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GPS Phones


Styks

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Posted

Hi,

 

I'm thinking of changing my Mobile phone soon and was wondering if there is a mobile out there

that is good as a handheld GPS for hiking/Geocaching.

 

I'm guessing they arn't as good as a dedicated HandHeld but are there any that are close?

ie. one that will give accurate location, hold a solid lock, lay down a trail, can accept detailed maps, you can load GPX files, basically one that will do most of the stuff my Satmap active 10 did?

I sold it, wish I hadn't :rolleyes:

 

Sorry if this has been covered, I can't get the search to work at the mo.

Posted

"As good?" Nope. In most of the ways you named, a dedicated outdoor/handheld GPS will perform better as a GPS than any smartphone available.

 

"Good enough" for hiking and geocaching? That's an entirely different question and it's really what most people mean when they ask about GPS phones. There are plenty that are "good enough" for most folks under most conditions.

 

Lots of arguments get started around here when people don't recognize that distinction :rolleyes:

Posted (edited)

Hi,

 

I'm thinking of changing my Mobile phone soon and was wondering if there is a mobile out there

that is good as a handheld GPS for hiking/Geocaching.

 

I'm guessing they arn't as good as a dedicated HandHeld but are there any that are close?

ie. one that will give accurate location, hold a solid lock, lay down a trail, can accept detailed maps, you can load GPX files, basically one that will do most of the stuff my Satmap active 10 did?

I sold it, wish I hadn't :rolleyes:

 

Sorry if this has been covered, I can't get the search to work at the mo.

 

I have a Nokia phone with GPS enabled using OVI maps. It's good if your in a real pinch, but it doesn't come close to my Garmin e-Trex. The maps are limited, and the tracking/locking can be hit or miss. In my humble opinion, if you are looking for an accurate GPS solution, then stick with a dedicated GPS unit, and let the phones do what they do best, making and receiving phone calls. Just my two cents

Edited by Vicezilla
Posted

"As good?" Nope. In most of the ways you named, a dedicated outdoor/handheld GPS will perform better as a GPS than any smartphone available.

 

"Good enough" for hiking and geocaching? That's an entirely different question and it's really what most people mean when they ask about GPS phones. There are plenty that are "good enough" for most folks under most conditions.

 

Lots of arguments get started around here when people don't recognize that distinction :rolleyes:

 

He He, I bet .... When I say close enough, I mean darn close, so close it's almost touching!

 

Guessed that would be the answer but there might have been a new toy I hadn't heard about.

 

And yes there was, maybe not new but I'd not heard of it. Thank You oakenwood .. I'll go and research the nuvifone.

 

Thank you vicezilla, I agree, as oakenwood said ... GPS with a phone would be more suitable and I've put it on my list. ........... I'll search but does anyone reading this have said phone?

Posted

I am using a Nokia 5800 Xpress music

 

I love it. (I couldn't afford the Iphone and was too worried about breaking it anyway)

 

It has GPS and Wifi and bluetooth. So where I have 3g reception + outdoors I can use a little program called Trimble Geocache Navigator ($30 purchase) to find / locate / log caches.. the interface is a bit clunky but it does the Job.

 

with the nokia you can also take a photo of the cache / experience and upload a photo straight from the phone via usb as you log in detail.

 

I did have a 8m error yesterday in the rain / clouds but most times it is quicker and more reliable than my car uniden.

 

I would proudly endorse this phone.

 

you can also download your geocaching podcast / music and listen to it on speaker quite nicely, even in the car.

 

it will chew up battery when you use all this stuff at once, but you get a good days work out of it before it dies.

-get a car charger.

 

the only drama is if the missus rings whilst you are on the trail... it stuffs it all up! ;)

Posted

I have been using Blackberry tour 9630 tried cacheberry and black star both have done very well in getting me close enough to the cache to find it. I agree does not 100% replace a good handheld but if you are at the office and get a notice of a new cache that pops up it will definitely do the trick. I ham extremely happy.

Posted

"As good?" Nope. In most of the ways you named, a dedicated outdoor/handheld GPS will perform better as a GPS than any smartphone available.

 

"Good enough" for hiking and geocaching? That's an entirely different question and it's really what most people mean when they ask about GPS phones. There are plenty that are "good enough" for most folks under most conditions.

 

Lots of arguments get started around here when people don't recognize that distinction :rolleyes:

 

He He, I bet .... When I say close enough, I mean darn close, so close it's almost touching!

 

Guessed that would be the answer but there might have been a new toy I hadn't heard about.

 

And yes there was, maybe not new but I'd not heard of it. Thank You oakenwood .. I'll go and research the nuvifone.

 

Thank you vicezilla, I agree, as oakenwood said ... GPS with a phone would be more suitable and I've put it on my list. ........... I'll search but does anyone reading this have said phone?

Styks-

 

I chose the nuvifone to replace my BB Curve this year when my contract was up with ATT. It has some pluses and minuses, but it does the main job I needed. I live in Northern New England and travel a lot around ME, NH & VT where the cell phone reception can be spotty, especially in the mountains. I used the BB with various gps apps (Google maps, BB maps, Geocache Navigator), but would always get frustrated when I would lose the maps.

 

The thing I love about the nuvifone is that it is a Garmin nuvi with the phone added in - so the maps are always there. All of the other solutions I've seen require constant map download, so if you move off the network you lose the maps.

 

It also has a calendar, 3G web browser, and email - basically all of the things I was using the BB for. So for me it's the perfect fit.

 

The cons are a somewhat clunky touchscreen interface, no ability to download additional apps (Linux OS) and short battery life when you take it out caching (compared to the tens of hours you can get from a set of batteries in an eTrex).

 

Hope this gives you a bit more info.

 

longlakeloonies

Posted

I am using a Nokia 5800 Xpress music

 

I love it. (I couldn't afford the Iphone and was too worried about breaking it anyway)

 

It has GPS and Wifi and bluetooth. So where I have 3g reception + outdoors I can use a little program called Trimble Geocache Navigator ($30 purchase) to find / locate / log caches.. the interface is a bit clunky but it does the Job.

 

with the nokia you can also take a photo of the cache / experience and upload a photo straight from the phone via usb as you log in detail.

 

I did have a 8m error yesterday in the rain / clouds but most times it is quicker and more reliable than my car uniden.

 

I would proudly endorse this phone.

 

you can also download your geocaching podcast / music and listen to it on speaker quite nicely, even in the car.

 

it will chew up battery when you use all this stuff at once, but you get a good days work out of it before it dies.

-get a car charger.

 

the only drama is if the missus rings whilst you are on the trail... it stuffs it all up! :P

Posted

I am using a Nokia 5800 Xpress music

 

I love it. (I couldn't afford the Iphone and was too worried about breaking it anyway)

 

It has GPS and Wifi and bluetooth. So where I have 3g reception + outdoors I can use a little program called Trimble Geocache Navigator ($30 purchase) to find / locate / log caches.. the interface is a bit clunky but it does the Job.

 

with the nokia you can also take a photo of the cache / experience and upload a photo straight from the phone via usb as you log in detail.

 

I did have a 8m error yesterday in the rain / clouds but most times it is quicker and more reliable than my car uniden.

 

I would proudly endorse this phone.

 

you can also download your geocaching podcast / music and listen to it on speaker quite nicely, even in the car.

 

it will chew up battery when you use all this stuff at once, but you get a good days work out of it before it dies.

-get a car charger.

 

the only drama is if the missus rings whilst you are on the trail... it stuffs it all up! :P

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