[spruceartist]

I recently got a q5, and love the phone. However I am often working in the middle of nowhere, and may not see any real sized cities for months (driving a big rig in remote Canada). As a result I always like having a backup phone. This of course must be reliable since I may not actually use it for months at a time.

As a result I was thinking of getting a used 9900, however I think I should ask some owners first.
Do you think it would be good as a backup?

I would really like to hear from anyone who may have stored theirs for several months.
Probably my biggest concern is the battery. I can always charge it, but will it actually last if not in use? How reliable is it in the cold. I try not to pull a phone out when it's -40 out but do have to from time to time. My q5 seems to be good here, but my old Samsung would die in seconds.

Are there any other concerns you may have, or even a better phone you would recommend?

Thank you in advance for your response

[pkcable]

I loved my 9930, but I never used it in extreme cold, just the coldest days of a Philly winter, and it handled those with ease. Very durable phone in my opinion. Also after I got my Z10 my 9930 sat a while before I gave it to my dad and the battery handled that just fine. It died of course but a charge brought it back to life.

[goodayeh]

I keep a pair of flip phones on standby for emergency purposes. The battery life on these things is amazing ( a week ). Got to use them last year during a 3 day power outage. I always keep them fully charged !

[Ray III]

The lifespan of lithium-ion batteries is really determined by how many times it has been recharged, and exposure to heat. As with any battery, overcharging is not beneficial.

If I were you, I would just put it on the charger whenever the battery goes dead so it does not go absolutely totally dead which a charger may not be able to bring back to life. Also, if the battery is well used, buy a new OEM one because worn out batteries drain themselves faster.

[gruv4u]

Nope! Not moving backwards!

Z10 (STL 100-3) Superphone with vitamin 10.2.1.1925

[anon(3987448)]

I keep my old one charged up, just in case. Plus sometimes I throw in a roaming or burner SIM when traveling.

Z10STL100-3/10.2.1.2234 on Bell with Unlimited Data

[madcat72]

I have a 9900 as a back up, I'll actually turn off my 9900 when I don't use it and the battery last a couple weeks without usage, I'm also in Canada and I work outside, in the cold weather days -20 to -30, the 9900 would come out.

Much easier to operate with gloves on, and signal strength I find much better in remote areas where 3G/4G isn't available, the 9900 handles 2G perfectly compared to the Q10.

After a week without usage, still on, sitting there on wifi, and battery still at 50%. I'd say if your looking at a 9900 has a backup phone, from my experience, it's a good choice.



Posted via CB10

[spruceartist]

Thanks everyone, it looks like I'll be buying a 9900 as a backup.

However after your statement madcat I will probably use it primarily when I'm in remote locations making the Q5 my backup. It was actually an iceroad trucker who convinced me to switch over to Blackberry in the first place. He was the only one with good communication on a very weak wifi connection.

However I must also agree with you here gruv4u.

Nope! Not moving backwards!

Z10 (STL 100-3) Superphone with vitamin 10.2.1.1925

My Q5 is the only smartphone I've owned that hasn't needed resetting every 2 days. Everything except my camera works perfectly, and I believe that's just an issue with the latest firmware. Which I hope Telus / Koodo fix soon. Since I happen to be an artistic photographer I always have at least 1 good quality camera with me anyways, so that's no big deal for me.

[Johberry]

Yes, I would. I've had a 9900 since its release and although now have a Q10, I use my 9900 not only as a backup but switch between the phones occasionally. Perhaps I'm a creature of habit because I find myself missing the trackpad and belt on the 9900.

Anyways, the 99xx series is a great choice. I would pay for another simply because I think it's a better built phone not to mention beautiful.

[adamlau]

nope! Not moving backwards!

sqn100-1 10.2.1.2947 | sta100-3 10.2.1.2947

[jevinzac]

Nop, since it's battery life sucks!
A backup means, when your current smartphone dies temporarily, the other should be very much usable, but if u get the 9900 as a backup, the battery will drain even before your Q5 reaches 50%!!

Posted via CB10

[spruceartist]

I have read about that poor battery life jevinzac, and honestly if I carried a cell phone and left it on while snowshoeing you would be 100% right. However in this case I always have a charging. Source close by. My main concern is I must have 30 minutes talk time in cold conditions. Which I would hope the 9900 could deliver.
It's how long most of our mechanics will try helping us fix our trucks over the phone before they'll send out a rescue party. I kinda drive 300km further North than any traditional road, so our trucks won't start after that point.

[jevinzac]

I have read about that poor battery life jevinzac, and honestly if I carried a cell phone and left it on while snowshoeing you would be 100% right. However in this case I always have a charging. Source close by. My main concern is I must have 30 minutes talk time in cold conditions. Which I would hope the 9900 could deliver.
It's how long most of our mechanics will try helping us fix our trucks over the phone before they'll send out a rescue party. I kinda drive 300km further North than any traditional road, so our trucks won't start after that point.

Hm then if battery life isn't an issue, then go ahead with the 9900, it's the smoothest OS 7.1 device. Or there are other alternatives, BlackBerry 9790, 9720, lumia 525 or even the Moto G.

Posted via CB10

[SUBLIMINALLYINCORRECT]

wouldnt you need a BIS/BES plan then? no thanks dont need to pay for carrier bloat unless a corporate plan was in place paid for a company...
I owned one it was great, but the company needs to move on and not rely on "old school" blackberry. I'm pretty sure we all can agree that was the same blackberry that got into the mess that the company is in right now.

[spruceartist]

wouldnt you need a BIS/BES plan then? no thanks dont need to pay for carrier bloat unless a corporate plan was in place paid for a company...
I owned one it was great, but the company needs to move on and not rely on "old school" blackberry. I'm pretty sure we all can agree that was the same blackberry that got into the mess that the company is in right now.

I wish I knew where BlackBerry went wrong, however I wish more Canadians would take pride in the only Canadian Cell phone manufacturer and actually buy their products. Then BlackBerry might not be in such a mess.
However, I am almost ashamed at myself for not buying a Blackberry earlier. I thought I couldn't afford it, but when Iook back I've gone through 4 android devices in the last 2.5 years. I'd probably still be on my first Blackberry produce if I would have bought one in the first place. (i admit, i gave 1 of those phones to my girlfriend. The only one which outlasted the warranty period. It just died, after around 18 months)

The most brutal part of the trail is the Ingraham Trail This is where most of the carnage happens, and also happens to mostly be within cell phone service. It also happens to be the section where most truckers quit, and is honestly scary to even the best truckers at times.
After that you would be amazed where we suddenly receive text messages, or our phones may quickly ring in the middle of some frozen lake. If needed we may just get a signal while standing on the truck. Then while at the mines we usually have some very weak wifi signal. This is where the Blackberries seem to rule, with clear wifi calling when android phones with skype are constantly breaking up and pretty much unusable.
So a reliable cell is a must have up there.

For those other places, if needed my boss does have a satellite phone. We just prefer to keep the expenses down. We work on the bonus system, to a point. the more money my boss makes on a truck the bigger the drivers bonus will be.

[AthenaSmith]

I definitely would. I've had the 9900 since its release and I love it dearly, but I was forced to relegate it to secondary-phone status because a couple of its keys were starting to give out. I still use it from time to time as a backup to my Q10 primary phone.

Posted via CB10