Lake maps, GPS and smartphone

[sparetime]

I'm not very technical, but how far away is the technology for using a Lakemaster or similar chip in a smart phone, replacing the handheld GPS? I am considering getting a GPS, but if I can upgrade my phone in 6 months, maybe I should wait and see if the phone can do what the handheld can do.

Any thoughts?

It would seem that the phone could do it, and replace the need to carry a handheld GPS. I believe the phones can already geocode the photographs

[SkunkedAgain]

They already do this. It's a $10 download for the Navionics maps. Do some surfing in the Computer/Electronics forum.

[eyebjim]

I have the navionics maps on my droid phone. They even have the 1 foot contours on the high definition lakes. You can get it for droid and i-phone as of now I believe. Not sure about Blackberry. I was bummed that the Navionics app doesn't work on the XOOM tablet yet. I sent them a "Please make is work" message.

I wish Lakemaster would come out with an app like this.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

I have the navionics maps on my droid phone. They even have the 1 foot contours on the high definition lakes. You can get it for droid and i-phone as of now I believe. Not sure about Blackberry. I was bummed that the Navionics app doesn't work on the XOOM tablet yet. I sent them a "Please make is work" message.

I wish Lakemaster would come out with an app like this.

Amen to that!

[sparetime]

So I'm technically slow.

We have an Ipad. Has anyone used the Navionics app on the Ipad? What do I have to do with the Ipad to make it safe to use in the boat? Waterproofing?

[Ed Carlson]

A $150 basic Garmin handheld GPS unit is 100 times more reliable and accurate then a cell phone based mapping application. The only exception is some phones with true GPS receivers built into them.

Most Cell phones run on towers and the GPS is based from the towers they ping off of, not your true location. So if you loose tower coverage, your cell phone GPS is a paperweight and only a good reference map, but not at all reliable or accurate as a GPS to pinpoint your true position on that map.

That is my main argument for a true GPS receiver over a cell phone AP that is tower based, accuracy and dependability is the point. If you only intend to use it in an area with very good tower coverage, it may be suitable for your needs. But I would not stake my life on it.