have had mine for nine months so far, jangling about in a pocket with keys, coins and assorted junk and aside from some very slight scuffing on the plastic back and one tiny scratch on the glass screen, it looks pretty much new.  I should really get around to getting a case for it.

Finally, there's a pricewar going on at the moment as the iPhone is now available from O2, Orange and Vodafone.  You can easily get a 16Gb iPhone 3GS for free with a £30 a month contract.