Originally Posted by
johnny99
Losing GPS signal is not a problem with your carrier. That is a problem with the GPS antenna in your phone. Some antennas are much better than others at picking up a signal through the trees or indoors.
Really? How many phones have real-deal GPS? I was under the impression that most used determined location through signal triangulation.
Originally Posted by
twobadfish
Can your iPhone monitor HR and cadence?
Aside from that my phone wouldn't last with the screen on for a 5 hour ride. I also don't feel comfortable mounting my $500 phone to my handlebars. I have looked - very hard - for a handlebar mount for my phone but there just isn't a solution that I love. They either require zip ties or rubber bands to ensure it won't pop off if I go over a pot hole or it's in a sealed case making it difficult to operate the touch screen and connect headphones to it.
Ultimately though it comes down to battery life. I don't think my phone is as accurate as my Garmin and to top it all off I don't think there is a better data analysis solution than Garmin Connect.
Can't do cadence and HR natively, that I'm aware of. There are ANT+ dongles and cases that you can purchase, but I'm not so fond of the idea for the reasons that you mention. One solution that does look interesting to me is the Xperia phones from Sony Ericsson. ANT+ is enabled out of the box and they have a... small remote display that's available. Phone can stay in the jersey, display can be worn as a watch or clipped on. I would imagine that battery life would be far better with the small display, but I haven't heard from anyone in the real world...