Blackberry Storm vs "real" GPSr

[+DarkBeer]

I've been using my Blackberry Storm and Cacheberry for a few months now, and am just shy of 100 finds with this combination. A typical caching day for me is less than 10 caches. I've been reading various threads on other "real" GPSr units and their paperless features, and I'm trying to figure out if I'm really missing out on anything. Not only do I have paperless caching with my current setup, it is also cordless. I can create pocket queries and have them emailed to my Blackberry, and Cacheberry will open and import the zip just fine. I also have the option to have multiple databases within Cacheberry, so I have a database for 500 caches not found closest to my home coordinates, a database for road trips when traveling for work, and a vacation database for caches along the route we will take to Florida over Christmas vacation. While Cacheberry doesn't include topo maps, it does link easily to the Google Maps app on my Storm, and I can use the aerial view with Google Maps. I can use the SMSText option to log my finds directly to gc.com. I recently hid my first two caches, and have had comments that the coordinates were spot on, so I believe the accuracy of the Storm GPS is good.

 

So, with all that said, what am I missing out on? I don't do any hunting/hiking where the topo maps would probably be useful. The Storm obviously isn't waterproof, but I haven't been caching in the rain or near bodies of water. I could put it in an Otterbox if that becomes an issue. Battery life is probably the biggest con to my current setup, but I can charge in the vehicle in between caches, and as I mentioned before, I'm typically after 10 or fewer caches in a day. For the cost of a GPSr, I could buy a few additional batteries if needed.

 

If I'm missing out on some features for geocaching use, please let me know. Otherwise I'll probably just put something else on my Christmas wish list instead of a GPSr

Edited November 20, 2009 by DarkBeer

[WPMD]

I think weatherproofing and ruggedness are the main benefits for us, but if you don't need those features I would stick with what you have.

[+Maingray]

From the perspective of a cacher with slightly higher cache/day rate: while I'm a great advocate of all-in-one devices, in the real world these blackberry-devices do their job well and I like keep mine dedicated to being a phone or web access on the fly if need be. Battery life can be a pain, I keep the BB usage to a minimum in the field. The reboot time after changing batteries...yuck Keeping the GPS location services + a location app running on drains those batteries. Turning it on and waiting for an app to access it is tedious. Couldn't imagine caching in a group with this.

 

I have found the BB just too fiddly for a primary caching device, but great as a backup. Cacheberry is a great program, but becomes very kludgy with large GPX files. When a home GSAK database is needed for a high cache density area it becomes a pain to keep it up to date with smaller optimal 500 cache GPX lumps. So s.l.l.o...wwww. The database additon was good, but it still takes an age to do save / reload. Heaven help you if your wife calls up during the cacheberry operation Cacheberry has become relegated to keeping a current "My Finds" PQ loaded up to help prompt me for phone - a -friend calls and Geocache Navigator on the BB for spontaneous trips outside my area. Also http://www.bcaching.com is a better semi-automated mobile solution than something like the offline cacheberry database.

 

Storm is also the worst blackberry to date (IMO), hardly a speed demon (yes, after The Update). After the Curve contract was up, I kept the Storm for 2 weeks then got a Tour. Nice and fast, but still fiddly in the field for something that the ruggedized all-in-one Oregon is built for. The older GPS+ Palm+cachemate combination was much much faster and efficient than the BB all-in-one solution.

Edited November 20, 2009 by Maingray