[pct-l] smartphone as two-way, also?

Mon Oct 25 19:01:48 CDT 2010

Stellar Battery Life May Be Droid X's Best Feature
By Jeff Bertolucci, PCWorld

Jul 5, 2010 3:10 pm

Complete PCWorld Coverage 

Motorola Droid X

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Never mind the jumbo 4.3-inch display, high-res 8-megapixel camera, or speedy 1GHz processor, the finest feature of Motorola's new Droid X smartphone may be its ability to hold a charge.
Too boring? Not at all. Some smartphones are better at power management than others, and the differences are often dramatic. As mobile phones continue to pile on the features, their ability to manage energy efficiently will become a bigger issue with consumers. A 4G-ready phone that acts as a mobile hotspot looks great on paper. But if it's dead as a brick before the day is done--without a power outlet or spare battery in sight--well, that's one ugly reality check.
In recent days I've had a chance to do some hands-on testing of two new Android smartphones: the HTC EVO 4G (Sprint, $200), which is already shipping; and the Droid X (Verizon Wireless, $200), which hits stores in about a week.
Both handsets have a boatload of features, and the EVO one-ups the Droid X by including a second front-facing camera. But when it comes to battery life, the Droid X puts the EVO to shame.
Using both phones the way average folks do--Web browsing, a few calls and texts, and some audio (Pandora) and video (YouTube) streaming--I found that the EVO seldom lasted longer than a day. And if I streamed a lot of video or activated the phone's built-in mobile hotspot, the EVO might die within three or so hours.
The Droid X, by comparison, could run a solid two days between charges, based on normal use. Pushed to the limit (e.g., non-stop video streaming), it still might last an entire workday. (I tested both phones over a 3G connection, as Sprint's 4G service isn't available yet in my area.)
Verizon Wireless says the Droid X has eight hours of talk time, and 220 hours of standby time. Sprint's specs don't list the EVO's talk/standby times. I've seen estimates of four to six hours of talk time for the EVO at various tech sites, but those numbers seem generous. The Droid X has a 1540mAh battery; the EVO's is 1500mAh.
While my tests weren't exactly scientific, they did offer a peek at these phones' power-management skills under real-world conditions. Larger screens, speedier chips, faster broadband, and other advanced features are taxing the latest smartphones' staying power. Will mobile batteries be able to keep up?
Contact Jeff Bertolucci via Twitter (@jbertolucci) or at jbertolucci.blogspot.com. 

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> From: jamesfmiller at hotmail.com
> To: ned at mountaineducation.org; halfmile at pctmap.net; pacificcresttrail2011 at gmail.com
> Date: Mon, 25 Oct 2010 16:43:56 -0700
> CC: pct-l at backcountry.net
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] smartphone as two-way, also?
> 
> 
> You can use the thing as a phone, GPS AND camera. One item replaces three!
> 
> > From: ned at mountaineducation.org
> > To: halfmile at pctmap.net; pacificcresttrail2011 at gmail.com
> > Date: Mon, 25 Oct 2010 16:29:46 -0700
> > CC: pct-l at backcountry.net
> > Subject: Re: [pct-l] smartphone as two-way, also?
> > 
> > My "smartphone" is not so smart. It turns itself on inside my pack and 
> > drains the battery unless I pull the battery at the trailhead. It even 
> > unlocks itself and makes calls to who knows where, all by itself! Pain in 
> > the arse, really.
> > 
> > So, now that phones are becoming so "smart," with GPS as you're saying, do 
> > we, now, have a lighter pack because we no longer need to carry our phones 
> > and GPS units (by investing in these "smartphones")? Such a deal! Or is it 
> > still better to carry both?
> > 
> > Can a smartphone also communicate two-way if there are no towers around? The 
> > Garmin we used this Spring, the Rino 530HCx, had a wonderful two-way radio 
> > that kept us all connected through the woods on the snow so we could help 
> > each other find the way. Are the phones able to do this yet?
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > Ned Tibbits, Director
> > Mountain Education
> > 1106A Ski Run Blvd
> > South Lake Tahoe, Ca. 96150
> > P: 888-996-8333
> > F: 530-541-1456
> > C: 530-721-1551
> > http://www.mountaineducation.org
> > ----- Original Message ----- 
> > From: "Halfmile" <list at lon.net>
> > To: "John Abela" <pacificcresttrail2011 at gmail.com>
> > Cc: <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> > Sent: Monday, October 25, 2010 11:10 AM
> > Subject: Re: [pct-l] smartphone as GPS
> > 
> > 
> > John,
> > For the iphone I think the two best apps are Topomaps and Basic GPS.
> > 
> > http://topomapsapp.com/
> > http://www.basicgps.net/Basic_GPS/Main.html
> > 
> > Both work well in areas without cell service and are accurate to
> > better than 50 feet in my testing. You need to preload maps into
> > Topomaps (best to use wifi) and it can download waypoints directly
> > from my site at www.pctmap.net. Basic GPS only displays your location
> > in UTM coordinates, so you would use this app with maps that have UTM
> > grids printed on them. This is simple and works well and you can
> > easily plot your location on a map with 25 meter or better accuracy.
> > Basic GPS saves your phone battery too since you turn the phone on,
> > wait a minute or two for the GPS fix, plot location, then turn the
> > phone off. An iPhone will only run a few hours with the GPS on before
> > it drains the battery.
> > 
> > Last time I tried to use Motion X, I didn't find it very useful
> > because it didn't work well preloading maps for areas without cell
> > service and had limited waypoint storage capability. Maybe that's
> > changed.
> > 
> > -Halfmile
> > www.pctmap.net
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > On Mon, Oct 25, 2010 at 10:37 AM, John Abela
> > <pacificcresttrail2011 at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > @Jim K,
> > >
> > > Did you just use the pdf formats, or did you use the gpx waypoints and 
> > > load
> > > them up into MotionX, or some other method?
> > >
> > > Thanks,
> > > John
> > >
> > >
> > > On Mon, Oct 25, 2010 at 10:27 AM, Jim Keener ( J J ) <
> > > pct2010 at ridgetrailhiker.com> wrote:
> > >
> > >> Greetings,
> > >>
> > >> If a device is marketed as having "GPS", it will have satellite location
> > >> capability. Smartphone GPS is typically not as accurate as dedicated GPS
> > >> devices.
> > >>
> > >> Many, many hikers have completed the PCT without any GPS capability. I
> > >> carried an iPhone 3Gs this year and, using Halfmile's waypoints, located
> > >> myself any time I wanted. There is some really good GPS software 
> > >> available
> > >> for almost all smartphones.
> > >>
> > >> Walk well,
> > >> Jim Keener ( J J )
> > >>
> > >> On Oct 25, 2010, at 10:11 AM, "greg mushial" <gmushial at gmdr.com> wrote:
> > >>
> > >> >> Message: 2
> > >> >> Date: Mon, 25 Oct 2010 08:44:13 -0700
> > >> >> From: Austin Williams <austinwilliams123 at gmail.com>
> > >> >> Subject: Re: [pct-l] smartphone as GPS
> > >> >> To: pct-l at backcountry.net
> > >> >> Message-ID:
> > >> >> <AANLkTinOvNfuQPZHGGwxJk2BCWN9RR=DTjKCx7wJ9yr6 at mail.gmail.com>
> > >> >> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
> > >> >>
> > >> >> Be careful. Most of the time the 'GPS' in smart phones is based on
> > >> >> cell-tower triangulation, NOT gps-satellite triangulation. That means
> > >> >> when
> > >> >> there are now cell towers around, the "GPS" on the phone won't work.
> > >> Make
> > >> >> sure you buy one that uses *real* gps, not the kind that uses cell 
> > >> >> tower
> > >> >> triangulation.
> > >> >>
> > >> >> Just a heads up.
> > >> >>
> > >> >> --
> > >> >> Austin Williams
> > >> >>
> > >> >
> > >> > Is there any (published) indication of accuracy difference? Seems that
> > >> since
> > >> > generally towers don't jump around, they should be as good as
> > >> satellites...
> > >> > no?
> > >> > TheDuck
> > >> >
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