Naturally, some rocket scientist will chime in with “Hey, in a crisis the phone network will be down anyway, so who cares if your iPhone has a dead battery?”
:::headshake:::
Oh, you poor short-sighted fool. Even if you can’t use it as a phone, you can still use it as a GPS, flashlight, calculator, radiation detector (yes, theres an app), map, compass, encryption device, camera, video camera, voice recorder, translator, etc, etc, etc.
I’ll wait until these things are actually in the wild and I can read some reviews but it looks like an awesome piece of gear.
I think that case is just geek bait. Give me an Otterbox Defender case and a Goal Zero Nomad 7M any day of the week.
Besides, iPhones are for teen girls. Get yourself a 4G Android phone and we’ll talk. If for no other reason than the ability to expand your memory through MicroSD cards (more maps, data, documents, etc.).
Also, remember that many map applications are useless without a network to download the maps themselves (i.e. Google Maps and Navi). An App worth looking into is Gaia GPS, which allows you to pre-download maps for any areas you choose, pre-mark way points, and and have it track your trail as you go.
I for one am kinda dubious about the value of the solar panel on the back. Those things arent near as efficient as many people think. I doubt it could give a full recharge an entire iPhone battery if it was left in full sun for an entire day. It strikes me as hippy-bait.
I agree that the solar panel probably won’t let you charge the battery quickly but it’s better than turning the phone into a paperweight.
That case looks nice for the waterproof ability especially since it allows you to still use the device.
Too bad that I’ll probably never get a case like this as I chose Android a while back and haven’t regretted it.
Steelheart
Michael-
Exactly! And notice too that the solar panel is on the back of the case, rendering it impossible to use the iphone and charge it at the same time (unless you want to hold it above your head and stare into the sun behind it).
The Goal Zero Nomad 7M has three large solar panels, but has a width slightly more than a pencil when folded. It can charge any USB device, or any device that has a car charger. Much more practical.
Also, like any other item of survival equipment, a phone case is only worth something if it’s with you when you need it. This crazy contraption is not a likely choice for every day use. If you insist on using an iphone, there are a multitude of much more practical, nearly as rugged, phone cases. Magpul and Otterbox come immediately to mine.
Cheers.