Jump to content

The Best Caching Phone?


GerritS

Recommended Posts

Hi,

 

I have been away for a few months and have lost touch, I have been a Nokia N95 Cacher and can now upgrade but what to?

 

Whats the best phone for Caching?

 

I think the GPS Signal is as important as anything else?

 

All thoughts apprechiated. Windows or Symbian?

 

Gerrit

Link to comment

Presumably as you've been using an N95 you have already bought the excellent Viewranger software/maps, and are using the free Trimble Geocache Navigator software and Google Mobile maps.

 

That being so I can't see why you would want to change! Spend your money on an extra battery instead. :D

 

Yup have to agree on all of above, but as it will be a free be (you dont want my phone bills), it cheaper to get a spare caching phone than battery :)

 

Any reports on N96?

 

Gerrit

Link to comment

Presumably as you've been using an N95 you have already bought the excellent Viewranger software/maps, and are using the free Trimble Geocache Navigator software and Google Mobile maps.

 

That being so I can't see why you would want to change! Spend your money on an extra battery instead. :D

 

Yup have to agree on all of above, but as it will be a free be (you dont want my phone bills), it cheaper to get a spare caching phone than battery :laughing:

 

Any reports on N96?

 

Gerrit

 

I'm in the same boat -upgrade due on Tuesday next week . At the moment I have a N95 8gb that has tom tom sat nav and Geocache Navigator on it . Also have an external bluetooth GPS for better sensitivity at Ground Zero. With 110+ finds I can't fault the software , the only dissadvantage is not being able to download and store the cache pages before going out into the field . If you have no reception it all starts to fall apart.

Have looked at the N96 , the new Blackberry and the i-phone. All have their good and bad points but because I already have Tomtom sat nav for the Nokia and a 8 gb card to expand the memory ,have the Nokia software in the Pc I'm 99% sure I'll take the N96.

The biggest reason for sticking with Nokia is that I have so many car and house chargers that I would have to dump and then buy new ones for any other brand .

Link to comment

Presumably as you've been using an N95 you have already bought the excellent Viewranger software/maps, and are using the free Trimble Geocache Navigator software and Google Mobile maps.

 

That being so I can't see why you would want to change! Spend your money on an extra battery instead. :laughing:

 

Yup have to agree on all of above, but as it will be a free be (you dont want my phone bills), it cheaper to get a spare caching phone than battery :D

 

Any reports on N96?

 

Gerrit

 

I'm in the same boat -upgrade due on Tuesday next week . At the moment I have a N95 8gb that has tom tom sat nav and Geocache Navigator on it . Also have an external bluetooth GPS for better sensitivity at Ground Zero. With 110+ finds I can't fault the software , the only dissadvantage is not being able to download and store the cache pages before going out into the field . If you have no reception it all starts to fall apart.

Have looked at the N96 , the new Blackberry and the i-phone. All have their good and bad points but because I already have Tomtom sat nav for the Nokia and a 8 gb card to expand the memory ,have the Nokia software in the Pc I'm 99% sure I'll take the N96.

The biggest reason for sticking with Nokia is that I have so many car and house chargers that I would have to dump and then buy new ones for any other brand .

So to put you on the spot Beefy

 

If you were starting out and did not have all the accessories already which Phone would you o for?

Link to comment

Presumably as you've been using an N95 you have already bought the excellent Viewranger software/maps, and are using the free Trimble Geocache Navigator software and Google Mobile maps.

 

That being so I can't see why you would want to change! Spend your money on an extra battery instead. :laughing:

 

Yup have to agree on all of above, but as it will be a free be (you dont want my phone bills), it cheaper to get a spare caching phone than battery :D

 

Any reports on N96?

 

Gerrit

 

I'm in the same boat -upgrade due on Tuesday next week . At the moment I have a N95 8gb that has tom tom sat nav and Geocache Navigator on it . Also have an external bluetooth GPS for better sensitivity at Ground Zero. With 110+ finds I can't fault the software , the only dissadvantage is not being able to download and store the cache pages before going out into the field . If you have no reception it all starts to fall apart.

Have looked at the N96 , the new Blackberry and the i-phone. All have their good and bad points but because I already have Tomtom sat nav for the Nokia and a 8 gb card to expand the memory ,have the Nokia software in the Pc I'm 99% sure I'll take the N96.

The biggest reason for sticking with Nokia is that I have so many car and house chargers that I would have to dump and then buy new ones for any other brand .

So to put you on the spot Beefy

 

If you were starting out and did not have all the accessories already which Phone would you o for?

 

I've always had Nokia phones and so far never had any trouble with them . I know how to take all the operator software off the phone and get it running to the best of its ability- it invalidates the warranty - I can live with that not everyone can or should .A Nokia is a highly customisable device with many many add onsavailable for them and a great deal of them are free.

I don't like the i-phone because of the way Apple releases small or slight updates every year but you get tied to a 18 month contract which when you upgrade ties you to another 18 months . The i-pod should serve as a warning to the i- phone users - newer, slightly better, slightly improved version released every year or so when it could be given a big boost in features etc all at once.Also IMHO it's not the "jesus"phone that it's made out to be . What it does it does well but it dosen't do as much as well as the N96 .You can't add any extras unless you go through the Apple store and just about everything costs money there.

I looked at the new Vodaphone Blackberry 2 days ago and I admit I liked it . Only thing that puts me off it is the fact that it's network specific and the vodaphone software that will be in it will probably mean it wont be able to perform to 100% of it's capabilities.Plus the fact my phones don't lead a sheltered life -they get stuck in my pocket along with keys, coins ,pens and any number of hard, phone nasty items,thats why I'm not keen on touch screens.

Back soon with more.

Link to comment

After trying many different phones I've settled on an Asus P750 with a 16Gb uSD card. It needed a bit of fettling - the software that got installed automatically took up too much memory, and the GPSr had the static navigation filter enabled. I've been able to sort those out and it's now a first class caching phone.

 

Good SiRF III GPSr, running MemoryMap for caching, TomTom for driving and OziExplorer for charts.

 

Rgds, Andy

Link to comment

I have a Blackberry Pearl which will hook up with a BT GPS. I also run Cacheberry which is similar to Cachemate. Once the designer programs in a compass option it's a perfect caching phone IMO. It won't run Memory Map but does have Blackberry and Google Maps. You will need a data plan to use them which I don't have so I can't say how good they are.

 

I've had Nokias for a long, long time but have quickly become a convert to BB with this great but affordable phone. Some of the higher end models have built in GPS and while I'm sure they have some drawbacks doesn't everything nowadays?

Link to comment

Anyone offer any reason why this ...

 

http://shop.orange.co.uk/shop/show/handset...res/pay_monthly

 

would not be a suitable phone for Geocaching as all the reviews I have read idicate that it p***es all over the iphone?

 

Comments appreciated

 

There is also the HTC Dimont or even better HTC Tytn but thats only avaiable to buisness users. I am tempted by the Samsung Pixel 8800, does any one know the caching software avaible for that one?

Link to comment

Avoid the iPhone 3g - it's overpriced, has a terrible camera, wifi reception can be poor, software is limited to apple-sanctioned code, limited bluetooth, fixed battery (a big no-no for trips away), No flash support, no mms, poorly thought-out multitasking, no front facing cam for video calling, horrible contract, doesn't work properly under 64bit XP/Vista, gps that's been complained about everywhere,

 

Just get geocache navigator for your n95, as well as google maps for mobile and mgmaps. Buy a spare battery and you're set.

 

To Quote digitgeek.com:

 

"The iPhone 3G just adds more to the already overflowing pool of overzealous, annoying and idiot fanboys. They want you to believe that the iPhone is the best phone ever and if you point out the list of features where it lacks, they just say that those features simply suck and no one wants them anymore. All iPhone features become super cool for them, even if they have been implemented by a gazillion other phones ages ago."

 

The N95 is still a good phone, and has a much better camera, can multitask, has a variety of software available, interchangeable battery, 2 cams, mms, Works with any OS (I use it with ubuntu), gps is ok, flash works, and doesn't usually come with such a restrictive contract.

 

VladD

 

VladD

Link to comment

Well today was the day- I was 14 months in on a 18 month contract and so I went to the 3 shop to upgrade .

I pay about £35 - 40 / month and had been told that for a couple of quid extra a month I could have the new Nokia N96. When I got there today I get told that its £38/ month + £5/ month for unlimited internet +£6.99 / month for insurance. Which means that I'd be paying a hefty £50/ month :D (all but a penny).Told them exactly where they could put their N96 :D and would remember the experience when it came to renew the contract.

So it looks like a change of network in 4 months time and either a Nokia N96 which should be cheaper (due to the recession really kicking in / end of year promotions to help sales figures or newer phones on the market) or a Blackberry of some description.

Edited by Beefy4605
Link to comment

Well today was the day- I was 14 months in on a 18 month contract and so I went to the 3 shop to upgrade .

I pay about £35 - 40 / month and had been told that for a couple of quid extra a month I could have the new Nokia N96. When I got there today I get told that its £38/ month + £5/ month for unlimited internet +£6.99 / month for insurance. Which means that I'd be paying a hefty £50/ month :D (all but a penny).Told them exactly where they could put their N96 :rolleyes: and would remember the experience when it came to renew the contract.

So it looks like a change of network in 4 months time and either a Nokia N96 which should be cheaper (due to the recession really kicking in / end of year promotions to help sales figures or newer phones on the market) or a Blackberry of some description.

 

OK As an N95 user and abuser, they are good. GPS Little poor but Good phones. ANother phone to consider is the Nokia E66. Little smaller Camera but does everything else an N95 does I believe. Advantages its smaller and nice to hold/ use... I think it might be better phone, my mum has one and I was impressed.

 

If your looking for caching phones the N95 IS good but its not the be all and end all. One of the slightly lower rating phones maywell doall you need it to....

 

If your contract due maybe be worth waiting for the N97 due out quarter 1/2 09 Looks like serious Caching phone. But then the HTC Tytn has Sirf III chip but poor camera...

Decisions Decisions...

 

As for the Samsung Pixel I am not impressed...

 

Now considering the SE C905, I have young daughter and if I could claim a cache for every photo of her I have taken I would be a top Cacher! LOL

 

Anyone know which other phones have Sirf III GPS Chip its hard to track this info down. Its nice to know I am not the only one struggling...

Link to comment

Anyone offer any reason why this ...

 

http://shop.orange.co.uk/shop/show/handset...res/pay_monthly

 

would not be a suitable phone for Geocaching as all the reviews I have read idicate that it p***es all over the iphone?

 

Comments appreciated

Sorry for late response. I can't be certain, but I strongly suspect it has the QualComm chipset, as do other recent units from the same manufacturer. If so, it's unlikely to be very good for geocaching.

 

Rgds, Andy

Link to comment
But then the HTC Tytn has Sirf III chip but poor camera...

 

Anyone know which other phones have Sirf III GPS Chip its hard to track this info down. Its nice to know I am not the only one struggling...

If by HTC TyTn you actually mean the HTC TyTn II, then it does not have the SiRF chipset but relies on the very poor QualComm device. I have a TyTn II and it is very poor for caching.

 

What I have settled on is the Asus P750, which does have SiRF III. It's a bit short on RAM (only 64Mb) and I've had to disable the stuff Asus put on it, which used up most of what RAM there was. I've also had to disable the static navigation filter using SiRF utilities.

 

With a 16Gb uSD card it is now the best caching phone I've come across, but though I've seen lots, I've by no means seen them all. Some people will find the screen a little on the small side, 320x240, of course, but only 2.6". On the other hand the battery life is best in class.

 

Rgds, Andy

Link to comment
If by HTC TyTn you actually mean the HTC TyTn II, then it does not have the SiRF chipset but relies on the very poor QualComm device. I have a TyTn II and it is very poor for caching.

 

Really? I've got a TyTN II and I think it's a superb phone. Caching with it has proven to be a great experience in my book. I use a combination of Memory Map and Beeline GPS.

 

I used CacheMate for a while, but recently I had some trouble with the phone crashing regularly, and I had to re-install the OS and upgrade the firmware to stop it constantly entering the bootloader. It was a pain because it was doing all this at random and totally wiping everything each time it did. The xdadevelopers website taught me all I needed to know to fix the problem, but now I'm running Windows Mobile 6.1, and I can't get CacheMate to work properly on it.

 

I've not used the iPhone 3G or the Nokia N95/96 etc., but there's one reason I won't touch them with a barge-pole - the lack of a proper keyboard. I'm not due my upgrade for 6 months or so, but for my next phone it'll either be another Windows Mobile device (if I can get one that's a significant improvement on the TyTN II), or the T-Mobile G1. Android looks really promising, and the form factor of this phone is great - maybe by then there will be some good caching software available.

 

Lee

Link to comment

Avoid the iPhone 3g - it's overpriced, has a terrible camera, wifi reception can be poor, software is limited to apple-sanctioned code, limited bluetooth, fixed battery (a big no-no for trips away), No flash support, no mms, poorly thought-out multitasking, no front facing cam for video calling, horrible contract, doesn't work properly under 64bit XP/Vista, gps that's been complained about everywhere,

 

 

But it's good for tracking down caches! <_<:huh::ph34r:

Link to comment
If by HTC TyTn you actually mean the HTC TyTn II, then it does not have the SiRF chipset but relies on the very poor QualComm device. I have a TyTn II and it is very poor for caching.

 

Really? I've got a TyTN II and I think it's a superb phone. Caching with it has proven to be a great experience in my book. I use a combination of Memory Map and Beeline GPS.

 

 

I've not had any problems either, found about 100 caches with it, it's just as accurate as my SiRF III Bluetooth GPS. I'm sure I read somewhere that The TyTN II has this chip, but can't find the review I read back in March. The CPU is Qualcomm.

 

Beeline GPS is great too (windows only). The camera is 3 mega pixels which is sufficient for my needs. The keyboard is good for logging caches from the pub. Internet access is pretty good, definitely better than my husbands LG Viewty, not compared it to a Nokia. Quite like the none caching features too - Office mobile (which I have used), pdf viewer and really easy to use. I get pocket queries sent straight to the phone and then download the gpx files straight to beeline, even when away from home.

 

Main downside is battery life, only a few hours caching and I broke my TyTN I by dropping it (at work). so I'm getting a 'proper' GPS sometime next year.

Link to comment

Avoid the iPhone 3g - it's overpriced, has a terrible camera, wifi reception can be poor, software is limited to apple-sanctioned code, limited bluetooth, fixed battery (a big no-no for trips away), No flash support, no mms, poorly thought-out multitasking, no front facing cam for video calling, horrible contract, doesn't work properly under 64bit XP/Vista, gps that's been complained about everywhere,

 

 

But it's good for tracking down caches! :):):)

 

Frequently beats my Colorado even, and like he said ^ sure is effective at finding them lil varmints!

Link to comment

Hi All

My first post, Just started geocaching, Have no previous experience with any GPS type phones except the one I have which is the SE 905. Accuracy isnt bad from what I have tried so far, Runs java software, have tried various applications, MgMaps, Google earth, TMJmobile and Trekbuddy.

Using Trekbuddy at the mo for geocaching, as can preload maps in tar format. (if anybody can point me in the way of a better application I would be grateful)

As said no experience of others.

Cheers

Link to comment

Hi All

My first post, Just started geocaching, Have no previous experience with any GPS type phones except the one I have which is the SE 905. Accuracy isnt bad from what I have tried so far, Runs java software, have tried various applications, MgMaps, Google earth, TMJmobile and Trekbuddy.

Using Trekbuddy at the mo for geocaching, as can preload maps in tar format. (if anybody can point me in the way of a better application I would be grateful)

As said no experience of others.

Cheers

 

OK I have been spoiled I have N95 With geocache navigator. I have complained about it for 10 months caching now, I bought an Etrex Yellow and find N95 Geocache Navigator beats it handsdown except battery life...

 

Today I did 26 caches in 6 hours now way an N95 could do that but when it got tough I relied on it... Its GPS or the software is better than you think.

 

Looks like SE 905 might be my next phone and will want same advice.... I just want Geocache Navigator for All phones.

Link to comment

I have a BlackBerry Storm and it works great! It has both BlackBerry and Google maps, plus with unlimited G3 internet connection, I get service just about anywhere. In the past month, I have used it to find caches in the UK and in Malta. I am taking it to Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria and Slovakia next week. I'll let you know how it works there. :rolleyes:

Link to comment
If by HTC TyTn you actually mean the HTC TyTn II, then it does not have the SiRF chipset but relies on the very poor QualComm device. I have a TyTn II and it is very poor for caching.

 

Really? I've got a TyTN II and I think it's a superb phone. Caching with it has proven to be a great experience in my book. I use a combination of Memory Map and Beeline GPS.

Once again, sorry for late response but I seem to miss this thread each time it pops up :rolleyes: .

 

I've now seen 3 people who have stated that they are getting good results on a phone using the QualComm chipset (as far as I know, all GPS equipped HTC designed phones except for the original XDA Orbit and equivalents).

 

I have, or have had, 3 such phones (2 x XDA Stellar, or HTC Ty Tn II, and an XDA Orbit 2). They are all unqualified rubbish for caching, when compared to my Asus P750 phone, my eTrex HCx and my Pretec bluetooth receiver. The issue isn't the software - they all run MemoryMap, OziExplorer, TomTom and a cache database equally well. The issue is the GPSr performance, especially under the marginal conditions which frequently pertain when caching.

 

How does your unit perform under tree cover? In an urban jungle?

 

What I would quite like to do is meet up with someone from the West London/Heathrow area who has one of these models that appears to work well, and actually go caching with their TyTn II, my TyTn II, the Asus P750 and the eTrex. I'm quite keen to find out if the difference in our perceptions is a real one, or if we just have different expectations of performance.

 

I have a good reason to want to know the answer to this - my Asus P750 has good GPSr performance, but only 64Mb of SDRAM. I would prefer a phone that performed as well but which had more memory. Having had 3 devices with QualComm chipsets that are way below the standard I require, I'm very loth to get yet another without a real expectation that it will be OK.

 

Rgds, Andy

Link to comment

Having Started this thread, I think I have come to a decision. I am planning on waiting for the Nokia N97.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechn...-N97-phone.html

 

I am sure I wil continue to grumble about tree cover GPS dificiencies, battery life, lack of phone reception and other stuff. Although it does look like a really good all rounder.

 

Thanks for the advice, if anyone comes up with a better phone do let me know.

Link to comment

This is my first forum post, so apologies if I have done it wrong

 

I have both a Nokia N95 and N96 and have used Trimble Geocache navigator on both phones.

 

I have had no problems finding caches with both. The only issues I have found is that to view the hint I sometimes have to go back to the list of caches a select it again, and if I change the search settings it sometimes wont list the caches but I am unsure as to weather this is a network problem and not the software.

 

Built in gps seems to hook up to satellites quicker on the N96, but i find the compass fluctuates less when using a seperate bluetooth gps reciever.

 

Just my views hope it helps.

Link to comment
If by HTC TyTn you actually mean the HTC TyTn II, then it does not have the SiRF chipset but relies on the very poor QualComm device. I have a TyTn II and it is very poor for caching.

 

Really? I've got a TyTN II and I think it's a superb phone. Caching with it has proven to be a great experience in my book. I use a combination of Memory Map and Beeline GPS.

Once again, sorry for late response but I seem to miss this thread each time it pops up :D .

 

I've now seen 3 people who have stated that they are getting good results on a phone using the QualComm chipset (as far as I know, all GPS equipped HTC designed phones except for the original XDA Orbit and equivalents).

 

I have, or have had, 3 such phones (2 x XDA Stellar, or HTC Ty Tn II, and an XDA Orbit 2). They are all unqualified rubbish for caching, when compared to my Asus P750 phone, my eTrex HCx and my Pretec bluetooth receiver. The issue isn't the software - they all run MemoryMap, OziExplorer, TomTom and a cache database equally well. The issue is the GPSr performance, especially under the marginal conditions which frequently pertain when caching.

 

How does your unit perform under tree cover? In an urban jungle?

 

What I would quite like to do is meet up with someone from the West London/Heathrow area who has one of these models that appears to work well, and actually go caching with their TyTn II, my TyTn II, the Asus P750 and the eTrex. I'm quite keen to find out if the difference in our perceptions is a real one, or if we just have different expectations of performance.

 

I have a good reason to want to know the answer to this - my Asus P750 has good GPSr performance, but only 64Mb of SDRAM. I would prefer a phone that performed as well but which had more memory. Having had 3 devices with QualComm chipsets that are way below the standard I require, I'm very loth to get yet another without a real expectation that it will be OK.

 

Rgds, Andy

I've not had a problem with the TyTN II under tree cover. I get a good signal in my house and satellite lock is lightning fast with QuickGPS.

It's an all-round awesome device, but not the best for finding geocaches due to the static navigation issue.

I nearly always take my CSx with me and have never seen a mobile device yet that would come close to changing that.

Link to comment

After trying many different phones I've settled on an Asus P750 with a 16Gb uSD card. It needed a bit of fettling - the software that got installed automatically took up too much memory, and the GPSr had the static navigation filter enabled. I've been able to sort those out and it's now a first class caching phone.

 

Good SiRF III GPSr, running MemoryMap for caching, TomTom for driving and OziExplorer for charts.

 

Rgds, Andy

 

Hi, how did you disable SN on your Asus?

I have a p550(v1520) and find the built in GPS very poor for a sirf 3 .

I have gone back to using my Bt GPSR with MTK chipset.

I have tried using sirftech ,Sirfgps test ,GPScatcher and the memory map fix,but neither do the job.I usually end up losing the GPS altogether and end up having to remove the battery overnight to reset it.

Also what baud rate do you use,what sort of signal do you get on the MM graph.

Thanks.

Link to comment

Having Started this thread, I think I have come to a decision. I am planning on waiting for the Nokia N97.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechn...-N97-phone.html

Wow. I think that may be my next toy.

 

Anyway ... there's a lot of fuss in the press about the Palm Pre at the mo ... it will have integrated GPS. I'm sure the more bleeding edge tech hounds will be reporting on this soon.

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...