A case for smartphones on the trail.

[Rog Tallbloke]

Huzefa, Cool! I learn something new every day

I notice it's still in development stage but will give it a try.

Requirements:
An autonomous GPS TomTom (TomTom Go, One, XL)

I suspect it won't work with my smartphone yet though…

[Gary Boyd]

It makes phone calls…

Never had a smart phone, and I'm frankly just too cheap to pay for one. I resisted getting a cell phone until it was cheaper than a land line. I am surprised by how many people tell me you HAVE to have a cell phone, and these aren't young people, these are people well advance in age of me. I've met people who grew up on party lines, or with no phones at all that tell me cell phones are necessary.

That being said, my Nokia is freaking bomb proof. I have a great deal of respect for any piece of tech that I actually attempt to kill and it stays ticking. Only two pieces have passed this test, my cell and my alarm clock. Neither will die, and I have an admiration for both.

[>> Bender <<]

I'm a phone freak so I take mine hiking/biking. I have an HTC Touch Diamond quad band GSM so it does work worldwide. I really like having the GPS capabilities, geotagging photos, as well as running just about any Win Mobile application. FYI Weight with battery and sim card is 4.08oz however my old Nokia 5310 was only 2.57oz.

[Russell Swanson]

I have hike buddies that have iPhones with them on every hike. They aren't generally using them on the trip but by golly if they don't have them out post-hike before they've even banged the mud out of their shoe treads.

If oyu haven't had your daily dose of irony, try this one out- On one hike I had a friend demonstrate for me how much fun the iPhone fishing app was, whilst standing right in front of a real stream.

[Roger Caffin]

Hi Russell

> how much fun the iPhone fishing app was, whilst standing right in front of a real stream.
And that summarises an awful lot of the debate very nicely. It sometimes seems a bit like a baby and his bottle.

Cheers

[Brian Lewis]

I think it's fine to be excited about, to have fun with your gear "even when you're outdoors", and whether that gear is electronic or a new air mattress or tent or whatever — I expect most of us here are gearheads to some degree, no?

I'll accept the same weight penalty for my AT thru-hike this coming year as I did on the PCT last year. Per some previous posts, for some people it's not worth it, for others it is, and not because the device is "fun", but because the combination of functionality makes it worth while. I'll have both the AT Companion in pdf form and topo maps on my device and — after all, it's the AT — I won't bring any other paper apart from pretty minimal data pages. That alone offsets the device weight penalty to some decent degree.

On the PCT I wrote a journal entry for literally every trail day, and I'll do the same next year — the smartphone plus bluetooth keyboard makes this pretty easy. I'm satisfied with the (admittedly weenie and limited) 2 megapixel camera that's part of the phone. For still scenery or for people shots it's fine, and that's most of what I take anyway. And the size of the resulting photos are just right for uploading to my journal without modification.

I also find it helpful to be able to access the internet to see weather reports as well as trail reports, though that latter is less important on the AT as water is more plentiful throughout and there don't tend to be fire closures, but still — "trail magic at mile X" or "Hostel Y is closed" or whatever, eh? ! The book reader aspect is occasionally useful when in a town as well as a way to carry more extensive first aid information, and the voice recorder is a handy way to remember things when I get to the next town stop.

I think it would be good for those that use electronics to not disparage the experience of those that don't — I think it's great to go into the woods with as simple a set of kit as you're happy with. Ditto I don't see a reason for those that don't carry electronics to disparage those that do — how often does the old HYOH discussion have to be held?!?

I certainly acknowledge that there are idiots out there that play their music loud or have loud cell conversations in ways and/or places that they shouldn't. This isn't a universal issue with those that use relatively recent inventions, just with those particular individuals (perhaps the same folks that don't bury their toilet paper or let their dogs run wild or various other hot button issues :-)).

[Dean F.]

Wow, Rog. Do we actually agree on something? I avoid both Apple and Window$ in every aspect of my life over which I have any control. Both are annoying. (I'm one of those annoying Linux fanboys.) AND I also have an HTC phone, in the form of a myTouch 3G, which I just got upon returning to the US. I've had it less than a week, and already I would agree that it "solves a problem that I didn't know I had." And there aren't many newfangled things about which I would say that.

I guess, for the record, I agree with the multi-use potential of the new smartphones with GPS capability, especially with the cellular and data functionality turned off so as not to offend those escapists out there. Plus, most places I am interested in hiking have no reception. If you are willing to acknowledge the utility of carrying a GPS- even if you personally don't do so- then it is a bit irrational to get bent out of shape about someone's smartphone.

For those who think a 3.2MP camera doesn't cut it- there are better cameras available. (Like most of us, a DSLR would be wasted on me.) I was looking for a Samsung i7500, which has a 5MP camera and hella memory, but they aren't available in my region yet so I got the myTouch 3G.

Personally, yes, I think I would prefer to leave it home, too. I'm just not poo-pooing those who take theirs. But I also get hideous guilty feelings if I'm not reachable, because of my special work situation: I'm a surgeon, and if one of my post-op patients come to the ER with an issue, dammit, I want to know about it so I can go take care of them. (Or AT LEAST answer any questions that the on-call surgeon has.) So, as you can imagine, actually taking that giant leap of faith and stepping out of cellular coverage is a bit painful for me. Dammit.

[bryan Schuetz]

Might be worth mentioning that there's an iphone application that lets you download usgs topo maps to your phone, use your gps to set and track waypoints, etc. application site

I always have my iPhone 3gs on a hike, not as much for the gps/compas/maps (although they have come in handy) but more for the camera video/still and for camera applications like iStitch which let me take some nice (nice for a phone) panoramas like this one from Shenandoah:

[Brian Lewis]

I don't use an iPhone, but enough folks do that I added a brief appendix to my "guide for selecting a smartphone for the trail",

http://postholer.com/smartPhone.html#AppendixII

In particular, on the PCT discussion list there's been some pretty rich discussion of iPhone topo applications — the above link in turn links to some of those.

[Patrick Caulder]

I got an iphone 3g 8gb refurb from at&t last week for 49.99. Great deal if anyone is thinking about upgrading anytime soon.

[Frank Deland]

I have a friend who has star gazing software on his iphone. Out at night, the phone identifies the stars, planets and constellations you are seeing above you. It can be moved around the skies, has zooming, and joins the constellations together with lines for easier viewing. It is really quite remarkable.

At the website for Harrison Maps, I saw ads for downloading maps of the JMT and Yosemite to the Iphone.

[Miguel Arboleda]

Several iPhone apps that i find very useful (though I'd much rather have the knowledge in my head, rather than carry this device around):

1) Starmap Pro (probably the app talked about above…)
2) iBird Pro (much better than a traditional guidebook, it even has sound recordings. Just wish there was a version for Japan and Asia in general. It's gotten rave reviews all over the media)
3) Knot Guide
4) iFirstAid
5) ICE (an emergency contact app that tells people who find me when I'm down from diabetic complications or am injured, about whom to contact)
6) Stanza and eReader… (when I don't want to carry those huge American paperbacks, but want to read something. A huge collection of books to choose from. I don't like listening to music through tiny earphones, and so never use the iPod function)
7) Brushes (I love drawing by hand and much prefer drawing simple ink on paper. However, when it is raining paper and ink tend to not do very well. Sitting under and umbrella I can do some pretty wonderful drawing and painting work in this app. All without having to carry all that extra material and tools)
8) Ekitan Train Schedule software (indispensable in Japan where getting around by train and being able to make all the transfers and connections is often a matter of seconds!)
9) Darkness (tells you the phases of the moon and sunrise and sunset. Very useful for landscape photography and for alpine climbing when you often get up before dawn to catch the calmer weather)
10) Tracks (tracks where you have moved from and to and transfers the information to Google Maps)
11) Trees (an outlining app that nonetheless is my favorite notes and journaling software. I love writing by hand, but on the train or bus or bumpy car ride, in the rain, or when lying on your back writing by hand can be a challenge. Trees, unlike usual note-taking software, allows me to easily break down sub-categories and organize complex ideas. I am even writing a novel with it now, something all the other apps I tried just couldn't handle at the same complexity. I just wish Trees had a landscape keyboard mode)

[Gerald Weigl]

How well does the iphone handle outdoor circumstances- can one still use the touchscreen when its wet? This would concern me- as great all those multifunctions are, (where connection is available) a cell phone should be carried in case of emergency. And in this case, one may have only one try to dial the number right / press the right buttons. Thus I would want it to be as simple as possible.

[Jace Mullen]

Just want to let you know that for the ICE phone app… unless you are alert and oriented enought to tell them to look there, they won't look through your phone to find someone to contact untill they are done twith their initial assesment and have you somewhat stable.

-Jace Mullen

[Nick Truax]

My opinion- and we all should know what opinions are like…

Roger and Russell – cheers to you both.

As for "smart" phones, I go into the wilderness to get away from such smartness as phones and their like. If that's your cup of tea then so be it. Compass and maps for me.

This thread was too juicy not to post, as I'm sure others were tempted as I was. Nothing like good healthy discourse.

[Keith Selbo]

I think the divide between hi and low tech is artificial at least in the sense of electronics vs older technologies. Innovation has always been with us right back to when that first bunch of sissies started wearing animal skins and, gasp, took all the sport out of hunting by sharpening their rocks. Someday the traditionalists will be opining that GPS is all anybody needs, no need for that direction sensing implant.

[Paul Elliott]

Although I certainly don't have a problem with people saying they don't want technology on the trail, I can say for my purposes, I very much enjoyed using an iPhone for an arctic trip this year. I had zoomable topo maps that helped me decide on the fly where I wanted to go, voice memos to journal what would have otherwise taken too long to write down, documents on identifying edible arctic plants, regular gps features, and once put inside a aloksak it was waterproof and could be used through the bag.
I never once played a game, listened to music, or anything that wasn't directly related to what I was doing out there in the first place.
I suppose if I were to hike in areas I already knew, I probably wouldn't care to have it with me, but when exploring the unknown, I've been very glad to have it with me.

[Wesley Witt]

I would never own an iPhone for the simple reason that the only apps you can put on the phone are the ones that Steve Jobs approves. The bottom line is that Apple decides what software you are allowed to install on YOUR device. I don't know how much more arrogant a company can get than this. I have the privilege of spending $200-$300 on a device and then the manufacture gets to dictate to me how I use it? I think not! Google seems to have figured out how insane this attitude is and has produced a phone that does not have this restriction. And then there is Microsoft who has always allowed the user to install any software on their devices. For me Apple's attitude is simply unacceptable.

[Nate Meinzer]

What a ridiculous complaint.

Two words: Quality Control.

I've never heard *anyone* complain about lack of apps for the iPhone. There are many many options, and the system as a whole is better, and the apps are better.

And it's not as if Steve Jobs is forbidding people to develop apps. Quite the contrary, almost anyone can develop an app for the iPhone, and there are new apps from al sorts of companies every single day!

I'd prefer a little control over a completely open model where things break down (Windows, Windows!) and you have to have several different programs to monitor your other programs because all the programs are not coordinated to talk to one another.

I dare you to find one iPhone user who feels like their choice in apps is limited by Apple. Now, ATT, that's a whole different story.

P.S. I cannot wait until satellite internet is available on the trail. Will take some of the boredom of downtime out of it and allow me to be connected to the world while out in the wilderness. I don't buy into the duality of wilderness/civilization and find that blending the two works just fine for *me* Personally, I'd like access to the news, weather, and friends while on the trail.

[Peter O]

cough* droid cough* cough*

[Wesley Witt]

First this is not an Apple vs. Microsoft thing. It is an Apple vs. everyone else thing.

Secondly it isn't ridiculous. Does some uber cabal control what I install onto my home computer? Do I want such a thing? NO WAY. The point is simple: I own the device and I don’t need some unseen force issuing quality control. Once I write the check I own it and will control it, thank you very much. The point isn’t how may iPhone apps there are, but the simple fact that the consumer and the free market doesn’t get to decide. There have been many cases already where Apple has either revoked an app or not allowed an app. This is simply unacceptable.

Finally, all apps MUST be digitally signed by Apple. Without the signature and the placement into the iPhone app store it will NOT make its way onto your device. All new apps must make it through the Apple gauntlet. If you look at the Google phone or the Microsoft smart phones you’ll find that absolutely any app is allowed and there is no central committee approving apps.

[Nate Meinzer]

The freedom to install any application is a small sacrifice to have a smartphone that doesn't suck. Sorry, sorry–getting all fanboy on you.

But back to the discussion at hand: StarMap is GREAT for night sky viewing and I use iTopo for topography/GPS. The great thing about iTopo is its a one time fee of 10 dollars and you can download all the USGS quads you want. (Though limited by your memory cache).

Those are just a few of the options that the Uber Cabal has graciously allowed us iPhone zombies to consume. ;)

Also, a good investment if you use a lot of juice is a Morphie battery pack. Gives you a full charge, and if you are relying on your smartphone GPS, then it's a great emergency backup.

[Adam Rothermich]

I don't even care what this discussion is about, the title of Nate's response gets an automatic five stars from me.

Somebody set up us the bomb.

For great justice,
Adam

[Peter O]

awesome nate.

[Paul Elliott]

Wesley,
I can't stand Apple, but the iPhone is a great device. I don't use iTunes, refuse to buy music from Apple, and my phone is jailbroken so I can have all kinds of "unapproved" apps on my phone.
Nate, I would be one of countless iPhone owners that feels my choice of apps are limited by Apple. I'd be thrilled if the android based phones took over. In short, I'm a dedicated Apple hater that loves the iPhone.

In an attempt to keep on topic, I'll state that I'd have no trouble switching to another phone, but iTopoMaps and GPS Kit would have to be on whatever phone I have.

[Author]

Posts