Will stand alone GPS become obsolete?

[+user13371]

I don't think you'll get by that cheap in the U.S., my phone alone is $40.00 plus taxes and other surcharges a month for 450 minutes. If I want a data plan it's another $25.00 a month plus I am sure some more surcharges. If I get a smartphone I am forced to take a data plan

I usually wouldn't give a plug for a cellphone company, but as it's on-topic here, look at Republic Wireless. $19/month, unlimited everything, no contract. They only support one phone - the Motorola Defy XT, and it's moderately water-resistant.

 

The point is (more important than mentioning a specific service provider), I think this is also a trend you will see - market saturation and competition pushes the price for services down along with the hardware prices.

 

For that matter, I no longer carry a cellphone myself - I've switched to a table for most everything. $30/month to AT$& for more data than I ever use - and for the rare times I need to make a call I can use Skype, Talk-A-Tone, or Vonage. And before I ditched my phone, it was off contract and unlocked anyhow - andd I was able to get the same kind of data-only service on a month to month, no contract basis as well.

 

So maybe the smart"phone" will be obsolete also, in favor of the pocket or tablet sized "everything" converged device.

Edited March 2, 2013 by user13371

[+wmpastor]

Too bad smart phone mfgd keep making their devices fragile. Why ? Just to keep selling new ones.

Since we're talking features of specific phones and plans, I'll mention Verizon's insurance option. I forget the exact price of the insurance, but if the phone gets wrecked in any way, it's replaced. Costs a bit, so it's not a total "workaround" on the fragility issue, but it's one way of eliminating the risk of a $500 accident with a high-end smartphone.

[+user13371]

Too bad smart phone mfgd keep making their devices fragile...

This is a generalization and not universally true. There's cheap disposable stuff but there are also waterproof and ruggedized smartphones.

 

And it's still early in that market development. Look back over the years of posts here and you'll find a lot of comments and discussion of how to protect various GPS units that weren't especially rugged or waterproof. I remember in particular Lowrance - a company that originally made GPS and sonar device for fishermen - a lot of their early iFinder units weren't waterproof at all. I think the "iFinder H2O" was their first handheld device that was IPX7 rated -- and they named it that way to highlight the fact.

Edited March 2, 2013 by user13371

[+TheWeatherWarrior]

Too bad smart phone mfgd keep making their devices fragile. Why ? Just to keep selling new ones.

 

The comparison with stand alone camera is not valid, a camera needs quality optics of a certain size.

Otterbox BABY! I got one after my buddy show me him throwing his iPhone across the room and it not breaking. I drop my all the time, and I use it while chasing (hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, etc.) and as soon as I take it out of the box case, looks clean as the day I bought it. Is it mil-spec...no, but it is plenty good for cache hunting duties.

 

Camera wise, any new smart phone is decently good (to a consumer grade camera). No, it won't replay my Canon HDSLRs (7Ds), but they're good for geocaching duty.

Edited March 2, 2013 by TheWeatherWarrior

[team tisri]

I don't need a smart phone, I use my phone for making phone calls. I don't text, I don't want to go on the internet with a screen that size, and for what a data plan would cost me I could buy a new GPS every year. My GPS is waterproof, will float if dropped in a creek or lake, and will run 18 hours on two rechargeable AA batteries.

 

Curious. My phone package gives me something like 300 minutes, 5000 texts and 750MB of data per month for £8 (about $13). Annual cost - £96 all in.

 

Admittedly my phone won't float but then neither will my GPS.

I don't think you'll get by that cheap in the U.S., my phone alone is $40.00 plus taxes and other surcharges a month for 450 minutes. If I want a data plan it's another $25.00 a month plus I am sure some more surcharges. If I get a smartphone I am forced to take a data plan

 

If you want a free phone you won't get anything like as cheap as I pay. I buy a phone SIM free and then get a cheap package to go with it. It means I'm free to chop and change providers, get whatever phone I want without an extended lockin, and since I usually keep a phone for many years it works out cheaper overall. I've been using a mobile since 1995 and I'm currently on my fourth phone, although I have been contemplating getting a new one for some months now.

[+learnincurve]

New to geocashing, old to hiking and technology: There seems to be a bit of confusion regarding smartphones in this here thread. I only know apple perhaps a android user could chip in as well. Firstly you don't need cellphone coverage for the GPS to work in a iPhone 5, it has it's own unit. The problem is that a lot of maps only work when you are online over wireless/3g, a solution to this is Motion x as you can save the sections of map you need (you can also side load gpx files in itunes). You can get several brands of cases that protect it to a certain extent from the elements, I have a otterbox (£25). Big huge problem with it is that if you use it as a GPS unit the battery lasts 2 hours. You can extend this with portable charging units, my £30 anker is good for 4-5 charges but it weighs as much as the phone.

 

Personally I would only use it for hiking/geocashing in areas where there is also cellphone coverage ("welcome to Derbyshire" *plink* [no signal) or it's a place I know really well, having the maps saved is nice but I would count that as for emergency use only. Out in the peak district I use a etrex 30 - peat water, sheep s*** and mud with rocks in it, even on a day where it rains slightly less than the others, are not a touch screen's friend however many layers of plastic you put on top of it. Old adage, don't use what you can't afford to lose, £200 would hurt but a iPhone 5 under contract for 2 years would be painful.

Edited March 9, 2013 by learnincurve

[+northernpenguin]

 

Personally I would only use it for hiking/geocashing in areas where there is also cellphone coverage ("welcome to Derbyshire" *plink* [no signal) or it's a place I know really well, having the maps saved is nice but I would count that as for emergency use only. Out in the peak district I use a etrex 30 - peat water, sheep s*** and mud with rocks in it, even on a day where it rains slightly less than the others, are not a touch screen's friend however many layers of plastic you put on top of it. Old adage, don't use what you can't afford to lose, £200 would hurt but a iPhone 5 under contract for 2 years would be painful.

 

The Otterbox Armour line protects the iPhone 4/4S/5 for 30 minutes under 6 feet of water, 11 foot drops and 2,000 lb crush weight. Heck I'd like to see my eTrex survive that.

Yes, if I wind up and try to nail the nearest rock with the touchscreen it'll break. So would my eTrex. Downside in 2013 is cost - that Otterbox case is $99, which is darn close to a base eTrex 10. Same device in five years will be in the two dollar bin at Walmart. Whatever is current in 2018 will likely be $500 and $99 for the case but nobody says you have to use this week's model for the discussion. Just one with standalone GPS like pretty much any smartphone made in the last three years.

 

For mapping, I already have all of Canada loaded for Topo Maps with one app, and Navigon has the entire of North America loaded for street routing. Takes about 2GB of the unit's memory and who cares if I get a signal.