Iphone question

[YoMan]

I am thinking about getting the iphone4. My current phone with ATT barely has any service regardless of where we're at in the woods. Pretty much anywhere outside the twin cities area...

For those of you with the iphone, does it help that its a smart phone? Or is verizon the only option to get some decent signal strength?

I like some of the gps apps but would those require 3g/4g, or will it work like the traditional car/garmin navigation devices?

Thanks

[spearchucker]

iPhone isn't available in with Verizon yet. It is supposed to be coming though. It doesn't matter that they are a smartphone, the coverage will be about the same with any AT&T phone.

[Nick Kuhn]

An AT&T phone is an AT&T phone. If you want better signal switch to a company that has better coverage. Navigation/GPS is a mixed bag. Your phone will know where it is at all times. However it needs some sort of data connection to load the road maps for any given route you input. I believe most phones keep this cached while still in the navigation app, so as long as you have signal at the start of the route, you wouldn't need to maintain it throughout the route unless you change destinations/routes.

[SledNeck]

navionics gPS doesnt need cell signal

[Nick Kuhn]

navionics gPS doesnt need cell signal

Correct, if you have an app that saves map data for the entire area you are interested in.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Google maps navigate feature needs a cell signal, but not dependent on 3g.

[pureinsanity]

Google maps navigate feature needs a cell signal, but not dependent on 3g.

I have all my signals turned off on my touch pro 2 on VZW. It is asking me to turn on my data connection. However it is still able to grab my location. I think via GPS.

Basically it seems my phone is getting a sat signal. It just needs the data to load the maps. And to stop the annoying pop up that says hey, we need a data connection for google maps

[YoMan]

Thanks for the input guys. Im going with the iphone come my contract expiring. I don't care much for signal in the woods (wont be able to get nagged on while on the trails ), and will just use the verizon guys phones for emergencies.

[pureinsanity]

You do realize you can get a VZW phone and tell the old lady it doesnt work up there

[pureinsanity]

it doesnt work up there on windy cold days hun! the signal gets blown away!

[YoMan]

it doesnt work up there on windy cold days hun! the signal gets blown away!

Haha.. one should always do that when sitting at dusk or dawn regardless of signal no signal

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Actually you could get a cheap pay as you phone from a carrier of your choice that gets coverage for calling only. Use your smartphone around town and the other to make calls up north.

However, you will miss not having live radar when the storms are blowing in. Need data for that.