It's about time for a new cell phone, and my contract's up. So...

Any recommendations for a cell phone? I'm not looking for provider or feature reviews. I'm looking for the best EDC cell phone given our unique requirements. Waterproof / water resistant, shock proof, crush resistant, etc. Something that I can hold under a hose to clean after dropping it in the mud. Something I can talk on while standing in the rain. Something that won't crack if I sit on it. Must be rugged and reliable (kind of like Groo <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> ).

Here is the coolest phone you can't have...hope this helps <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000990044644/

Marc

Sounds like you need a mil-spec 2m HAM radio.

I think only cells that are made reallly durable are Nextel/Sprint's Mil specs phones...

i355 and i560 are the one I'm familiar with... But service does suck and is expensive.

How about a good phone from a regular carrier and a really good case?

Anything that advertises "Mil-Std 810F" (or "Military Standard 810F") should be fine.

I know that some Motorola Nextel phones feature this. I use Nextel, so I looked this up a while ago. However, Sprint has purchased Nextel, and the "Nextel" service is supposed to eventually go away, so these phones will eventually be phased out.

I suspect that the other carriers offer ruggedized phones, too. But at least now you know what to look for. Don't forget to get something with long battery life too.

** Edit ** The MIL-STD-810 is an entire family of standards. I do not know what the "F" actually stands for. It is possible that you might see another letter besides "F". You will have to do some research to determine if it meets your needs.

Also, somebody mentioned a 2M Ham rig. If you get a tech license (very easy to pass, no morse code), Yaesu makes a waterproof HT that transmits on four bands, and has a metal case. You can probably run it through the dishwasher if it gets too dirty (OK. I wouldn't do that to a $300 radio, but you get the idea).

Well,
My Nokia 1100, on Tracfone, just went through the wash - while it was on, and after a day of drying out on the hearth, it still worked.

I dont' think it's SUPPOSED to work after that, but that was a few weeks ago, and I've had no trouble with it at all.

FWIW, I often take my phone, wrap it in some of that shrink-to-fit window plastic, and then run a hair dryer on it. That makes the phone "rain-resistant" and more importantly, keeps the crud out of the power and headset jacks.

harrkev, you're correct that the mil-spec encompasses a variety of conditions, although without looking it up, I believe that "F" includes all the "degree of ruggedness" ones. I don't think I have ever seen a cell phone that claimed to be compliant with all mil spec 810F conditions. Even with the ruggedized Nextel models, it's confusing because I have seen different types of claims for different models.

I have seen one website with the Nextel(Motorola) i386s advertised as "...conforms to military standard 810F for blowing rain, humidity, and salt fog. That means its designed to withstand exposure to rain, sleet, and snow..." Simiarly, on a different website, I've seen the i605 advertised as being of "...Rugged construction that is certified to Military Standard 810 F for dust, shock, vibration, temperature extremes, low pressure, and solar radiation. Performs in extreme outdoor environments and stands up to dusty environments, drops, exposure to vibration from heavy machinery use, and hot/cold climates..."

That's not to say that a rugged Nextel phone that isn't specifically rated for, say, rain can't handle any water. Just doesn't meet the mil spec critera. But these Nextel phones are probably the toughest you can find.

Personally, for cell phone reliabilty, I have always stuck with models that don't involve any moving parts, like flip phones, phones with twisting/sliding covers, or anything with a pull out antenna. My current phone is an old Nokia 3390. There's nothing that moves or that can break off. I wouldn't leave it out in the rain or repeatedly drop it, of course, but nothing has ever gone wrong with it. But I seem to hear a lot fewer complaints about cell phone breakage these days than 5-10 years ago. Either they're making them better, people have learned to treat them better, or maybe people are just getting new models faster and faster?

Groo, I know I am new here, but I seem to have an opinion on everything. So far my Motorola T360 through Verizon on the America's choice. I get calls / make calls where most people don't even have service. $39.00.

Are any phones still capable of running on AA's or AAA's? I'm sick of replacing expensive exotic lithium packs.

Look at the size of a modern phone compared to the size of AAA's or AA's, the phones are now smaller than the batteries.
I bought a phone with the battery on the back and removable and then bought a spare pack cheap from ebay and swap the two once a month so I get more life out of them.
BTW they are Lithium Ion not Lithium <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />