Have smart phones made GPS units obsolete?

BOSS1

BOSS1

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Greetings,

I was in the local general store and wound up making an impulse buy on a little Garmin GPS unit. For about $65 brand new in the box it was just too good to walk by. But it kinda got me thinking...with virtually every modern phone being some form of a GPS, are units like the standalones going the way of the dinosaur?

Many probably think so...

What say you?

BOSS
 
There are places my phone doesn't navigate well due to a bad signal where a gps picks up a signal just fine. These places are where I hunt so I usually have my handheld gps anyway.
 
Agreed, signal delivery is key...obviously once you get outside of cell range, the cell phone isn't too helpful. But with more towers getting put up all the time, its probably only a matter of time until there's cell coverage virtually everywhere.

Maybe a better way to ask the question is if smart phones are making the standalone GPS units obsolete...

BOSS
 
BOSS1 said:
Greetings,

I was in the local general store and wound up making an impulse buy on a little Garmin GPS unit. For about $65 brand new in the box it was just too good to walk by. But it kinda got me thinking...with virtually every modern phone being some form of a GPS, are units like the standalones going the way of the dinosaur?

Many probably think so...

What say you?

BOSS
Click to expand...

Nope. No way.

BOSS1 said:
Agreed, signal delivery is key...obviously once you get outside of cell range, the cell phone isn't too helpful. But with more towers getting put up all the time, its probably only a matter of time until there's cell coverage virtually everywhere.

Maybe a better way to ask the question is if smart phones are making the standalone GPS units obsolete...

BOSS
Click to expand...

Not for me.

My GPS (Garmin 60CSX) has *much* better battery life, is reasonably water-tight (up to 5' I think...) and is much more robust in all ways. My smart-phone (Samsung Galaxy S3) is a really good device for what its meant for, but I would never substitute it for my GPS.
 
A dedicated tool is always better than a general purpose tool that also can be used....

With a GPS you can make navigation points
So you can make where you have parked you car a know point, so you can always find your way back
 
When my smartphone can last for a week on one battery charge while frequently using location services, etc, then maybe it will start to replace a GPS. But for now, not even close.
 
Phone GPS has navigation points too. I use MotionX-GPS on an iPhone and it is great. If you go out of cell range, it will still show your path - just without a map behind it (which is still useful to get back to point A).

Bad points for phone: More delicate than most dedicated GPS units, poor battery life compared to most, and only semi-functional when out of cell range.

If I were headed into the wilderness - I want a dedicated handheld quality GPS unit with awesome reception.

So, to answer your question - Yes, and No.

ERic
 
I just use a map and a compass.
GPS units seem pretty cool, especially when marking spots for fishing but they always seem expensive and confusing.
Have GPS units replaced a map and a compass??
 
OK, since we're on the topic, I'll ask.

I don't have a smartphone or gps, but "if" I understand right, they work like this:

GPS = Direct signal from satellite

Smartphone = Dependent on cell service signal
 
Bear Claw Chris Lappe said:
Smartphone = Dependent on cell service signal
Click to expand...

That used to be the case, but many, if not all, smartphones these days are GPS-enabled, so applications like "Topo" will continue to update your location on the map even when you don't have cell service.
 
I lease a infinity, it comes with a navigation system but I never used it , Waze on my iphone works great, so I would say based on my personal experience, gps's are mostly gone .
 
I used to think that the car based GPS units were pretty frivolous, until I rented a car in Europe that had one. Saved my bacon multiple times a day, lots of advanced warning for turns, exits, traffic, etc. I realize they might not be as useful in the wilderness, but in a small geographical area with high population/road density, you can't beat them!


I'm a believer.
 
There will always be demand for dedicated systems. Smartphones haven't replaced simple single function cell phones. Tool for the job. In the case of smartphones, they "cheat" the storage space problems by constant updates, and some car based systems do as well (plus getting traffic info, and all that stuff) When it comes to hand held GPS units, you get better battery life, (and replaceable batteries, unlike a lot of phones) and a larger antenna, giving better reception of the sat signals. My smart phones have been "good enough" for most car navigation, but they are not as good as any of the dedicated systems I've used. the main advantage they have had is totally down to the info that comes in via the data connection. Without that, they are a poor substitute.
 
My smart phone has completely replaced my GPS. With downloadable offline topo maps you don't need service to use the maps. I can mark my location and save them as way points. Its extreme accurate too. I use it for ice fishing, and marking new camp sites when im canoeing the back country. As well as my car when im out hiking.
 
So for you folks who are saying your smartphone has replaced your GPS - are you doing multi-day trips with it?
 
I think the smartphones GPS makes an excellent simple to use direction finder when driving and for short hunting trips; don't know about for serious usages though. I use the GPS in my Samsung phone all the time when out squirrel hunting, and driving in unfamiliar places. Nice for that. A regular dedicated GPS unit would have much more features, probably better performance, and much much longer battery life if you'd be using one more than a little bit.
 
Mass market? Yeah, smartphones just kill GPS due to their ubiquitous nature, but I don't see GPS going away due to the niche market appeal. Right now I can't imagine bothering with a stand-alone GPS unit as my phone is more than enough for my needs, but if I had a job that involved lots of driving or spent a great deal of time in unfamiliar settings I'd grab one in a heartbeat.
 
Smithhammer said:
So for you folks who are saying your smartphone has replaced your GPS - are you doing multi-day trips with it?
Click to expand...

Yes, several days. I went on two, one week long canoe trips last year and used my phone the entire time. That's being said I do have small solar panels I carry to charge my phone when needed.
 
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