Pilgrimage: New Phone For New Camera

I’ve been asked by quite a few if I am going to post photos or videos from my pilgrimage, and I’ve committed to trying to do a post a day with photos and/or some video. However, the “real” SLR camera I took to Iraq is dead, along with the broadcast quality video camera I used. The dust of Iraq won those battles, and it didn’t help that they were large and heavy. I really need small, light, and easy to use — and like most people I’ve taken to using my mobile/cell phone.

Now, what I had for about the last six years was a senior citizens special that I got with my special senior citizen rate plan. It was an i-Phone, but didn’t have a number and instead had a three letter designation. The camera was okay when I first got it, but not that good these days. I looked around a bit at available phones, and ended up considering it a choice of evils in some respects (Google versus Apple versus Other Corporation) with me almost wanting to root for all to lose. Really would love to see some real competition from someone dedicated to privacy and security along with the latest gee whiz. Meantime, I decided to go with Apple as the lesser evil of the crowd and because I know I can easily integrate it with laptop and such.

So, as I noted in a post the other day, I went to my provider last week (a real store and not one of the affiliated) to check on some things and see what phone options were available. The great news was that my senior citizens plan comes with basic international roaming. It also turns out that unlimited text and data means unlimited text and data anywhere in the world. Short version is that I can text with no problems and anything I can do via data (and wifi) is golden. Going to keep actual calls to a minimum and make full use of wifi, and keep the great rate of my now grandfathered senior citizen rate plan. And, yes, I made sure my phone is set to make use of wifi calling. I will turn on data roaming when I leave just to be safe.

I ended up having a very nice young gentleman help me, and he really dug into the the plan and making it work so that I could keep my current rate. He also came up with some other suggestions on things to do and try, and then we started talking phones. Sadly, no real promotion options would apply to any phone, nor would my then current phone have any significant trade-in value. I had an idea of what I was after, but we explored options anyway. Turns out, he had in stock an i-Phone 17 Pro Max that had the best camera, best battery life, and could easily handle the translation and special navigation apps I wanted to install. It also has emergency satellite capability already engaged, which was a big plus for me.

Even better, he was able to get the price down $100 from what I had budgeted. Not a lot, but it beat a sharp stick in the eye, and I was getting the Max, which I had not considered given the expense. I had considered it as it is larger (easier to see and use) and has a larger (and better) battery which gives it extremely good battery life. More on that in a minute. So, I did grab the opportunity to grab more camera for less money than I had budgeted.

Getting everything over from the old phone to the new took some time, but we got most things done in the store. I had to update a number of apps when I got home, but that wasn’t too bad and gave me a chance to review what I had on the phone and eliminate a couple that I haven’t used in years. I’ll cover the apps I’m adding and testing in some future posts.

The photo above was shot on the phone yesterday, as the sun came up. The old phone could not have gotten the shot. The resolution of the sensors is amazing, and it captures far more of the gradients of light and color than the old phone. The zoom actually works and zooms with no significant degradation of quality. There are other features available that I have not yet explored. I’m going to have to take a quick tutorial on the photo and video capabilities, and on in-phone editing capabilities.

Now, I also got a case for the phone, as the last thing I want to do is to risk damage. For years, I used and loved the OtterBox cases. They have saved my bacon and several phones over the years. However, I wasn’t impressed with the quality of the last one I got, and I found out a few years back that the warranty apparently no longer covered flaps that tore off because of use. Also, the costs of buying a new replacement had gone up. Significantly even.

As it turns out, my provider had stopped selling their products because of issues, with price being prominently mentioned. Instead, they had gone with Pelican, which I did not realize had gone into the cell-phone case business. I’ve used Pelican cases for shipping for ages, and had even converted a small case of theirs into my travel humidor when I smoked cigars. The case for my phone also meets MIL-STD 810G drop standards, which means it should protect the phone from a 24-foot drop. Hoping I never do anything more than 3-feet, so should be more than good. Between the case and screen protector, things should be good to remain useful during the pilgrimage and after.

I’ve got to look up some things in regards the phone, as it has some buttons the old one didn’t, and is missing a couple the old one had. I really wish they had a tutorial for use of the phone as it is so different from the old. I was shown a few things, but am having to figure the rest out on my own.

Earlier, I mentioned battery life. On the old phone, I could use up twenty percent or more of my charge just reading the news before I got out of bed. That phone had already been warranty replaced once a year or so ago because of battery life issues. I just ran the new phone for two days without charging and still didn’t get below twenty percent charge even with running trip navigation for several trips. So, going a day without charging, even with doing photo and video and such, should be quite doable. I will take a couple of portable power banks with me just in case, but I’m less worried on that score now.

Now, I can’t answer questions on if it is worth it to upgrade to the 17 from a 15 or 16; but, I can say that it truly was a quantum leap from my old senior citizen special. Would I have preferred to spend less money: YES. Was it truly an option given the upgrades to camera, battery performance, and the ability to handle some needed apps: YES. Will it fill my needs for many years to come: Yes. Will it last that long: I sure hope so, going to do my part to make it happen.

For all that I like to upgrade electronics every five years, I had reached a point on mobiles that I was planning to keep using the senior citizen special until either it or I died. I don’t think much of the companies behind the current giants, and think Apple is way overpriced on top of other issues. That said, I’m tied into Apple products though I am considering options if the opportunity arises. In this case, though I think the official list price is too high, I got enough of a deal and a huge upgrade in performance and usability that made it worth the investment. I would prefer not to have done it, but that just wasn’t an option.

So, I’m set for basic coms, electronic translation capabilities, and imaging for the trip. I’ll share more on phone performance as things move along, and hopefully a lot more photos and even video will be here and/or in my X feed.

Thank you all for your help in making this happen. I could not be doing this without you, my readers. Know you, your gifts, and your kindness are very much appreciated!

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, and to start a truly new life, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.