VTEC "EMT Set" Power Sockets

[infobleep]

I get 10/11 days out of the battery on mine, which is one of those new fangled smartphone things. That's because I've switched off all the unnecessary features and use it solely as, you know, a phone (and texting). The batteries in smartphones aren't poor per se, but it is true (as I think has been mentioned now) that they have been unable to keep pace with the evolution of mobile phones into all singing, all dancing technological "wonders". The fault therein lies with the companies that are pushing these things at us as consumers.

Personally I think there is no point having a smartphone if all you do is make calls and send texts. Much cheaper phones will do this and nit much else. Admittedly they are slow at sending texts and if someone send you a large text message they don't always get converted into one big message but multiple ones.

Someone should invent a phone which is really good at sending and receiving large text messages and making calls but nothing else.

 

[AM9]

Personally I think there is no point having a smartphone if all you do is make calls and send texts. Much cheaper phones will do this and nit much else. Admittedly they are slow at sending texts and if someone send you a large text message they don't always get converted into one big message but multiple ones.

Someone should invent a phone which is really good at sending and receiving large text messages and making calls but nothing else.

There are plenty of those around that cost less to buy outright than many smartphone users pay per month on a 24 month contract. Here are some examples:
http://cpc.farnell.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?catalogId=15002&langId=69&storeId=10180&categoryId=700000008358&pageSize=25&showResults=true&sf=601,705
Many of them have real buttons which some find easier than soft keys on touch screens.
The problem is that smartphones are marketed as the latest greatest fashion thing, the worst culprits being the trend for ever larger screens, greater processing power and smaller batteries. This is a classic case of style over function, - and many people who fall for that rarely use them for anything more than text or voice or to impress their equally misled friends.

 

[DarloRich]

There are plenty of those around that cost less to buy outright than many smartphone users pay per month on a 24 month contract. Here are some examples:
http://cpc.farnell.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?catalogId=15002&langId=69&storeId=10180&categoryId=700000008358&pageSize=25&showResults=true&sf=601,705
Many of them have real buttons which some find easier than soft keys on touch screens.
The problem is that smartphones are marketed as the latest greatest fashion thing, the worst culprits being the trend for ever larger screens, greater processing power and smaller batteries. This is a classic case of style over function, - and many people who fall for that rarely use them for anything more than text or voice or to impress their equally misled friends.

whereas i use mine merely to play candy crush and send semi libelous tweets

If you turn off all the crud that you don't need NOW battery life on a smart phone is perfectly acceptable.

 

[sprinterguy]

Personally I think there is no point having a smartphone if all you do is make calls and send texts.

I'm actually inclined to agree, but it's what they offered me in the shop, in order to reduce my tariff, and a phone's a phone to me.

 

[infobleep]

I'm actually inclined to agree, but it's what they offered me in the shop, in order to reduce my tariff, and a phone's a phone to me.

I always buy my phone separate to my sim only contract as it's cheaper that way. This is getting away from the original point so back on track.

I use an app on my phone that makes use of my location GPS. This does reduce my battery life a fair amount but I except that as I wish to make use of the app. Hence I have a portable battery charger.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Personally I think there is no point having a smartphone if all you do is make calls and send texts. Much cheaper phones will do this and nit much else. Admittedly they are slow at sending texts and if someone send you a large text message they don't always get converted into one big message but multiple ones.

Someone should invent a phone which is really good at sending and receiving large text messages and making calls but nothing else.

I must be really in my dotage now as when I was young, telephones were only used for making and receiving telephone calls .....

 

[455driver]

I must be really in my dotage now as when I was young, telephones were only used for making and receiving telephone calls .....

And you never lost it because it was connected to your house by a long lead.

If you were out and about you had to find a phonebox, put your 2p in and then make the call, oh how times have changed.

 

[Starmill]

I'm currently sat on a Mark 4 - and I have this sneaking suspicion it has had new curtains. Maybe they finally are doing something!

 

[jon0844]

And you never lost it because it was connected to your house by a long lead.

If you were out and about you had to find a phonebox, put your 2p in and then make the call, oh how times have changed.[emoji38]

It's certainly not 2p on a phone box now, assuming you can even find one!

 

[Clip]

I've pointed this out more times than I care to remember so I am only going to do so once more.

These sets are only in service to allow VTEC to put red vinyls on the trains. They have spent a lot of time doing this, and are yet to touch the interior. This is them, demonstrating where their priorities lie.

I am almost certain that a huge majority of the travelling public want a train with sockets more than they want a train with vinyls.

So how in line with their customers' are VTEC's priorities? Up to usual Virgin standards?

Power is increasingly not seen as an 'add-on' but a 'must have' like air conditioning has been becoming. Remember when a roof was considered an add-on?

Get with the programme.

It takes about 4 hours to put a wrap on a train maybe 7 tops. To install plug sockets you have to generally rip out the whole interior and install new stuff and for an hst Id hazard a guess that its not going to be done over night let alone a week.

Try and understand that it is better to have a train in service than to take one out for weeks on end just to have bloody phone sockets put in.

 

[ainsworth74]

It takes about 4 hours to put a wrap on a train maybe 7 tops. To install plug sockets you have to generally rip out the whole interior and install new stuff and for an hst Id hazard a guess that its not going to be done over night let alone a week.

Try and understand that it is better to have a train in service than to take one out for weeks on end just to have bloody phone sockets put in.

This is all true but we're not talking about the choice between wraps or sockets. VTEC have decided that they would rather put a wrap on their trains at a rate which requires them to hire in a substandard replacement set.

There is no compunction on them to do this other than they would rather have their trains in livery as fast as possible at the expense of the customers experience.

If they were hiring a substandard train to help them run a new service or to allow for an interior refurbishment or because the trains needed painting to preserve their longevity and structural integrity then, whilst annoying, it would be understandable and better than cancelling a diagram every day for weeks or delaying the introduction of an extra service.

But that's not what's happening here VTEC are hiring a train so they can wrap their trains which has absolutely no benefit to the customer and could be done when the sets do get an interior refurbishment or are in few a longer period of maintenance.

So what is their priority? Customer experience or corperate identity (which Virgin hardly struggle with!)? On the basis of what we have seen so far it would seem they're placing customers in second place to making sure the trains are nice shade of red.

 

[AM9]

I'm actually inclined to agree, but it's what they offered me in the shop, in order to reduce my tariff, and a phone's a phone to me.

It's not when you've let the battery go down.