[pct-l] Iphone GPS Question

[Bill Burge]

Yup, there's the rub.  If you want maps AND an app that shows you your location on said maps - the choice gets complicated.

If you have coverage and can get maps on the fly, then Motion-X is very cool and powerful AND Gaia GPS is also really good.

BUT, if you have to PRELOAD the maps, both of these fall short.  They can give you your coordinates, but Basic GPS can do that as well and easier and cheaper.

If you need to preload maps, Topo Maps is better, but still can be confusing to get all the right maps.  Map Candy makes getting the right maps easier, but the maps are not quite as good.

Then we could talk about price, but I don't have those current numbers at hand... 

BillB



On May 21, 2010, at 8:58 PM, Halfmile wrote:

> I still a fan of the Basic GPS app on the iPhone.
> All it does is give coordinates of your location, but it's accurate,
> doesn't require phone service,  supports UTM, and it's one of the few
> apps that supports the NAD27 map datum. It has a useful way to toggle
> the GPS off and on to save battery life. The iPhone GPS drains the
> battery pretty fast.
> http://www.basicgps.net/
> 
> In one of Bill's linked email's he states "All in all, the iPhone is a
> pretty mediocre GPS compared to a full  featured GPS like a Garmin"
> which is still true especially for a PCT hiker. Be careful of iPhone
> GPS apps that look cool, but require phone service, can't store maps
> for offline viewing, use maps that don't display the correct PCT
> location, can't easily import waypoints and other data and you have a
> pretty short list to consider after that.
> 
> But an iPhone (with Basic GPS) will give you accurate coordinates of
> your current location, which can be a really useful information to
> know assuming you have maps with UTM grids.
> 
> -Halfmile
> 
> 
> On Fri, May 21, 2010 at 7:58 PM,  <PCTPANAMA at aol.com> wrote:
>> What's the best GPS app for the iphone ?     Panama
>> _______________________________________________
>> Pct-l mailing list
>> Pct-l at backcountry.net
>> To unsubcribe, or change options visit:
>> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
>> 
>> List Archives:
>> http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
>> 
> _______________________________________________
> Pct-l mailing list
> Pct-l at backcountry.net
> To unsubcribe, or change options visit:
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
> 
> List Archives:
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/