Land Rover Explore: The rugged phone for the Canadian wilderness
17.5.2018
As a biathlete, I have high expectations of a phone. Smaller, thinner, faster doesn't apply to me. My phone has to be able to take a beating. That's why I chose the Land Rover Explore.
I start to run. Faster and faster, until I reach a fork in the road. Right or left? Ehm...yes, where actually? There shouldn't be a fork in the road here. And where is actually here? Great, I've lost my way. And as always, when I get lost, there's no mobile phone reception, what now? And anyway, where is the snow? I'm a biathlete, not a runner. That's why I move my training to Canada for a year. At least there's snow there.
My sport and (my) important companion
Source: Marketa Sommer
My name is Vivienne, I'm 17 years old and I'm a keen sportswoman. Biathlon plays a very special role for me. Because I do the combination of cross-country skiing and shooting at a competitive level. This requires a lot of training, which I can almost only do outside. Whether it's biking, jogging, swimming, paddling, racing cycling, hiking, roller skiing, skiing or snowboarding, I enjoy exercising in the great outdoors. The equipment plays an important role in this. Especially as I'm doing an exchange year in Canada from July, this is a very important topic for me.
The mobile phone quickly comes up when it comes to the topic of equipment. What does my mobile need to be able to do? Have I chosen the right model? How long does the battery last? Can I make an emergency call in an emergency? Will it break quickly? What happens if I get lost? These are all questions you've probably asked yourself. I certainly did. I quickly realised that my previous smartphone, the iPhone SE, wasn't exactly the perfect outdoor mobile phone.
If you do a little research on the internet, you're bound to come across the new Land Rover Explore, which looks very promising at first glance. But it's not just an eye-catcher on the outside. This rugged phone is perfectly adapted to tough conditions and packs a punch. With a battery capacity of 4000mAh, it has a very long service life and is perfect for the Canadian winter even at minus 30 degrees, is still fully functional and can be connected to a further 3600mAh with an easily connectable additional battery. The 5-inch display, which has a resolution of Full HD and is equipped with Gorilla Glass 5, can be operated with gloves. As a winter sports enthusiast, you really couldn't ask for more.
Another practical function is the ceramic GPS antenna in the Adventure Pack, which works via satellite radio. I'm often travelling in unfamiliar terrain, so it's easy to lose my bearings. But the Land Rover Explore has professional navigation and a View Ranger installed, so thanks to this GPS antenna we get maps and location even without an active mobile phone network - so that I know which turn to take when I reach a fork in the road.
Before you get into the saddle or trainers full of enthusiasm, you will certainly have checked the upcoming weather conditions. Because there's nothing worse than a nasty surprise. On Land Rover Explore, you can create profiles for your sports so that it shows you at a glance all the relevant information for the sport of the upcoming training, such as:
- Weather conditions
- Weather change
- Temperature (change)
- Wind speed
- Metres above sea level
Not to forget that the Rugged Phone is very resistant. It is water, salt water, mud, dust, shock and drop resistant up to 1.80 metres. Which is very practical, because during sports your mobile can quickly fall out of your hand or pocket and your current phone is certainly not a first.
The first encounter
I have to say that I'm almost a little excited. The phone promises a lot and I hope it lives up to those promises. When I unpack the Land Rover Explore and hold it in my hand for the first time, I'm almost a little surprised. It doesn't look so ugly.
Okay, why should it look ugly? Well, rugged phones will probably never win a beauty award. But the Explore doesn't look anything like the usual rugged phones. It's a little heavier and bigger than a normal smartphone and it feels a little clunky to me, but very sturdy. But I can still hold it well with my small fingers.
The screen is nice and big and, with an 8-megapixel front camera, can easily keep up with a normal smartphone. It has a 16-megapixel camera on the back. There are also four small connectors on the back where you can connect the additional battery or anything else. All in all, the design is nice and simple.
After switching on the mobile, I am again a little surprised. The Range Rover Rugged Phone is equipped with Android 7, which is why it looks like a normal smartphone such as a Samsung. And just like a normal smartphone, you have 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal memory, which is perfect for photos, music or as with your previous phone. Local music is important on the Explore, because Spotify and the like won't work if you don't have mobile phone reception.
What I also do as a sportsman, however, is a lot of travelling. To my delight, the Land Rover Phone allows you to use two SIM cards at the same time.
I was very positively surprised by the Land Rover Explore, it convinced me with its functionality. The Land Rover Explore is a perfect combination of smartphone and rugged phone in one. You don't have to do without anything, because it works and looks almost like your previous mobile. Nevertheless, your device is a small high-performance computer that accompanies you everywhere, whether in sports or everyday life, and won't let you down so quickly.
I'm looking forward to my experiences with the Land Rover Explore and I'm excited to see what sporting experiences I'll have with it. So: off to Canada. <p
Shooting and cross-country skiing are my world. I am a biathlete abroad in Canada and write about this experience.<br> <a href="http://viviennesommer.ch/w_biathlon/site/s_0.asp?GID=113&RID=274&AID=1352" target="_blank">viviennesommer.ch</a>
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