Thread: Land Rover Mobile Phone

i like the landrover case....do a google search you probably find someone in your area can unlock it they can unlock every other phone on the market

The Land Rover Phoney
By Paul Si

“Does it leak?” That was the standard response, without exception, from everyone when I shared with them the news that Land Rover was coming out with a rugged mobile phone, the Land Rover S1 by Sonim (www.landroverphone.co.uk).

Everyone whom I shared the information with was, without exception, a fan of the Green Oval, and thus familiar with the myths and legends surrounding the marque. Hence, the quip about leaks.

For the benefit of the uninitiated, Land Rover products are supposed to leak. They are, in fact, designed to leak. Oil, coolants and other fluids contained within are supposed to leak out, and rainwater from without is supposed to leak in.

I am a Land Rover owner by choice, having been hooked on the legend since an up-close-and-personal encounter with the Camel Trophy in Sabah back in 1993. Such fond memories do I have that I eventually got hold of a Discovery TDI, much like the ones used in that event and did it up at considerable expense as a replica, which I regularly take off the beaten track for leisure as well as events like the Rainforest Challenge.

Along the way, I learned that if you have a Land Rover that does not leak, it’s either not all-original (i.e., has been modified to use Japanese parts) or, so the conventional wisdom goes, it’s time to worry because it is all leaked out, all dried up.

“No, lah,” I replied to the cynics, “the phone contains no fluids, and it is designed to be submerged up to a metre underwater.”

Anyway, it’s not even made by Land Rover of Solihull but is actually a rebadged product made by Sonim. I had never heard of the name but a quick google session established that they, indeed, made indestructible phones.

I continued confidently: “So, it cannot leak.” I was wrong.

But I was interested then, I was excited, and I was certainly tempted. Part of the attraction was the Green Oval badge. Why else would anyone be interested in this phone when the Sonim XP-3, on which it is based, is available cheaper?

The specifications were certainly impressive, especially in the area of ruggedisation. IP-67 certification – whatever that is – fully submersible up to 1-metre for 30 minutes, MIL-810F rating for salt, fog, humidity, transport shock and thermal shock, resistance to petroleum, crush, and puncture, rated to 2-metre drop to concrete, the list goes on. This is one tough dude.

To prove the point, Land Rover enlisted the services of eccentric English adventurer and explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes to plug the phone. This chap sawed off his own frost-bitten fingers and thumb with a Black & Decker saw in his garden shed so if he says it is tough, it must be tough. There were even pictures of Sir Ranulph driving a Land Rover Defender through watery mud, with said phones cable-tied to the wheel spoke and front bumper.

And, it comes with an 1,850mAh lithium ion battery with a promised 11.5 hours of talk time and standby time of 1,000 hours! That’s … few pokes at the calculator … 41.66 days!

I had to have one to go with my Disco named Humphrey. Besides, at the prices that Solihull-made vehicles go for these days, this would be the only brand new Land Rover product I could ever afford.

The catch was that it had just been launched (this was mid-June, 2009) and would be available only in the UK. But, not a problem, this being the 21st century. I emailed a friend in London, and he agreed to buy one for me.

Money was paypal-ed over (plus some more for VAT) to cover the £295.95 asking price, plus some more for postage.
When the phone was not forthcoming for a while, I enquired and got the feeling that this was, in fact, a real Land Rover product. It hadn’t even left the shop and already had a problem. Something about the bluetooth not functioning, my London friend said the shop told him, so they had to re-flash it or something like that.

Eventually, it arrived at my friend's London address. Mindful that it was wearing a Land Rover badge, I asked my friend to test it to make sure it worked before sending it to me (in Shah Alam, Malaysia,) by Royal Mail. Surprise, surprise, it worked.

So, I waited anxiously for the postman to deliver.
Once in my grubby paws, I anxiously tore open the packaging, quickly rushed through the instruction on charging and plugged it in to get the battery charged up.

That done, quickly inserted my Celcom SIM card and turned it on.
“Enter VPN …”, it prompted me. Curses! This was a SIM-locked phone.


I went back to check the website and, sure enough, it indicated that you could get the phone free on an Orange contract, pay £249.95 for a “standard pay-as-you-go” plan or £295.95 for phone only. Silly me, I had thought that meant a SIM-locked phone. I was wrong. Again.

An appeal to my friend to contact the seller and even Land Rover UK drew a blank. They One said the lock was implemented by Land Rover and so they could not or would not do a thing about it. Land Rover, so my friend told me, did not want to know about it.

I did not give up. Tried Land Rover UK website, no contact email, only a phone number. Tried a Land Rover buff in the Philippines who is also a journalist with good contacts in Solihull but the email address he gave me no longer worked. Tried Land Rover Malaysia, and their marketing manager tried to get someone in UK but failed to find out who I could communicate with.

All I had was an indestructible paperweight.

But there’s always the Internet and, eventually, I got hold of a chip (for about RM25, shipping included) that could bypass the lock.
It worked, and that was when I discovered that the legendary Lucas, Prince of Darkness, may have had a hand in the development of this phone.

It may not leak fluids, in or out, but it leaks electricity. Instead of the claimed 1,000 hours standby time, it went from full four bars indicated battery charge to one bar in less than 30 hours. Within 36 hours, without making or receiving a single call or sending/receiving SMS, it was completely leaked out, with time and date data completely gone.

Oh, and the bluetooh is crippled. My Nokia can find it and it can receive files from said Nokia, but it cannot detect/find my Plantronics Voyager Pro headset. So there goes my plan to use it while driving.

Then, I downloaded the Mobile Phone PC Tools from the Sonim site, and guess what? It does not work, it cannot detect the phone, and causes the PC to hang. Several times. Every time I tried.

So, I send the following email to Sonim Asia Pacific:

“Based on glowing reviews and the impressive specs, I bought a Sonim-made Land Rover S1 phone from the UK, with the intention of using it in Malaysia where I reside.
The website www.landroverphone.co.uk indicated that the phone was free with an Orange contract, or could be purchased as phone only for £295.95. There was no mention that all phones are SIM-locked to Orange.
So, I ended up with a phone that could not work in Malaysia, except as a roaming UK Orange phone. How could you, as manufacturer, allow such a deal on a product designed to be used under rugged conditions anywhere in the world?
My IMEI No.is 35169503 - 114747 - 5
Battery serial number is: FMT0905021555
Never mind that, I just got hold of a chip that allows me to bypass the lock, although I would still prefer a properly unlocked phone.
My main issue is that the battery life is nowhere near claimed. Fully charged after more than 7 hours of charging, and without the phone being used in any way at all, it is barely able to hold the charge for 48 hours and after about 60 hours, it is completely dead, with time and date data gone. So much for the claimed 1,000 hours of standby time!
Furthermore, the bluetooth is unable to recognise a Plantronics Voyager PRO headset that my Nokia has no trouble with.
And the Mobile Phone PC Tools software I downloaded from Sonim does not recognise the phone.
So, in summary, the ownership experience so far has been little short of a disaster.
Regards,
Paul Si”

I received a fairly prompt reply from Christophe Gerbelot c.gerbelot@sonimtech.com that went like this:
“Hello Paul,
I am sorry about the trouble you have had with the Land Rover S1 by Sonim. We will make sure that we clarify the offer so that further confusion is avoided.
Please let me know if there is anything else I can do to help you.
Best regards”
So, he promises to sort out the confusing ad, which he did. The site now clearly states a SIM-free phone is available, for the same price I paid for my locked unit.
But how about the miserable battery life? How about the bluetooth-ache, and the flaccid software?

Never mind, Christophe, I am through with this costly experiment, and am now back to my trusty Nokia.

I am sure the phone is pretty tough but, at this stage, after nearly two months of anticipation and frustration, the only useful function of all that ruggedness is to withstand the rage of an angry owner hurling it at hard surfaces out of exasperation.

As a gift for a diehard Land Rover fan, it makes a perfect paperweight, though.

I'm no marketing whiz but I'd assume co-branded merchandising is intended to increase loyalty and affection for a brand. On that basis, this S1 phone, I would have to say, has been an unmitigated disaster. From product performance to reliability to after-sales support and service, it is a complete failure.

I am still fond of my sandglow-coloured Discovery but a part of the love for the brand has certainly died.