Comments on: 3G iPhone vs. Garmin Edge 705 for biking

By: trek7k

trek7k — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 20:26:07 +0000

Yep, Motion X certainly isn’t perfect but remember, it only costs a few bucks (compared to a dedicated GPS which is a much bigger investment). Dedicated GPS devices will always be the better choice because they’re made for biking. Apple and Google [Android] aren’t really designing for off road and remote usage.

By: rshinn

rshinn — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 15:05:21 +0000

I bought Motion X GPS formy iphone 3G and where I live it is completely useless. The phone never picks up a GPS signal at any of the places I routinely ride. Also with the new iphone software update the program rarely even opens without crashing. The one in 10 times it does open and not immediately crash, it drains the battery in under 2 hours. Before the iphone software update motion X was moderately useful and my battery would last well over 2 hours. with the new software update Comletely useless. I’m getting the Garmin and a Droid! Not a fan of apple’s forced upgrades every 2 years

By: Drawthemoral

Drawthemoral — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 16:24:01 +0000

I’m using Motion X GPS on my iPhone 3G and it’s great! It tracks all of the stats that you would want, and you can export them to facebook and Google earth.

The only negative is the battery life. I keep it in my camelback, so I lock the screen. But now, I’ve found several Solar Powered USB chargers that can extend the battery life. If every ride you do is 4+ hours, then maybe go with a GPS unit. But if your average rides are shorter, I don’t see any reason to buy a separate GPS unit. And as battery life improves with the newer iPhones, this will be less and less of an issue.

By: mquinn6

mquinn6 — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 15:52:16 +0000

I just got an iPhone (for other needs) – I love it! I downloaded an app called RunKeeper (www.runkeeper.com) and have played around with it a couple times. Very cool (free after you buy the iPhone). Saves maps, elevation, speeds (at that elevation – sweet diagram) as well as after the trip you can “save” it and it can be seen on the internet – exported to Google Earth (or GPX) and you can replay your trip! Has different activity types, Running, Cylcing, Walking, Hiking, Skiiing, Other (but not certain what they do – maybe granularity).

Now to search for the bluetooth interface for cadence, heartbeat, and impact velocity when I flop.

It might be neat (have not tired it) if you could look up on the internet as to where someone was (lost friend or concerned love one) – sort of like “Spot”…

Cool!

By: Camping & Hiking Apps for iPhone || Camping & Hiking Blog || Tripleblaze.com Camping & Hiking

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 14:26:37 +0000

[...] Backcountry.com included a humorous comparison between the outdoor utility of an iPhone and a stick in their latest newsletter and it’s worth a read if you’re looking for a Friday morning chuckle. The pics are a little cheesy but it’s nice to see someone poking fun at the Jesus phone for once. Oddly enough the article sounded pretty similar in tone to our own article comparing the iPhone to the Garmin Edge 705 GPS. [...]

By: GPS biking software for iPhone || Mountain Bike Blog || SINGLETRACKS.COM

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 14:17:06 +0000

[...] Back in July I posted a theoretical comparison between the iPhone and the Edge 705 for mountain bike navigation and made this point: Speedometer / Odometer / Elevation [...]

By: outside2344

outside2344 — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:32:58 +0000

If you want to put this to a test I just found a really cool application on the iPhone App Store called Trailguru that let’s you capture your ride and then upload it to view it on Google Earth/Google Maps and more. Its in the Health and Fitness section — really cool, check it out …

By: gltenturbo

gltenturbo — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 03:14:03 +0000

I do not have either of these devices, but I think I can help. Buy the GPS. The GPS is made to do all the things you want it to do. The iPhone is made to do all kinds of things. If you need a GPS that can play music, look at porn and make phone calls go, with the iPhone. If you need a GPS, buy a GPS. I owned a really sweet Suunto X9i. It is the watch that has a GPS built in to it. It was really awesome… for a watch. I bought a Garmin eTrex Vista CX and immediately sold the watch on eBay. There was no comparison. When you are in the woods (under tree canopy) any unit made to be a GPS is going to lock on to more satellites with a stronger signal. You will not be able to call your buddy to tell him about the sweet trail you are riding, but you will be able to show him seamless data. Two options: look good at the bar while you are talking about it or look good on the trail while you are doing it!