Originally Posted by
getpsimon
I was 100% satisfied using my iPhone 4 as my full time navigation device on my recent tour. I used the Biologic iPhone Mount and a new trent IMP99D battery. The phone survived the rain and lasted 10+ hours on the road while plugged into the battery. I will definitely use this set up again. The iPhone has to be set up, turning auto brightness off and setting brightness to 100%. I had an analog map just in case but never used it.
I'm using a very similar setup, with an iPhone 4s, currently 3 months into a 7 month tour around the US and heartily recommend it. The external battery pack can keep the phone going for a week or more if you're judicious about using airplane mode.
The handlebar mount with navigation mode is tremendous for when you're spending the day in an unfamiliar city. Having an internet capable phone has allowed me to download BLM maps, route sheets from local bike clubs, search for places to eat/camp, find Warm Showers hosts, etc.
Apps I use frequently:
Route Planner - just so useful. Use waypoints to generate a route with bike/walking/car directions complete with elevation profiles and the ability to scrub along the route with your finger to see exactly where climbs are. You can export routes as GPS tracks to follow in a seperate program if you want. Be careful as it feels somewhat free to recommend dirt roads in bike mode--really only in issue in rural areas.
Maplets - download public maps onto your phone, from State/Nat'l Parks to city bike maps.
Evernote - for opening documents. Many bike clubs will have race routes/turn by turn directions that can get you through an area where there are no other established routes. I just save directions locally in this program, and then check them when I need to with the phone in airplane mode. You can also enter in your own turn-by-turn directions as a note when you're plugged in at a coffee shop, and refer to them later when riding.
Warm Showers - The iPhone app is fantastic, and I consider it a navigation tool because nothing is more likely to make me change my route than a potential host for a night.
MapMyRide - this can be another useful way to search for routes where you can't find anything else.
I'd say the main trick to making this work is to minimize the times when you're trying to routefind on the fly. The phone is a tremendous tool for research and can store a lot of info that can be referred to while riding, but you don't want to be in the middle of nowhere with a road turning to gravel in front of you and no 3G signal. Spend a few hours getting the route dialed in before each leg and the phone should serve you well.
The other bonus is that it completely eliminates the need for a computer. If you're a blogging fiend, I suggest taking a bluetooth keyboard along and you have the GPS/Laptop/Camera bases covered.