what kind of smartphone should I get?

[Bubba]

OK so at work the Blackberry server is being decommissioned, and I was totally over my blackberry anyhow.  I'm with Verizon and end of February I'm due for a new device.  I'd really like to have GPS capabilities, and the turn by turn gpx support that some devices have.  I'd really like to be able to have infinite battery life with a dynamo integration (Schmidt Son Deluxe).  So, should I get an iPhone4s, or an android device?  Apple has a bunch of goofy charger locks, at least with iPods.  Will that prevent me from getting a dynamo charger for it?  

[James Chou]

Howdy,

  I would be very hesitated recommending ANY smartphone for randonneuring 'cause none of them works close to our needs. Here is why:

1. Map & Navigation: I am not aware any smartphone comes with built-in map. The phone drains battery pretty fast when relying on network to feed you the map. With both GPS and data service on in poor reception area, I am not sure if the dynamo hub will keep up with the pace the phone drains the battery (especially SON Deluxe). Even if it does, we typically ride in area with limited cellular coverage. You can gets apps with built-in map online. But I have yet to find any free app (with built in maps) that routes as nicely as most smartphone's built-in navigation apps (without internal map). You may be able to cache the map. Anybody out there who know good app?
2. Accessories: Quite contrarily, you can probably find fuller array of iphone accessories for cycling than Android 'cause Android market is too fragmented. Connector issue is probably minor compared with handlebar mount and waterproof case. Your can actually find waterproof case with ANT+ for iphones, nice handlebar mounts- no problem. But the volume of each Android phone is just too small to justify the investment on our "specialty" accessories.

3. Bulky: Compared with Garmin 705, 500 etc, smart phones are very bulky (needless to say, drain battery much faster than Garmins) even if you can mount them nicely on your handle bar.

4. Randonneuring: You may find some way to make your smart phone function remotely close to our needs. And then, aren't randonneuring gurus keep on telling us using equipment reliable? For randonneuring, I am actually looking for a "dumb" phone, which does nothing but making phone calls, is light, water proof and sturdy. I've been using Garmin 705 for 2 years. Garmin replaced it once for display problem. Other than that, it's perfect. I guess it's always tempting to carry just one device instead of two. But my take is none of the smart phones out there performs close to those cycling-specific GPS devices. They can be good backups but definitely not something I want to solely rely on.

5. No 4G LTE iphone yet: If you really want your smart phone to function as a cycling trip computer, then iphone may gives you better chance of putting the accesories you need/like together to improve your cycling experience. You don't want to put your Android phone in a dry bag clamped on some "generic" mount that will pop out when hitting pot holes. Then why I don't recommend iphone either? It's true that user experience depends more on software than hardware. Apple makes great software. But it's hard to argue a phone that handles network speed 10x slower than its competitors will not compromise its user experience. 2 years contract is a long time. By the time it expires, you will probably find most of your firends' smartphones are 4G LTE equipped. Once you experience 4G, you probably will not want anything less.

My 2 cents.

James

 

On Fri, Feb 3, 2012 at 5:49 PM, Bubba <tape...@gmail.com> wrote:

OK so at work the Blackberry server is being decommissioned, and I was totally over my blackberry anyhow.  I'm with Verizon and end of February I'm due for a new device.  I'd really like to have GPS capabilities, and the turn by turn gpx support that some devices have.  I'd really like to be able to have infinite battery life with a dynamo integration (Schmidt Son Deluxe).  So, should I get an iPhone4s, or an android device?  Apple has a bunch of goofy charger locks, at least with iPods.  Will that prevent me from getting a dynamo charger for it?  

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[Greg Merritt]

[Greg Merritt]

> I am actually looking for a "dumb" phone, which does nothing but making phone calls, is light, water proof and sturdy.

Prepaid Tracfone + ziplock bag...

-Greg

[Bubba]

James

Thanks for those thoughts.  My inquiry is a little more constrained than I stated.  I have to get an iphone or an android phone for work related stuff.  email, file transfer and substantial remote web collaboration stuff is something I have to do.  So that is a given.  For my family's peace of mind, I've considered getting a Spot, so they know where I am.  My GPS smart phone study will hopefully tell me if I can incorporate that featureset into the phone.  I enjoy reading the cuesheet there in the top window of my handlebar bag, and I have a tiny cyclometer, so I've got no interest to put this device on the bars.  It'll go in the handlebar bag.  But, knowing if I ever get lost, or perhaps at night, that I have an illuminated resource that could assist, just seems it could be a nice safety net. 

'm sure I can do everything I want with four devices:

1.  Smartphone for work that i never take rondoneurring (which i'd love for a few reasons)
2.  Dumb phone with really long battery life for randos so i can keep in touch
3.  Spot so my family can know where I am
4.  Bike optimized GPS for getting un-lost

That's the order of priority as well for me.  If one device could do all four reliably, I'd prefer to buy one device.  But if four separate devices is the smartest way to get all four tasks done, then that's OK as well. 

[cduq...@gmail.com]

Bubba,
Let me start this with this, I hate the iPhone limitations but it has the best user interface (for my taste) there are many users who prefer Android devices just like there are steel, ti, carbon bicycle frames :-) 

The iphone battery will last a few days on stand by if you are not using wifi, bluetooth and texting. Probably the same is true with most Android phones. You could also buy a used smartphone for randonneuring if you prefer not to take your "good" phone on brevets, then just swap sim cards between the two phones to have the same phone number at all times. On rainy rides I wrap my phone on saran wrap and just make small opinings for the speakers and microphone, it keeps the phone perfectly dry when used in combination with a plastic bag or in a backpack that is not 100% waterproof.

If your company is purchasing the phone for you the 2 year contract is not an issue, however as others pointed out, there is no phone service in many areas our brevets cover.
There is a great GPS app I use on the iphone that allows you to download their maps to the device, send coordinates to several emails (and fakebook) on demand or at set intervals and has a decent interface, motionxGPS (I use the 'lite' free version)
Carlos

-- Sent from the TouchThing

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