iPhone + Navigon vs a real gps

[DynaSport]

I just got back from a 2000 mile weeklong trip with some friends and left my Garmin 2720 at home to see how using the iPhone would suit me. I mounted the iPhone with a waterproof Biologic case. Here are my conclusions.

At first I was very pleased, but a couple of serious shortcomings soon popped up. First, depending on the gloves I was using, the iPhone didn't respond at all, or not reliably. That meant taking off my glove when riding or pulling over to do something. Second, the screen was not very readable depending on how bright it was outside. I use the iPhone with Motion X Drive in my car all the time and those two issues are not problems in the car at all, but on the bike I was not happy.

Finally, there was one ride we wanted to do that had lots of turns on back roads. Trying to devise a way to force that in Motion X Drive was more than I could manage. I actually missed Basecamp, which I find frustrating to use, as I could have at least accomplished what I was trying to do with it. Without that, we gave up on the ride and did a simpler ride.

So, I have decided that while the iPhone makes a perfectly acceptable car GPS, it sucks on the bike.

I will say the Biologic case is nice and I'll probably keep using it to mount my iPhone on the bike for non-gps uses.

My .02, yours may vary.

[levain]

Originally Posted by DynaSport

I just got back from a 2000 mile weeklong trip with some friends and left my Garmin 2720 at home to see how using the iPhone would suit me. I mounted the iPhone with a waterproof Biologic case. Here are my conclusions.

At first I was very pleased, but a couple of serious shortcomings soon popped up. First, depending on the gloves I was using, the iPhone didn't respond at all, or not reliably. That meant taking off my glove when riding or pulling over to do something. Second, the screen was not very readable depending on how bright it was outside. I use the iPhone with Motion X Drive in my car all the time and those two issues are not problems in the car at all, but on the bike I was not happy.

Finally, there was one ride we wanted to do that had lots of turns on back roads. Trying to devise a way to force that in Motion X Drive was more than I could manage. I actually missed Basecamp, which I find frustrating to use, as I could have at least accomplished what I was trying to do with it. Without that, we gave up on the ride and did a simpler ride.

So, I have decided that while the iPhone makes a perfectly acceptable car GPS, it sucks on the bike.

I will say the Biologic case is nice and I'll probably keep using it to mount my iPhone on the bike for non-gps uses.

My .02, yours may vary.

+1.
Your conclusions are exactly why I chose to replace my dead Zumo with a Montana. We're just not there yet with our phones. Consider how far we've come though! Give it another year or 3 and I bet the phone will be the preferred GPS

[seevtsaab]

Originally Posted by levain

+1.
Your conclusions are exactly why I chose to replace my dead Zumo with a Montana. We're just not there yet with our phones. Consider how far we've come though! Give it another year or 3 and I bet the phone will be the preferred GPS

Keep trying to use motionX Drive for tracks and tell everyone how it won't do it. Far better than finding out
that to use tracks you need a different app, motionX.

Oh btw, did you hear? You can't use a phone for a GPS if you don't have cell service?

Now, depending on your requirements, a purpose built Montana may very well be the tool you need. God knows I
want one. But it's silly to proclaim a smart phone can't do something that it most certainly CAN do.

A successful forum, to me, is a place where you learn about things you know little, and share information about things
of which you know alot.

[Jeff@TheQuadShop]

Originally Posted by seevtsaab

Oh btw, did you hear? You can't use a phone for a GPS if you don't have cell service?

That's a joke right!

[Emmbeedee]

Originally Posted by Jeff@TheQuadShop

That's a joke right!

What's the punch-line?

[Jeff@TheQuadShop]

Originally Posted by Emmbeedee

What's the punch-line?

It's I can't believe that there are still people out there that think iPhones have to have a cell signal for GPS to work.

[EmmEff]

Originally Posted by Jeff@TheQuadShop

It's I can't believe that there are still people out there that think iPhones have to have a cell signal for GPS to work.

It seems like almost every "cell phone as a GPS" thread on ADV has at least one unknowing poster who pipes up and says cellphones cannot be using as GPSes without cell service

[seevtsaab]

Originally Posted by Jeff@TheQuadShop

It's I can't believe that there are still people out there that think iPhones have to have a cell signal for GPS to work.

Sarcasm. Guess the tone doesn't translate over the interweb.
I hadn't had coffee so I was also grumpy.
I got a great education in GPS 101 here (now desiring Montana) and then learned of some cool apps and capabilities of my phone (motionX budget).

As a contribution I'd encourage those looking here for information to find the experts and read their posts. There's some great threads in this forum. BTW sorry for thread jacking the navigon thread, I know nothing about it.

[EmmEff]

No worries. I think you sarcasm came through loud and clear