Phones to use in Plants that do not allow camera phones

We are planning a change from Nextel service to Verizon. We had a bunch of the Motorola i836 phones from Nextel and they had poor speaker quality, a couple of the screens went out, and had so ? many problems with those phones. Do not want to make the same mistake again.

We were looking at the Motorola v325i phones, but they have a camera in them. The ?powers that be? are concerned that our people will not be able to take them into numerous manufacturing plants that our people need to go to because of the camera feature. Rep also suggested the Nokia 2366i, but after reading this forum, skeptical of that phone. Biggest concern there seems to be the ringer is not loud enough. We do want a phone with Bluetooth.

Anyone know of a work-around or another Verizon phone suggestion with Bluetooth, but no camera? A way to disable the camera that would be suitable for traveling to manufacturing plants that restricts camera phones? I am sure others must have had this issue to deal with.

Thanks for your input!
 
This is really where the beauty of GSM works. You can get a cheap basic backup phone for work, and then have a nice camera phone for when you are not at work. Are you completely sold on Verizon?
 
The company is not going to pay for two phones for their employees. We mostly want a good quality phone that will hold up to heavy use, get fantastic coverage, good battery life. Just wish the Motorola v325i didn't have the camera.
 
Nokia E62 should fit the bill. Battery life is excellent. I have talked for hours straight on it and haven't had anything cut out because the battery was going dry. Some places have reported over 12 hours of straight talk time. Reception is good. Speaker is loud. Has bluetooth. Magnesium case, I've dropped it a few times already and isn't showing any signs of wear. Supports blackberry connect. Obviously this is Cingular and not Verizon, but it's worth suggesting since it meets the rest of the requirements.
 
The phone sounds like it would be a perfect fit, although we already decided on Verizon's service. A couple of people had ATT which became part of Cingular and they are less than pleased with their service. Many places that they travel - Verizon gets service and Cingular doesn't. Not to say there is anything wrong with Cingular. Much depends upon where you live, and travel. Think we are going with the Motorola v325i. It was suggested by someone at Verizon that one company put epoxy over the camera lenses to render it inoperable. If the camera becomes a problem, we may resort to that.
 
the w315 seems to fit, but doesn't have bluetooth...
you could probably buy an older model of ebay, but you would have a hard time getting a bunch of them, plus they would have no warranty
contact verizon and tell them that you need a business plan, because the corporate phone selection is different, and they might have something else that would fit your needs.

if worse comes to worse, but the w325i and a roll of electrical tape and just put a piece of tape over the lens
haha.

hope you find that "perfect phone",
vinvam
 
Blackberry 8703e maybe. It has a good keyboard, I would imagine it's pretty sturdy, I have a friend with an 8700r, and he has enough money that if he wasn't happy with it he'd just buy a different phone. I don't know about call volume, but it supports bluetooth, and earlier editions were designed pretty much with bluetooth headsets in mind.

I have no experience with it, but it's similar to my E62, so more likely than not it's good.

I guess the concern with covering the lens would be if it is a permanent solution. If there's some kind of solvent to get it off then plants might not be comfortable with it.
 
Same issue here. I work in Nuclear plants and we just recently were banned from carrying in (even company issued) phones. I currently have the Moto V325i and need a good powerfull phone with bluetooth and non camera. I had considered the Nokia 2366I when I upgrade.
 
Why do some companies ban them? If they are worried about someone taking a picture, the picture is a such a low resolution, it is totally useless.
 
As far as nuclear security, it could be used for photographing layouts of systems critical to safe emergency shut down. I'm a supervisor and it still makes no matter.

As far as manufactures, it could be used to gain trade secrets or processes.
 
I'm not certain if VZ offers them, but what about the Motorola Slvr L2? They work well, are cheap, stylish, and fit your needs.
 
I work for a defense contractor and I'm going through the same hassles now trying to find a camera-less phone with Bluetooth. I have Cingular, I tried the SE M600i, however my area is heavily dependent on 850 MHz band so the phone had piss-poor signal. I'm currently using a unlocked Moto V190, but it doesn't have Bluetooth.

I've been thinking of getting a phone and gutting the camera out of it, but I'm not sure how clean that would be. Any suggestions?
 
That's what I'm using now, it's OK compared to the E-815. I took my v325i to the VZW store and had them remove the camera. I filled the lens hole in with RTV sealant and placed a small heavy circular label over the hole. When I hit the camera button the screen displays "unable to connect with camera". Problem solved until I upgrade.
 
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