jclaudii
02-10-2012, 08:38 AM
Ok...since these android powered devices have came out, I've been interested in them to see if they would work in the cache mobile to get you to and from caches easier, look up info while en-route on a screen big enough to easily read, and to have a variety of map options.
I swung by best buy and played with some just to see and it looks like once you navigate around an area with it's built in wi-fi, it will "cache" the area for google maps to use when you don't have a internet connection. Most models have built in GPS chips which will allow it to be used as a gps navigation tool. I looked on the android market and there are several apps some free some 10 bucks or less that have good reviews for mapping and map navigation.
We use a Magellan GC at the moment and it shows roads, streets, trails, etc, but once you zoom out to .25 or more you loose all the road detail. and it's like using our old Garmin gpsmap GC with just a basemap.
In addition to 7", 8" to 10.1" tablets, the older toughbooks by panasonice have been popping up on ebay and I've seen them go for less than $50 bucks. Now these are OLD computers, but for the task of riding around in a vehicle, getting wet, etc they would be perfect. Some have built in GPS but most would need the USB add on that you see all over ebay as well. Some the screen can "flip" on and turn it into a tablet and touch screen. Most look like they come from ebay with windows XP Pro on them, but who knows how slow that is on 512MB of mem and a 1.2ghz processor.
I'm just asking if you have any success or have tried it and if you liked it or not for it's limited use. We'll still use our Magellan GC for outside the rig because it's tough.
Here is a website I found that discusses this and if you go to the groundspeak forums it's all over there.
http://androidcaching.com/?p=569
I swung by best buy and played with some just to see and it looks like once you navigate around an area with it's built in wi-fi, it will "cache" the area for google maps to use when you don't have a internet connection. Most models have built in GPS chips which will allow it to be used as a gps navigation tool. I looked on the android market and there are several apps some free some 10 bucks or less that have good reviews for mapping and map navigation.
We use a Magellan GC at the moment and it shows roads, streets, trails, etc, but once you zoom out to .25 or more you loose all the road detail. and it's like using our old Garmin gpsmap GC with just a basemap.
In addition to 7", 8" to 10.1" tablets, the older toughbooks by panasonice have been popping up on ebay and I've seen them go for less than $50 bucks. Now these are OLD computers, but for the task of riding around in a vehicle, getting wet, etc they would be perfect. Some have built in GPS but most would need the USB add on that you see all over ebay as well. Some the screen can "flip" on and turn it into a tablet and touch screen. Most look like they come from ebay with windows XP Pro on them, but who knows how slow that is on 512MB of mem and a 1.2ghz processor.
I'm just asking if you have any success or have tried it and if you liked it or not for it's limited use. We'll still use our Magellan GC for outside the rig because it's tough.
Here is a website I found that discusses this and if you go to the groundspeak forums it's all over there.
http://androidcaching.com/?p=569