My phone hit the two year point and is giving me problems. The usual battery issues, but also having a very hard time maintaining any kind of signal. Granted, being in the middle of the mojave desert doesn't help, but...

Anyway, what non-iphone phone is recommended by the mt.net tifosi? I don't care about the camera, just good battery life and durability (I'm clumsy AF).

 

I been having good luck with the Samsung Galaxy 8 so far. It's 10:21 p.m. as I type this, and I've been using it pretty heavily all day. The battery charge is at 53%.

 

I recommend the Kyocera DuraForce for you. The camera is a disaster, but it's a rugged phone and even if I put it in water or drop it from 4ft high on ceramic I didn't succeeded in killing it yet.

My most important point is that the battery doesn't freeze while skiing at -35C when the IPhone stops working after 30min

 

I've got a cheap rubber/plastic case ($10) for the Galaxy S5 and it has survived a few substantial falls and is several years old now. Battery life is finally tapering off but it seems to be exacerbated by the installation of a couple of apps. Some applications appear to eat power even though not "running". I always leave the GPS off unless actively using it.

Anyone know how to limit background power usage? Every developer seems to think their app deserves primacy.

 

I'm using an Asus Zenfone 3 Zoom, battery life is totally insane. They're about $280 unlocked no contract.

For a cheaper, smaller phone with better software (better UI, worse camera, good battery life but not as insane as the Zoom) Moto G5 plus. You can get them new for under $200 and they're an extremely well-made phone with great battery life.

 

Pixel 2 + Lifeproof case. Case is expensive but they are beefy and waterproof.

And it has pretty insanely great battery life.

 

I have that phone as well.
Compared to nearly every other phone out there, it sucks.
Bad software, bad camera, terrible interface, etc.
The one thing it has is extraordinary toughness.
I'm a full-time firefighter, and I can't imagine too many people being tougher on a phone than I am.
It's always in my pocket, and it's taken vicious hits and spent entire days at a time soaking in my gear.
I've had it for 3 years now, I think, and it still works, and the screen isn't even cracked.
If you don't mind having inferior smart-phone function in exchange for the durability of a piece of granite, I would recommend.

 

Get the nicest model of android phone you can get that is 1-2 years old.

 

unlocked LG G6 Prime: and
Otterbox Defender:
ezpz lemon ez

 

That's basically a pixel2 right?

Nice phone. I just don't get spending $600+ for a phone.

 

Yeah, me neither. I spent about $180 for my S5, and it does just fine.

 

I recently picked up a LG V20 to replace my way old Droid Turbo. The biggest reason I went wit the V20 is that it has a swapable battery. I have a spare battery and charger for it that I will take with me if I know I might be far away from a charger for a long time.

 

I don't get people who spend more than $25/month on service. We all have needs/wants.

 

I just repaired a 2016 50" Samsung Smart LED/LCD I got for free. Parts are so cheap for these things that it makes no sense to bother with component/board level repairs. Basically a few boards inside (power supply/led driver, main board, junction) and some LEDs. Power supply board had voltages out of spec- $20 delivered. Further tear down showed over a dozen bad leds. I picked up an entire set of led strips (8) for $50 delivered. Now I've got a fully functional 50" TV. Apparently LED burnout is pretty common with LED backlight units IF owners crank up the brightness. This one was set to 17 of 20 max.

 

Just a maybe helpful note: I have repaired 2 different boards on an LG TV by heating the chips with a heat gun to about 385 F for about 10 minutes. The replacement boards are not cheap. I control the temp by placing a thermometer across the chip and moving the heat gun toward and away from the chip while watching the temp.

 

I'm giving my nephew a Raspberry Pi 3 RetroPie kit for Christmas for us to set up together. Anyone have a recommended source for ROMs? Not looking for any game in particular, would just like a decent sampling of some classical NES/SNES/Genesis games to load.

 

$400. because ads.

 

.

 

If you google "NES ROMS" or "GENESIS ROMS" you will find tons of sites. Some of them even have download links for actual ROMs, rather than malware.

 

I didn't even think of that. I have a rework heat station with a temp dial I used for some SMD stuff. I assume I could use that- you're just reflowing joints?