Mobile phone dramas ...

[onetrack]

Well, this last week was a bit of a disaster. I was moving stuff around my yard with my old tractor crane, and during the preliminaries, I put some petrol in the tractor tank. It's powered by an old IH AW-6 and the tank is awkward to get at, you have to reach up over the hydraulic tank to pour fuel in, and all the Fowler crane structure framework is in the way. So you end up jumping up and down off the tractor during the whole process.

 

Anyway, duly fuelled, I went about lifting and moving what I needed to move - and then, walking back to the crane after unhooking chains, I was mortified to find my Samsung Note 4 (a 2017 purchase) mobile phone laying on the ground - where it had apparently fallen out of my top pocket during my refuelling antics, and I hadn't noticed it gone. What was worse, was the set of rear tyre lug tracks, right over the top of the phone!! 

 

I picked it up and it was definitely very much the worse for wear. The glass was shattered from top to bottom, and even the chassis of the phone was bent! The soil in my yard is sandy gravel and despite a bit of rain over the last few weeks, it's still pretty firm.

I thought, "Well, that's it! That's the end of that phone!" I was utterly amazed when I pressed the buttons and tapped the screen - and everything still worked just fine! I couldn't believe it, and it's given me a whole new level of respect for these older Samsung phones. I did have it in a pretty solid case, made out of RLP (Rubber-like Plastic). That case cost me a whole $3.70 from a seller on AliExpress! - but the (unlocked) phone cost me about $350 in 2016, from an eBay seller.

 

Anyway, I guess the phone must have heard my thoughts in recent times and actually committed suicide - because I've been thinking about a new phone for a while. I broke the glass over the camera lens a couple of years ago, and replaced it - then I'd broken it again, and hadn't got around to fixing it. The auto-focus was becoming a bit dodgy on close-ups, it would bounce around and sometimes need a tap to settle down.

I dropped it twice onto bitumen from height (off the back of my truck), and of course, it landed face-down both times, and smashed the LCD screen. I replaced both broken screens, but the last time it cost me $185 for a genuine Samsung screen from an eBay seller in Germany.

The Chinese aftermarket replacement screens are a dead loss, their colours are washed out, and they often come with dud pixels, so it pays to buy genuine parts.

 

The Note 4 had the beaut little inbuilt stylus for taking handwritten notes on the screen - a feature I used fairly regularly. But the stylus broke in half last year, and I hadn't got around to replacing it. Most people lose them apparently - and Samsung have dropped the feature from all their new range of phones, apart from the "flagship" models.

 

The Note 4 was fast becoming technically obsolete (it was released in 2014 and it was obsolete by 2016, thanks to new Samsung models), and it didn't have 5G capabilities, nor did it have 4G VoLTE, which is becoming a limiting feature.

When travelling in rural areas, I'd often get a text from Telstra saying, "You are now in a small cell area, but as your phone is not VoLTE-capable, you cannot connect to the cell".

 

I bought the Note 4 because it was the last of the Galaxys to have a removeable/replaceable  battery - and I was on my 2nd battery in it. I think the 1st battery lasted about 4 years. However, replaceable batteries in phones are just a dream today, there's no phone made with a replaceable battery any more. I'm convinced the current phones are only designed to last about 4 years.

 

Meantimes, SWMBO decided her Galaxy Note 4 was at the end of its life about a couple of months ago (it kept getting hot, and I told her just to buy a new battery - but she'd decided on a new phone). So we went into JB Hi-Fi and they had the whole range of new Samsungs on display, and she picked out a mid range Samsung, the A54 ($599 on special). Once she got it though, and started to use it, she started to realise just how good the old Note 4 actually was to use!

 

All the new phones look like they came out of the same factory, regardless of make (apart from Apple phones, which have always distinguished themselves (mainly on their pricing!). This A54 has had a major revamp of the screen layout as compared to the older Samsung phones, and the layout is not anywhere near as user-friendly as the older Samsungs.

In fact, she finds the A54 quite frustrating as messages are hard to find, ringtone choices are terrible, and it takes a lot more to access the screen and pages, thanks to improved "security" measures. No doubt there's a pile of bloatware occupying the phone, too, as they all seem to come with it today.

 

Anyway, I spent the last week looking for a mid-range phone. After perusing a myriad of models and prices, I came to the conclusion a mid-range phone works just fine for 99% of what you want to do. Yes, the higher-range phones have monstrous cameras that can detail the hairs on a flys leg - but really, who needs that kind of technological superiority?

I decide I didn't like the new Samsung range, despite having been a Samsung user for probably 11 or 12 years. I had Motorola phones for about 15 years (got a "brick" when they first came out in 1990!), then I had a beaut little Sony flip phone before the current smartphones really took over the market (must have been around 2008-2010?) - then I bought a Note 3 - and then replaced the Note 3 with the Note 4.

 

To cut a long story short, I decided to go with a Motorola Edge 30 Fusion (5G, in Solar Gold). This phone set me back $494 (outright purchase from the Good Guys), and I chewed them down $5 from their $499 asking price, because JB Hi-Fi are selling them for $494. After having had the phone for a couple of days, I'm quite impressed with it. Fast, quite nice to use, and full of technology that I'm still trying to get a handle on. It came with a factory-installed screen protector, and a clear soft plastic protective case.

 

Somewhat surprisingly to me, it's heavier than the Note 4 - 196 grams as compared to 166 grams for the Note 4. I guess the bigger battery plays a part, it's 4400mah, and it's lasting a lot longer than the Note 4 battery ever did. I charged it fully last night and nearly 24 hrs later, it's still on 73% - although I've only made and taken a few calls and texts today.

All the new phone screens seem to be cutting back on width and increasing in length - and I was struggling to find a screen the same size as the Note 4.

However, the Edge 30 screen is almost the same width as the Note 4, and only a little longer. It's a nice size, and I hope it provides satisfactory service.

 

https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/motorola-edge-30-fusion-8128gb-solar-gold-5599577#

 

[onetrack]

Didn't manage to get a photo of the old and new together, in the previous post - here it is ....

 

 

 

 

[willedoo]

I like my old S5 Galaxy. Last year I had some trouble with the charging port so bought a new Nokia. It was nowhere near as user friendly as the old S5 and was too big. In a trouser side pocket it always felt like it was going to fall out, and it felt like holding a floor tile. Alright for someone with big hands. I ended up sorting out the charging port problem on the old Galaxy and went back to using it. The brand new Nokia now lives in a drawer as an emergency back-up. On the old Samsung, I like the wider bezel with the central button at the bottom.

[Jerry_Atrick]

OT, your Note is in better nick than phones I have used while still functional. I bought a Samsubg A21 (or A19, I actually can't remember and it isn't handy to me at the moment). It is their cheap line, and back in 2019, it cost me £170 brand new and unlocked. The camera is crap; the sensory capabilities of the screen and biosensor is also crap, but the picture is good. It works and does everything I need. It is right on 4 years old and there is no sign of the battery life slowing down just yet. For me, the best phone I have ever had.

 

Yes, it has been dropped, scraped, watered, etc... It just goes and goes on...   (admittedly, not dropped onto a harder surface than elm flooring...)

 

 

[nomadpete]

Onetrack's old Samsung phone had so many new bits over the years it sound's like granddads favourite old axe!

Edited July 14, 2023 by nomadpete

[nomadpete]

The problem with keeping a phone more than about 3 years is that the Operating System ceases to be upgradable even though the phone still works.

My Huawei (call me a cheepskate) got too slow to use, and when CSIRO signed me up to a survey, their app would not run on my old OS.

[old man emu]

How things change!

 

I remember in the early days of mobile phones the manufacturers started making them smaller and smaller. That let to situations in pubs where blokes would stand around bragging how small "theirs" was.

[willedoo]

I can understand the demand for larger screens due to increasing use of the phone as a mobile computer, but the weight and size of a lot of them now is beyond comfortable. Ok for a woman carrying it in a bag, or a bloke with big pockets and big hands. I think screen size is all relevant and a bit overrated. I can't see the user experience being enhanced enough to warrant lugging a big one around all day. 

[onetrack]

I find the screen size of around 6.5" (how did we end up with screen sizes in inches, anyway? - damn those Americans and their dominating culture!) is about the best compromise for being able to see detail in what's on the screen and a size that still fits in most pockets.

I tend to carry my phone in my top pocket, so I can answer it promptly when calls come through - but with seemingly every 3rd call today being a scam or marketing call, I've taken to putting my phone down in a safe place whilst working, and only looking at it every now and then to see if there's any missed calls or messages.

 

I'm with Boost mobile who use the Telstra network, and their voicemail system has a great added feature. If any scammers leave a scam message such as a false tax bill owing, or a false charge on a supposed account of mine, I can press "77" and it's recorded as a scam message, and the details are apparently sent to the Cybercrime website.

 

Edited July 15, 2023 by onetrack

[old man emu]

You know when you aren't popular when you don't even get scam calls.

[facthunter]

Ah, to be invisible to the rest of the world. The "thinking Philosophers' ultimate wish , surely. You can be lonely in the largest of crowds.  Nev

[red750]

My mate has a Samsung phone, but is a tech illiterate, so is always cursing it. Wants to go back to his old flip phone. My first phon was a Nokia flip phone. My wife was given an Apple iPhone 6 when my son upgraded. Later he upgraded again, and gave her his old phone, so I inherited the iPhone 6. I find it perfect for what I want. Use bluetooth so I can hear it ring even if I'm in another room, it integrates with my smart watch, and takes great photos and videos, nearly as good as my Lumix digital camera. I can even take a photo on my phone using my smart watch. Set up the camera, select Camera on the watch, and shake my wrist to operate the shutter. I see no need to upgrade to a phone costing in excess of $700.

[red750]

A couple of examples of photos from my iPhone 6.

 

Last Monday we got the keys to the building the council has offered us as a temporary (possibly 5 years) location till our own made-to-measure shed is built. It was previously occupied by a pigeon racing club, but has been unused for about 8 months. The electricity has been cut off so there are no lights, the lighting coming from large skylights. The place looks like a bit of a dump at present with a bit of work needed to get it up to speed.

 

Kitchen

 

 

To be converted to workshop

 

 

Machine shop (has concrete floor.

 

 

Lunch/meeting/lounge area. Old honour boards to be removed. This area has a covered skylight.

 

 

I tried uploading a couple of videos, but the file size was too big, or the file type was not compatible.

[old man emu]

8 hours ago, red750 said:

Last Monday we got the keys to the building the council has offered us

Had to re-read that post. At first I thought that you had caught the renovation bug from Jerry and me and you were going to create a new residence for yourself.

[facthunter]

I could fit about 250 Chinese Students in that.   Nev

[red750]

A dream workshop. (From an advert.)

 

[facthunter]

The "Oldies" would Puff out getting across it and think of sweeping it up.  You'd have to get Scott Morrisson on the job.  Nev

[onetrack]

That workshop is too clean and perfectly laid out, to ever have been used for any real work.

 

Here is a proper workshop. Note the 4-post hoist being used as shelving, and the little pathways between all the useful items stored on the floor.

 

 

[willedoo]

46 minutes ago, onetrack said:

That workshop is too clean and perfectly laid out, to ever have been used for any real work.

 

Here is a proper workshop. Note the 4-post hoist being used as shelving, and the little pathways between all the useful items stored on the floor.

 

 

That looks very much like my shed. I need a survival kit and a GPS to go in there.

[facthunter]

You can Have a good TRIP locally. Any tidy workshop is for show. Beware. Jobs have to be left set up in the machine if they aren't finished. That's how you can RUN YOUR workshop and Know things are where you left them and where you will need them. to be when you restart.  Nev

[willedoo]

I have multiples of tools and materials somewhere in my shed. The multiples happen because things get swallowed up in the abyss, and it's a lot quicker and easier to go to town and buy another one. There will be plenty of booty if I ever clean the shed up and sort things.

[facthunter]

Old tools don't fetch much..  Nev

[red750]

As I said, the tidy shed photos were from a sheds company webpage. In our situation, the shed will be used by three separate groups. The shed operates three days a week, with different members each day, so it is difficult to leave work in progress. It is proposed to increase adding two or three additional days, one for women, one for disabled (NDIS) members, and one for younger members, once the new shed is set up. In addition, we will be sharing with another wood turning group who wish to retain their independence and not integrate with our group. There is a separate room for their mini lathes. So cleaning up and putting away will be paramount. The wood turners currently share a space with a dance school, so they have to get their gear out and set up each day, and packed away and cleaned up each evening. The council has provided the building on condition we share. We have to make all renovations, move walls, repair the wooden floor, update electricals, etc., The council will not offer a cent to the upgrade. 

[old man emu]

Shed! Shed! I should be so lucky! All I've got is a bit of 3mm ply on a pair of horses and one of the horses is lame! 

[pmccarthy]

1 hour ago, red750 said:

As I said, the tidy shed photos were from a sheds company webpage. In our situation, the shed will be used by three separate groups. The shed operates three days a week, with different members each day, so it is difficult to leave work in progress. It is proposed to increase adding two or three additional days, one for women, one for disabled (NDIS) members, and one for younger members, once the new shed is set up. In addition, we will be sharing with another wood turning group who wish to retain their independence and not integrate with our group. There is a separate room for their mini lathes. So cleaning up and putting away will be paramount. The wood turners currently share a space with a dance school, so they have to get their gear out and set up each day, and packed away and cleaned up each evening. The council has provided the building on condition we share. We have to make all renovations, move walls, repair the wooden floor, update electricals, etc., The council will not offer a cent to the upgrade. 

If the dancers spread sawdust on the floor for their dancing, do they have to clean it up before the wood turners arrive?