Caching w/cell phone

[+jimnsusie]

Can you use any web surfing cell phone for caching? And do you need a special program like cacheberry in your phone for getting cache info? It looks like cacheberry is limited to the berry series of phones an with verizon. Looking at a new phone and would like to be able to get nearest caches and make quick log updates sometimes. I still plan to use my csx and palm for regular caching. Thanks

[+mazzmn]

Can you use any web surfing cell phone for caching? And do you need a special program like cacheberry in your phone for getting cache info? It looks like cacheberry is limited to the berry series of phones an with verizon. Looking at a new phone and would like to be able to get nearest caches and make quick log updates sometimes. I still plan to use my csx and palm for regular caching. Thanks

 

Recently tried geocaching with my son's iPhone and the geocaching.com app

Really nice for several things:

-Ability to find a cache even tho we didn't plan ahead and load the gpsr.

-Driving directions to the cache (including showing your car on googlemaps driving to the location)

-Access to standard cache info (size/ratings/hints) and the the latest logs

-A "goto" mode that acts similar to a garmin

-I think you can log from the phone as well

So really good, just not quite as accurate as my gpsr. Also spoiled iphone user friends who I have told about this complained that it cost $9.95 (apparently most apps are free or $.99), me personally, not ready to step up to iphone yet.

I wonder if the cache info can be stored local to the phone in case you don't have cell reception?

[+The Finder Of All Stuff]

Get the Iphone, It has two apps. 1 from Groundspeak for your Caching and another app. that works with Groundspeak to show you the nearest Cache from the location your currently at.

[+wkmccall]

Can you use any web surfing cell phone for caching? And do you need a special program like cacheberry in your phone for getting cache info? It looks like cacheberry is limited to the berry series of phones an with verizon. Looking at a new phone and would like to be able to get nearest caches and make quick log updates sometimes. I still plan to use my csx and palm for regular caching. Thanks

 

CacheBerry works with any Blackberry.

[+MariettaGecko]

Having just recently bought an iPhone, and the Groundspeak Geocaching app, I have to say that I am both pleasantly surprised and mildly dissapointed. It's really nice to be able to pull up cache data in the field on the fly. I love the fact that, if I happen to be on a 3G network, I can pull that list of caches, select one of them, and enter the coords into my GPS while someone else is driving along.

 

On the other hand, I am slightly disappointed:

 

1. The GPS unit built into the phone is less than stellar. It works, but it's only really good in flat, open terrain. Get into mountains or under the tree canopy or into the urban jungle, and your reception (and accuracy) goes right down the tubes.

2. You cannot use the Groundspeak app to log the cache once you have found it. If that option were available, I'd be loving it.

3. Use of the Geocaching app requires that the screen be turned on and doing stuff, and the more time the screen is on, the more battery gets used. The battery in the iPhone seems to be relatively short-lived, so this can be a problem as well.

 

So, can the iPhone be used for geocaching? Absolutely. Would I recommend doing it? Not without also having a regular hand-help GPS for the actual routing to/from the cache.

[+Prime Suspect]

Can you use any web surfing cell phone for caching? And do you need a special program like cacheberry in your phone for getting cache info? It looks like cacheberry is limited to the berry series of phones an with verizon. Looking at a new phone and would like to be able to get nearest caches and make quick log updates sometimes. I still plan to use my csx and palm for regular caching. Thanks

If you're already familiar with the Palm, why not get a Palm phone like the Centro, or a Treo, and cut down on the number of items you need to carry.

[+jimnsusie]

Can you use any web surfing cell phone for caching? And do you need a special program like cacheberry in your phone for getting cache info? It looks like cacheberry is limited to the berry series of phones an with verizon. Looking at a new phone and would like to be able to get nearest caches and make quick log updates sometimes. I still plan to use my csx and palm for regular caching. Thanks

If you're already familiar with the Palm, why not get a Palm phone like the Centro, or a Treo, and cut down on the number of items you need to carry.

 

I've been looking at the palm but kinda leary of an open faced phone. Like to carry the phone in my pocket and the flip phone is less likely to be damaged by carrying it like that. Guess I would need a case of some sort to keep it in. You're probably right and I will need to go that route. Thanks

[Skippermark]

You sound like us. Our main caching gear is a 60CSx and a Palm, but we also use a BlackBerry when we're inept and forget the Garmin or when we're not going to be out all day doing rugged caches.

 

The BB has a real GPS in it, and it's very accurate. Coordinates are always within a couple feet of the 60CSx. We use Geocache Navigator. It works with AT&T but not Verizon. They have version available for other phones too, not just BlackBerry.

 

Even if we're using the CSx to cache with, we'll often use Geocache Navigator to mark the caches found because it marks them as a field note, which is real convenient to log. Only thing, the BB sucks batteries down like crazy when the GPS is on, so it's not good for all day caching unless you can plug into a power source to recharge it.

[+Prime Suspect]

If you're already familiar with the Palm, why not get a Palm phone like the Centro, or a Treo, and cut down on the number of items you need to carry.

 

I've been looking at the palm but kinda leary of an open faced phone. Like to carry the phone in my pocket and the flip phone is less likely to be damaged by carrying it like that. Guess I would need a case of some sort to keep it in. You're probably right and I will need to go that route. Thanks

Here's the case I keep my Centro in when out geocaching:

Aircraft grade aluminum body lined with shock-absorbing neoprene, with integrated screen protector. Comes in silver or black.

 

Like the 60Cx, it comes with a belt hanger and screw-in hanger button. When caching, I remove the button and keep the phone in a cargo pocket. Otherwise, I use the clip.

[+chiefpropellerhead]

I have a Sprint Instinct with built in GPS and application. Is there a program that works with the Instinct on Sprint? I used to have a Blackberry with Geocache navigator but when Tmobile took over Suncom all my data apps stopped working and they were too inept to fix the problem.

 

Any help would be appreciated.

 

Thanks