Originally Posted by
JohnJ80
Things like ruggedness, battery life etc.. are all being handled. Samsung is apparently coming out with a waterproof phone. There are all kinds of case options. There are now "display" products like the RFLKT+ that utilize the personal network and take away the battery usage problem especially for someone who feels they have to carry their phone with them for safety reasons. There are battery sleds that work super well (look at iBattz stuff, for instance).
Samsung's Galaxy phones cost in the ballpark of $600. People don't realize that because they pay for the phone by overpaying for service every month, in exchange for a phone subsidy. But if you damage it in a crash, you're not getting another one for $1. A coworker of mine just spent $35 on a phone mount for his handlebars. The RFLKT+ is $100. The battery pack you're talking about is another expense, depending which one you get. Earlier you were talking about the cost disadvantage of a dedicated GPS but now we're talking about a $150 Garmin 500 going up against a $750+ Samsung system.
The economics are much worse for anyone who already owns a power meter, or even a chest strap HRM or speed and cadence sensor.
There's no doubt that smart phones will keep being pressed into service as cycling and running computers. Or that many users will find them lacking. If I only ever rode an hour or two at a time and only in good weather and only where I have reception, and didn't mind buying new sensors for the hell of it, my phone would work for me too.