foneranger Rugged 128 Tough UK SIM-Free Mobile Phone - Yellow

I sea kayak and I needed phone that combines a useful battery life and can be used with cold wet hands. I have tried using smart phones in special protective cases, whilst being bashed about in the sea, and they are normally useless or the phone runs out of juice on an expedition (yes, I know you can buy spare external chargers - but i seriously cannot be bothered carring yet more kit to destroy with sand a salt). I need a phone I can whip out on a lanyard, press a button and can hear the other person in a windy, noisy sea. After buying this phone, I took it to the North Sea to do rolling, rescue and surfing drills in my sea kayak. I spent 5 hours with this bad boy in my non waterpoof, BA chest pocket, 'binered to a piece of para cord. I was upside down a fair amount in the sea or out of my boat totally immersed in sea water or neck deep in sea water or being pounded by waves as I broke through the surf. I even managed to wipe out savagely and spend a while floating about before washed up. On my return through the surf I got a text, and it was then I noticed that I had not velcroed the phone in my BA properly and it was swinging about my person on the cord and had been for a while. I read my text, wrote one myself, got hit by a wave and then pressed send. It is now 2 weeks since i last charged and, of 4 bars, only one has gone. Though it is a beast of a phone, it is marred by its old fashions OS, you cannot crib a # from a text - took me right back to the 2002s. There is a work around, you can phone from a text you have received, then crib from the phone call register. The phone is also a brick, size of a iphone 2/3. Perfect for me though, nice and grippy and impossible to drop. Summary: this phone is what I needed.

I considered several other phones before deciding to buy this one. I wanted a basic phone that is very hard to break compared to modern smart phones. This phone satisfies both of these aims very well. The first thing to know about this phone is that it is certified as IP-67. IP stands for Industry Protection (or International Protection or Ingress Protection depending on the context where it is used). It basically provides an indication of how well a product has been designed to withstand damage from dust and water; the higher the number the better the protection. In this case, the first number is 6 which means it is design to be dust tight. Drop it in the dirt or sand, no problem, because it is designed to prevent dust from getting into the phone to harm it. The second number is 7 which means it is designed to withstand water up to a depth of one metre. Drop it in the bath, puddle or shallow water, no problem, because it is designed to be water tight in these cases. I use this phone when I'm out and about in rough environments, when I want to be in contact by phone, but don't need all the additional functions of a smart phone. For example, I use it when I visit industrial sites for work or when I'm walking in the country side or mountains. In these cases I don't usually need to access the internet or want to use the other functions on a smart phone, but want to be contactable by phone or be able to make a call in an emergency. I also want the phone to be rugged enough to take a few knocks along the way and survive the elements. Although this phone is very basic compared to modern smart phones, it has the following features. - Quadband, Dual SIM card slots, LED Torch (that shines out of the top of the phone), earphone and memory card slot. - Call history for missed calls, dialled calls and received calls. Call settings for call waiting, calls diverted and calls barring. It has auto redial, call time reminder, connect notice and a choice of answer modes. - Organiser with calendar, alarm, world clock, calculator and ebook reader. - A basic 1.3 MP camera for photos and videos. - Phone book that can be stored on SIM card or phone memory. - Messaging with Inbox, Drafts, Outbox, Sent messages and SMS templates. - Profiles for General, Silent, Meeting and Outdoor. - File manger. - Multimedia for Image viewer, video recorder, video player, audio player, sound recorder and FM radio. - Settings for dual SIM cards, phone settings, network settings, security settings, Bluetooth connectivity.

I brought this phone to replace an HTC S620 from 2008 (still in use !) And treated it with the same manner. HTC 7, years 128 tough 3 weeks. Quote 'The damage has been caused by undue pressure. This product was designed to take the ‘knocks’ of normal everyday life only to a certain extent. In order to damage the screen in this way, force would have to be applied in a way that is not covered by the warranty.' I am disappointed that my Htc has failed to break unlike "extra tough" phones. From my experience I would not believe the hype and just buy an el cheapo chocolate bar phone and not get frustrated by false expectations !

Initially disappointed, as it looks a LOT more plastic in real life, than in the photos. Also, as I started to play with it the button-action is very clunky - or, rather, 'clicky' - also plasticky! However, as a phone (!) it has been good. Pros: It seems as rugged as advertised. Sound quality very good for calls and people can hear what I am saying (which is not as common in modern phones as one might expect!). Also, the texting speed is better than any other phone I've ever had! Battery-life has been excellent so far. Cons: People do initially laugh at it as a Tonka-toy phone! Bonus: The external speakers are incredible - I can use this as a sound-system when I'm working!