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Adohrn
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PostTue Oct 03, 2017 12:23 pm 
Using an iPhone Se for the same reason as others here. One thing I would say no matter what platform you go with get a phone with large storage capacity. Apps like Gaia eat up a lot of space and my 14-15 gig Se can be limiting. Went budget here and kind of regret it. Personally went for the Se because of the small form factor therefore battery cases would not work for me. Did get an otter box defender which has saved the phone from many bounces on the ground. Not the smallest or lightest case, but appears to be me proof.

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HitTheTrail
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PostTue Oct 03, 2017 12:48 pm 
Adohrn wrote:
Using an iPhone Se for the same reason as others here.
I have the iPhone SE also and got it just because it is the same small size as the iPhone 5 and will fit in a lifeproof protective case. Gaia is my only GPS app. I only turn it on a few times a trip (or never), just when I want to check my location. Also, I only keep one map in memory (the one where I happen to hiking at the time). Nothing about this device is limiting to me.

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Adohrn
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PostTue Oct 03, 2017 4:39 pm 
Hitthetrail not saying I don't like my Iphone. Just saying I wish I had gone with the Se with more storage capacity. Mine is over a year old and at the time 14-15 gigs was the smallest and cheapest they were offering in the Se line. Double that was not all that much more and something I wish I had done. Gaia is only part of the problem, but that one app can eat up 2-5 gigs when multi section hiking.

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Tom
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PostTue Oct 03, 2017 4:39 pm 
I have a buddy that works for AT&T that lets me piggyback on his employee plan. I pay $20 a month per smartphone as long I bring my own phone. For a contract phone it would be an extra $15 a month. I'm assuming those are wholesale rates. So a discounted 2 year contract phone is costing roughly $360. Many folks might be better off just buying their own phone and going with a reseller like Cricket, Straight Talk, etc. If they did that they would probably pay more attention to what phones are actually costing them.

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mike
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PostTue Oct 03, 2017 6:27 pm 
~$7/mo with my pos tracfone. biggrin.gif

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Riverside Laker
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PostTue Oct 03, 2017 6:42 pm 
The current iPhone SE has 32G. I got it the first day they were out (because I lost my previous phone, interesting timing), when it was 16G. Frankly I think that's enough memory -- don't use it for picture or music storage. Photos get backed up and deleted from the phone. I have plenty of apps for travel and home use, and the phone is pretty full but I could get rid of a few apps not used very often. I would have preferred an Android phone, but didn't want an old slow one, and wanted the smaller size. Only good one available was the iPhone, which I now gotta admit has a slightly better operating system with less junk on board. Now you can delete the built-in apps you don't use. Having used both Android and iOS, iOS is cleaner, fast, robust, and I won't go back unless the hardware is super compelling. Being kinda new to smartphones, they are fabulous for wandering this earth, both front and back country. Gaia downloads for trips don't take a huge amount of memory, even though I typically load the USGS, 1900, 1930, and the Gaia hiking maps for a trip. It's fun to look at historic maps while in the field.

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Tom
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PostTue Oct 03, 2017 9:32 pm 
If you want a small phone you can't go wrong with the SE. It is an outstanding value, somewhat an anomaly for an iPhone. The 4" screen is probably going to handicap you more on a daily basis than any perceived difference in OS. iOS more robust? There are a wealth of custom roms and/or tweaks if you don't like what comes pre-loaded on your stock android.

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Damian
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PostWed Oct 04, 2017 4:31 pm 
32G SE works well for me, including Earthmate GPS. Plenty of capability & storage. The screen size is totally fine, even for video. No music on it as I feel music is special and needs it's own device. Also, modern vehicle Bluetooth's like to turn music on at random with these devices. I still use my 10 year old Zune as my primary MP3 device. Sounds good and will still work after the System fails smile.gif.

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Jaberwock
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PostWed Oct 04, 2017 5:30 pm 
I used to be on Verizon since I found it offered the best service in the hills around WA. I recently switched to Xfinity Mobile which runs on the Verizon network, and roams just like Verizon (since it is Verizon service), but I pay $12 per month for unlimited calling, texting, and one gig of data. Extra data is $12/gig. Only catch is that you have to also get your home internet though Comcast. Total comes to about $14 with “taxes and fees” per month. TLDR: You can get Verizon service for $12/month through Xfinity w/ 1gb data and unlimited calling/texting.

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Canon Shooter
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PostWed Oct 04, 2017 5:40 pm 
I need voice a whole lot less than data. I might make or receive one call a day on my cell, but I am using email, texting, and the internet several times an hour on my phone. I would guess that is how most people use their phones and why companies can charge so much for data use.

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Cacher
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PostSun Jan 07, 2018 2:20 pm 
You can use a used verizon smartphone best signal Ive ever found in any mountain bar 20.00 a month. Verizon signal is best-bar none-pun intended. Ive been using an S4 for years, at 20.00 a month with Boom.us prepaid. Boom has plans for all carriers, and their phones.

Help! I cant see the forest, for the Fees.
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