Putting it to the test
Just before the start of the Indiana State Fair, Verizon Wireless approached HAT with the idea of testing a new cell phone. The phone has a push to talk feature that allows you to talk to one person or an entire group of people with the push of a button. In addition, the phone was built to “Military spec” which means it is supposed to be indestructible. We decided to put the phones and the technology to the test.
With a large number of reporters covering the fair and lots of breaking news, it was great to use the push to talk feature to communicate with staff members at the fair or in the newsroom. The feature worked well, the connection was quick, and the sound quality good. The only complaint was that the alert sound that indicated you were being paged was not very loud and was not adjustable. This made it hard to hear the alert when in a noisy livestock barn. Also the push to talk button, located on the side of the phone, was small and often difficult to find quickly. Perhaps adding a vibrate alert on the push to talk feature would help.
The phones proved to be sturdy. We dropped them in the dirt, tossed them in equipment bags, and even had one fall off a golf cart. They performed fine. The special noise canceling circuitry in the phones helped them perform well in outside high noise areas, like the midway.
This phone would have applications for farmers, allowing them to communicate from the cab of a combine with the push of a button. Being able to talk to several people at once, would make it easy to coordinate employees. It would also be a quick and easy way to call for supplies or order lunch.
Verizon also has phones that can be tracked for their location. This allows fleet managers to keep track of their drivers. I might ask for those phones for next year’s State Fair, so I will know when my reporters skip out on that dull press conference and visit the dairy bar.
In my interview with Michele Gibson of Verizon, we discuss the many new applications of wireless technology for the modern farming operation.
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