As far as I'm concerned, iPhone and Android are both great options for most people. I would stay away from Blackberrys, Windows Mobile and Symbian phones, if only because the developer communities are so much smaller, leading to many fewer available applications.

Apple is pricey, but if you buy AppleCare and don't jailbreak, they're very, very good at making sure you stay a happy customer. They also tend to have better battery life than many Androids.

I have an older Blackberry (8330) and while it's good for retrieving email for work, it is nowhere near state-of-the-art. These days I'd look seriously at phones using the Android OS.

ScouterMan, what are you going to use the phone for? Outdoor apps are great but are you going to want to use them when you're outdoors, or could you do that on a computer at home and go for a phone with with voice and text? GPS? Webrowsing? Angry birds?

Due to my SO's line of work, we always have various smartphones, tablets and notebooks to play with and test. Currently we have one iPhone, one Blackberry and two Android based phones sitting here.

I prefer Android and the new 4G Samsung Galaxy S II X is the phone I go to first. It has 16 GB of RAM and a 32 GB Micro SD card which is plenty of memory. So far the phone has survived a few drops which were both planned (testing) and unplanned in every day use. With plenty of power saving options, battery life is not much behind the iPhone.

As for a carrying case, we just use soft sided cases for everyday use and a plastic bag if we are going out on a hike and need to keep the phone dry from any inadvertent water exposure.

Bacpacjac,

My phone is part of my EDC, so it's with me on all of my hikes and campouts. As one of our Council campmasters, I'm at our Scout camp a lot and it's a dusty place in the summer.

Part of my paranoia is due to my teenage daughter. She's had a smart phone for a few years, and it seems like we're at the phone store every other month. It's been replaced more than once. Either she is brutal towards her phone (my guess) or they're very flimsy.

LOL! I hear ya ScouterMan. Scout camps are not always condusive for high tech gadgets. Teenagers, even less soo. :0

I'll chime in.

I'm on year three for the same iPhone and it has out lasted two different company phones (motorola and samsung) over the same period. I do use an incase slider case which has finally been replaced since the old one was looking pretty bad after 2 years of hard wear, lots of scrapes and the occasion 2'-3' drop onto unforgiving surfaces. Still not sure how I have avoided breaking the glass - maybe just lucky?

Anyway it has been a tough reliable phone and has never been back to AT&T or Apple for any reason. Phone is not jail broken but has lots of apps on it. I even played with the developers kit for a while.

- Eric

I love my iphone, and I honestly can't remember how I managed the first 60 years of my life without it.

However, I have learned they don't like the cold very well. When cross country skiing around town, I usually carry mine in a pocket in one of my inner layers, so it stays toasty warm. However the other day, without thinking much about it I put it in an outer pocket. Temperatures were somewhere around 0 to 5 F (minus 18 to minus 15 C). We were getting near a friends house, so I pulled it out to call and see if he was home.....and my iphone was dead. I wasn't too surprised, since in general, most battery powered items don't like the cold. After getting indoors and letting it warm up, it worked fine. However, it did motivate me to doing a bit of web searching. Turns out, Apple's published iphone specs are:

Operating temperature: 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C)
Nonoperating temperature: -4° to 113° F (-20° to 45° C)

I'm sure those are pretty conservative numbers, but at least in theory if you exceed those ranges it could void your warrenty.

Even more disturbing, there have been reports on the web of iphones whose face plate shattered when left out in serious cold (overnight in a parked car for example).

Like I said, I love my iphone, but I will take care to keep it warm!

This thread is of great interest.

I am in the process of swapping my so-called dumb phone (Nokia candy bar phone) for a so-called smart phone (Samsung Galaxy Ace). My wife has the same Samsung model and loves it.

The compatibility of wall and car chargers, batteries, etc. makes a lot of sense. The text-friendly features are handy and practical. The price is reasonable. The wifi feature could be useful on occasion.

But I am reluctant, and skeptical. My little Nokias (I have several handsets now) have proven themselves tough, reliable, and stellar in one crucial area: the ability to punch out a signal and make phone calls. Especially in fringe and mountainous areas.

For example, one of my favourite campgrounds is well off the beaten path in a national park. The official park sign says there is no cell service available. Maybe to some; but my little Nokia has two bars. This matters, and I'm loathe to give it up.

At the risk of hijacking, I would appreciate the input of other forum members.

Many new smartphones are standarized to micro-USB charging port, and some can take an external antenna via connector.

Also, if your Nokia takes SIM card you can always have it charged and take with you, and swap it when necessary. It can still make 911 call even if it has no carrier.