Is there a horse-proof cell-phone?

[CBudFrggy]

Seriously, a little water, a few drops and *poof* my phone is dead. Is there a cellphone that can stand up to the rigors of horse-ownership?

[MHM]

I have one that's held up pretty well for two years. It's a Motorola flip phone- the model number might be 360? When I got it, I told them I wanted the toughest phone they had. They told me this is the one they recommend to constuction workers- perfect! :lol:

It has both a camera and a video camera, which I've used many times to take pictures and videos of horses. (And dogs. And many other things.)

I'm actually thinking of getting a fancier phone, but I'm not sure I want to give this one up.

[BuddyRoo]

YES! It's the ugliest thing you've ever seen but it's waterproof and shock resistant. It's by Casio...G'Zone or some such nonsense.

I've ruined the majority of my phones during barn incidents: dropping in water buckets, soaking beet pulp, stepped on, etc.

This thing is fabulous. First day I got it, the guys at work threw it in the fishtank, called it and took pics. LOL It's really waterproof. Really.

[Obi]

YES!!!!!

Verizon makes a military level of cell phone that is water proof, drop proof, slobber proof, and is virtually impossible to destroy. I ended up purchasing it when my horse 'ate' my cell phone, breaking the screen, and causing it to ring in his mouth, sending him 2 feet straight up in the air. At least he didn't swallow it, lol.

The local news did a report on this phone and they froze it in a block of ice and it still worked! I think they call it the GI Joe phone.

Although it is rather masculine looking, it is great for around the farm!

[BuddyRoo]

Friesian that's the one I have. Verizon carries it...made by Casio.

Loff it.

It really is ugly as sin.

[rabicon]

The motorola at sprint (nextel) is the best one I found, it has hit concrete and gotten wet and Lord knows its seen better days. Its fallen off while riding, it probably has hit concrete 100 times in the past 2 years and still works like a champ. The flip may mess up once in a blue moon (once in 2 years for mine) but you go right to nextel and they fix it there for free ;)

I now have a verizon phone by motorola w385 and I even dropped it in the toliet (yea yea gross, it was before I went at least LOLOLOL), it messed up for a few hours and it started working like normal again.

[Personal Champ]

Another vote for the Verizon Casio G Zone - LOVE it. Very ugly, but functional, although the new model is signifigantly more attractive (and available in Orange!!).

I've dropped it in a water bucket, a friend did her's in the toilet. I've had a horse step ON it, too - nothing but a scratch, and still works great.

[greysandbays]

Mine didn't even have to get anywhere near a horse to meet its demise. It drowned in the bathroom sink.

[gieriscm]

There are several "mil-spec" cell phones on the market that are designed to be dropped, immersed in water, exposed to extreme heat/cold/dust, etc:

Casio G'zOne (Verizon)
Samsung A837 (AT&T)
Motorola i580 (Nextel)

I have the black Samsung and it's great. It looks like the Star Trek communicators from the original series.

[Griffyn]

Now THIS is why I loff Coth. Really. The consumer reports of the horse world. Just when I was shopping for a new phone. Thanks!

[Deb413]

Friesian that's the one I have. Verizon carries it...made by Casio.

Loff it.

It really is ugly as sin.

I have the same phone...what sold me was the "flash light" on it. How many times horse sitting and the "lights in the barn suddenly don't work" or we loose electricity. Has come in handy for that.

I've dropped it several time--and survived. Camera on it is not all that great, same as the video camera.

[BuddyRoo]

Yep, I have used the flashlight--to check my throat when I got strep. LOL


Seriously though...I was at the liquor store the other night. The cashier guys had put up a funny sign so I whipped out the phone to take a pic. They saw what I had and were all "OMG, is that the one that really is water proof and you can run over it and stuff?"

Me: Yeah

Them: Can I drop it?

Me: Sure


They thought that was KEWL.

LOL

I'm not kidding when I say that the first day I got it, my boss demanded I hand it over (company pays for the phone) and he promptly dropped it in a bucket of water. Then in the fishtank. Then launched it across the room (concrete floors). No worse for wear.

[eyesontheground]

I have been lusting after the gzone boulder in orange...

What sold me is my friend who is in vet school has been unable to kill hers yet. Same for a friend who is a barn manager. I figure if crashing horses and water buckets cant kill it than neither can I!!

[SarahandSam]

I have the Motorola Razr and Sam stepped on it before. It was just as I saw his hoof descending and screamed "No!", so admittedly he lifted his foot up again like a hot potato trying to figure out what I was going crazy for... but it survived. I have also dropped it about eight thousand times, and it's doing pretty well for itself.

[CLB15]

One of my coworkers got an LG phone through Verizon. From the sounds of it, you could drop, kick, jump on, throw in a river, spit at, sink in mud, and then answer the incoming call.
It was called a "Boulder" (Spin off of "the Pebble" phone. I can't remember who made the Pebble but it looked like a small, smooth black stone. The boulder looks like, well, a bigger pebble).

[smilton]

Police officer friend of mine left his on top of his cruiser and hit 80 before he saw it skip over the high way in the rear veiw mirror. It had a small scatch and still works.

[smilton]

razors do not swim and are not water proof :)

[D1nOnlyRocketPony]

The new CASIO GZone is awesome. They come in orange and black and black and red. waterproof, shock proof, great reception, bluetooth. I have LITERALLY (and accidentally!) washed my phone through an entire was cycle in my washing machine, sucker turned right on as soon as i got it out. The old models were bulky, the new ones are GREAT

[LittleGray]

The new CASIO GZone is awesome. They come in orange and black and black and red. waterproof, shock proof, great reception, bluetooth. I have LITERALLY (and accidentally!) washed my phone through an entire was cycle in my washing machine, sucker turned right on as soon as i got it out. The old models were bulky, the new ones are GREAT

And I bet it was sparkling clean after that! :)

[TheJenners]

YES! It's the ugliest thing you've ever seen but it's waterproof and shock resistant. It's by Casio...G'Zone or some such nonsense.

I've ruined the majority of my phones during barn incidents: dropping in water buckets, soaking beet pulp, stepped on, etc.

This thing is fabulous. First day I got it, the guys at work threw it in the fishtank, called it and took pics. LOL It's really waterproof. Really.

http://www.casiogzone.com/home.aspx

That's it!! I would LOVE to get this phone. A friend got one, and it was the bomb-diggity. Only available with Verizon right now though, which I don't use. C'mon AT&T!!

ETA: I have a Nokia 6085. So far I've sprayed it (not soaked) with the hose and it's fine. I carry it in a snap in/out carrier on my hip, so I've walked it into a couple doorways too. It just flips open. I also got dumped once while wearing it, and it was a-okay then too. Nokia is known for being pretty hardy, and I especially like the outstanding battery. Has a good camera on it too, if that's important. I took the picture in my profile with it's predecessor (the 620i I think?), and this one is an upgrade from that.

[Blinkers On]

Sprint/Nextel has some very work friendly phones!

[TBKate]

Such a timely thread! I'm updating my Verizon phone this week and I looked at the G'zone in the store and went, ":confused:huh..." Now I know I need to take a second look!

I will say that I've had three different models of Samsung phones and they've all been pretty indestructible. I dropped one in the round pen, it got stepped on by the horse...once I shook all the sand out it still worked. Samsungs are sturdy phones. They don't like water buckets though. :no:

[Painted Up]

i work for a pool store and our techs are ALWAYS dropping the cell phones into a pool!! we have found that if u just take the battery and sim card out and let it dry, 9 times out of 10 it works just fine again! but u have to be quick, as soon as it gets wet, tear it apart.

[Peggy]

I have to say that I think of my trainer every time I see an ad for one of the military-spec phones as she's always dropping hers in some sort of body of water. I've had good luck with my Razr, but it tends to live in my car or pocket when at the barn. It's small enough that it fits in my breeches pocket. I've dropped it and had the back come off but it pops right back on. Haven't tried to teach it to swim.

My worst cell phone incident was when it rang and a horse took off bucking. Only two hands and what to do? I ended up riding out the rings while using both hands on the reins.

I would love an iPhone but am not sure it would be barn-worthy. Plus AT+T doesn't seem to work anywhere I am for long periods of time, especially including the barn.

[D1nOnlyRocketPony]

And FWIW about the Gz One's - when gotten submerged ( Mine always gets thrown in the pool, hot tub, water bucket etc by someone who doesn't believe me) it does not make the water sensor pad change colors. There is a little teeny color changing pad on every cell phone that changes color from white to whatever color whenever it comes in contact with water, effectively stating it has water damage and insurance will not cover it. The Gz one has rubber sealed "ports" so as long as they are shut tight, no water damage.

[TheJenners]

I use Nextel for work (law enforcement, has to be sturdy), and while I'll agree that they are pretty tough...I personally don't care for them. But then, I'm not familiar with the stoopit danged walkie-talkie part and think the menu is all turned around. Some people love them though, so it's something to look into.

[RAyers]

I second this! It is a MIL Spec phone for dust, water and shock resistance.

Reed


YES! It's the ugliest thing you've ever seen but it's waterproof and shock resistant. It's by Casio...G'Zone or some such nonsense.

I've ruined the majority of my phones during barn incidents: dropping in water buckets, soaking beet pulp, stepped on, etc.

This thing is fabulous. First day I got it, the guys at work threw it in the fishtank, called it and took pics. LOL It's really waterproof. Really.

[2bee]

Go to http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/finder.php and check the "Ruggedized" box. Here are the top twenty (http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/finder_results.php?m=s&w=s&sao=y&f69r=r).

Any "mil spec" or "ruggedized" phone should handle horses just fine. I have a Samsung Rugby (mil spec 810F), its only been on the market a little while so time will tell. So far it has done fine.

Or you could just ask your local phone provider/dealer what the contractors and landscapers are using. Tell them you're hard on a phone, they'll have one for you.

[ellemayo]

My current phone is pretty huge and hideous... my friends call it the brick and joke that I could use it for self defense if I ever got attacked.

It's some type of Samsung; the one with the phone that flips around to look like a mini camcorder. This phone has survived it all! I've dropped/thrown it more times than I can count. I was a nanny for awhile and it was the only thing that could make the baby stop crying, so she would chew on it, throw it on the floor, and bang it around on things, and it's still going strong. I dropped it in water, and it was stepped on by a horse.

I'm actually looking into getting a new one now so this is a great thread :) I'm going to check out that one with the flashlight. I think I need my next phone to be just as ugly :)

[MHM]

I would love an iPhone but am not sure it would be barn-worthy.

I'm thinking of getting the iPhone, but I have the same concern.

Somebody raved about hers and showed me a few features on it and it does look pretty cool!

Does anyone have any experience with the iPhone around horses?

[flypony74]

I have a Verizon G'zOne, and I agree that it is big and a little ugly, but it has managed to survive a year with me. It gets subjected to a lot of abuse and I've not had a single problem, unlike my last phone that ended up held together with duct tape. One great thing....when it gets dirty (which is does, in a barn environment), I just rinse it off. Handy!

I also have a BlackBerry, but I don't like to take it to the barn. A great little instrument but not nearly as sturdy as the other.

[BuddyRoo]

Okay. I have to admit. I'm a tech geek and I think the iphone is fabulous. HOWEVER....the primary function of my cell phone is to make and receive calls from work. That's the primary.

Secondary is that it's the only phone I have so if it dies, I have no contact info, and I cannot be reached.

This means (in summary) that I need a phone that can handle my lifestyle outside the car and the office. It does not need to play me music. It does not need to calculate my location wherever that me be on the globe, and it does not need to take fab pics. It needs to make and receive calls.

My last phone died in a puddle of slush. I had it on my lap, got out of the car--boom--in the slush. It languished for a few hours.

Then it corroded and died in spite of my careful oven tactical measures.

The phone before that died after an incident with beet pulp. I had my coveralls on, had the phone in my breast pocket as I was on call...and ooops! Right in it went. Again...silica gel and the oven, still no dice.

Phone before that was eaten by my dog.

Phone before that died in a toilet incident. It was in my back pocket. Had it been my current phone, I cannot guarantee that I would've fished it out anyway...so that's a toss up.

Bottom line...my bullet proof, shock resistant, water proof phone--while ugly--still rocks.

LOL They should pay me for this. Really.

[MHM]

BuddyRoo-

Wow! You're like the walking version of the test cases in Consumer Reports.

I'm leaning towards the iPhone because of what it CAN do in addition to making and receiving calls. I figure if I can do stuff online with the phone, I won't have to drag my laptop around with me so much when I travel. Four hour layover between flights? I could check my email and watch movies on the phone. Going to a strange horse show for the first time? Hit the GPS button on the phone. Cute puppy needs a home? Take a picture and send it to my dog-crazy friend.

I just wonder how it will hold up to mild torture around horses. I don't usually have major phone calamities in the barn. (Knock wood!)

And of course the big question: Can you view the COTH BB on an iPhone?? :lol:

[Not So Practical Horse(WO)man]

Just said goodbye to a very faithful samsung. I dropped it in a bucket of betadine solution. It held onto life for jsut enough hours to get all the important contact information out of it.

But when i went in the verizon store and asked if there was any hope of fixing it they laughed at me. And then made a face at the yellow tint and horrid smell. That was embarassing.

The good news is it still turns on the betadine just wiped its memory and programming out(who knew the power of betadine?) and so I have a back up if and when the new one meets its end.

I ended up getting a dare because im a nerd but it lives in the car while I'm at the barn. I'll only bring it with me if I'm going up the hill where noone can see me when I inevitably get dumped like I always do when I'm alone.

[Rubyfree]

When I went shopping for a new phone about a year ago, they did not yet have the boulder available in orange. If they had... while, I have a little obsession with the color. (OT, do you know how hard it is to find horse stuff in orange? Such a nightmare. :lol:)

Anyway- I got the samsung gleam, which is sleek, tiny, and bulletfreakingproof. Really. I've never had a samsung before, and I'm SO sold. It has been submerged, dropped, run over, chewed on by a very enthusiastic great dane, etc. I'm not nice to my technology. It is none the worse for wear, and even looks pretty good still.
And as an aside about those water sensors- if you just tell the insurance company you lost it, they will send you one. I "lost" my previous non-samsung, water tortured phone several times. :D

[cleozowner]

Another vote for the GZone. I have thrown it in pools, dropped it in water bowls, smashed it into walls, dropped it on concrete...it's amazing.

[wlrottge]

Our trainer has an iPhone and it seems to survive quite well, but I'm 99% sure she never rides with it. I'd own one but sadly ATT does not work at all where we live, so we've got verizon. My last four phones have been PDA types.

ATT 2125, Blackjack (very sturdy), Verizon-Samsung I760 and I now have a XV6900-Touch.

The only phone there that I would use as a horse phone was the blackjack. It was very sturday and the perfect size.

A co-worker has the G-zone and LOVES it. He's the type that usually kills phones in ~4-5 months but it's probably close to a year old and still going strong.

[smilton]

ways to destoy a cell phone-
water bucket
water trough
creek
falling off horse onto it
river (fishing)
beat pulp
12 lab puppies
under tire of moving vehicle (fell out of pocket while getting in)
tiolet 3x
industrial solvents (cloroform, ether)
ran over with tractor

[CBudFrggy]

ways to destoy a cell phone-
water bucket
water trough
creek
falling off horse onto it
river (fishing)
beat pulp
12 lab puppies
under tire of moving vehicle (fell out of pocket while getting in)
tiolet 3x
industrial solvents (cloroform, ether)
ran over with tractor


Leave it tucked into your half-chaps while bathing one horse. The demise of my 2-year old Razr. Since BuddyRoo and RAyers and countless others have pointed me toward the G'Zone, off I go shopping. Thank you everyone! This has been helpful and entertaining.

[sanctuary]

Yup, it is the G'Zone through Verizon. Actually, the newer models are more attractive. But they hold up GREAT!

I've even taken mine rivertubing and to the waterparks (and on all the rides) and didn't have a single issue! I couldn't tell you how many times I have dropped it on the concrete aisle or had it flung across the wash rack. I would absolutely buy one again. :D :yes:

[D1nOnlyRocketPony]

Just looked my GZ One up - it's the orange "Avalanche" and I believe it would survive one to. Much smaller and lighter than the old one I had, still as durable. Have fun shopping!

[LittleGray]

If I didn't just upgrade my phone months ago I would have gone for this. I had an older EnV that I loved but one day I dropped it in the dogs water bowl and it never did work the same after that. Some of the buttons wouldn't light up and the camera stopped working. And I'm one to drop my phone ALL THE TIME. I ended up getting a Voyager which I love as well (I really like the qwerty keyboard...I do lots of texting) but it has the touch screen which doesn't hold up well to my dropping habit. Though verizon online has TONS of skins available for almost every phone, and that seems to help protect it.

[geovani]

Sleek and stunning, the new CASIO G'zOne Boulder cell phone boasts a streamlined design without compromising any of its tough and rugged features. Similar to its predecessors, the G'zOne Boulder is shock-, dust- and water-resistant.The slim, shock-resistant body of the CASIO G'zOne Boulder hides its unique multimedia features: the music player makes it simple to organize and play your favorite tunes, the built-in 1.3 megapixel camera to capture all those rare moments and the video capability to shoot live footage.
--------------------
geovani

Promoter (http://www.drivenwide.com)

[t. nason]

I have the older gzone phone. I will say its bigger but do like it. I think the new was is so much nicer.

[LearnToFly]

YES! It's the ugliest thing you've ever seen but it's waterproof and shock resistant. It's by Casio...G'Zone or some such nonsense.

I've ruined the majority of my phones during barn incidents: dropping in water buckets, soaking beet pulp, stepped on, etc.

This thing is fabulous. First day I got it, the guys at work threw it in the fishtank, called it and took pics. LOL It's really waterproof. Really.

My little brother is 18, is a varsity football starter, thinks he's indestructible, and can't figure out why he went through 10 phones in a year. Yes. 10. They got smushed, they got thrown into the pool. I swear he ran one over with his car. I don't even know how many different ways he has come up with to kill a phone. (Luckily, he has a bunch of friends that all have learned to just donate their old phone's to the "LTF's brother needs a new phone" project.) Anyway, when he was finally eligible for a verizon upgrade, he got the indestructible phone. He's had it for 6 months. Consider this an official LearnToFly endorsement :lol:

[BuddyRoo]

The newer ones are nicer to look at. I think that Verizon (and Casio) were probably a little surprised at how many people ended up choosing the phone!

Since I got mine, most of the guys at the office have gotten one too. At least the accident prone ones. LOL

When I was phone shopping last time, I found some phones that were pretty and all, but since I'm on call 24/7 I have to have my phone on me all the time. Can't just leave it in the car or at the house. It HAS to come with me to the barn.

Another bonus of the closed ports/waterproof functionality? No more hay in the charger port! Whoot! I actually did ruin a phone because so much hay got up in there. (again, in the pocket of my coveralls)

[JoZ]

I didn't even know these existed! I have AT&T but like the look of the (yellow of course!) Samsung phone. Really glad to have this topic, though I'm not eligible for upgrade until April. My current phone is working OK for now though the back is held on with duct tape. Oh-so-classy!

What I REALLY want is a button that locks the camera, or a different placement. The shutter button (i.e. the "take a picture" button) on my current phone is on the outside edge, where the power button sometimes is. I will go to take a picture and find that the memory is full -- full of 847 pictures of the inside of my pockets!