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Hey look ! it's a survey :) Hope you can help

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hey everyone

I'm a long time snowboarder (was talking about this with my mates - it's at least 20 years now. My original setup was Burton gear and their original step ins. the ones where you had to spend 10 mins hacking ice out of the bindings to get your foot in) but new to this forum.

I work for a UK based mobile phone manufacturer and I'm working on a proposition aimed at outdoor fans (snowboarding, skiing, mountain biking, hiking, trekking, kayaking- you guys basically).
I wanted to ask if you could help me out by answering a few questions here https://goo.gl/forms/SWmRtaktyhpfufg13. I know that commercial postings like this aren't always popular, but I couldn't find any rules in the FAQs so hope it's ok - I guess we'll find out. flame suit is on). No probs taking this down if I've broken some rules.

I'm hoping that the ability to shape a product that might be of interest further down the line is something you might support, but I also know that running a forum costs, and those costs aren't being covered so vendors like me can get input on their products, so I've made a contribution to the forum.

Thx in advance. Any questions / issues please post or feel free to PM me.

John
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Main question - will you come back and post the results? It's a bit annoying constantly (by multiple people) being asked to do surveys, then never hearing anything from them again.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
+1
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 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
Plus the survey was way too long with no explanation / introduction.

Bailed half way.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
UK based mobile phone manufacturer - does not compute!
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 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
Actually, I didn't find the survey took too long. About 2-3 minutes.

I seldom bother with surveys, for the reasons mentioned above, but the OP asked so politely and has even made a contribution to the site. Happy to fill it in.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@foxtrotzulu, +1 for reasons to do it.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Thx for those that have completed it Very Happy

@mike pow. I don't want to reveal too much info as the product hasn't been announced yet so apologies if the explanation / introduction wasn't enough. What more info would you have liked to see? Happy to answer any questions.

Happy to come back with some of the results. I can give you some preliminary info right now Smile
- Over 40% of people involved in these outdoor activities have broken a phone whilst undertaking them.
- Over 60% of our audience spend more than 10 hours a month doing this stuff.
- The number one motivation for getting outdoors is ‘health’ followed closely by ’adventure and discovery’
- 37% spend more than £1000 per year on kit (10% spend more than £2000)

@dave of the marmottes - yup - last one standing Smile But we're still standing because we focus on audiences that are not well served by the Apples and Samsung's of this world. Very Happy
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Bullitt? CAT/JCB/Landrover licensee?
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Ski the Net with snowHeads
I've done the survey.
It's not difficult to work out who the company is, as the OP appears to have used his real name so doesn't take a genius to search "John Helliwell Mobile Phone Manufacturer" - probably takes more to work out from the companies website what they actually do, but it seems to be ruggedised phones branded Land Rover, CAT, Kodak etc.
Not sure I'd buy an expensive phone just for skiing. More likely to buy a v. cheap phone with no screen, real buttons and impressive battery life and stick my SIM in it.
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
NEC although actually I thought they gave up the mobile market too (my brother used to work for them).

I do believe that this thread has the first ever post revealing some of the survey findings. The rest have statistically useless surveys that take but don't give back.
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Tubaski wrote:

Not sure I'd buy an expensive phone just for skiing. More likely to buy a v. cheap phone with no screen, real buttons and impressive battery life and stick my SIM in it.


Mine's in an Otterbox Defender - https://www.otterbox.co.uk/en-gb/iphone-6-6s/defender-series-case/apl2-iph15.html

Survived falls, survived a small avalanche, survived being dropped more times than I can count, absolutely no damage

Only thing it didn't protect against was 10 minutes of submersion in a chalet hot tub. But i don't think many cases would

So no ski phone for me... sorry John wink
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
No point in trying to hide tracks in this world Smile Yup - Bullitt. Makers of Cat and Kodak phones and a Land Rover phone coming soon Smile

@dp & Tubaski - No prob - Im sure we're not going to be for everyone (although I'm hoping we can convert you as some point Smile )
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
dp wrote:


Only thing it didn't protect against was 10 minutes of submersion in a chalet hot tub. But i don't think many cases would


That's taking your upskirting perversion to a whole new level!
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
@Dave of the Marmottes, good thing it was a Samsung not an Apple, meant I could still get the photos off the memory card
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Johnhelliwell wrote:

@mike pow. I don't want to reveal too much info as the product hasn't been announced yet so apologies if the explanation / introduction wasn't enough. What more info would you have liked to see? Happy to answer any questions.


All answered. Thanks.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Johnhelliwell wrote:
No point in trying to hide tracks in this world Smile Yup - Bullitt. Makers of Cat and Kodak phones and a Land Rover phone coming soon Smile


Hasn't Land Rover phone been around ages? I'm sure I saw it advertised years ago

Quote:

@dp & Tubaski - No prob - Im sure we're not going to be for everyone (although I'm hoping we can convert you as some point Smile )


I'm not putting you down but I'm just not sure skiers are the market you're looking for

I spend some of my time working on building sites (installing equipment) and I totally get rugged phones in that setting. You use it for making and taking calls, taking photos a lot, I use the spirit level app for quick reference, the torch more than I ought to... and it's nice to know you've got a rugged piece of kit which isn't going to break if you drop it into a muddy puddle or whatever. I get that.

But skiing, for most people here... is reasonably civilised. Nobody really wants to subject their body to the kind of action which is going to break a tough case... which are no doubt cheaper than your phones and also far more practical since you can still use your phone as normal.

Yes, we take skiing seriously and yes we spend money buying stuff. But we buy things that contribute to the sport. So just because 37% of people surveyed have a ski equipment budget of over £1,000... that doesn't mean that 37% of people have a budget which is going to cover a mobile phone which doesn't really achieve anything that a £40 phone case doesn't.

Sorry I'm not putting you down but I think you'll struggle to market a tough phone as a skiers phone.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
I too think it's a tough mkt to crack given whay people already have invested in their primary device. Plus there must be more margin in cases, scrrenguards etc given what it seems to cost for the average new phone.

That's not to say if you game in with a phone like the Moto E pitched below £100 but pretty much bombproof I wouldn't be interested.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
dp wrote:
Johnhelliwell wrote:
No point in trying to hide tracks in this world Smile Yup - Bullitt. Makers of Cat and Kodak phones and a Land Rover phone coming soon Smile


Hasn't Land Rover phone been around ages? I'm sure I saw it advertised years ago

Quote:

@dp & Tubaski - No prob - Im sure we're not going to be for everyone (although I'm hoping we can convert you as some point Smile )


I'm not putting you down but I'm just not sure skiers are the market you're looking for

I spend some of my time working on building sites (installing equipment) and I totally get rugged phones in that setting. You use it for making and taking calls, taking photos a lot, I use the spirit level app for quick reference, the torch more than I ought to... and it's nice to know you've got a rugged piece of kit which isn't going to break if you drop it into a muddy puddle or whatever. I get that.

But skiing, for most people here... is reasonably civilised. Nobody really wants to subject their body to the kind of action which is going to break a tough case... which are no doubt cheaper than your phones and also far more practical since you can still use your phone as normal.

Yes, we take skiing seriously and yes we spend money buying stuff. But we buy things that contribute to the sport. So just because 37% of people surveyed have a ski equipment budget of over £1,000... that doesn't mean that 37% of people have a budget which is going to cover a mobile phone which doesn't really achieve anything that a £40 phone case doesn't.

Sorry I'm not putting you down but I think you'll struggle to market a tough phone as a skiers phone.


But @dp if it comes with a built in inclinometer to measure the angle on that gnarly slope, a tape measure to see how deep the pow is and a timer to see how fast you got down la face in val'd (other pistes are available) then every hardcore skier will want one Very Happy
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
A significantly better survey than anything ever published here by "students".

---
Phones? Annoyances are size, fragility, and their batteries are not reliable for serious use.

I can see the "lifestyle" marketing thing should apply to them - you could produce a "G-Shock" type phone, I suppose, so people could demonstrate their "outdoor credentials" to their office mates.

For actual "sports" use...
Mountains: I'd like more reliable battery life and a display which can show OS/IGN level mapping without license niggles (OSM isn't quite good enough). It doesn't need to be in a Peli case. If it came built into such a case then it'd be a dedicated device with a SIM in it, not a phone. It may make more sense for that niche to put a SIM into a mapping/ navigation device than to try to make an "outdoor" variant of a general purpose phone. A sat phone would be a better idea, if you're half serious. Or a VHF radio with a SIM in it.

Surf: I think I can live with sitting in my car when I want to make calls. Ditto swimming etc.

Snowboarding: transceivers and phones don't play that well together, but on the piste I use my phone for music. I think it would be quite hard to break the phone even for beginners. I try to avoid riding in the rain, but GoreTex keeps everything dry. If you're cheapskate then a simple plastic bag is extremely hard to beat. My personal requirements are multiple sims (for none-EU use); unrestricted memory (for music); unrestricted apps (because it's my phone).
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 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
@dp. No problem with being put down. All feedback is good feedback. Well - most feedback is good feedback Smile

You're right that not everyone is going to want what we offer, and I agree the stats only tell part of the story. There is certainly a big chunk of people that will be happy just chucking the phone in a case and avoiding hot tubs. But.. we've done a lot of research and focus groups and we think we have an offering that 'some' skiiers will buy into. And don't forget - it's not just skiiers - it's also mountain bikers, hikers, snowboarders, trail runners - there are a lot of people that love the outdoors in all it's various guises, and want a product that helps them get more from their activities and we think we'll have a great story to tell them. (oh - and it' not just about being rugged Smile )
When we announce the product I'll come back and tell you all about it (I'm kinda hoping you hear about it naturally as well) and then you can make a real assessment on it. We might still fail to convince you, but we'll have a good go Smile

@ansta1 - got my notebook out. Rev 2 of the product will have a tape measure in it. The other stuff I think we can do now Smile
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Though it might as well update the thread in case anyone is interested... Smile

Waterproof, drop tested, use the screen when it's wet, when you're wearing gloves. Big battery Smile Bike mount, carabiner backpack attachment. Pack system for longer battery life and better location accuracy.

https://mpora.com/mountaineering-expeditions/land-rover-explore-outdoor-phone-first-look
https://landroverexplore.com

If anyone wants to get their hand on it early, register on the above URL and the welcome email will tell you about an early adopter program we're running.

Thanks all
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
@Johnhelliwell, I can't access the second link - my browser tells me the site isn't secure - the security certificate has been revoked? Confused
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 You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Hiya.
That's odd. I've just tried it and it seems ok. I'll check with or tech team in the morning. Sorry about that!
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Fine for me in both Edge and Chrome.
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
I tried it a few times in different browsers on a couple of machines - sometimes it worked and other times it didn't. I'd suspect it is being load balanced between multiple servers and one or more of them are misconfigured.
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
@Johnhelliwell, Done. Good luck.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
I'm hard on phones, and keep mine in an Otterbox which does make it a bit bulky. If this phone is indestructible and does all the things a smart phone does (as claimed in the bumf) then I'll def be tempted.

I look forward to seeing the final specs.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@tom_doc I'd be nervous about claiming indestructible Smile I'm not sure many things are if you're determined enough, but we think we've got the balance right. Out of interest... what sort of spec info are you interested in? just interested to see the kinds of info people are looking for

@tubaski and @tarrantd- thanks. This is helpful info. It'll help the tech figure out whats going on.
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