[pct-l] smartphone as two-way, also?

[Kevin Cook]

Maybe I got good battery life because the phone is only a couple months old?
I'll be happy if I can run it all day on a full charge, but I was pretty
pleased to see it only used ~50% of the battery. It was probably a little
more than half, but it was still "green".

It took 24 hours to download that test section, but again, my internet at
home sucks and I probably grabbed mare data than I needed. Most of it was
downloaded yesterday when I got to work and hopped on the wifi here. We have
a 20MB connection, so it downloaded much faster. I'm going to try
downloading some more PCT in smaller bits to see how long it takes. The
trail twists and turns, so I had to download a really large area to make
sure I covered all the surrounding areas as well. I'm concerned about that
time too. Since the plan is to download the next section when I'm in town,
24 hours is way too long.

I'm eager to hear how well the nPowerPEG works. It sounds like I better get
mine ordered asap if I want to test with it before the trip. It's going to
start snowing here soon, so it will be harder to get real hiking in for
testing. Please let me know when you get yours!

I'll have to look into that waypoint limitation in MotionX. I still haven't
tried importing anything because you have to email them the file. I'll go
start that now and let you know what I find out.

Thanks for the info. That PEG has me really excited!

On Tue, Oct 26, 2010 at 10:16 PM, Halfmile <halfmile at pctmap.net> wrote:

> Kevin,
> Your getting impressive battery life on your iphone using the GPS,
> sounds like at least 4 or 5 times longer than my old iPhone 3G. I
> wonder if the improvement is all related to new hardware or if the
> apps you are using somehow cycle the GPS off and on to save power.
>
> Regarding the nPowerPEG I ordered one on September 13, on October 25 I
> received this update that says in part:
>
> "However, due to a delay in the delivery of a unique, custom-made
> battery that goes inside of the PEG, it is taking us longer than
> expected to fulfill orders. Our supplier is delivering small
> quantities of batteries each week, and as soon as they arrive, we
> build and test units in attempt to fulfill our outstanding orders as
> quickly as possible."
>
> I can't say how well they will work, but don't expect a quick delivery
> if you decide to order one.
>
> On Motion X I have the full (not trial) version but I haven't used it
> much in the last year...I pretty much gave up on it back then. Sounds
> like it's better now, maybe I will have another go at it when I have
> some extra free time although 24 hours to download maps doesn't sound
> that promising, hopefully it's much faster with a better internet
> connection.
>
> -Halfmile
>
> On Tue, Oct 26, 2010 at 4:53 PM, Kevin Cook <hikelite at gmail.com> wrote:
> > Let's also no forget the video camera, journal, compass, maps,
> flashlight,
> > guidebook(? this just occured to me), and probably more things I'm not
> > thinking of.
> >
> > I put the 2 apps through their paces a bit more. The topo app only shows
> me
> > topos. I much prefer the data in MotionX. I can't tell how much space
> each
> > topo is taking, but I'll find that out. I do know it took awhile to
> download
> > each one. I downloaded 4 or 5 to experiment with. It is much easier to
> put
> > halfmile's waypoints into though. Just browse to his site, and there they
> > are. I also just tried to see how much data Section A uses in MotionX. It
> > took quite awhile to download this tileset, but it's HUGE. The app
> > originally  estimated it would require 477MB, but it ended up only
> needing
> > 430MB. It took FOREVER! OK, not literally, but it took more than 24
> hours.
> > It kept losing network connection as my internet at home is spotty right
> > now, so everytime I moved the phone around between different parts of the
> > house, work, remote sites, etc, it would interrupt the download. The nice
> > thing is, it will resume where it left off. Of course I had to look at it
> to
> > tell it to try again. Oh well, at least it finished! I downloaded from
> Campo
> > to ~San Gorgonio Pass with a ~60 mile width. I think when I hike, I will
> > break it up into smaller sections, but I'll have to experiment more. I
> only
> > downloaded the paid version of the app Friday.
> >
> > Halfmile, I think the problem you had with MotionX's limited # of
> waypoints
> > was because you were using the trial version? It only allowed me to save
> 1
> > track in the trial version. I was worried I would lose day 2 of a ride,
> but
> > I was able to leave the recorder paused, email myself the first saved
> track,
> > delete that one, and then send myself the 2nd one. Now that I have the
> paid
> > version, I don't think there are any limits to how many tracks or
> waypoints
> > I can use, other than memory limitations in the phone.
> >
> > In regards to battery life, my iPhone used half a full charge running the
> > GPS all day on my ride 2 weekends ago. We rode from Flagstaff to the
> Canyon
> > via the AT trail and forest service roads. We were out of cell range most
> of
> > the time, based on checking the signal when I would pull it out to take a
> > picture or whatever. I actually had 2 apps tracking the ride, but I don't
> > think it affects battery to have multiple apps accessing the GPS. We had
> a
> > supported camp, so I was able to charge it up for the 2nd day of riding.
> > Again, I used up around half the fully charged battery. Much of the time
> > both days I was also listening to the iPod!
> >
> > Perhaps I should pull this out to another thread, but I'm planning to use
> an
> > nPower PEG to keep it charged. Has anyone used one of these? I know
> > Burnie(Megan) used on this year, but she never mentions it in her journal
> > except at the beginning. From the website, it sounds like a few hours of
> > hiking will fully charge the phone, so I should have continual access to
> the
> > device. I wrote all this yesterday, but waited until I had a final size
> for
> > the above data. I noticed someone mentioned this device earlier today.
> Maybe
> > I should put this in that thread or start another.
> >
>