Hi All!
Looking at phones with cycle-touring in mind, I came across an unusual one today...the SpareOne Emergency Phone:
http://spareone.com/spareone-features.phpIt comes in two flavors to cover most frequencies worldwide, but what makes it different is it runs on a single lithium AA cell, good for 15 years' storage life and 10 hours' talk time. The phone is intended primarily for emergency use, but the ad copy indicates it will work on locally-purchased SIM cards and is the ideal "spare phone" for situations where one wouldn't risk an expensive smartphone.
I think it is a great idea, but many of us already have a ready solution sitting in the kitchen junk drawer.
Any cell phone -- even if not currently activated or on contract -- is capable of dialing a national emergency-services number (9-1-1 here in the US; elsewhere, it is often 1-1-2, which will work with a locked keypad or no SIM card. See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/112_(emergency_telephone_number) ), and many old batteries are good for more than 10 hours' talk time if freshly charged. Placing the old phone in a zip-top bag would render it waterproof for most uses, and it might not be a bad idea to tuck into one's touring kit for an emergency spare or to hand out to a touring partner who doesn't have a cell phone. While the old phone is not as versatile as a no-contract, pay-as-you-go "burner" phone, it could still be a handy lifeline in an emergency or a backup if your primary phones' battery goes down and recharging isn't readily available.
I mentioned this to a friend earlier today, and he plans to distribute all three of his old phones among his Scout troop's members so the kids will have access to emergency services while camping. Even better, he plans to purchase a few old phones and chargers (with still-good batteries) from the local Goodwill charity to have on hand for other kids whose folks may be unable to afford a cellphone or might not wish their kids to have one. Since an unactivated phone can only dial emergency services, it removes temptation to talk or text while driving and such.
Something to keep in mind if you have an old cellphone kicking around and want a spare for e-calling while on-tour.
Best,
Dan.
