only 3 hours? wow, that sucks. so you have to do a battery pull and then reload everything - i assume it stops recording your route at the battery pull. no thanks.
also, does it do
* accurate elevation
* heart rate
* cadence
and other stuff that serious cyclists care about? can it still tell your speed if it loses the GPS signal? can you use it on a trainer at home with GPS shut off? (I do this all the time)
if so, I'd be impressed. if not, pls don't say that it works "better" than a Garmin (though I give you that Google Biking Directions make me salivate)
I don't disagree that an android phone is a great solution for many people. but at least for now, a Garmin 705 offers a ton of features.
Originally Posted by
loty
I have an insurance policy with my phone
so even if I break it I can get a new one from my cell provider
. BTW - Gamin 705 costs more than any smart phone on the market today and if you destroy it you are SOL. I dropped my phone plenty of times to no ill effect. Last time i dropped it while doing ~20mph on a road (it was my stupidity at fault). Still works like a charm. These things are built like tanks.
I stopped using Garmin GPS in my car in favor of Google GPS on my Android phone ever since Google Navigation became available (for free mind you with guarantied updated maps again for free). There are tons of apps on the Android market tailored specifically for bike riders that use all sorts of maps and cost $2 on average.
Delicate? No - read above. I don't see how Garmin device that has the same electronics and display is more rugged. Let's do a test - drop your garmin while doing 20mph on a bike and lets compare results
. Rain maybe - haven't tried it in a heavy rain yet but probably wouldn't ride in heavy rain anyway.
Yes - you got me there. I'm the first to admit that battery life sucks bananas at least on my phone T-Mobile G1 (HTC). I carry a spare battery just in case because full GPS mode only lasts for about 3 hours on my phone.
Bottom Line: I don't have to drop another $350 on a dedicated GPS when my phone does it better already for no extra cost to me.