2014 - Year of the smartphone?

[Davey_T]

Noticed a huge increase in smartphones (vast majority of them being iPhones) this year (been since 09) and even saw a few iPads about which to me is just incredible. I hate this stuff at festivals but with EE getting involved with chill and charge/mobile chargers, I feel like it's just going to get worse. Does anyone take smartphones and if so, do you feel it makes the festival better like this?

[garc1a]

i had my iphone, cant say that it improved the festival itself tho.

i do quite like to check emails and catch up on a bit of news when i wake up in the morning, even at a festival. wouldnt be the end of the world if i couldnt. its also good for checking the line up as i didnt get a programme or lanyard with the bands lists on it. by the time i went to the info point on the fri they had none left.

thing is love them or hate them, i am in both camps. they are here to stay and most people have one. embrace the future

[TheNewUnion]

Saw someone taking photos with an iPad. Couldn't believe it, who'd take something like that to an event in a field? I'd be terrified of breaking it, getting it wet etc.

[Pink_Tequila]

I had my iphone yes! I kept it charged as well with a portable battery. It didn't make Glastonbury better but it did enable me to make plans to meet people that would have not been possible otherwise I also used it for taking pictures.

[Cabaret_Tent]

My Nokia lasted the whole fest! Just got a new sim from O2 before the fest and stuck it in my old phone. Don't know why everyone doesn't do this?

[rubenz]

I did take one but only as I realised last minute that new 4G sim did not work in old Nokia anymore. Didn't really improve things for me but was good to check band stuff on twitter etc.

Have to say I was amazed with the 4G coverage was able to watch perfect video of BBC coverage of the bands when I was I bed in the tent

[Ruwise]

I had my phone with me but barely touched it apart from each morning when I woke up and briefly before bed each night. My battery lasted pretty much the whole festival though I partially topped it up one night with an external charger but had 25% left on Monday morning so a sign of how little I used it. It usually doesn't even last a day without needing charging.

[ICGenie]

I have to say that, just a few years after happily sticking my phone in the lock-up for the weekend, I now have it with me all the time. I bought a portable charger, get about 5 full charges out which did me and my husband easily for the weekend. I mostly used it for the line up which I found really useful. Also kept up with stuff on Twitter - still missed most of the secret gigs, I think you need to check it more often than I did!

I wouldn't have bothered without my charger though. Took a young girl (20 years old) for the first time and the amount of time she wasted in charging tents, dashing around the lock-ups looking for somewhere to charge up was a bit sad to see.

I like to think I'd do a totally phone-free festival again but I probably wouldn't.

[Bobs]

I blame LondonTom for me bringing my iPhone, he showed me Anker's off Amazon, and they are cracking.

I vowed never to queue up at that wretched EE place ever again, it's just full of twats, including myself if i decide to waste 2 precious hours to queue up, only to get 12% charge on my phone.

I don't ever let my phone out my sight, and i don't want to take my camera to Glastonbury, so naturally my iPhone covers my back perfectly! The Anker charger died, literally as we exited Glastonbury town, on Monday morning, so all in all, if you're smart enough to buy a portable phone charger, then good on you.

If you want to queue up for 2 hours, then more fool you.

[snoopyhill]

I used mine early morning for twitter, news, catching up on World Cup and sending photos and texts to mates that couldn't make it. During the day for photos, getting some info about various things. It also helped me find my car when it was time to leave.

I had a couple of spare batteries and an external power bank so charging wasn't an issue. Would I take it again? Definitely

[Yesiamaduck]

Honestly whats the big deal if people use their smartphones at Glastonbury?

But yeah the reason why they've increased in popularity

1) Chill and charge

2) The signal quality at Glastonbury is pretty much flawless now

3) The increased availability, reduced price and increased capacity of power banks

4) Secret sets/gigs + twitter

5) Smartphones are getting cheaper

6) The EE power bar

7) They're replacing diaries, the Glasto app, they're replacing personal cameras, they're replacing personal video cameras.

Edited July 1, 2014 by Yesiamaduck

[gooner1990]

I used to take an old phone and pop my sim in there but took my iPhone with me this year as I had bought one of those external power packs that did me about 4 full charges.

That said I only really used it to text/call mates who were at the festival to meet up with and send the odd text to friends at home. I had 3G turned off the whole time apart from when I turned it on to check the World Cup scores.

Like it or not the tide has turned with regards to phones at festivals....the outside world is no longer the blackout it once was!

[FuzzyDunlop]

I have no problem with people using their phones / cameras, just not constantly. I just decided not to take mine myself. I have no interest in what the rest of the eorld is upto whilst I'm on the farm

[ohvienna]

Don't see a problem with bringing a smartphone, unless you let it consume your weekend. The queues for charging at lockups/EE tent were ridiculous.

Personally I quite enjoy the 5 days without my iphone, but I can see why people want to bring theirs.

[A13]

Brought mine this year for the first time at a festival.

Didn't particularly add anything, but was useful to still be 'connected' to emails/social media.

The rise of these Anker things is to 'blame' - so easy.

[Ohinever]

Could barely connect to three mobile all weekend in complete contrast to last year, and missed two secret Heaton gigs as a result! Less than happy.

[johnmcga]

I make a point of swapping from my iPhone to a crap Nokia for the festival. I'm pretty much addicted to my smart phone at all other times, so it's great to have a few days where it isn't there to distract me.

I don't really begrudge anyone else for using theirs, although I do wonder how much of a band some people actually see while they're shooting a video or texting their mates.

It'll also be really interesting to see what apps and uses emerge for phones at festivals in the next few years. I can imagine some of the stuff in Shangri La and Block 9 etc working with interesting augmented reality apps and things. Whether that'll be a good thing or not, I don't know.

[Jules007]

My mate took her ipad, she was in crew camping so felt it was safe to store back there :-/

She used it as a camcorder and camera. Quite an expensive one but she loves to relive these things.

[mattgimmeshelter]

Potentially because technology is developing?

[tumbles]

I took a few videos and a few photos but purposely tried not to impede anyone when doing so.

15 years ago you bought tickets for glasto at your local record shop... Everything evolves..

[frostypaw]

having phones work at the festival is incredibly useful and i love having it on me now and being able to find lost friends easily

but it is just mental how many will stand not watching a gig texting away until the song they know, or even no interest whatsoever. i really have no objection to people using a phone at all don't get me wrong it's just makes me sad that they don't go do something they do enjoy that they can't take their eyes and ears off instead - that's the bloody point isn't it?

[Abster]

Saw someone taking photos with an iPad. Couldn't believe it, who'd take something like that to an event in a field? I'd be terrified of breaking it, getting it wet etc.

[johnmcga]

This thread reminds me actually, a bloke in front of me started Facetiming someone (presumably his girlfriend) during the Arcade Fire encore. He held his phone up and rotated through 360 degrees so she could see the whole field.

I gave her a wave as the screen faced me. I honestly couldn't decide if I thought what he was doing was kinda cool or a bit sad.

[waynewdk]

i took a cheap fone. was off most off the time, put it on to tx the misus, she was on a trip in london, so checked she was safe. Also used it to re-locate mates if they had left the tent before me. It also got me my full wallet back on my first night. Was lucky it was a cheap with basic screen lock. My wallet and phone fell out in a toilet both wer in a seal bag. The nice people who found it made contact and i was re-united.

Edited July 1, 2014 by waynewdk

[Fingerbobs]

I took mine. An Xperia sp which I used to call/text the wife (not in front of St Vincent though. Oh no) & meet mate on site. Took a few vids, checked efests & weather app. Did all this on single charge from back home in London. Got home with 19% left which has totally flummoxed me as I'm lucky to get day and a half usually.