Birding mobile

Dean Macdonald · Status: Offline

RE: Birding mobile

Geoff Walton · Status: Offline

Thanks Ian. I did not think it was the Forum of course. Bit of a drag through. Smart phones are not so smart eh!

Ian McKerchar · Status: Offline

Geoff, Orange have that block for any forums. I used to be with orange myself and had the same problem, a call to one of their operators to remove it did the trick. It certainly has nothing to do with this forum.

Geoff Walton · Status: Offline

Well talking about Mobiles," we three + 1" are planning to go to Hollingworth after lunch, and I sat with my friend and used my phone to see if the PBG was still there. I got onto this site, and then clicked on the Forum, and it came up with an Orange message "this site is not suitable for under 18's"

I twas impossible to get around the problem, even asking for a view did not work.
Must have picked up a four letter named water bird yonks ago!!

Ian McKerchar · Status: Offline

I'm glad you're happy with it Craig, I genuinely wouldn't back or promote anything unless I really thought it was worth it. The other nice thing though is that the Birdnet operators/owners are really approachable and always there for advise or further information. If you had any ideas or potential improvements to their service they would be very happy to listen.

The eminent Tom McKinney, one of their operators, once told me that whilst some of the other information services were more like the big supermarket chains, providing everything under the sun but impersonal and ultimately loosing sight of their original purpose and intention, he thought of Birdnet as your local high street deli. Approachable, accomodating and providing quality products whilst sticking to what they know and do best. So far, so very good!

Craig Higson · Status: Offline

Well, I decided to take the plunge with this Twitter thingy, and I have to say that after only two days of using it I'm impressed. In fact I think its flippin brilliant.

I had intended on getting rid of some of the folders for e.g. South east, South West, Ireland etc, because there's basically not much chance of me going there. Well not for a bird anyway. But because the system is so simple, and because it gives a real good overview of whats around I've kept them all. Plus I've set it up so I get a text message if theres a Mega around.

Thanks for tipping us a wink on this one Ian.

-- Edited by Craig Higson on Thursday 11th of November 2010 08:46:30 PM

Judith Smith · Status: Offline

Just out of interest, Orange and T-Mobile have just amalgamated, and I got a message the other day with some simple instructions to follow - result, access to all T-Mobile masts.

Dean Macdonald · Status: Offline

Thanks Dennis and Ian. I'm getting the general impression off people that 3 are to be avoided.

Cheers Dean.

Dennis atherton · Status: Offline

Yep that sounds about right. I do have a few friends on 3 and there connection is always poor. Good luck. Hopefully you will find a good deal. It is worth it for the

many advantages

Ian McKerchar · Status: Offline

Oh and yes Dean, the Twitter service from Birdnet Information works on all networks, including 3.

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Wednesday 3rd of November 2010 02:57:31 PM

Ian McKerchar · Status: Offline

Not sure I quite agree Dennis. I've been on all the networks over the year except 3 and whilst there are slight occasional differences in strength strength in various areas both locally and nationally I have always found them to be very slight and no one network seemed universally better than the other. My partner is on 3 however and I often get very frustrated by her lack of coverage in areas where all the other networks do fine. On the other hand, when I couldn't get a signal at Yeoman Hay Reservoir this year, she could!

In my opinion Dean, whilst I'd still be tempted to steer clear of 3, all the other networks afford a very similar coverage for both calls and 3G. Just go out and pick the one which affords you the best deal.

Dennis atherton · Status: Offline

there is definatley a big difference in all the main suppliers, i am sure everyone has a opinion here but from my own expereince vodafone seems to have the best 3G internet coverage around by far, i use vodafone and have had many people comment on much faster i can get on the net and browse, from the reviews of the HTC desire the phone sounds like a really good phone, i almost got it myself but instead ended up with the sony erricsson xperia X10, another good phone with the very same 1GHz snapdragon processor as the HTC desire, two phones very similar in power and specs and both highly capeable, the xperia just had a slightly better style i thought and the xperia does have a larger screen size at 4 inches compared to 3.7 on the HTC and that was also a factor, both phones have android platforms so are based around the same technology, if you like the desire this phone is also worth looking at as a comparison,you do need a good connection for internet phones, theres no point have a internet phone that takes ages to open up each web page, it would just be frustrating

Best Den

Dean Macdonald · Status: Offline

I'm finally going to take the plunge and get a smart phone. Which is the best network to be on? Not the cheapest, the best. The phone i want(HTC Desire) is cheapest on 3, but my son says the coverage and signal strength ain't great on 3. Is there any great difference between the main suppliers? And will this twitter birdnet work on them all?

Cheers Dean.

Ian McKerchar · Status: Offline

After just a little bit of searching I found this excellent little mobile phone capable of receiving Twitter (and so UK bird info via Birdnet Information) for only £30 on pay-as-you-go! Cheap Twitter Mobile

No doubt there are cheaper handsets out there too.

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Thursday 5th of August 2010 04:47:19 PM

Ian McKerchar · Status: Offline

So that's twenty pounds dearer Rob? Plus you have to access their webpage everytime you want to check for news? Pretty good it may be but superb it isn't and that's where Birdnet's Twitter service comes in.

It's not hype either, ask someone else who has it, take a look at theirs or just give it a go. I wouldn't be sticking my neck out this far if it weren't I assure you

Rob Smallwood · Status: Offline

If you have an internet enabled phone and free browsing which most offer now BirdGuides's "Bird News Anywhere" service is pretty good.

I think it costs about £60 pa

Ian McKerchar · Status: Offline

Oh and Ian, if your phone battery runs flat after three days of light use then it's on it's wY out! You need a new modern phone with the much more improved battery life. Smartphone anyone?

Ian McKerchar · Status: Offline

But you have to buy those batteries for your pager Ian whereas your mobile is rechargeable from your car, home, work etc so is invariably always charged up. The power the service uses is so small its makes no difference. No contest I'm afraid.

As for RBA's Twitter service, there is absolutely no contest and you've obviously not actually seen it. It is NOT a bird sightings service to compare with a pager or indeed Birdnet's Twitter Service. Instead it merely offers very irregular news items which are not up-to-the-minute rarity sightings. No contest I'm afraid.

I fully appreciate that Twitter is new and fully understand peoples reservations to the service. I was initially but can now honestly say it is far better than any Pager Service I have had previously, and yes I have previously owned an RBA pager!

Ian Woosey · Status: Offline

Craig Higson wrote:

Joining in late(ish) and specifically for Monsieur Woosey -

Twitter my arse....as the recently popular saying goes. Or, Twitter ye not !

One other point I thought about was this: my pager battery lasts on average 5/6 weeks (admittedly because of my few channels), but my phone battery needs charging every 3 days - and that is without heavy useage !

BTW - it should also be pointed out (in all fairness

) that RBA run a twitter service.....

Ian McKerchar · Status: Offline

Craig, the Internet access required for the twitter service (from a dedicated application on a smartphone) is but a second (literally) every you access it. It only updates the messages which does take but a second and then you can read at your leisure

Craig Higson · Status: Offline

Joining in late(ish) and specifically for Monsieur Woosey - You can get a Blackberry Curve for free with unlimited email and internet access, 500texts and 100mins talk time from that there company who sponsor Mr hamilton amongst others. In fact, if you wanted to subscribe to one of the other email bird news services you could even get that on a blackberry (but on past experience I probably wouldnt!). In 12 months I've only ever gone over my 'fixed' tariff due to sending Picture messages from abroad.

Alternatively a simple Samsung Toco on a £15 a month no tie in contract will allow access to twitter, but you have to pay for your web access.

Paul Heaton · Status: Offline

Mark Rigby wrote

I can give you lessons in excel for a very nominal cost or maybe access into the Heaton library.

Rigger you are more than welcome to peruse the library, in fact any Gm birder is welcome, there is an excellent ref section on identification

But beware I will bore the pants off you no techno nonsense in the library just good old dusty books, stay happy my friend, good luck with the year list.

Keep Birding

-- Edited by Paul Heaton on Sunday 1st of August 2010 08:12:08 PM

Ian McKerchar · Status: Offline

Just a quick reply to your appraisal of the cost of the Twitter service against the cost of a pager Paul which is not quite accurate.

The pager service costs £200 per year, the Twitter service £40. End of story.

I don't actually know anyone who doesn't have a mobile phone now and all those like of myself, Riggers and the great many similar are doing is utilising the phones we received as part of our providers tariff. I have had an iPhone for two years now, long before Birdnet's Twitter service came along. Whenever your phone comes out of contract (every 12/18/24 months) you are entitled to upgrade your phone or just switch to another network and along with that comes a new phone. You're not purchasing a monthly tariff and smartphone just to use the Twitter service as you already have that phone to make calls, text, browse the Internet, whatever.

As I have said. I am not knocking pagers. They do a great job but in a nutshell, imagine having that pager (and then some!) built into the covenience of your mobile phone for only £40 a year. Then you have the Twitter service

Mark Rigby · Status: Offline

Paul Heaton wrote:

Well perhaps night-school for me this autumn on a techo course. Stay happy and hope your battery last, I will sharpen my pencil and ....

Keep birding the old way.

I have a computer, but as long as you back up your birding gen onto a disc it will always be safe. I have also e-mailed my records to work and saved them on my pc at work(under a different guise for security of course)

I can give you lessons in excel for a very nominal cost or maybe access into the Heaton library.

Paul Heaton · Status: Offline

TOUCHE,Mr Rigby an excellent reply, my diarys go back to Jan 1st 1977 thats when I first started listing, perhaps now I am faced with two choices.

1. Get with it and join the modern world.

2. Grow old and pass away under a pile of old tatty notebook, in a quite corner of the 200 Club, with a single malt

One other point never lost a notebook/dairy but have had a dam computer fail on me losing all the data, also lost a phone once with all my numbers, but had a notebook with them all in.

Well perhaps night-school for me this autumn on a techo course. Stay happy and hope your battery last, I will sharpen my pencil and ....

Keep birding the old way.

Mark Rigby · Status: Offline

Paul Heaton wrote:

See the bird write it in your notebook, transfer that to your diary

Bloody hell Paul, you really are a dinosaur. Most of us have computer data bases with all our sightings on.

You can set your phone to be silent all the time if you wanted. When quoting prices, you have to also consider the cost of any mobile bills you have and also the cost of your home phone, because with so many free minutes, it is very unusual that I use my landline these days!

Anyway, it's all down to personal preference in the end. Some people want to be ahead of the game and others are happy to drag along on others coat tails!

Paul Heaton · Status: Offline

Cheers Riggers, nice to see you are comfortable with the modern world.

As for the pager, I think it still has a part in the cheapskate birders life, personally i love the fact I can set my pager to silent, it actually keep my wife happy, she is not so happy about text alerts. Having the pager on silent is positive point, as I hate all those text noises in bird hides, etc.

As i see it overall your phone and tariff cost you £620 for the first year then you own the phone, after that a tariff of £420 will be roughly right.

When I got my pager, the deal was I bought it, so I own it, and only pay £200 a year, for that I get.
National channel
Megas
Early 1
Local 1. Greater Manchester/lancashire
Local 2. Cheshire.
Local 3. North Wales.

Now of course pagers are only as good as the information that people send in, recently,
reports of Grey headed Purple Gallinule, have had birders racing across to see it, same for the Trumpeter Swan, present several years on the river Ribble. Now I can choose whether to see these birds, so I don't, and it,s this kind of information that perhaps I don't want to see each day.

Back in the black and white days as my kids say, you went birding no phone no pagers, all was peace and quite, now its phones, pagers digital cameras, and massive crowds, perhaps I should just die as a happy old dinosaur.

See the bird write it in your notebook, transfer that to your diary, and enjoy, if you get it wrong or are not happy with what you see, go back see it again or wait till you see another one. where have we gone wrong, the world is moving to fast, but I think i will just

Keep Birding

Mark Rigby · Status: Offline

I have signed up to Birdnetinformation's mobile phone service. I currently have a Birdnet pager but I have found I am using it less and less due to work and wife constraints.

Having recently bought an iphone, I thought this would be the ideal opportunity to get rid of the pager as I have been assured by Mr.McKercher that the iphone is superior.

He is not wrong! The main advantage for me is that I have to have the pager on silent most of the time which really defeats the object of the pager. The iphone on the other hand allows you to set text alerts for certain categories of messages.

I can still see all the info I would get from my pager, but will be alerted of Mega's by a text alert. When you do get a chance to check your messages, it is done by a single click on an app and all the messages are there. Because the phone has a larger screen than the pager, it is actually easier to read the messages and you get more messages to the page.

For those of you who are thinking of taking the plunge and buying or upgrading to a new phone, the best deal I could fond was with Tesco Mobile. £200 for the phone, (an all singing, all dancing iphone4) plus £35 a month for 12 months(700 minutes, unlimited texts and 700mb of data). This means that after the 12 month contract is up, you own a £600 phone. You can then change to another provider or sell the phone at a profit and start again.

Having had this service for an afternoon, I can safely say I will be getting rid of my pager.

Paul Heaton · Status: Offline

Well I have today just ordered 10 new notebooks, should last me a while.

I have also read Ian,s article re Twitter, and as expected nothing more than brilliant, A well thought out, detailed report, which has got me thinking, I can save a bob or two here.

Cheers Ian, but it does now put you in the class of your own, for techno knowledge

Keep Birding

-- Edited by Paul Heaton on Friday 30th of July 2010 06:11:40 PM

Ian McKerchar · Status: Offline

A notebooks will always be an essential for me, there can never be a replacement for this most useful peice of kit. Technofreak or not!

Mine is of course complete with resplendant Peacock quill pen

Steve Suttill · Status: Offline

Ian McKerchar wrote:

And anyway, from what I see, notebooks are already pretty much dead!

By "notebooks" do you mean bits of paper bound together which you scratch on with a piece of graphite covered in wood, or a bit of plastic with lots of buttons on?

... and which are the best feathers for cutting quill pens from?

Steve (leading contender for Dinosaur of the Year)

Ian McKerchar · Status: Offline

A quick search has just found a superb all singing all dancing HTC smartphone for £20 a month with a free handset, 500 minutes to any network, 500 mb data (basically much more than you would use) and 500 texts. Your pager plus what you'd pay even for a pay-as-you-go tariff on any old bog standard phone you already own (with a little over a minimum of £10 a month credit) will still be dearer than the smartphone with Birdnet Information Twitter service!

Ian McKerchar · Status: Offline

I'm not entirely sure what a 'quite a wad for a phone' is either? Let's say a £25 a month tariff including such a phone for free. Bearing in mind that the majority of folk with a contract phone pay atleast this for any old mobile I'm not sure there's any expense at all for this majority.

Ian McKerchar · Status: Offline

In the not too distant future Ian you will only have one choice of mobile phone and that will be a smartphone! Those on contract with a mobile get the option to upgrade to such phones for free or for very little money at all Ian and there lies it's point. Contract phones are now a huge majority of the market, pay-as-you-go (where handsets are generally much less technologically advanced and cost a small fortune if they are) is becoming less and less popular as tariff prices fall and handset requirements increase.

Stick with thi' baked bean tin and string pal, I'll always be on the other end.

Ian Woosey · Status: Offline

Ian McKerchar wrote:

Whilst actually getting the required phone might not be on everyone's wish list, the news provided by the service out does a pager in every respect.

But that is what I can`t get me yed round.......! FIRST, you have to shell out quite a wad for a phone that will let you "Twitter" !?

I really am looking forward to this article, but like you said, me getting to read it might be hard coz my time is fully taken up with smashing machinery to bits in the local cotton mills.....

From one Luddite to another (ex) xxx

Ian McKerchar · Status: Offline

I appreciate you're a techno-dinosaur pal

but for many who already have these superb instruments (and they genuinly are superb) that £160 for your pager with two measly regions seems an extraordinarily large amount next to the Birdnet Information Twitter service. Whilst actually getting the required phone might not be on everyone's wish list, the news provided by the service out does a pager in every respect.

Anyway, my review will be out very soon though 'techno-dinos' might skip it, if only for fear of what they're missing

Ian Woosey · Status: Offline

Ian McKerchar wrote:

Ian you picked the very top of the range, currently most expensive smartphone with the iPhone 4. An item such as that is only really necessary for ponces like me

Thought you was old-skool pal ?

I think I`ll stick wi me "brick" - RBA 21a with 2 local channels @ £160 p/a

Ian McKerchar · Status: Offline

Ian you picked the very top of the range, currently most expensive smartphone with the iPhone 4. An item such as that is only really necessary for ponces like me

Perfectly decent smartphones can be had for as little as £20 a month including calls, texts and Internet useage. To boot they also allow quick and easy email retrieval, MP3 storage (all the bird calls and songs of the Western Palearctic for instance), photo and video capability and of course the option to ring people up if you do desire! Besides this you also have the capability to receive the same as a pager but for an absolute fraction of the price. Don't forget that a lot of birders already have such phones or will upgrade to one as a natural process anyway as most new phones are moving this way.

Ian McKerchar · Status: Offline

For some Paul for some. And anyway, from what I see, notebooks are already pretty much dead!

JOHN TYMON · Status: Offline

Dennis atherton wrote:

Just tie the infomation to the pigeons foot and send it pigeon post, thats what us lot in Bolton do...

But some times our pigeons fly over Johns smoke signals and fall into the fire and thats how Boltoners and Leyhthers come together and eat pigeon pies..

Ps video cassettes arent out of date, they are just a tight fit to get int dvd player

don't mention pies to us leythers,pie beyt crust Lobby only in leigh please

think we have drifted oft thread again Dennis-we''ll b banned at this rate.

this is supposed to be a serious topic.

Dennis atherton · Status: Offline

Just tie the infomation to the pigeons foot and send it pigeon post, thats what us lot in Bolton do...

But some times our pigeons fly over Johns smoke signals and fall into the fire and thats how Boltoners and Leyhthers come together and eat pigeon pies..

Ps video cassettes arent out of date, they are just a tight fit to get int dvd player

Paul Heaton · Status: Offline

Nice little article in Birdwatch by Ross Ahmed re mobile phones, they may even be the death of the Notebook!

Keep Birding

JOHN TYMON · Status: Offline

Ian Woosey wrote:

(I`ve continued this pager Vs phone discussion on here as this thread seems more appropriate)

Reet, I am a self-confessed techno-phobe, so anyone who knows better please correct me !

I`ve searched ont web for the i-phone4 and on the C*r*o*e W*r*h*u*e website the deal is thus:

(18 month contract) @ £50 per month, plus initial cost of phone is £30. So the annual cost of this phone is £630 (inclusive of calls/texts, obviously)

So, are you telling me that in order to get instant bird news via a phone it will cost me £630 p/a ? AND THAT THIS METHOD OF RECEIVING NEWS IS BETTER/CHEAPER THAN A PAGER ?????

Please tell me otherwise.................!

better to do what us leythers do leet a fire and send smoke signals,box of matches and an old carpet-50p a year-beltin

,you lot will be tellin me cassettes are out of date next

Ian Woosey · Status: Offline

(I`ve continued this pager Vs phone discussion on here as this thread seems more appropriate)

Reet, I am a self-confessed techno-phobe, so anyone who knows better please correct me !

I`ve searched ont web for the i-phone4 and on the C*r*o*e W*r*h*u*e website the deal is thus:

(18 month contract) @ £50 per month, plus initial cost of phone is £30. So the annual cost of this phone is £630 (inclusive of calls/texts, obviously)

So, are you telling me that in order to get instant bird news via a phone it will cost me £630 p/a ? AND THAT THIS METHOD OF RECEIVING NEWS IS BETTER/CHEAPER THAN A PAGER ?????

Please tell me otherwise.................!

Mark Rigby · Status: Offline

Ian McKerchar wrote:

Pay monthly though and the 3Gs can be got for very little indeed though it falls short of the new 4G it has to be said (Riggers ).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
But it has lots of buttons and thingy's that you can mess with and I am more than happy with my 3Gs.

Ian McKerchar · Status: Offline

If you're pay as you go then yes, they're staggeringly expensive. Pay monthly though and the 3Gs can be got for very little indeed though it falls short of the new 4G it has to be said (Riggers

). I sold my 20 months old 3G to Mazuma for £150 when swapping to the 4G and I only paid £90 for it originally on contract!

Definately ring Orange though and have the restriction lifted, it's dead easy and the only arkward bit is knowing they think you only want it lifted so you can view porn on your 'phone

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Monday 12th of July 2010 06:24:59 PM

mark evans · Status: Offline

Thank yous for the info. I priced the 4G, and when i picked myself up off the floor, I had to decide between re-mortgaging my house or turning to a life of crime. Probably best stick to my mobile for now

Ian McKerchar · Status: Offline

The majority of my posts are done from my mobile. Hence I update many others observers sightings too, when they won't have access to a computer for a while buy want their sightings out asap so let me know by text/call.

With regards Orange, you need to ring them to have the 'forum blocking' taken away. I was on Orange a couple of years back and had to do it. It's no problem them doing it but until you do they won't give you access.

Nev Wright · Status: Offline

Hi Ian
With all these new phones etc about, what's your preferred method of updating the forum re sightings now? I can never access the forum when out and about which is a great shame (Orange block forum access for some reason)

.

Ian McKerchar · Status: Offline

Gotta be honest Rob, mine always worked on my old 3G too

Got my iPhone 4 the day they came out and didn't even have to stand in a queue (as if I would!), a quick call to O2 and it was delivered to my door the very next morning

. Viewing the internet is much faster and images far sharper than anything I have ever experienced on a mobile and many computers too!