smart phone gps' avalible in oz and reliability

[Cruz]

Does it burn your batteries a lot quicker or do you have the phone wired in to the bike?

[LouisBiker]

Originally Posted by Cruz

All their millions hasn't done much for all the screens on the guys work i phones that have cracked then, many from small falls or in pockets. You can't really be serious anyway after the stuff up with the phone reception on the i4 and the metal case. Just because they have money to spend does not mean they always do things well, and usually the more money they make the worse that becomes.

Think IBM, Microsoft, GM, Ford etc.

I'll second that, the iphone 4 is very fragile, we've had dozens break at work from small falls as they are very brittle. Also I've not seen one that DOESN'T have a scratch! Gorilla glass my arse. Also really expensive to repair a screen.. Over $275 each.

Good phone for a fashion tragic..

[Copie]

Originally Posted by Cruz

Does it burn your batteries a lot quicker or do you have the phone wired in to the bike?

Its going to chew batteries (any of them do) but best bet is to get either an external battery pack or wire up a 12v plug to run a charger

Originally Posted by LouisBiker

I'll second that, the iphone 4 is very fragile, we've had dozens break at work from small falls as they are very brittle. Also I've not seen one that DOESN'T have a scratch! Gorilla glass my arse. Also really expensive to repair a screen.. Over $275 each.

Good phone for a fashion tragic..

Mine just has a belkin bumper case on it, with a screen protector and gets abused on a daily basis, sits in the dash of the truck 12 hours a day bouncing around (cab overs, some bump's/dips enough to push me out of the air ride seat ) , gets dropped out of my top pocket, used for hours on end, then gets strapped to the bike for trips away. Zero marks on it (the screen protector is a bit marked though from sitting in my pocket with keys) but if i replaced that for the 10 bucks it cost me it would be like new again.

Without a case and a screen protector they are easy enough to break, but most phones are like that now (except for the 6300/C5 they are bulletproof)

[viz]

OK here is my $0.02

I have a coupla Garmins, Nüvi and a Zumo. Plus others no longer used, or broken. Plus a couple of GPS receivers hooked into a laptop with moving maps etc...

And an iPhone 4 with Sygic Moving Map - it is the iP4 that is by far the best GPS interface that I have ever used. It is fast, very fast to load, to run to update, and accurate. Faster than some dedicated GPS units with the same software.

Now let's kill a myth. If the GPS software comes with its own mapset (as does the Sygic moving Map) it DOES NOT NEED 3G ACCESS. It will work all by its sorry self out of phone contact with any phone network. iPhone's proprietary map system needs to download a mapset and will not work outside of a phone network. The GPS chip in the phone is as good as any, if not better. Will even work inside my house when no other GPS unit that I have will work.

I have used the iPhone on the bike in its own mount and it works very well. However, vibration is going to kill it - you can see that. And you have to turn the acceleration sensor function off somehow - the acceleration of the bike and vibration makes the screen flip upside down and inside out. Amusing to watch, but not practical. I have a waterproof USB charger plug installed that charges the iPhone while I am riding - so power not an issue. The iPhone goes into a waterproof handlebar bag, but after the last trip which was liking riding in a perpetual waterfall I am also putting the iPhone in a waterproof rolltop bag...

Not real good as a primary GPS, only because of vibration. Very good as a backup. If you can get around the vibration and jarring by all means go for it - there are few better units that I know of that will do the job as well or better...

viz

[sysie]

Another vote for the iphone4 :-), I have a oziexplorer gps and a nuvi in the landcruiser... But prefer using iphone's mudmap ( in the place of oziexplorer) and Telstra's navigator(build by garmin) instead of the nuvi... Just one mount, one cradle, one power cable and can swith to whatever navigation app I need. I am currently in paris, and disabled 3g to prevent data charges.. So I will use the wifi in the hotel and "browse" the googlemap app arround where I am to download the maps and then start walking...

[ozranger]

well that was a big 'can o worms' i just opened.
thanks to everyone for your input. i have been doing a lot of research and i think i might go for the motorola defy. water proof to 1m (they say water resistant, but the pressure rating should be 1m) dust resistant, shock/scratch resistant.
there seem to be some good android apps for pre loading maps, and as this is an emerging speciality for phones i can only imagine it will get alot better as the mapping companies try to cash in on the apps.

i will avoid the i phone simple because its a bit more expensive (going OS so don't want a plan) and don't like apple that much.

i view apple as a bit of an oppresive dictorial government. they restrict everything you do (e.g. no blue tooth to stop file sharing, don't get me started on itunes) and keep tabs on everything you do. just think they love money a bit too much!!! i know, what company doesn't? but i like the android freedom.

thanks to everyone for thier very helpful imput

[BurnieM]

Originally Posted by ozranger

well that was a big 'can o worms' i just opened.
thanks to everyone for your input. i have been doing a lot of research and i think i might go for the motorola defy. water proof to 1m (they say water resistant, but the pressure rating should be 1m) dust resistant, shock/scratch resistant.

Nobody says 'waterproof', water resistant yes and usually a standard number. I would go for IPX 6 or higher.

If it says IPX 5 or IPX 54 then I would not buy on that (low) level of water resistance
.

[Oz-Strom]

Bumping this thread to enquire if anyone has come across a new GPS app for iPhone that they would recommend for using on the bike? Is there one that is able to have tracks/routes installed?
I have used the Metroview app and had the iPhone in the tankbag map sleeve, and that works fine, but it is a basic app that can't do routes.

Thanks

I found this one - and TBAM mentioned in latest issue they are doing a review of it.

http://www.mud-maps.com/



Leave your mark...
Wouldn't it be great to have a constant recording of your every movement so you can retrace your steps if you ever get lost.
That's exactly what the MUD MAP Tracklog feature does! It automatically records your movements and displays them as a trail on your map. It also gives you the option to save just a snippet, or the entire length of your journey.

http://www.mud-maps.com/images/apps/...forgetable.png


Unforgetable.
Have you ever discovered a great camp site or spot during your adventures and struggled to find it the next time? That will never happen again...
With MUD MAP, you can use the Waypoints feature to mark any spot on your map, so that you can find it again and again, time after time.
You can even share your spots with your friends using the mCloud social features. What are you waiting for?

There is also a 4x4 GPS app they do.

OK - they also have a 4x4 GPS app @ $199

http://www.vms4x4.com/product-iphone-vms_app
Some description from the itunes store

THE VMS APP IS BUNDLED WITH COMPREHENSIVE 4X4 MAPS.

SmartTOPO™ - TOPOGRAPHIC MAP OF AUSTRALIA
Gregory's™ - TOURING & ACTIVITY MAPS

ADD YOUR FAVOURITE MAPS

• Provides flexibility to add over 3,000 raster maps.
• Purchase online and download instantly.
• Raster maps are digitized versions of the original paper maps from Australia’s leading map makers such as GeoScience, Westprint, Vicmap and many more...
• Preview the entire range for free from www.mud-maps.com. Purchase and download immediately for use with the app.
_______________________________________

WAYPOINTS & TRACKLOGS

• The tracklog feature records your every move & overlays your movements on a map.
• Mark locations of interest with waypoints, like a great camp site.
_______________________________________

mCLOUD™ - ACCESS YOUR TRIP DATA ON ANY MAC OR PC

• Effortlessly transfer Waypoints & Tracklogs from the app to your account.
• No cables, no memory cards, it's all wireless & it just works.
• Review & edit from any PC or Mac.
• Simple enough for anyone to use.
_______________________________________

WHERE AM I™ - GETTING LOST IS A THING OF THE PAST

• Displays your position in real time on the map.
• Current Speed, Altitude, GPS Co-ordinate & accuracy.

EDIT: I received this email advise when I enquired about track/route options.


// Add your reply above here
==================================================
From: Tech Support 11
Subject: Question on iPhone app

Hi Graham,

Thank you for your inquiry. The VMS 4x4 app allows you to use something called Track Log. This will allow you to use your PC or Mac to plan a custom track or alternatively, as your on the track itself, to save the track as your riding on it.

The app uses iTunes to sync your data onto the device and is free to download from Apple.

View this PRIVATE Discussion online: http://vms4x4.tenderapp.com/help/dis...44d0bc41297222
--

[abhibeckert]

Originally Posted by Oz-Strom

Bumping this thread to enquire if anyone has come across a new GPS app for iPhone that they would recommend for using on the bike? Is there one that is able to have tracks/routes installed?
I have used the Metroview app and had the iPhone in the tankbag map sleeve, and that works fine, but it is a basic app that can't do routes.

I purchased Sygic a couple days ago and so far it's great. But I've only played with it a few times while commuting.

Ask me again in a few weeks.

http://www.sygic.com/en/iphone

[Oz-Strom]

Hey abhibeckert, am interested in your purchase of another app. Is this as a supplement to the MotionX app, or as a replacement?

Look forward to your assessment and report, as I really need to get something soon, but am a GPS virgin for this sort of app.

Has anyone tried using the battery pack add-ons for the iPhone? Or do most run it powered to the bike?

[John Smallberries]

Originally Posted by Oz-Strom

Has anyone tried using the battery pack add-ons for the iPhone? Or do most run it powered to the bike?

An iPhone running navigation will burn through battery very fast on the bike. Direct wiring into the bike is the only practical solution. When you do this, be careful to check the power capability of the charger. Look for the "made for iPhone" label and check the current output. I believe you need a full 1 amp output to ensure it will keep up with the current draw of the phone itself. On my first attempt (iPhone 3GS) and a truck-stop 12-volt charger, my battery kept draining, even when connected to the bike. My cheap-ass charger simply couldn't keep up.

Better yet- get a charger rated for the iPad - which can draw 2 full amps.

I've run a iPhone 4 with a Griffin Power-Jolt charger with full Nav and continuous music for 17 hours on my bike with no problems.

[abhibeckert]

Originally Posted by Oz-Strom

Hey abhibeckert, am interested in your purchase of another app. Is this as a supplement to the MotionX app, or as a replacement?

A supplement for sure. They are both useful for completely different tasks, though sometimes I'll have both running at once.

Originally Posted by Oz-Strom

Look forward to your assessment and report, as I really need to get something soon, but am a GPS virgin for this sort of app.

My assessment so far is to get MotionX for navigating off road or on back roads, and for recording tracks to share with other riders. It has all the flexibility of paper maps, with a bunch of very handy features to make navigating easier. And it does a great job of recording your ride to be viewed later in the app, or in google earth on a PC. It uses OpenStreetMap for map data, which is a bit spotty sometimes, but MotionX is perfectly functional even if there are no maps at all where you're going, so it's not a big deal.

But it doesn't do turn by turn navigation, and it's almost useless if you need to find a nearby petrol station.

I'm not sure what the best GPS app is for street riding. The two I have are Sygic ($25) and NavFree (free). Sygic has a lot more features, and it uses commercial map data. NavFree has less features but it does have most of the important ones, and it uses openstreetmap.org's data.

After using sygic for a while, I think the extra features are worth the price. But you could get by just fine without them. For example, sygic supports routes with multiple points along the way, and it shows you the speed limit, warns you if you're approaching some train tracks, tells you to what lane you need to be in, etc. Nice stuff, but not essential.

The big difference is the map data. Sygic's map data has almost every road in australia, even tiny goat trails I wouldn't want to take my 690 down without someone to help me get out if I get bogged. So far I've only seen one or two tiny roads which weren't on sygic. In comparison, NavFree is missing a lot of minor roads, especially in remote australia, and street names are few and far between.

On the other hand, Sygic is full of roads which flat out do not exist. They're all over the bloody place, if I ride for an hour in the places I like to ride, sygic might show me 20 or so side roads which simply aren't there. At first I thought maybe these were old roads which have been closed, or planned roads which were never built, but a lot of them make no sense at all, for example I saw a tiny side road that runs parallel to a major road and crosses river that would require a multi-million dollar bridge, and it wouldn't provide access to anything. There's no way that road ever existed or was ever planned to be built. And the built in database of speed limits is often wrong, it's handy but I wouldn't rely on it.

Sygic's map data is technically better than NavFree's. But when there's something wrong on NavFree, I can, and regularly do, go in and fix it myself. And depending where in australia you're riding, I suspect NavFree might be a lot better than Sygic.

I don't like the routing of sygic very much, it tries very hard to send me down all the most boring roads in the area, even if it means an extra hour or two of riding. NavFree is a little better, but still not great.

My verdict is to get MotionX GPS if you want to work with tracks, and either NavFree or Sygic depending how much street riding you do. Maybe try NavFree first. I'd like to hear others opinions on the wide range of turn-by-turn apps available though, as many of them look very good and I'm too cheap to buy them all.

Originally Posted by Oz-Strom

Has anyone tried using the battery pack add-ons for the iPhone? Or do most run it powered to the bike?

If I turn the screen off and record a track with MotionX GPS, it will last about 6 or 7 hours from full to flat on the internal battery. If the screen is on, it lasts about 2 or 3 hours.

A battery pack would help if you have no other choice, but if the shit hits the fan you're probably going to need your phone, so I think hard wiring it to the bike is the only way to go.

[Oz-Strom]

Thank you both for the useful information as always. I have the Metroview Aus nav app on my iPhone, but have only used it in the car, but it works OK for urban travelling and is only $25.

I think I will hang off getting anything else until I can get a review of the Mudmap app for ADV riding.

[GodSilla]

Hi Abhibeckert, those non-existent roads are prolly gazetted roads that the councli has registered, but never constructed. There ar 2 near my little farm that cross the river on paper, but in reality are paddocks, but the council gazetted them so they appear in the software.
Cheers.

[Oz-Strom]

Originally Posted by John Smallberries

On my first attempt (iPhone 3GS) and a truck-stop 12-volt charger, my battery kept draining, even when connected to the bike. My cheap-ass charger simply couldn't keep up.

Better yet- get a charger rated for the iPad - which can draw 2 full amps.

I've run a iPhone 4 with a Griffin Power-Jolt charger with full Nav and continuous music for 17 hours on my bike with no problems.

The Griffin Power-Jolt SE V2 for iPad seems to be the go then