Originally Posted by
Rootman
Well, I'm a cheapskate and don't want to fork out for a high cost of a bike GPS. I don't need much and old cheapo GPS but the lack of battery life is the dealbreaker. Most inexpensive GPS's have a dismal battery life because they are meant to be powered by the car. I took my cars unit and it went dead in less than 2 hours. All I want is something to track my route and tell me where I am if I get lost while experimenting. Someone recommended that I get a used android cell phone and NOT get a call / data plan, they claim that it will still work as a GPS and that I can download a limited set of maps from Google via wifi. Because most cell phones have good standby time the battery life issue won't be a factor on most of my 2-3 hour rides.
Anyone have any ideas for something that will work for maybe less than $200? I'd like something with a 3.5 or 4.5 inch screen.
You *can* go the smartphone route, but the problem you end up with is that you will generally need a data plan to download maps, It is possible in some versions of Android to "cache" maps in a specific vicinity, which would help eliminate some of that need, but that limits your options a bit.
So I guess my first question is, if you go the smartphone route, are you willing to pay the monthly (including the data plan).