smartphones

[+The_Incredibles_]

I've been geocaching a lot, but as I only use an Oregon 550, I don't know a thing about smartphones and caching. I am doing a presentation and I know the question will come up so I need to ask a few quick questions:

 

1) Which smartphones are best for caching and which aren't recommended? (Don't need a long list, just the most popular phones)

 

2) The geocaching app. How much does it cost and do you get to try it out before buying? Is there just one app or different ones to choose from?

 

3) Is there a phone that will work where there's no cell coverage?

 

Thanks in advance!

Edited May 13, 2013 by The_Incredibles_

[+Team Microdot]

1) I use a Samsung Galaxy S3 and that works pretty well. On previous versions GPS fix time / accuracy was pretty poor, but they seem to have addressed those issues with this release.

 

2) In the UK the official app costs GBP £6.99 - no try-before-you-buy option to the best of my knowledge. Unfortunately the official app can be a little flaky

 

3) Erm - no cell phone is going to work when there's no cell coverage It is possible though to upload a PQ to the phone and have the app look to that for cache information and you can also while viewing a cache page click a button and have that cache downloaded to the phone for offline use.

Edited May 13, 2013 by Team Microdot

[+randco]

1. 
    
   
2. I will second the use of the Galaxy S3. MY wife uses the smartphone and I use a Garmin 60CSx. We have tested the units side by side and I would say that they are pretty equal.
   

 

• 
   
  
• In the US the official geocaching app is 9.99. However, there are some pretty good free apps for Android phones. c:geo and CacheSense are a couple. They have maps, compass, directions and the ability to submit logs.
   
  

Edited May 13, 2013 by randco

[+wrightexplorers]

I use Windows on my phone, and the app is free, although I believe you only get limited access if you're not a premium member. I know you have to pay for the iphone app, but you can trial it by downloading your first 3 caches (I think) for free.

 

For me, the 2 best things about a GPS rather than a phone are far better battery life (and the ability to carry spare, readily available batteries), so you can cache all day without a problem, and having a pocket query for my nearest 1000 caches to home that is available almost instantly.

[Blue Square Thing]

You can certainly use an iPhone (4) without cell coverage - assuming you download cache data first. This can be done my non-premium members. I've used them with data roaming turned off as well (in Denmark for example) and it works fine - you just need to be prepared and plan ahead.

[+Lieblweb]

First off... I would avoid telling a group of people 'which phone is best' for anything. You'll only invite yourself (and the group) into discussions and/or disagreements about the phones and you'll get away from the topic of geocaching. If you can't speak from personal experience - don't even bring it up. IF someone asks about cell phones - simply say..."Most Smart Phones have APP's available and some are free. If you already have a smart phone, you can search your APP store for an APP and get started right away"

 

Since Android & Apple are the most popular these days... Find a couple friends who have both Apple and Android devices who utilize them for geocaching who can speak from personal experience.

 

But personally..I'd try to avoid the 'cell phone' discussion. You'll spend more time talking about cell phone usage (and geocaching)...then you will about geocaching in general.

[+cachepohl]

I personally use an iPhone 4S with the Groundspeak App.

There is a free version available on Apple AppStore, which only lists the nearest 3 caches from your location, since I use the paid one (roughly 9€ purchase prize) I am not sure about availability of other features like using lists etc. with the free app.

But basically there's a try-before-buy option (which convinced me at that time...)

The use is not limited to premium members, full access to the Groundspeak database as long as internet connection is available (G3 or WLAN).

Access to PMO caches of course only if Premium member (which I'm not :-) )

Cache data (including maps) can be downloaded in advance before going caching, so the app will work even without cell coverage.

Logs can be written on the phone and transferred later when internet connection is available (again).

Main problem with using GPS on a cellphone is the power supply, as capacity of the phone sinks comparably fast, while native GPSr typically last longer and can be easier supplied with batteries when caching outdoor.

[+JohnCNA]

I have used 2 different Blackberries and two different Android phones and all of them worked OK for caching. Certainly good enough to get started. $5 or $10 plus your Premium membership will net you a lot of fun.

[+The_Incredibles_]

Thanks for all the replies. If anybody has anything to add, feel free.

[+niraD]

I've used only Android smartphones (G1, Nexus One, Galaxy S). All have worked well for geocaching, within the limits of their design. The only smartphones I've heard particularly negative things about (for geocaching) are the iPhones before the iPhone 4, and that is simply because their GPS receivers have poor accuracy.

 

All smartphones share common problems (poor battery life when the GPS antenna is on, poor durability, lack of water resistance). But they're very convenient for spur-of-the-moment geocaching, especially when you have a data connection to load data for nearby caches from the server.

 

In addition to Groundspeak's apps for iPhone and Android, there are a number of other apps that use Groundspeak's API: http://www.geocaching.com/live/

 

There are other apps that use PQ data, or that scrape the geocaching.com site (in violation of the TOU) to get live data. Lately, I've been using Neongeo, which is about half the price of Groundspeak's app, and which offers features that matter to me that Groundspeak's app doesn't (or didn't, when I started using Neongeo) offer.

 

And all the smartphones I've used have worked fine when there is no cell coverage. Naturally, you won't have live cache data or live map data, but the GPS works just fine, and apps can use whatever data (e.g., PQ data) is located on the device. I've found that turning off antennas helps preserve the battery when you have poor coverage; this prevents the phone from cranking up the antennas to full power in a desperate attempt to connect to the cell network, to the internet, etc.

 

As others have said, I wouldn't push the use of smartphone apps. Actually, when I've given 1-hour intro geocaching classes, I've hardly mentioned smartphone apps, and have mentioned the GPS system only in the broadest terms.

 

Anyway, I hope this is helpful.

[+Geoscouts.eu]

You can certainly use an iPhone (4) without cell coverage - assuming you download cache data first. This can be done my non-premium members. I've used them with data roaming turned off as well (in Denmark for example) and it works fine - you just need to be prepared and plan ahead.

 

Yes. We also use iphone4 for caching outside cell coverage areas (especially when abroad). Be prepared, as the poster above said. Download your PQs before you leave home. Get to a Wifi hotspot and pan around the maps you will need for that day. The map tiles stay cached in the iphone for several days in my experience. There is indeed (or was) a try before you buy option for the iphone app as my wife had it on her ipod. But as the app is less than 10 Euros and really very good I would recommend buying it without hesitation. We also have a droid smartphone with c'geo installed but I find it very tricky to use compared with the iphone app. My only complaint ... PLEASE bring back google maps to the app!

[+rainbomoms]

I usually cache with my smartphone using the free android app, c:geo. (I also have a premium membership.) I love it. I love the live map option, which shows caches right on it. (I use it much more often than the nearby caches list.) When I will be caching outside of cell service area (pretty common up in this mountainous area), I look at the caches before I leave the service area and hit the store button. Then, I can still see the info when I am out of service and use the compass function to find the cache. (I was using my old HTC Evo 4g, which usually made the find within 3m.) (Now, I am using a Samsung Galaxy S4, which is also good. Maybe within 5m.)

[+ldyparadox99]

1) I'm personally using a HTC Sensation and my other half uses a Samsung Galaxy 2 (I think). Really, any modern smart phone (as in the last 2-3 years) will work OK for GPS games. The downside of using a phone over a hand held GPS is I'm finding that it's not as accurate and I'm personally finding if there's the slightest bit of cloud cover (which is 99% of the time i the Netherlands) or some trees, my phone goes wonkers. Also, my phone doesn't seem to like cities much with

 

2) The geocaching app. How much does it cost and do you get to try it out before buying? Is there just one app or different ones to choose from?

 

There's several apps out there, several free (for droid phones/tablets at least). I use one that lets me store the cache so I can turn off my data while I'm out and about to save battery life. There's also caching tools you can get. I can't remember what the one we bought is called, but it allows us to do caches that require triangulation since we seem to have failed that course in scouts. ;-)

 

3) Is there a phone that will work where there's no cell coverage?

 

As others said, no mobile will work without cell coverage for talking on the phone. However, you can still use GPS in areas with no coverage. You just can't search for nearby caches on your phone if there's no data coverage.

 

Pros of using a phone: you can look things up on the internet if you have data, you can search for more caches nearby through whichever method you want (if the app allows it, or on the internet). You can make a quick find while on your lunch break if there's one nearby.

 

Cons (my own personal cons): The biggest is the battery life. Mine which is 1.5 years old only gets about an hour and a half with the GPS constantly running. If we're doing a multi, we have to stagger the use of our mobiles if it's a long multi. This causes fights because we both want to hold the compass (yea, a bunch of mid-30s kids).

 

Also, if you're not paying attention you can break your phone. I'm currently sporting what my friends have started calling the "rugged look" because I managed to drop my phone while going to find an urban cache and cracked the screen.

[+cwgrizz]

Personally, I have a Windows phone with the free app. I tried it once to compare it to a GPSr. It was in bright sunlight and I couldn't see the phone display, but the Oregon 450 was good to go. The only time I would use the phone for caching would be if I was in a area without planning ahead (no GPSr or not preloading it) and I wanted to see if any caches were around to kill some time. You guys with younger eyes may not have that problem.

 

Oh, and you may think, how do you use the phone for other things? Get it located in a shaded area which is not advantageous when you are trying to follow it towards a cache location.

[+gatorhawk45]

I have the Samsung Galaxy S3 and it does better then my Magellan Triton 400. There is an app that you use with C:geo that lets you know how accurate your GPS is on your phone. Just look up GPS status on your app store and its the most downloaded one. I started a couple years ago and gave up because the GPS I bought was not easy to use. My friend who has over 2400 finds could not believe how good my phone was. So now that my phone is accurate to within 10ft, I am back into to it big time. Plus you can log your visits and take photos.

 

If you are going anywhere where you could lose signal you can store the caches easily in your phone using the C;geo app just by clicking store on all the individual ones in the area you are going. I wish it had an option for pocket queries so you don't have to click on each one. But the benefits outweigh the cons in my opinion.

[+JohnCNA]

Cachesense is a great phone app for android. Full PQ support, import/export with Garmin compatible GPX and I love how I can have it refresh a PQ's data without going back to the web site. Supports downloading mapsforge and OSM maps for offline (out of data range) use. And of course does all the online stuff.