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23 Jan 2013
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Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Santa Cruz, California
Posts: 316
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on team smartphone!
I'm keen to try Iphone as a GPS replacement. Important advantages seem to be much more intuitive software and carrying a multi-use device that can also be used to play music or duck into a cafe connect to wifi, check your email, take a photo, or compose a video. To me this is part of the charm of motorcycle travel - figuring out how to simplify things down to the essentials. In the spirit of the debate, below are my idea of solutions to the issues that I've commonly seen raised:
Quote:
Originally Posted by RoadTrekker
Personnaly I would not like to put all my eggs into one basket, A smartphone is for communicating and listening to music. My Iphone eats battery power when running any APP so the phone will die and then you have lost communicatins as well.
$20 usb connector
Smartphones are not water or dust proof
$40 case
Smartphones cannot be used with gloves on
conducting thread
Smartphone mapping software is eons behind the GPS companies
my garmin 60csx is a massive pain to use compared to google maps on my phone
Smartphones cannot be easily viewed in bright sunlight
not sure about this one - maybe shade my windshield (?)
Smartphones are not as accurate as GPS as they track very few satellites
everyone always says this, but I haven't experienced the problem yet. I just used the Motion X app on a hike in Death Valley with no trail to follow and could see precisely where I was
Smartphones require a network connection for the APP to run which can be expensive when traveling through different countries
this is not not true for all mapping apps
Smartphones usualy switch off the screens after a preset time to safe battery life so no road map.
touch the button
Smartphones are not designed for the high frequency vibrations on a bike so it will damage it after a short time.
this is a real concern. anyone have experience with this?
Keep the GPS seperate to mitigate against breakage, theft, failure, battery life.
more crap to loose, break, get stolen
I have a Zumo 660 its built to last in all weathers and it works with clear instructions and maps. I have my Iphone linked via bluetooth to the Zumo and then linked to my Interphone F5 headset. This si the best set up you can get its totaly safe and reliable.
You pay your money and throw the dice!!!
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23 Jan 2013
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Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
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Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Santa Cruz, California
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someone please make the perfect mapping app!
On the smartphone GPS evolution front, the two Iphone apps that I've found most useful are MotionX and MapsWithMe, but they both have their shortcomings.
MotionX supports track and waypoints and all that, but the OpenStreetMap (OSM) data are huge! Difficult or impossible to fit large areas at high resolution on a 16gb phone.
MapsWithMe OSM data is incredibly compact - highest level resolution for far less space and time to download. The MapsWithMe OSM tiles at the highest resolution are 90,000 smaller than the MotionX ! Seriously - how is this even possible?! I tested with an area about the size of Morocco - 11 MB vs 890 GB.
So, the solution for now may be - download low resolution data in MotionX to use tracks (since away from cities the high res maybe isn't as important) and use MapsWithMe in cities. Anyone have a better idea?
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26 Jan 2013
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Cape Town, South Africa
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here is my 2 cents.
i rode Africa with a motorola defy. this sucker is water proof, dust proof and shock proof. i used 2 maps/nav apps sygic and navit (both fell off the back of the internet truck) i could download the whole of africa on navit and some countries with sygic.
i would put my phone in the map section of my tank bag.
i could also use the phone for all my music and both gps apps would interrupt my music to tell me voice directions 
the navit maps weren't the most comprehensive but not much of africa is mapped!
i could also check my email and do all the net stuff with this phone and it was way cheaper then a good gps it only cost me around 300 bucks. fits my phone gps and some computer needs. i love it and use it all the time now for navigation both online and offline. 
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8 Feb 2013
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Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Midlands, England.
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I've read this thread (or at least most of it) with interest.
I've been a tomtom user for many years and have a chinese motorbike tomtom satnav on my bike which works fine. I quite like the interface and simplicity.
The Zumo seems to be the satnav of choice for bikers though, I've never used one but I don't know what functions of it over the tomtom I am missing? Bear in mind though I've always stuck to tarmac before. I think it can track your ride and stuff?
Anyhow I have just been cleaning out my wardrobe and found a Garmin 60CSX. I've played around with it, loaded Basecamp on my PC and loaded a map (Of Iceland) and see I can get OSM maps for it. However I'm pretty naive and wondering if the fad with these is over now that phones and tomtom/zumo's are around.
Basically is the 60CSX something I should learn about, play with and become familiar with and will it become a good part of my travels or am I just playing with outdated or unsuitable technology?
Thanks - Daniel
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8 Feb 2013
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Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: UK
Posts: 4,343
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Modman
I've read this thread (or at least most of it) with interest.
I've been a tomtom user for many years and have a chinese motorbike tomtom satnav on my bike which works fine. I quite like the interface and simplicity.
The Zumo seems to be the satnav of choice for bikers though, I've never used one but I don't know what functions of it over the tomtom I am missing? Bear in mind though I've always stuck to tarmac before. I think it can track your ride and stuff?
Anyhow I have just been cleaning out my wardrobe and found a Garmin 60CSX. I've played around with it, loaded Basecamp on my PC and loaded a map (Of Iceland) and see I can get OSM maps for it. However I'm pretty naive and wondering if the fad with these is over now that phones and tomtom/zumo's are around.
Basically is the 60CSX something I should learn about, play with and become familiar with and will it become a good part of my travels or am I just playing with outdated or unsuitable technology?
Thanks - Daniel
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I don't have one of those 60csx but there does seem to be a steady market for second hand ones on the likes of ebay.
I believe the replacement model is the 62 and you can find feedback about various models of garmin in the rest of this forum:-
Navigation - Maps, Compass, GPS - Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB
Just look back in there for views about the 60csx - I believe there is a strong following of this model so if you don't want it I have no doubt you can sell it.
By the way, I also have a (very old) Tomtom and I like the simplicity of it.
I bought a second hand Garmin Nuvi 205W just because I wanted to experiment with free maps such as OSM.
Again, read reviews for the capabilities of the various Garmins; the company have a huge range of models and, from what I can tell, most/all do tracking but not all accept routes - I have been known to be wrong though 
__________________
Dave
Last edited by Walkabout; 9 Feb 2013 at 21:31.
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9 Feb 2013
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Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Midlands, England.
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Thanks for that info Dave. I will have a look at everything. My Cheap Chinese satnav keeps hanging, grrr so I am going to eed to buy something in a few months.
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9 Feb 2013
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Location: UK
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Modman
My Cheap Chinese satnav keeps hanging, grrr
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In that case, I would definitely give the 60csx a go: now that I have got over the wonder of touch sensitive screens I think there is something to be said for a GPS that uses buttons - positive control while wearing gloves for instance.
Anyway, you have the thing, so why not use it? As I mentioned, they seem to be rated quite highly by others. The only other thing that comes to mind is their "computing power"; maybe the older technology will be slow or not able to load up "big" maps?
I think they are water resistant and you should be able to get a mounting bracket to fix it to a bike.
Somewhere in here, not so long ago, is a thread about a different, cheap, GPS made in China (although that is not to say that Garmin et al do not also have factories in the republic ;-)
Maybe you have the same make??
__________________
Dave
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