Is anyone using the app that lets you load Memory Maps?

I've heard nothing but bad reports about the standard MM Adventurer hardware so I was wondering if the iphone was a better option.

I tried the Memory Map Free app yesterday – truly crap with it not recording anything like an accurate track, kept losing satelite lock and putting random waypoints in. MM on my old Windows Mobile phone is pretty good with a BT gps.

It may not be the fault of the MM app but other gps apps I've tried on the iPhone seem to create a much more accurate track.

I'll stick with my eTrex Vista for an accurate track or navigation.

I've got it on my iPhone. Wouldn't rely on it to the same degree as a proper GPS on the bars to be honest, and I'd still carry maps anyway. The tracks it draws are rubbish too. It doesn't take way points often enough so you end up with a rough approximation of the ride recorded. It warns about this on the app description to be fair.

My geko 201 cost £60, and it's been dropped in a river, battered in falls, covered in mud, grit, soaked in rain, and frozen. Amongst other horrid things. Not sure an iPhone would be up to any of that abuse, and it's a more expensive thing to break too.

What's the battery life like for the iPhone while doing this?

We're moving our works phones so I'll have an iPhone soon and while I'd rather have kept my Blackberry it'll dull the impact a little if it works ok for on-bike GPS & mapping.

I think some apps are OK at doing tracks (just not memory map), but for me it's something that will stay in the backpack purely because they're not meant for that kind of treatment.
If you wan to do proper tracking/mapping on the bike get a map and a proper gps.
If you're having a walk in the woods and want to know which way back to the car/cafe/pub then a phone 'may' be fine.

At the risk of resurrecting an old thread I'd just like to say that MemoryMap for the iPhone has now been updated and they seem to have fixed the random tracks issue.
The free version is certainly worth a try.

I've said it before…..

I view a phone as a potential life-save in extreme circumstances. I'd rather keep it as such, knowing it's safe and the batteries are well-charged than risk damaging it and/or running out of power when it's most needed. As snowslave has already pointed out a cheap GPS will survive abuse that a smartphone can't handle, is cheaper to replace and is purpose built for the job.

I use my 3GS to log local rides which are typically 3hrs max which is lucky because that's about how long I can get out of the battery from fully charged (actually it's down to 20% but the 20% warning stops the app tracking…

I would never use my iPhone as a navigational GPS – too short run time, and while the accuracy isn't bad, it's nowhere near as good as my proper Garmin GPS.

How long did it take for Cameras to get any good on mobiles? now, if you tranfer that time taken to how long it would take for phones to be any good for navigational aid in remote areas it might be a while before anything decent arrives on the market.

now, if you tranfer that time taken to how long it would take for phones to be any good for navigational aid in remote areas it might be a while before anything decent arrives on the market.

Old Nokias since before the N95 have been good for navigation for ages, with Viewranger software it is great for getting around – I use it all the time – I rarely get the map out of the bag any more. And they have alright battery life (like 7 hours of GPS on).

Viewranger is now on iphone and android. I imagine it is better on android because you can swap over the battery if it gets low, and can run the app in the background. HTC phones I believe have generally better battery life than the iPhone when running GPS apps. The HTC phones also have very good GPS units (way more accurate than my N95 or the iPhone 3G I've used at work).

Joe

the only otehr issue you have with Phones is that they are nowhere near as rugged as specific GPS devices.

Mate has an Iphone and has just installed OutFront (from the App Store) – seems to work very well but probably not the same sort of thing as Memory Map…but the GPS seems pretty accurate with it.

I use my Garmin Edge for following a pre-planned track and pull the iPhone out if I want to see where I am on an OS map.

The updated MM app works well but the iPhone is a bit too fragile for MTB and the battery life is not really long enough.

That said, I do use it on my road bike in a bar mount that's also a battery extender and it works well.

I once had it fall from the mount crossing a cattle grid at speed. It hit the tarmac hard. When I returned to pick it up it was still playing music with just a small scratch on the back!

I put it in an Aquapac if the weather looks inclement though.

MM on the PC with a good simple rugged gps is the best bet as has already been said. Although if you want a good app for the iphone give MotionX a go. It doesn't quite use OS maps, but they're pretty close! Contours and most paths (even highlights known cycle routes). They are downloaded on demand, but they are cached so if you know you're not going to have good signal, you can pan around the area before hand on your wifi. Most importantly, it's free! Only used it a bit, but looks pretty good for what it is.