51 replies to this topic

[downtownjr]

Share with us what you like on your smart phone and how you use it in everyday life...

[LaneFarms]

I have a Droid and use the maps and internet on it frequently and use it to check email. Some of the apps are pretty handy.

[Mike120]

I have an iPhone. I probably use it to make calls more than anything else (is that "other"?). Internet and texting are handy and I have a number of apps that are causing me to forget everything I ever knew about math and conversions. The best thing is the GPS/maps. I've used it all over the world to navigate and keep from getting lost.

[mlappin]

Anybody have a opinion on how durable the smart phones are? I'm rough on phones, even broke the screen on a flip phone while it was in my pocket. I've never owned a touch screen smart phone before but have used other peoples on occasion.

Verizon is horrible where I'm at for reception so at first I thought about going with Sprint, according to an employee at the AT&T store that used to work for Sprint, Verizon and Sprint use the same towers so going with Sprint won't gain me much. Supposedly before the super bowl in Indy, AT&T will have the entire region from South Bend to Indy upgraded to 4G.

I was looking at the HTC Inspire as I have a real beef with Apple about how proprietary they are with all their 'stuff', also won't own a Dell anymore for pretty much the same reasons. I'd prolly spring for an Otter Box for it as well.

Edited by mlappin, 16 May 2011 - 07:45 AM.

[NDVA HAYMAN]

I use a Storm 2 and like the gps and weather apps the most. But I am 30m miles outta town and my service sucks. Lots of dropped calls unless you are in the RIGHT place. Mike

[LeadFarmer]

I have a Droid 2 and I also use a Motorola Xoom for work. Does anyone know where i can get good satellite pictures, and then overlay text on them, such as field number, acreage, etc. I'm not paying an arm and a leg for this either, I'd like to use a free service like Google Maps so I can just pull the sat pics up on my Xoom.

[mlappin]

Have a Motorola Atrix 4G now, absolutely love it, check commodity prices, weather, etc. while in the field. Can google phone numbers from the field as well if I need to contact somebody not in my contacts list. Also great for when the Autosteer is engaged when planting a 3/4 mile long field to try to get three stars on all levels of Angrybirds

[haybaler101]

Have a Motorola Atrix 4G now, absolutely love it, check commodity prices, weather, etc. while in the field. Can google phone numbers from the field as well if I need to contact somebody not in my contacts list. Also great for when the Autosteer is engaged when planting a 3/4 mile long field to try to get three stars on all levels of Angrybirds

I have the exact same set up Marty and I get 4G internet about every where I farm. I can surf the net while the tractor runs on autosteer.

[Teslan]

For those concerned about dust, water getting into your smart phone I suggest a case by Lifeproof. I have one for my iphone. It's supposed to be water proof. Though I fear to try it. Though I did put it in a bucket of water without the phone in it and it didn't leak. Though it does kind of dim the screen or make them harder to see in bright sun.

[somedevildawg]

I have a droid OS, motorola x. Nice phone only 3G but that's plenty for me. Let me tell you tho, I sent my sons and wife's and daughters iPhone to a company that takes the phone and coats inside and out with nanoparticles that makes it completely waterproof, I dropped insurance and got that instead, seems like they are always getting wet.....at least in my family, went to the Tennessee aquarium this summer and my son would hold his under water to take pics.....no case.....impressive, cost 60 bucks per phone...well worth that, and they got it back to us in 3 days

[Tim/South]

I finally broke down and got a smart phone this past Spring.
Last week we were in a hay field and were trying to find the owner of some bordering property. he had bought the field and had told us to cut it to keep clean.
We knew his last name and community, did an internet search, found a relative, got his number. No answer, looked the address up, found a neighbor, neighbor knew his mother, called mother and got his cell number. No answer, left voice mail and text.
He was on vacation in Cades Cove and did not have service.
All the time we were doing our detective work i remember thinking how cool it was that Dick Tracy had a watch/walkie-talkie.

I keep check on the weather, take pictures of cow/calf births for the record. I snap a picture when the bull is following a cow, know when she was bred.
Rather than text my wife where I am or doing, I snap a picture and text it. She can usually tell which hay field by the lay of the land.

[slowzuki]

I got my first smart phone recently, an iphone. So far putting pdf of parts diagrams, manuals in the library has been handy, gps, the camera for getting pics of parts or part numbers, notes on bales on each field, having email/text access to arrange times for help to come hay etc. Also I use the siri speech thing quite a bit to take notes while driving. I don't have any auto steer lol.

[IslandBreeze]

I have the Samsung Galaxy & getting ready to get the new Galaxy. It's been my best phone so far but the larger screen is what I like. I mainly use the weather radar, always using the internet & love Pandora radio. Don't know how I could survive without adding music to whatever I'm doing.

Randy

[askinner]

Anybody have a opinion on how durable the smart phones are?

I dropped my brand new iphone under the (running) irrigator the other night. After hrs of searching by torchlight I gave up and resigned to the thought a horse may get a new iphone for xmas in his dinner, as I had to mow the next morning! Did one final search at daylight, and found it!! It was very wet, sat it in the sun for a few hrs while I mowed, and it made a full recovery I was happy to say the least, this phone had only just replaced another iphone I had dropped in a drum of oil lol!

I use it for almost everything, I love it! My favourites are the Messick's NH parts lookup my local parts interpreter loves when I walk in with all the part no's), NH weather app, internet to check the radar, a unit conversion app, spraying rate app, and the compass and calculator, oh, and only recently discovered the torch app which is real handy! Also use the camera heaps, and the notes for recording things that my head can't retain, and for recording rainfall and planting / haying records. Only thing missing is the HayTalk app

[deadmoose]

I use mine to check Haytalk! Used it to post this. Internet text talk. As well as tracking mileage on my car. And as a general notepad and calendar. Alarm clock. Little of this and that....

[mlappin]

I have the Samsung Galaxy & getting ready to get the new Galaxy. It's been my best phone so far but the larger screen is what I like. I mainly use the weather radar, always using the internet & love Pandora radio. Don't know how I could survive without adding music to whatever I'm doing.

Randy

I had the HTC Inspire for a bit, beautiful big screen on it but as a phone it was horrible. Went with this Motorola for call quality and smaller size. I haven't busted the phone yet but have gone thru two Otter Boxes already. I'm afraid a bigger phone would just get snagged on something even more which is what keeps breaking the belt clips on the Otter Box.

[ladyhay]

^{I have an iPhone and I love the notetaking apps like Evernote. Instead of keeping up with hundreds of business cards, I just photograph them and store them in my evernote. That way they don't take up space on my truck's dashboard filing system!}

[AgDawg30830]

I have had a Palm Treo, Blackberry, Droid X and now use a Samsung Galaxy S3. As I've aged, I find my eyes need a bigger screen. I always use an Otterbox, but keep my phone in the side tool pouch of my Carhart Pants.

As a High School Ag teacher and part time farm hand on the family farm, I use my smartphone for a number of things. Biggest help to me is a calendar app called Remember the Milk. I can set tasks with repeating due dates for years. When things are crazy and I've got too much to do, the phone remembers it's time to medicate the bee hives, order seasonal supplies, or send off this or that paperwork.

Evernote is my new little notebook. Photos of projects that I see, new toys I want, parts/model numbers off of equipment, websites, wishlists, or anything else I see and want to be able to find later on.

We use them in most of my Ag Classes. Kids now know more about them than I could ever want to know. If I tell them what I want to do, they can come up with "an app for that."

[Waterway64]

I have had two droid x's and now have a I phone. I must have a dozen ag related apps as well as haytalk. I have Igrow, mapping lockbox, fertilizer usage, fertilizer sampling..... I always wear a western shirt so that I can have it snapped safely in my pocket. Mel

[JD3430]

Anybody have a opinion on how durable the smart phones are? I'm rough on phones, even broke the screen on a flip phone while it was in my pocket. I've never owned a touch screen smart phone before but have used other peoples on occasion.

Verizon is horrible where I'm at for reception so at first I thought about going with Sprint, according to an employee at the AT&T store that used to work for Sprint, Verizon and Sprint use the same towers so going with Sprint won't gain me much. Supposedly before the super bowl in Indy, AT&T will have the entire region from South Bend to Indy upgraded to 4G.

I was looking at the HTC Inspire as I have a real beef with Apple about how proprietary they are with all their 'stuff', also won't own a Dell anymore for pretty much the same reasons. I'd prolly spring for an Otter Box for it as well.

Mike I have had Otter Box for about a year and wouldn't own a phone without it. Its a natural for mechanical/farming/construction work.