will smart phones soon be the king of offroad navagation?

[corax]

I didn't read the entire thread on TTORA, but I'm gonna assume we're not using an external antenna on the phone. The limiting factor, as I understand it, is that smart phones don't actually have a GPS receiver built into them - they obtain a position by "reading" the local cell towers. What happens when you have no signal? This isn't really an issue anywhere near civilization (unless there's a system-wide issue like downed phone lines), but there are is still a lot of rural area without cell coverage. I'll stick to good old-fashioned satellite based GPS

[troyboy162]

thats true with our normal cell phones but ever since the iphone, any self respecting smart phone has included a true gps receiver. some of them can use A-GPS where a cell signal orients them for a quicker satilite fix. that needs to be turned off if you are going to turn on the phone outside coverage or ive read it will take a long time to get a fix. apparently that includes the droidx and droid2

Im pretty confident this app is a traditional gps killer for offroading. all the functions of a handheld gps are accounted for. what ive read though is airplane mode needs to be used to get any kind of good battery life. i would think hikers without a place to charge a phone will not be interested in this

but, and heres the butt lol...as with the SPOT communicator thingy..your cell phone just moved up the food chain, so it better not break on the trail! hand held GPS are bomb proof and smart phones arent

[Obi..]

Although I like where the tech's leading I still feel it is ultimately a band-aid to Darwinian Logic. There's some beta stuff out now I saw while down at Apple in Cupertino, you all should check out what's now available under open access and try the stuff out.
*Not that I am implying anyone here doesn't know how to read lines on a map, a compass, or the stars.

[troyboy162]

list up the apple stuff. steves got an iphone. i just stumbled on this one for android, but i bet apple apps are right there too.

maps wont go away but sat images are the best for running new trails or free exploring. i only had topos with me yesterday and it sucked for judging optional turn outs. as the only truck taking them i didnt really want to break from the group for too long.

[Obi..]

First choice is always http://www.google.com/mobile/earth/]Google Earth Mobile[/url] so we can modify and update maps while in the field and also could then cross it into the shop's computer and website for ride maps.

Then my top of the pile list was..

Spyglass with the sick Head's-Up Function and available video/pic function.

Topo

Compass

http://www.trip-journal.com/"]Trip Journal[/url]

Sextant was second on the list until they released Spyglass.

[troyboy162]

http://www.viewranger.com/vrproductinfo.php looks good too.

spyglass is really cool!

do you know off hand which of those will have offline images available? google maps apparently can now but its not user managed and is meant to be a automated caching of commonly visited areas. apps markets really have boosted navigation development.

a bit unrelated but look at this millitary oriented application using google earth. amazing possibiltys when this grows up. they have a branch of it for smart phones that just does the walking routes but needs data signal
Ground Guidance for Google Earth Demonstration

and this is really unrelated but demonstrates the momentum smart phone progress has. simply amazing forward thinking.
Google I/O 2010 - Keynote Day 2 Android Demo - Full Length

[troyboy162]

test 2 of back country navagator was a huge hit. the guys i was with used deloriam topo on a tablet. BCN can easily do the sat images and switch between them and topo on the fly. total success on the second feilding. we saw some interesting mines on a steep hill side and wondered if we should leave our current mine to go to them. sat images showed no easy way to the mountain top by truck. the android version is much better, but i hope it is as bomb proof and stable as the PC version

[troyboy162]

ok more on the subject. touch screen are not easy to see in daylight. this company has been perfecting there solution for awhile now and it looks great!
http://youtu.be/wfigFKBbs08

and on BCN...google earth and several map sources have caught up with the 3rd party maping caching program that was able to provide 25ish map sources to BNC. read more here for avalibe sources. old versions should still be able to use all sources
http://mobac.sourceforge.net/

[paddlenbike]

The biggest problem I have with in-car nav is dash-position. The newer cars that have OEM Nav with it high in the dash are quite useable. Unfortunately, most every vehicle out there including the 3rd gen have the DIN slot too low to really be easy (and safe) to use. If ours were arranged like that I would probably want a Garmin GNS series that is intended for use in aircraft.

I think Ford has nailed in-car audio/climate/NAV better than anyone. Information is shared between an 8" touchscreen high in the dash and two 4.3" screens in the instrument cluster. With Ford MyTouch you can display the information you want on the dash--you always have to have a speedo, but if you don't want a tach and want NAV instructions to display in the instrument cluster area instead, you can. Which makes me think if I were ever to go hog-wild on audio/NAV, I wouldn't put it down in the DIN slot, I would replace my gauges with a screen that allowed me to do basically what Ford has done. Then when I'm in the desert and my speed is unimportant, I can simply have just NAV in front of me. Dreaming, I know.