Do YOU bring an "i" device 2 the playa?

[Elliot]

Ah. Thank you. I did not know that. I just might do that. If I never turn it on, it should not need to be charged more than... every couple of weeks?

And I still have the telephone. It is a Verizon Coupe, bought in March 2008. I have the charger too. Luckily I hate throwing things away!

[maladroit]

That phone looks pretty good. It will last 10 days even if you leave it on, so if you charge it every few weeks while it's off you should be golden. It even has a dedicated 911 button which means it's even more useful as an unsubscribed emergency phone!

[Drawingablank]

Ipod and dock inside a giant ziplock bag for music around camp - I try to avoid opening it during the week and work the controls through the bag.

Digital cam inside a waterproof bag - the kind designed for use in water. Too much dust and glare to use as intended, and camera has to be removed for photos. It keeps the dust out though since anything that is water tight at depth will certainly be dust proof.

I don't own a cell phone, but wouldn't try to use it at the burn if I had one anyway.

[Elliot]

That phone looks pretty good. It will last 10 days even if you leave it on, so if you charge it every few weeks while it's off you should be golden. It even has a dedicated 911 button which means it's even more useful as an unsubscribed emergency phone!

By golly yes, it does have a 911 button. It's charging now. Then it goes in the glove box. Thank you!

One more question: Should I expect to replace the battery? It is four years old and has not been charged for the last two or three.

[maladroit]

There is a high possibility that the battery will not last long at all. Lithium batteries have a shelf life of a few years, and on top of that will deteriorate if not kept at a partial charge level. However, the battery for that UT Starcom / Verizon Coupe can be purchased for less than $5 on Amazon.

[Elliot]

Marvelous. Amazon and I are old friends. Thank you!

[Zakolantern]

If you want to carry around an iPhone or iPod Touch or other "slab" electronic device, fully wrap it in plastic wrap, covering all ports, then cut away the part over the camera lens. You can use the touchscreen through the plastic wrap just fine. You run a serious risk of wrecking your device if you have the charge port unwrapped, but in airplane mode it'll last a good while.

[maladroit]

You can get dust plugs that fit in your phone charge and headphone jacks, and you can get full wrap cases with screen protector film. Put all of THAT in a good ziplock bag, and the only remaining enemy is heat.

[fresh]

Got my old iPhone g3 with cracked glass and all!!! Will use it with iPod dock bought at garage sale for $3. It hopefully will let me play some of MY music and drown out the Disco music that I will be sick of hearing by Tuesday. Plus provide a clock. Not too sure if i even want to playafy it other than leaving it in the tent. Camera will be 'old' 8 megapixel point and shoot and maybe a couple disposables.... IF the iPad comes, it will be unhappily stuck in the car with the Droid phone wondering why they are not getting any attention.....

[Marscrumbs]

I made take my gopro camera. But even with the weather proof case I may never get the dust off completely.

[hikeit]

according to the gaiagps facebook page, david just posted iburn 2012 to apple for review. last year it was ready in 1 day, lets see how quickly they turn it around this year.

i fully intend to have my phone in my pocket, and when not hanging out with my girl, we may exchange texts for where to meet up (if papalegba gets their towers working this year). no outside cell or internets or anything for me, this is just for on-playa girlfriend location-check texts (*maybe* one a day) and an alarm clock so i don't miss my shifts. And maybe a spot to add waypoints for awesome deep playa art that i want to drag friends out to see.
anyone use iburn 2011? can you save waypoints?

[maladroit]

2011 doesn't let you save waypoints or tracks. Maybe that'll be changed in 2012...who knows.

[DustHand]

I'm a tech nerd, but dumb it down for the burn.

iPhone 4 gets shut off, never turned on, and never leaves the RV.
IPad MAY get used n RV to kill time. (risk is fun.)
Laptop with 18,000 songs goes. Use acronis to image drive before I go, just in case. Plays music in RV.
New waterproof Coleman camera, 12 mp, should be dust proof too.
Garmin waterproof gps to set waypoint for bike, port a pot and camp location. Like magic when dust storms hit.

[maladroit]

If you don't HAVE a GPS unit because your phone works just fine, then the phone makes an excellent GPS and you don't need to buy anything extra.

It's not like you're going to use the phone for calls or texts anyway, so using a dedicated GPS instead of your existing phone isn't really dumbing it down much.

I'll have an iPhone and a sub-$150 netbook in case I need to help out some friends with LED programming. Not bringing any other tech.

[seantildawn]

In 2009 I saw this chick walking down the street on her phone and thought "HA! Funny art project." Then I turned on my phone for a pic and saw bars. I could not believe my fucking eyes and turned it off. I just bought a $85 camera so my phone can stay OFF. Burn as you want to burn but my phone is off.

[daft]

You will have to join a 12 step program to rid yourself of our bondage to the net. Maybe early in the morning you can get on it, barely. The phone is your backup camera and video.

[skyhawkecks]

In 2009 I saw this chick walking down the street on her phone and thought "HA! Funny art project." Then I turned on my phone for a pic and saw bars. I could not believe my fucking eyes and turned it off. I just bought a $85 camera so my phone can stay OFF. Burn as you want to burn but my phone is off.

Epic yolo bro

[otakup0pe]

Had an old gen 1 ipod and speaker dock so we could listen to music in our hexayurt. Good thing too because I hadn't taken into account the trouble we'd have with FM signals inside a small foil-lined box... Saw tons of people using their iThings as cameras or trying to get a wifi signal at center camp and the french quarter.

This yeah we'll have the same thing and probably some old unlocked iphones so we can play with the papalegba network if it's out there.

[DustHand]

Good thing too because I hadn't taken into account the trouble we'd have with FM signals inside a small foil-lined box...

Hexayurt=Faraday Cage

[otakup0pe]

Hexayurt=Faraday Cage

I'm going to have so many antennas sticking out of my hexayurt this year.

[Roberto Dobbisano]

i was picking up 3-4 bars ATT all week in 2012.

i love going to center camp and stand in line and then make calls....it totally fucks with the vibe, especially if you're talking to your accountant on speakerphone.

even better if you shush the hippie playing guitar...

[Jackass]

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[illy dilly]

We use my old 80 gig Ipod video, the first Ipod video that came out with the metal back. Not for video as much as music. 80Gig is a ton of music!
We've had that little guy since about 2006. Since then, he's been to 4 burns and probably 6 or 7 other camping trips. We don't really do jack shit to protect it besides blow in the charge port, like an old NES cartridge.
I also have one of the old ipod docking station boom boxes, its not doing so hot any more. It never really recovered from the morning I crawled out of my tent to see the boom box with Ipod in it, laying next to the rocks around the fire, covered in booze, dirt, grass, and nature- still playing music. The right speaker doesn't work unless you smack it just right.

This is the ipod boombox I use. I wish I could buy another one but I don't think they make them any more.

[Earthwalker]

I'm going to bring my ipod, which in Defaultyland I basically never use. Well then why the hell would you bring it to BM, asks the snow ice vendor. Well I'll tell you why, you cold bastard...because, for me, music selection can make or break an adventure. I'm hypersensitive to cold in my nether regions...I mean hypersensitive to my environment. So if I'm off in happy land and all of a sudden someone is playing Eric Clapton's "If I see you in heaven" I'll break down and have to go sit in a corner until the sad demons leave my head. And if I have to listen to dub step all day and night I may very well dub step all over someones face...oooh, bam, that's right. Dub stepped all up in ya mug, sucka

So....I'll bring my ipod fully loaded with "Uplifting/Epic/Anthem/Emotional Trance" and "Vocal trance" (Wikipedia was finally able to put my EDM tastes into a nice little musical box (sans the ballerina girl). Because that stuff (Van Burren, Above & Beyond, Tiesto, Van Dyk) puts me in a happy place where everything is good. And soft. And warm. I feel like the world is hugging me collectively . Dubstep is too agro at times.

I completely forgot what I was talking about. Reminder to self: never take a bite from the goody bar while still at work.

[SmashyMcSpoodle]

Haven't burned in two years but I hear people at center camp hang out and drink coffee with their heads buried in I-devices. If they are checking their Facebook I will suggest they crawl inside the man at say 9:30pm on Saturday

Jeezus that's depressing. I went in 2009 if I recall correctly, there was no cell service in those days. As if Burning Man isn't stimulating enough; no one can detach from their i-soothers even for one week. You put all that effort and expense into getting there, don't forget to be present for the experience!

Duh!

[Canoe]

recharge-ipads.png

[trilobyte]

There has been wifi access at center camp going back at least as far as 2004 (my first year). Well, it would have had to be going back to 2003 or earlier, since the campmates who told me about it had experienced it in previous years).

[FIGJAM]