Originally Posted by bassmanbob
I was looking at the Garmin 820 anyway. Will this do it? Do I need a website for the GPS to send the information or is there an app she can download on her iPhone?
Originally Posted by
Seattle Forrest
But he plans to buy a Garmin 820 anyway. Why download another app (potential security hole in your phone) and use it to run down the battery with GPS, when the Garmin solution is better? With LiveTracking, your phone's GPS never comes on because your watch or bike computer supplies that data, preserving your battery. In case you need to use your phone for something.
I read that he was looking at an 820 and asking questions about it, not planning on buying one.
I think we've done this song and dance about cell phone battery life on another thread. For what he is wanting to accomplish, the free RoadID cell phone app will do him just fine. It certainly is a lot more cost effective than purchasing a Garmin to do the exact same thing. He still needs the cell phone connected to the Garmin throughout the ride for the live tracking to work. Depending on how often Garmin Connect sends out an email, that could also drain a cell phone battery.
According to his itinerary and depending on where he is going to start along the Treasure Coast, the most he will ride will be around 170 miles (West Palm Beach to St. Cloud). I do an annual, 225 mile, 3 day ride from the Atlantic to the Gulf of Mexico and my cell phone is my bike computer. I have an HRM, a speed/cadence sensor and a RFLKT attached to my phone and still send tracking data. And I do the ride each day (60, 85, 80 miles) without charging my phone until I get ready for bed. And guess what? At the end of each day's ride, I still have enough battery life to call my wife and tell her I'm OK, before charging the phone. If the OP is going to do this ride over more than a day, battery life with one app running and no attached devices is a moot point unless he forgets to charge his phone at night.