Who needs a Garmin these days?

[Azonic]

Can someone tell me why a Garmin (or whatever GPS) is still needed these days? What does it offer a person that I cannot get with my Nokia Sports Tracker and with OVI Maps for navigation on my GPS enabled cellphone?

 

I rode a race over the weekend with Sports Tracker on and it did a fantastic job. If you get a Polar WearLink+ enabled heartrate monitor strap it can even talk to the phone and give you buckets full of extra information on your HR zones etc. You can export the workout file and import it into Google Earth to check exactly where you rode, get the highest points, lowest points, fastest points, etc. You can then use a website like GPSVisualizer.com to generate elevation profiles and other information from the exported file.

 

OVI Maps with navigation does a very good job and hasn't let me down once. My E52 has a fairly big screen for a "classic" cellphone, but I accept is still slightly smaller than the average Garmin. However, with someone telling you what to do, and by just casting your eyes on the map to see the road ahead, why do you need more?

 

So my question remains, who needs a Garmin anymore?

 

http://i54.tinypic.com/m8eck8.jpghttp://i55.tinypic.com/211th6o.png

[Slowbee]

Azo .. are you paying for these services ?

 

Are there any costs to the maps on a garmin ?

[Azonic]

No costs involved on my side at all

[Slowbee]

and the battery life runnng all these apps ?

[jmaccelari]

and the battery life runnng all these apps ?

I don't have a Polar, as I use a Garmin. As far as I'm concerned, it's just another heart rate monitor.

 

I do use the Garmin on my motorbike, too (I have an Edge 705) and the directions and routing area great, so there's something extra my Garmin does, but it's not cycling related...

 

Your Polar works for you, my Garmin for me. Diffr'nt strokes for diffr'nt folks, I suppose...

[Slowbee]

jmac - the thing is the maps are nice play things for someone who doesnt need them.

 

If you can use your phone to do it (since you carry it for safety) then it would be good to use.

 

The Cs200 is the bomb. Works perfectly for what I need.

 

But having maps would be cool to play with but not essential - and even better if its free.

[AfreekduSoet]

Can you mount your Nokia on your handlebar? Can you analyse the hr data? What is the battery life like? Does the hr pickup when carrying phone in back pocket?

 

Also played with the Nokia and these were some of the short comings I found. On a basic level, it is a great product. But its SportsTracker has been in Beta for how many years? This seems more like a excuse not to provide proper support which when I needed it was non existent.

 

Btw, if you looking for a compatible HR strap, I'll sell you mine.

[Azonic]

Afreek, you're a little behind buddy, check these two links in sequence...

 

http://sportstracker.nokia.com/nts

 

http://www.sports-tracker.com/

 

You must have had the old Sports Tracker.

 

Battery life, well the above ride was 4 hours and the battery barely dipped. I'm going to use it for a 6-8 hour hike in a months time and I expect it to last.

 

Handlebar, yeah you can mount it on the bars.

 

http://images.channeladvisor.com/Sell/SSProfiles/82056311/Images/4/5089%205062.JPG

 

Personally I wouldn't want to as I don't want to sweat all over my phone. While riding I couldn't care less what my average or current speed is. If I'm staying with the leaders and I'm giving it my all, no computer or GPS will make me go faster. Its very nice to look at the data afterwards though.

[JasonW]

The ability to upload maps such as T4A is really useful if you like to do a lot of "outback" MTB riding. The Garmin 705 is also compatible with my Powertap.

[Woofie]

Where did you get the Polar WearLink+ from?

Is it a bluetooth HR monitor?

 

The HR monitor problem (how to link it to a normal phone) is the one thing that stands in the way of all normal GPS enabled phones being able to do this properly.

 

There is another bluetooth HR monitor that has been designed (cant remember the name). But it is so new that I wouldnt take the risk of buying it from overseas and then the thing gives problems etc.

[Minion]

So my question remains, who needs a Garmin anymore?

It's an interesting question. You can now use an iPhone (and some other smart phones, I think) with ANT+ devices. This means these phones can work with power meter, cadence sensor HR strap etc.

 

On the hardware side I want a bike computer than I can mount on my handlebars, that will work with a cadence sensor, HR monitor and power meter, has an easily readable screen and that can work in all weather and light conditions. These are pretty much fixed once you buy the device.

 

On the software side, I like to be able to customise what data I see, I like having interval training features and I need to be able to record the data and download it to the analysis software of my choice. These may be current limitations of a device but could be changed by software updates.

 

Generally, I think a Garmin is better for me because:

- It's more water resistant.

- It's more robust and more likely to survive drops, bumps, scratches etc. I'm also less likely to care if it suffers scratches etc., so long as they don't affect the functioning.

 

I wouldn't use my Nokia because:

- It doesn't have ANT+ support.

- To be visible in bright sunlight, the backlight has to stay on. I don't know what this will do to battery life.

- The buttons are too small for me to use in cold weather with full-fingered gloves.

 

The major reason I wouldn't use an ANT+ smart phone is cost. If I lose or break it, it'll cost me a lot more to replace than a Garmin (I also wouldn't ride with it in my back pocket).

[Weight Weenie]

I thought about this, but putting a cellphone on your handlebar for all too see in SA is just inviting disaster IMO

[Thumper]

Er um dont do nokia dude!

[chris_w_65]

There is an ANT + receiver for iphone - looks pretty cool

 

http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2010/05/first-look-at-wahoo-fitness-ant-iphone.html

[Spinnekop]

No ANT+

Thus no power meeter

 

Not for me!

[Azonic]

Ag, I'm content with with the features of the phone with Sports Tracker. It has 18 pre-programmed activities so I even take it along when I go running in an armstrap (looks gay but works). When I get home I can see my average pace per kilo, the amount of steps I did and calories consumed. With a nicer armstrap with a window in it I can see all that while on the go.

 

I'm sure Garmin must have its advantages, but for the mid to lower-high range user I'm moerse happy with this software.

 

I checked that BlackBerries actually have a HUGE selection of sports tracking software available. Some even keep track of what shoes you run in so that you don't over-use any one pair of shoes.

 

This page gives nice examples of some of the screens SportsTracker offers:

 

http://www.astradsson.dk/blog/archives/11