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asa
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PostWed Aug 30, 2017 10:53 pm 
I believe I already mentioned this chatting about phones on our recent Chair trip, but here are a few reasons why I like my Android phone (Nexus 5x) for anyone else considering a new phone: 1) I can open my camera by hitting the power button twice, and activate the shutter with the power button. So, my camera's ready to go by the time it's out of my pocket, and I can use it with gloves on. I think this feature is common on most new Android phones, but I'm not sure. 2) My phone doesn't have a SD card slot, but many Android phones still do. Cheap expandable storage is great for using with Gaia or similar apps. 3) I bought my phone on sale for around 1/3 the price of an iPhone. The 5X is starting to feel a little outdated, but the camera quality is comparable to an iPhone from the same generation. Adding on to DIYSteve's point, after I download maps for a trip at home with Gaia, I close the app, turn on airplane mode, and make sure I can still see them when I'm offline. In addition to Gaia, I use OsmAnd+, which is an app for displaying OpenStreetMaps. Since OSM data is open source, it can be downloaded as vector rather than bitmaps images. Vectors are small, so a map of all of Washington state with contour lines only takes up about 300MB. It's not intended for off trail navigation, I mainly use it for navigating forest service roads to trailheads. The contour lines make it better than nothing when Gaia fails to load a map (which has happened twice in the last year). I should also mention the UI is terrible . . . but it only costs $5.50 with the contour lines plugin. Regarding carriers, Sprint coverage is absolutely terrible away from cities and hightways - but I leave my phone on airplane mode on trips anyway.

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Tom
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PostThu Aug 31, 2017 12:23 am 
Size - When I initially started looking at smartphones I thought I didn't want something too big. The reality is you get used to the larger size quickly. Bigger is better. I have a 3 year old LG G2. It's 5.2" and I carry it in my shorts just fine. Wouldn't want to go any smaller. Next phone I'll probably go bigger. Android vs. iOS - You want to pay 2x as much for something that really isn't any better? Knock yourself out and get an iPhone. Waste of money IMHO. I'd suggest looking at the LG V20. Great camera (with some tweaking) and you'll probably love the wide angle lens. It's phablet size but you probably won't regret going larger. Replaceable battery. The LG V30 just came out so V20 prices should drop sharply over the next few weeks. Currently pricing is ~$350 for a new unlocked phone. Probably will drop to $250-300.

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InFlight
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PostThu Aug 31, 2017 7:27 am 
Tom wrote:
Android vs. iOS - You want to pay 2x as much for something that really isn't any better? Knock yourself out and get an iPhone. Waste of money IMHO.
ATT Phone Prices Currently... IPhone 7 is $649 Galaxy 8 is $749 Google Pixel $649 LG V20 $829 There are no phones that are a "great camera". They are fine for well lighted shots at about 20 to 25mm equivalent. The sensor size is too small for low light shots, and there is no depth of field control. There is also no real zoom capability. (200 mm equivalent +).

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...” ― Henry David Thoreau
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Randito
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PostThu Aug 31, 2017 7:40 am 
If you don't need to have the latest and greatest, buying certified used or refurbished is an option to considered https://buy.gazelle.com/buy/used/catalog/cell-phones/ https://buy.gazelle.com/buy/used/catalog/iphones

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DIYSteve
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PostThu Aug 31, 2017 8:08 am 
asa wrote:
Adding on to DIYSteve's point, after I download maps for a trip at home with Gaia, I close the app, turn on airplane mode, and make sure I can still see them when I'm offline.
Good idea up.gif GaiaCloud Map works well if you want to download waypoints via GPX files to your phone.

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Tom
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PostThu Aug 31, 2017 11:33 am 
InFlight wrote:
Tom wrote:
Android vs. iOS - You want to pay 2x as much for something that really isn't any better? Knock yourself out and get an iPhone. Waste of money IMHO.
ATT Phone Prices Currently... IPhone 7 is $649 Galaxy 8 is $749 Google Pixel $649 LG V20 $829 There are no phones that are a "great camera". They are fine for well lighted shots at about 20 to 25mm equivalent. The sensor size is too small for low light shots, and there is no depth of field control. There is also no real zoom capability. (200 mm equivalent +).
AT&T prices are not the best indicator, but I wasn't necessarily talking about latest gnearation flagship android phones which are marketed to the same suckers that buy iPhones. On the android side there are lots of options to choose from. Pick a flagship phone 1 or 2 generations behind and you can easily get the equivalent phone for half the money. You can currently buy an unlocked V20 for $350 from B&H. You can buy the AT&T version for under $300 on ebay and prices will only drop further as the V30 rolls out. I would venture to guess the comparable iPhone (or latest generation flagship android) is roughly 2x as much. As far as camera, true, they can't match a DSLR or the performance of a good point and shoot but I would venture to guess 50% here don't bother to bring their point and shoot with them on hikes any more and there is a quite a variance in camera quality for cell phones so makes sense to pick one that has a good camera.

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InFlight
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PostThu Aug 31, 2017 11:57 am 
Tom wrote:
AT&T prices are not the best indicator, but I wasn't necessarily talking about latest gnearation flagship android phones which are marketed to the same suckers that buy iPhones. On the android side there are lots of options to choose from. Pick a flagship phone 1 or 2 generations behind and you can easily get the equivalent phone for half the money. You can currently buy an unlocked V20 for $350 from B&H. You can buy the AT&T version for under $300 on ebay and prices will only drop further as the V30 rolls out. I would venture to guess the comparable iPhone (or latest generation flagship android) is roughly 2x as much
I understand you don't like IPhones, but every IPhone user is not a "sucker". New prices are a very valid comparison of device costs. If you compare an IPhone 5 or 6 cost to your 1 or 2 generation old Android phones they are still fairly equivalent. (~$300) Comparing old Androids costs to new IPhones is not a relevant comparison. There is no supportable 2x cost difference.

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...” ― Henry David Thoreau
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Tom
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PostThu Aug 31, 2017 1:12 pm 
Would totally agree with you on latest-generation. It's not that I don't like iPhones, I just don't think you're getting anywhere near the same value for the money if that is what you are seeking. You have lots of options to choose from on the Android side. I recall when I bought my LG G2 2-3 years ago for $200 I wasn't giving up much versus an iPhone 6. What does a new iPhone 6 go for these days? $300? I'd think you could find a decent former flagship Android on clearance for half the money.

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Navy salad
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PostThu Aug 31, 2017 3:38 pm 
Quick point: I found that buying extra cell batteries (about 1.5 ozs each) gives more power per unit of weight than an external battery pack. For example, my external battery pack weighs 4.8 ozs and is roughly the equivalent of two batteries, where the batteries in total weigh about 3.0 ozs. Buy 'em cheap on Ebay (but check the feedback first!).

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glenoid
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PostThu Aug 31, 2017 5:28 pm 
I have found two cell phones at a local ski area after the snow has melted in late May. The first was an Iphone 4s. Lost in January. After recharging the phone it worked perfectly and I was able to send it to its happy owner. This last spring found a Samsung phone. Wouldn't recharge, and seemed totally water damaged. Refused to work. That is my two cents .......

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Canon Shooter
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PostSun Sep 03, 2017 1:22 am 
I have been using an iPhone 6 since they first were released. When hiking I put it in airplane mode and use it with Gaia and my InReach. The battery will last me a week or better because I primarily use a paper map and only use Gaia as a paper map verification. (I don't enjoy being lost) I don't know which phone is best but I do know that my iphone works really well

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Tom
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PostMon Oct 02, 2017 9:10 pm 
InFlight wrote:
There is no supportable 2x cost difference.
Just ordered a brand new LG V20 myself. I'm guessing the comparable iPhone would be the 7 Plus. Cheapest price I could find for a new iPhone 7 Plus on ebay was more than twice the price. LG V20 64GB H910A AT&T Unlocked GSM 4G LTE Quad-Core Phone (NEW) Subtotal: $329.99 Discount: -$50.00 (Promo Code MONDAY) Sales Tax: $28.00 Total: $307.99 Cash Back: $42.00 (15% TopCashBack for LivingSocial) Net Cost: $265.99

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HitTheTrail
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PostTue Oct 03, 2017 9:01 am 
I feel compelled to add that (in my opinion) iOS is a bit cleaner, simpler, less cumbersome and more intuitive than android. That itself eases my pain of paying a bit more for an iphone.

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DigitalJanitor
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PostTue Oct 03, 2017 9:45 am 
HitTheTrail wrote:
I feel compelled to add that (in my opinion) iOS is a bit cleaner, simpler, less cumbersome and more intuitive than android. That itself eases my pain of paying a bit more for an iphone.
One notable exception I've run into is setting up email. iOS makes a lot of assumptions about what the settings *should* be, stuffs those in, then requires a lengthy test process to fail before allowing me into the advanced settings to just enter what I already knew needed to be there when I started. rant.gif Overall I have NOT found iOS to be more intuitive, but I've spent much more time w/ Android.

~Mom jeans on wheels
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HitTheTrail
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PostTue Oct 03, 2017 9:58 am 
DigitalJanitor wrote:
Overall I have NOT found iOS to be more intuitive, but I've spent much more time w/ Android.
Oh, like all issues now days I am sure there is some truth to both sides of the argument. My wife has an android and the air in our house is often blue with her verbally abusing the phone over some small usage issue and asking me to be her help-desk. Since I know nothing about android I just google it and instantly find the answer and make her think I am the expert I am not.

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