Motorola Defy - the ultimate biker's phone [Archive]

shrub

26th May 2011, 14:23

I am hell on cellphones. I drop them, drown them and lose them; and that's expensive but my problems are (probably) over.

A couple of weeks ago I was sold one of the new Motorola Defy smartphones, and it's brilliant. It's waterproof - I tested it by dropping it in a jug of beer and by the time i'd finished it was still working, so I repeated the test and still no problems, so I figure it will cope with a wet ride. It's supposed to be pretty well shockproof, so when I drop it in the shed and stand on it, something that cost me one phone, it should survive. If I lose it or it gets stolen I go online and i can find out where it is to within 4m!

And being a smartphone it has an MP3 player, good camera, excellent video (for a camera) and my favourite app, GPS. I am directionally challenged and because I use my bike as my main transport I was forever pulling over, taking off my gloves, putting on my specs and then trying to figure out where I was and where I needed to be. Now I tell the phone where I want to be, stick on the headphones and it tells me where to go. Like most people I know... I can also check email etc wherever I am which for me is essential because most of my work is net based these days. Smart phones have heaps of other cool shit like a decibel metre, a thing that turns it into a torch, a quake app (useful down here) and a tricky app where if there is music playing I point the phone at the source and it tells me who and what - great for when you hear good music at pubs and cafes.

The one drawback is it is a battery pig and a charge lasts around a day, so I have learned to carry a charger when I'm out and about and not likely to be home for a while and will be fitting a cigarette lighter and adaptor to my bike.

They're $799 and I highly recommend them.

Scuba_Steve

26th May 2011, 14:46

oneofsix

26th May 2011, 14:59

bogan

26th May 2011, 15:05

A charge a day sucks, especially if you need the GPS in the evening, you could get left up that infamous creek.
As a ruggered smart phone I too will be interested to see how it survives, of course by the time you know it is going to survive it may no longer be on the market :facepalm:

You can get chargepacks for phones which are just big auxilary batteries, if you are doing long trips, or car chargers.

Sounds like a damn good phone, does it make a good mp3 player as well?

shrub

26th May 2011, 16:15

I've been interested in the Defy just not sure about the software side & long term abuse (...I miss my Nokia 5120i could handle anything) so I'd like to know how u go in a few months & how the software preforms too, I'm in 2 minds with this Android thing & the MotoBlur I have heard mixed reactions.

Ideally I would like a rugged iPhone but as yet this is not an option

From what i can see Android is getting ahead of iPhone because it's open source, so easier to write apps. I had a long chat to a perky young thing at the Vodafone shop and I couldn't see any advantages to Apple over Android despite her doing all the flirty shit. The Motoblur doesn't seem to be an issue - there is a widget that tells me if someone has emailed or texted me and when I touch it it takes me to whatever has come in. Apparently it can be a nuisance if you're a big time tweeter, but given I have written about 3 tweets in my life it's not a problem.

As for abuse, I just did a scientific test by throwing it hard at the fence and it bounced off and landed in the garden. I ran it under the hose and it's as good as new.

You can get chargepacks for phones which are just big auxilary batteries, if you are doing long trips, or car chargers.

Sounds like a damn good phone, does it make a good mp3 player as well?

I use an app called Poweramp and with that it is as good function wise as my partner's iPhone and I am in the market for a good set of earphones. Because storage is using a micro SD I spent an extra $60 and now have 16GB of storage, so can use real high bitrate MP3s which lifts the sound quality. I use Mediamonkey to manage my files on my laptop and it's a brazillian times better that iTunes.

Geeen

26th May 2011, 17:07

Ive had Andriod phones for a couple of years and swear by them. They are outselling iPones almost 2 -1 overseas. Also heavily tied up with Google so things like google goggles and latitude are pretty reliable. As a biker Latitude can be handy if you have an off like Katiepies. Wife/ Partner just logs in and gets the GPS location of the phone. Also you get to abuse Apple fanboys :clap: and watch them flame up.

Scuba_Steve

26th May 2011, 17:49

Also you get to abuse Apple fanboys :clap: and watch them flame up.

If you like them you'll love the Microsoft fan boys :yes:

tigertim20

26th May 2011, 17:54

sounds like a good bit of kit but fuck if Im going to pay that sort of coin for a ohone!! maybe when theyve been out a bit longer the price will drop.

You can probably extend your battery life considerably by turning off alot of unneccesary background functions.

Geeen

26th May 2011, 18:31

If you like them you'll love the Microsoft fan boys :yes:

Yup, winding up anyone that's blindly loyal is fun. :Pokey: Christians, Mormons, Fanboys, Harley Riders. Gotta stay away from Honda riders though, coz they is scary :corn:

Scuba_Steve

26th May 2011, 19:32

Yup, winding up anyone that's blindly loyal is fun. :Pokey: Christians, Mormons, Fanboys, Harley Riders. Gotta stay away from Honda riders though, coz they is scary :corn:

hey I is one of them sometimes :angry::laugh:(other times I'm a Suzuki rider:yes:)

jaffaonajappa

26th May 2011, 19:39

Yup, winding up anyone that's blindly loyal is fun. :Pokey: Christians, Mormons, Fanboys, Harley Riders. Gotta stay away from Honda riders though, coz they is scary :corn:

Bwahahaha. I never thought Id come across a Honda fanboy....till I found KB.:shit:

And check out them ruggedised cases for iphones. Chuck em in a puddle, drive over them at speed, and they still work.

oneofsix

26th May 2011, 19:44

hey I is one of them sometimes :angry::laugh:(other times I'm a Suzuki rider:yes:)

:laugh: yes right of course you is. The Suzuki is where at the moment and the Honda is in how many bits? :corn: :scooter:

oneofsix

26th May 2011, 19:48

Geeen

26th May 2011, 20:01

Have you ever have had to upgrade the Andriod? Heard a rumour today that some of the phones sold in NZ have been locked into older versions.

On my old Android I got over the air updates from my telco. But if you 'root' (gain admin access) to the device you can flash whatever ROM you want onto it. Cyanogenmod is really popular for an alternate ROM. My new phone runs 2.2 at the moment, if I really got in to it I could probably find the newest release on the net. Part of the beauty of Android is its based on Linux Kernals so its robust. Have a look at some of the Android forums as to gaining root access, from there you can over clock the CPU etc etc

oneofsix

26th May 2011, 20:07

On my old Android I got over the air updates from my telco. But if you 'root' (gain admin access) to the device you can flash whatever ROM you want onto it. Cyanogenmod is really popular for an alternate ROM. My new phone runs 2.2 at the moment, if I really got in to it I could probably find the newest release on the net. Part of the beauty of Android is its based on Linux Kernals so its robust. Have a look at some of the Android forums as to gaining root access, from there you can over clock the CPU etc etc

Thanks and yes being as it is a Linux based kernel it sound iffy to me. This, its robustness and Katiepies experience make the Defy very attractive just a pity about the cost as I also require some new gear. :crybaby:

shrub

28th May 2011, 12:05

Thanks and yes being as it is a Linux based kernel it sound iffy to me. This, its robustness and Katiepies experience make the Defy very attractive just a pity about the cost as I also require some new gear. :crybaby:

$799.00 isn't too bad for what it does, especially when you compare it to an iPhone. I figure I'd pay $250 for a half way decent phone, another $200 for a point and shoot camera and $250.00 for an iPod. I get all three in one and it's waterproof and robust to boot. I signed up to a plan that gives me shitloads of minutes etc and knocked another $250 off the bill, so the cost was only $450, and I'm paying that off with no interest or fees over 12 months on my bill. My plan is costing me less than I was spending before with prepay for more data and minutes, so my actual outgoings have really only risen by a couple of bucks a week. I use an app called dropbox which is a cloud based app, so I'm finding that I use my laptop a lot less now because it is so easy to use the net and email with my phone. And it's a business expense, so it's even given me a tax cut!

After nearly 3 weeks of ownership I am of the opinion that it's pretty well the best technology spend I have made in a long time.

Geeen

28th May 2011, 17:02

Have you noticed that kiwibiker is an Android native forum? Best APP to get is lookout, backs all photos, contacts etc up at user specified time to the cloud. Also check for spyware and malware in apps. Best part is its free!!

Bald Eagle

13th October 2011, 09:16

currently on special (http://store.telecom.co.nz/mobile/special-offers)
$0 upfront for the Motorola Defy

Sign up to a Talk & Text Anytime or Smartphone $60 plan or higher for 24 months and you can get the Motorola Defy – exclusive to Telecom - for $0 upfront.

2Seat_Terror

13th October 2011, 09:41

I bought one from Ebay, unlocked. Works sweet on 2degrees, or any other network I insert a SIM card for. Wasn't $0 though. :mellow:

avgas

13th October 2011, 10:58

Got the wifey one for xmas/birthday/mothersday.....lets just say its her 2011 present.
She has tried to kill it, but after 2 months still going strong. We got it for $400 of a parallel importer in NZ. 1 year warrenty.

I had to laugh though as she has just about screwed the OS on it........but thats pretty good considering she kills nokias in about a week.

Some people should not have a cellphone lol

Edbear

13th October 2011, 18:17

I bought an iPhone4 and can run my business from it so it does all I want. I take lots of pics and videos and it's got plenty of storage. I did drop it on the concrete without its case and it was fine, not even marked, but I wouldn't want to test it too far. Being fairly sedentary these days, I don't really need the ruggedness you want, so I'll be interested in how it stacks up longer term.

Usarka

13th October 2011, 18:20

Fuck that it's 6 months old technology!

Bald Eagle

13th October 2011, 18:25

Motorola Defy - free upgrade today will see how the 5mp camera and led flash goes maybe taggers will stop giving me stick about my crap photos.

awa355

9th April 2012, 19:00

I bought a Motorola Defy a month ago and am getting to grips with it slowly. $400 from a Telecom shop. The 5mp camera takes great pictures and the video is brilliant. It has a night mode which I've used to record traffic at a well lit up roundabout. Video came out well.

The Latitude thingy; How does this work? Is it a type of 'emergency locator' tool? I understand it can send your co ordinantes to a designated source. Is that correct?

Scuba_Steve

9th April 2012, 19:12

awa355

10th April 2012, 14:29

being that some have had significant time with their Defy now, anyone able to give feedback on their ability to handle longterm abuse??? also being that they are ruggered hows the mic & speaker for talking??? usually these suffer in "ruggered" designs

I'm standing on the concrete pathway looking at the screen when the dog gets to the end of the retractable lead. The tug sent my phone to the path. The $30 protective case split on one corner. Still stay clipped in place. Phone hasn't missed a beat. The sound recording on video is good. Haven't tried talking into it yet.

I get pissed at the fingerprints on the screen, Always looks filthy. Nothing has mal functioned yet. Weight and size is more noticable when in the shorts pocket.

Deleting text messages is a pain. I have to delete each individual 'sent' & 'received' component of each message. Probably is a "select all" shortcut somewhere, I haven't found it yet.

Being my 1st touch screen toy, It's still a novelty. Prior to doing my sth isl trip in may, I will learn the knack of uploading photos and posting on KB from the phone. I assume, I need an account with a internet site to send pics to and to download from.

Asher

10th April 2012, 15:08

I hate mine, apps constantly freeze and takes ages to load anything.
The worse thing it does is get stuck in 'emergency mode' and i have to remove the battery to get service back, which happens daily.

sil3nt

10th April 2012, 15:08

I believe http://instagr.am/ is what people use to store their photos. Not sure if it will work on the Defy. Can't hurt to try http://instagr.am/android/

flyingcrocodile46

16th April 2012, 22:06

Now available for $319 and by what has been said in this thread it sounds like it's still overpriced.
http://www.mobilestation.co.nz/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=7&products_id=44

avgas

16th April 2012, 22:20

oscarnz

17th April 2012, 20:52

I have had my Motorola Defy for about 6 months now and love it.
Big thing to remember is to turn them off every few days, otherwise it sometimes freezes.
Other than that, I would recommend

awa355

18th April 2012, 12:16

With a two year contract, I have to like mine, although the phone is paid for so I could always change it I guess. To be honest, I haven't been able to fault it yet, apart from me not knowing how to utilise some functions. I have found the web browser usefull.

Under 'Tech Talk' there was mention of various Apps to download. I had a look and found nothing (yet) that I need.( Lots of toys to play with)
The Ulysee speedo thingy would be a waste of time when the ph's in my pocket while riding. In the car I have a perfectly capable speedometer thats near enough to the true speed of the car. The ph has a google map that shows where I am. If that happens to be down a cliff somewhere, I'm either capable of making a call, or else beyond activating the phone anyway.

It has the scratchproof glass but I wish it did have a lid to close over the screen.

Have looked at car chargers on Tme, Some are just the adapter which I presume the original usb cable will plug into, quite cheap, $5-10. The local Telecom shop has chargers for $35. Do the cheapies do the job?

Geeen

18th April 2012, 12:48

As far as Im aware any USB charger would do the trick, check out Jaycar in Frankton next time you are in Hams, lots of options for not that much

Scuba_Steve

18th April 2012, 13:15

Have looked at car chargers on Tme, Some are just the adapter which I presume the original usb cable will plug into, quite cheap, $5-10. The local Telecom shop has chargers for $35. Do the cheapies do the job?

As far as Im aware any USB charger would do the trick, check out Jaycar in Frankton next time you are in Hams, lots of options for not that much

Yea like he said, I'm pretty sure Motorola just use a standard mini USB so any USB charger would do

gunnyrob

18th April 2012, 16:04

yeah, it's a mini USB. I can use my son's huawei charger on my Defy.

I find the phone is pretty cool, and it survives regular clumsiness on my part.....

JimO

18th April 2012, 18:12

i bought 3 of them, gave one to the missus and one to 1 of my boys, my one started locking up when texting, i found it clumsy to use and a bit of a pain so i gave it to another boy and bought a iphone 4s, which i love

HenryDorsetCase

18th April 2012, 20:17

mine was "free" on my contract. I care not because it is 100% a business tool. Im a fan. I got an otterbox case (belt and braces) and its lasted a year with zero probs. even bought a cheap SIM in straya rather than pay telescum their exhorbitant costs when on hols. o for oarsome.

Nova.

20th April 2012, 08:34

Solid phone, haven't managed to break it yet which is a miracle.
only annoying thing is it freezes and fucks out when texting quite often.

SMOKEU

24th April 2012, 12:42

The Ulysee speedo thingy would be a waste of time when the ph's in my pocket while riding.

It's good for top speed runs, although if it's in your pocket the GPS signal isn't that great so you'll have to maintain your speed for a few seconds for it to lock on properly, depending on how good the GPS chip is.

awa355

25th April 2012, 19:52

It's good for top speed runs, although if it's in your pocket the GPS signal isn't that great so you'll have to maintain your speed for a few seconds for it to lock on properly, depending on how good the GPS chip is.

My bikes tops out at about 150kph. and being an air cooled cruiser top speed is a bit irrelevant. Still, it wouldn't do any harm having the App loaded. Might be interesting on the dash of the car.

Swoop

10th July 2012, 11:28

They're $799 and I highly recommend them.
I have followed your recommendation Mr Shrub and purchased same. Less than $400 from Parallel Imported.

A long search was required before settling on this unit. It had to be small enough to fit a trouser pocket yet still have a large screen size. The Galaxy 3 was tempting but a pocket-hog and I will not go anywhere near an apple product ever again.

Have yet to test it in the beer submersion environment however.
:2thumbsup

carver

15th July 2012, 17:01

I have damaged my defy once, dropped in onto concrete and damaged the screen, but i have it in a case, much better.
Water is not a issue to these phones

NordieBoy

31st July 2012, 21:14

Had a choice of a 2nd hand Defy or a 2nd hand Xperia Active.

Got the Active as I just want a small, water resistant droid.

Fcuk me, they can take a beating!
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VOVkZPmvmvk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

JimO

31st July 2012, 22:39

that gorilla glass is easy to break on the defy

Nobby

8th August 2012, 08:59

Well, nearla every glass is easy to break, using the proper method...

But, I have a Defy for 1.5 years now, using it for every possible purpose, carrying it mostly in the trouser pocket, even sometimes together with my keys - and there is not a single scratch at the screen!

Used it in holidays for navigation on the bike, worked fine even in heavy rain. (A touchscreen isn't really usable when it's wet though...)

It could have more RAM, that would solve some little issues with the Defy, but overall I consider it a good buy.

NordieBoy

8th August 2012, 11:41

A touchscreen isn't really usable when it's wet though...
The one on the Active is.

Nobby

8th August 2012, 18:35

It seems so... wasn't on the market when I decided to by a outdoor-type smartphone... the screen is a little smaller then the Defy's, the rest seems similar, I would give it a try if were searching for a new one now

haydes55

14th August 2012, 21:28

I just got me a Defy + for under $400 new :Punk: solves the issues with the defy with a better processor and on a later Android software.

Also got me a Gel/plastic case for it (mainly because I must be weird and I don't like skinny phones. Most phones these days are so skinny I can't hold them in one hand and have a good enough grip to txt).

This is to replace my iPhone 3g which survived 4 days in my possession before I broke it. (never touching an iPhone piece of crap ever again).

Had a nokia that lasted me 2.5 years, still working perfectly, decided to upgrade because the screen is scratched something wicked haha.

I'll let you all know how the Defy + goes after a week or so of playing around with it.

NordieBoy

30th August 2012, 17:42

But can you go fishing with the Defy?
Where do you tie the line?
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/SlyTGS2tF-U" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

BMWST?

22nd September 2012, 17:10

views on the motorola atrix 2? seems to be better featured then the defy or am i missing something?

Scuba_Steve

22nd September 2012, 21:19

views on the motorola atrix 2? seems to be better featured then the defy or am i missing something?

Atrix isn't rugged, is it??? Ruggedness is the key feature of the Defy

BMWST?

24th September 2012, 09:35

Atrix isn't rugged, is it??? Ruggedness is the key feature of the Defy

ahhhaaa you are right

Swoop

24th September 2012, 09:46

The only annoying bit is the slidey-thing that holds the back in place.
Another reason why gaffertape was invented.:clap:

haydes55

24th September 2012, 19:25

The only annoying bit is the slidey-thing that holds the back in place.
Another reason why gaffertape was invented.:clap:

I got a TPU (harder than silicon) case for mine so that doesn't bother me, taken it to several mosh pits, dropped in puddles and been soaked in my jacket pocket for an hour ride through rain so far. It goes slow/freezes once every few days so I need to remember to reboot it every few days, when I turn it off every night it works sweet. Best part is the screen is scratch free :niceone:

Swoop

24th September 2012, 19:34

I got a TPU (harder than silicon) case for mine so that doesn't bother me, taken it to several mosh pits, dropped in puddles and been soaked in my jacket pocket for an hour ride through rain so far. It goes slow/freezes once every few days so I need to remember to reboot it every few days, when I turn it off every night it works sweet. Best part is the screen is scratch free :niceone:
I hear ya!
I'm not interested in a protector case though, as I want to keep it small in the pocket (main reason I didn't go with a Galaxy3).
Oddly the screen doesn't allow post-it notes to stick to it, so I'm not sure what the glass is coated with.

haydes55

24th September 2012, 19:39

I hear ya!
I'm not interested in a protector case though, as I want to keep it small in the pocket (main reason I didn't go with a Galaxy3).
Oddly the screen doesn't allow post-it notes to stick to it, so I'm not sure what the glass is coated with.

Try download an app that lets you put post-it notes on the screen and never need paper again :2thumbsup

Took me a while to find the app store but now I have some bike games and actually useful apps like a torch.

Swoop

25th September 2012, 08:20

Try download an app that lets you put post-it notes on the screen and never need paper again
I already have an app like that. Quite handy.
I wrote out the rego of GIJoe1313's stolen lil' Hornet to put onto my tacho. Transferring from office to bike, I attempted to stick it onto the clean glass surface of the Defy, but it was most certainly not sticking! It happily attached to the plastic of the tacho however.
Strange.

haydes55

25th September 2012, 20:49

I already have an app like that. Quite handy.
I wrote out the rego of GIJoe1313's stolen lil' Hornet to put onto my tacho. Transferring from office to bike, I attempted to stick it onto the clean glass surface of the Defy, but it was most certainly not sticking! It happily attached to the plastic of the tacho however.
Strange.

If your screen is anything like mine it might be all the greasy finger smudges haha

nallac

25th September 2012, 21:17

My Nokia N9 doesn't like puddles at all..... so i found out today..

Mushu

25th October 2012, 11:50

I bought the new defy a month or so ago and I'm very happy with the shock and water proofing on this device. So far I have done several things that would have destroyed the galaxy s3 I was going to buy before I decided on the defy, its been dopped onto concrete from 6 ft or so about 5 or 6 times and I dropped it in a bucket of water to test the waterproofness of the thing.

The only area where I don't think it's as good a my old phone (HTC Wildfire S) is the music player, which I tend to use when I ride and I can't even find a suitable one in the play store or whatever it's called. Currently using Mixzing or something which works well but has too many unnecessary web features which are nice but they use my data and slow down the app. My defy randomly locks up and requires battery removal but this only seems to happen every few days, I'm thinking about upgrading to ICS to see if that fixes the problem I've been trauling the cyanogen forums to make sure I download all the right files (there's a few different versions of the defy).And firefox browser isn't very stable on it either so I'm looking for an alternative browser aswell

The best gps speedometer that I have found is called ZPDash it has an awesome HUD function (pity it's only good at night, in the cage) but I have used it on a couple of long trips including when I drove from Christchurch to Wangarei to pick up my new bike and found it very easy to maintain a speed when it is shown directly in your field of vision

Sent from my XT535

Mushu

29th November 2012, 23:32

Update to above post: about a week or so after that post I found the ruggedness of the defy isn't absolute, for anybody interested it will NOT survive being run over by a fork lift lol

Sent from my XT535 using Tapatalk 2

NordieBoy

30th November 2012, 05:54

Well that rules out the Defy then.

I find I'm always running my phones over with a forklift...

oneofsix

30th November 2012, 06:04

sheez you could have tested it with a motorcycle first, just for interests sake :laugh:

Scuba_Steve

30th November 2012, 07:09

bogan

30th November 2012, 07:11

it'll buff right out :whistle:

:yes: its just the newer version with the textured touchscreen :innocent:

Mushu

30th November 2012, 11:52

sheez you could have tested it with a motorcycle first, just for interests sake :laugh:

I think the forklift (actually I'm only guessing it was a forklift it may have been a truck) was a bit much which is why I went straight out and bought another Defy, I'm pretty sure it would survive a bike going over it, but I already tested one, somebody else can try the bike.