Cycle touring: time to ditch the smart phone?

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
Jamesh
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Re: Cycle touring: time to ditch the smart phone?

Post by Jamesh »

I use those funny posts in the ground with place names on, failing that pieces of AA paper with squiglly lines with chevrons across them yippee!

Failing that, the smart phone and it's terrain function by heck have I gotta get up there!

Steep hill lane gives a small clue....
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Sweep
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Re: Cycle touring: time to ditch the smart phone?

Post by Sweep »

TrevA wrote: 11 Nov 2021, 9:49pm Just switch over to the 3 network. Most of time you won’t be able to get a signal anyway, so your phone just becomes a useless lump of metal, glass and plastic.
Can always hang around outside free wifi places of course.
Sweep
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Paulatic
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Re: Cycle touring: time to ditch the smart phone?

Post by Paulatic »

Emergency use - if "everybody" carries a phone, why do I need to?
Must be good to know your emergency is going to be in the company of others. Let’s hope they don’t subscribe to that thought. :D
Sat Nav, contact accommodations, weather forecasts, tour guide, bike repair reference, first aid reference, library, torch, online gear ordering,
On tour, don't really need or want these. I ask locals if need be
Wish I had your luck. Never anybody around in the places I go to. Villages often look deserted.
Whatever I am, wherever I am, this is me. This is my life

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mattsccm
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Re: Cycle touring: time to ditch the smart phone?

Post by mattsccm »

A few years ago I got one as I was the only one without. Rarely use it. Mostly to call the wife ask why she isn't outside M&S in Hereford :D (limited use if we are both in Scotland :lol:
I did stick a tenners credit on at Easter 2017 whilst away cycling. June 2019 I went to France so thought I had better add some more to report in as expected. Found I still had 6 quid left. Didn't top up. Phoned home lots. July 2020 was down to the last quid so stuck another tenner on. No idea how much left.No idea where the phone is.
I take it away purely coz the wife doesn't like not knowing when I am. Bugger all good as it's usually flat anyway. :roll:
Any organisation that wants a mobile number gets a hard time from me. Boy did the Covid testing system get confused when I wouldn't give them a mobile number.
mattsccm
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Re: Cycle touring: time to ditch the smart phone?

Post by mattsccm »

Oh yeah, in the 90's as a primary school teacher I offered "humane killing" of Tamogochis to irritated parents. I would shut the damn things in my cupboard and ignore the bleats for food.
Tim Holman
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Re: Cycle touring: time to ditch the smart phone?

Post by Tim Holman »

Oh, yeah, Tamagochis, I remember them. My daughter tried to drown hers time after time but it always revived! I can't remember the final solution,
Tim
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TrevA
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Re: Cycle touring: time to ditch the smart phone?

Post by TrevA »

As others have said, I rarely use my Smartphone as a phone. It’s used for checking the weather forecast, checking a route on Google maps or the OS App, downloading my route via Garmin Connect or Strava and uploading my ride via the same. Checking the football results, checking the results of bike races, looking at the BBC News at the cafe stop, etc.

You can probably get all or most of this information from other sources or you may not need any of it, but it’s nice to have it all available at the touch of a button/swipe of a screen. I do find the weather forecast extremely helpful, even if it’s not always correct.
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Jdsk
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Re: Cycle touring: time to ditch the smart phone?

Post by Jdsk »

TrevA wrote: 12 Nov 2021, 5:43pm I do find the weather forecast extremely helpful, even if it’s not always correct.
Cue someone who prefers to carry an anemometer and a wet and dry thermometer... ?

: - )

Jonathan
Psamathe
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Re: Cycle touring: time to ditch the smart phone?

Post by Psamathe »

tatanab wrote: 12 Nov 2021, 7:31am
MarcusT wrote: 12 Nov 2021, 5:35am The pluses of a smartphone:
Emergency phone calls, stay in touch.
A dumb phone will do all of that, be smaller and of much lower battery usage......
(My understanding)
Smartphones can provide somewhat better information to emergency services than an older "dumb" phone. Technology knows as AML (Advanced Mobile Location). Actually developed in the UK by BT/EE/HTC and then adopted as a standard by ETSI. Works in a fair number of countries (Europe, US, Aus, etc.). e.g. Android ELS where when you call emergency services the device uses it's positioning system (GPS, Wi-Fi networks, whatever it has to use on-device) and sends your location to the emergency services (automatically). UK test results show a 3000 times better position than emergency services deriving your position from cell location. Google ELS (their implementation of AML) from Android 2.3.7 Gingerbread (needs to be enabled) and iPhone (AML) from iOS 11.3

Using on-device location information provides a far more accurate location than that from cell tower(s).

It can be disabled or require being enabled so if it's a concern then check.

Ian
rareposter
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Re: Cycle touring: time to ditch the smart phone?

Post by rareposter »

Struggling to understand how some people tour (or indeed do many aspects of modern life) bwithout a smartphone to be honest.

In a slim waterproof case that fits in a jersey pocket and weighs 200g I've got something that has access to pretty much all of humanity's information within a few seconds, can tell me where I am and the best way to get anywhere (and then direct me there precisely), book accommodation and travel, hold all my train/plane tickets, order and pay for goods and services, take photos, play music and podcasts, contact anyone (and similarly just share where I am), entertain and inform me via social media, tell me all about the local sights and facilities (and the weather!), allow me to upload / download rides and routes to and from my cycle computer, act as a safety beacon...

The list is endless.

Sure a proper camera would take better photos but it's much bigger, bulkier and less convenient. A laptop gives a better online browsing experience but it's not as though you're reading pages of info on a 6" screen.

One full charge will last 2 days, a small cable can charge it in a couple of hours - cafes, trains, hotels/B&Bs all provide charging options or a decent powerbank will give you 4 or 5 full charges. That's potentially 10 days of touring even if you're wild camping.

After all it's not like you're riding around constantly looking at it; it can live in a pocket for almost an entire ride only coming out for the occasional photo or to pay for a coffee. And yeah, I guess there'll be comments about being out of coverage which is fair enough, albeit increasingly unlikely in these days but you can still access things like offline mapping, still take photos.
Psamathe
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Re: Cycle touring: time to ditch the smart phone?

Post by Psamathe »

rareposter wrote: 12 Nov 2021, 6:12pm Struggling to understand how some people tour (or indeed do many aspects of modern life) bwithout a smartphone to be honest.

In a slim waterproof case that fits in a jersey pocket and weighs 200g I've got something that has access to pretty much all of humanity's information within a few seconds, can tell me where I am and the best way to get anywhere (and then direct me there precisely), book accommodation and travel, hold all my train/plane tickets, order and pay for goods and services, take photos, play music and podcasts, contact anyone (and similarly just share where I am), entertain and inform me via social media, tell me all about the local sights and facilities (and the weather!), allow me to upload / download rides and routes to and from my cycle computer, act as a safety beacon...
.....
I also see it's many uses. I could appreciate that it can be nice to be able to achieve stuff without being dependent on modern technology/battery power but for me I've already done that for long periods in my younger days. I know I can do it (manage without technology) and now, using technology allows me to focus on different aspects of being wherever I am. If the technology failed then I'm confident I could cope without problems (from past experience).

But each to their own. Different things/aspects appeal to different people.

Ian
rareposter
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Re: Cycle touring: time to ditch the smart phone?

Post by rareposter »

Yeah, I could cope without it. I remember sending off cheques and booking forms to YHAs, tearing out pages from a road atlas and marking those up in highlighter - I can even navigate by the stars if I have to.

Smartphone is a lot easier though! ;-)
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horizon
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Re: Cycle touring: time to ditch the smart phone?

Post by horizon »

rareposter wrote: 12 Nov 2021, 6:12pm I've got something that has access to pretty much all of humanity's information within a few seconds, can tell me where I am and the best way to get anywhere (and then direct me there precisely), book accommodation and travel, hold all my train/plane tickets, order and pay for goods and services, take photos, play music and podcasts, contact anyone (and similarly just share where I am), entertain and inform me via social media, tell me all about the local sights and facilities (and the weather!), allow me to upload / download rides and routes to and from my cycle computer, act as a safety beacon...The list is endless.
rareposter: thank you for that and I see where you are coming from. But I'm going to reflect further on that part of your post and this:
After all it's not like you're riding around constantly looking at it; it can live in a pocket for almost an entire ride only coming out for the occasional photo or to pay for a coffee
.
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
Psamathe
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Re: Cycle touring: time to ditch the smart phone?

Post by Psamathe »

rareposter wrote: 12 Nov 2021, 6:12pm .....
After all it's not like you're riding around constantly looking at it; it can live in a pocket for almost an entire ride only coming out for...or to pay for a coffee.....
Used my phone to pay for something for the 1st time a few days ago. I only set it up after one of my cards was cancelled and re-issued with a new PIN (after a lot of fraudulent use) and I've not yet got round to using it enough to remember the PIN. Really easy, uses Face-ID instead of PINs and phone keeps a record of transactions.

How widespread is accepting phone payments i.e. do all the machines take such payments to the point where you can rely on it being accepted?

Ian
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Paulatic
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Re: Cycle touring: time to ditch the smart phone?

Post by Paulatic »

Psamathe wrote: 12 Nov 2021, 9:03pm
......

How widespread is accepting phone payments i.e. do all the machines take such payments to the point where you can rely on it being accepted?

Ian
Anywhere that accepts contactless it works I don’t think I’ve carried or used a card for a couple of years now. One phone does it all. :D Another benefit with the phone is no limit on the contactless.
I wish all retail web sites would accept ApplePay its so much easier.
Whatever I am, wherever I am, this is me. This is my life

https://stcleve.wordpress.com/category/lejog/
E2E info
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