I am thinking of getting an HTC Desire, but I can’t see any information about whether it is biking/running proof/friendly.

Can anyone tell me if they are suitable for pulling in and out of bags/pockets when biking/running and if there are cases/holders etc for running/biking?

Get the tough case from Case Mate – very very robust. Does make it even bigger though. And Mytracks is great for cycling/running.

Why do you say

even bigger

?

Dair – the case obviously makes the phone physically bigger!

It’s already a big phone – once a case is on, that size increases slightly.

Ive got one and always stuff it in the top of my camelbak, just sits in there either on its own or in a oakley sunnies bag, Landed on it a couple of time and it still in perfect condition.
I use either cardio trainer or sportypal for recording my routes.

My pal has the Desire (not the HD) and uses it running and biking

for running he has an arm bag/strap thingy that seems to work well

for biking he has a clear and robust waterproof case for it. then wraps a jacket round it in his bag.

he uses http://www.endomondo.com/ to track all his activities
(I use it as well, but on my old nokia)
I am planning to get a Desire in a couple of months and use it for bike/running.

Cheers. I’m happy with that. I just needed to know that a) it is robust enough to cope with the trauma of running and cycling, and b) that there are waterproof cases etc if I’m heading into the hills for a day in the worst of British weather.

Now I just need to order it!

Anyone else planning on getting the Desire HD?

I’ve used Google My Tracks to record runs and rides. Works well.

The HD is a big ol’ phone though – carrying it running might be a pain. I tend to just sling my Galaxy in a back pocket, not sure as I’d want anything bigger / heavier than that in there.

My Tracks is a bit of a toy piece of software as the maps it uses are next to useless if offroad.

Download alpinequest and then faff around to create OS maps that can be used off line.

One problem I found with using all these running/biking bits of software is that because the speaker is so poor on the Desire, you cannt really hear the interval times etc.

I too was looking at the Desire for all my needs, but have been thoroughly put off one by the battery life reports.

Every review I look at say it’s awsome, but the battery is abysmal.
People are reporting it not lasting from 9 till 4pm in some cases.

How do you guys counter that if you are using it with GPS on and apps running whilst out in the hills ?

At the worst, you could just use a zippable freezer bag or two to keep the wet off it, if you don’t want a case…

There’s a few issues with battery life.

Old firmwares are problematic, for a start. Running the latest version will help a lot.

Features like wifi, bluetooth, 3G, background data syncing etc will all drain the battery. You can turn these off.

Don’t know about the Desire battery specifically, but a lot of smartphones seem to be suffering from this at the moment.

Caledonia, the battery life isn’t that bad went out last night with mine and had less than 50% battery for 2.5 hours with it running gps and playing music and when I got home there was still plenty of juice in the battery.

Arctic Beast, that’s pretty decent actually.
I’d be listening to music on the wayinto work for about an hour, couple of texts and maybe a phone call or two, then music and GPS for about 1hr20 on the ridde home (only ride 1 way)

Some suggest there is no way the Desire would last this long and would be out of juice by 4 or 5 pm. Which makes it compleatly useless for my needs.
I know the 1st Gen of any new phone is not always great, but most of the reviews are all sept/oct.

Planning to get the Desire HD on release. My Nexus One came with a sort of neoprene sock to live in, though a lot of the time I just bung it in with no protection at all.

Over 6 months the only sign of damage is a tiny chip in the top of the case from when I dropped it onto a concrete floor. Glass screens don’t scratch like old ones used to; with the exception being sand which complete ruins them.

Mostly because, as Cougar mentioned, mentioned
people have Wifi search turned on, Bluetooth turned on, GPS turned on when they are at their destination, probably played some silly game at lunch or in the loo.

the Wifi and Bluetooth are real battery killers as they are constantly searching for a connection (well Wifi is until you get a connection then its fine, unless you leave it searching for other connections)

I’ve been looking at some of the bigger batteries available on eBaY and trying decide whether to bother or not – I’m getting a decent day’s work out of mine anyway – I just have an in car charger and plug into the laptop whenever I’m there too.

Some suggest there is no way the Desire would last this long

Any reason why you can’t plug it in whilst you’re at work?

I have an HTC Legend and I use one of these to keep it dry when out running:

Ortlieb A6 Document Bag

I’m happy to run with the phone in my hand and the bag keeps the sweat off as well.

Can’t find a better alternative that offers full waterproof protection.

I have a Desire and ride with it in the side pocket of my shorts – no problems and the screen is remarkably scratch resistant. I also second ‘Endomondo’ – an excellent app.

The battery life whilst not amazing is fine. I charge mine every other day. A three hour ride with the GPS on for Endomondo will take roughly 20% of the battery. Just being sensible with what you have turned on and the number of apps you are running keeps the battery life within acceptable limits IMO.

All the best.

I didn’t upgrade last week as I’m waiting for the HD Desire too.

I like the bigger screen and the car mode option.

Also been offered a free iphone 4 32gb but I really don’t want to pay £45 a month for a contract I will never need! 2000 minutes??? (some will need it yes.) Lots of Apps but I need a phone 1st!

IVE just bought the desire hd.

what do i need to track my activities ?

endomondo – whats that then ?

tia

the_lecht_rocks,

Go to the Android Market Place on your phone and download it – FREE. All will be explained

It’s a sports GPS that tracks your route, avg speed, calories etc. You can see your workout history, online tracking etc and much more.

All the best.

deluded – got it thanks 🙂

HD desire looks great but I went iphone 4 (well next week) but only as I needed video calling with front facing cam.

So many apps for cycling for android and apple.

Endomondo is much better than My Tracks

I’m not a big believer in having an “all in one” device. Out in the hills, especially in winter, I reckon it’s better to keep the phone battery fresh in case the phone is needed for emergencies. A bit different if you’re out for a wee spin or at a trail park I guess.

I’m not a big believer in having an “all in one” device. Out in the hills, especially in winter, I reckon it’s better to keep the phone battery fresh in case the phone is needed for emergencies. A bit different if you’re out for a wee spin or at a trail park I guess.

Not a problem with an iPhone, 7dayshop do little backup batteries for £7.99 that plug straight into the dock. I’ve not needed one yet, my battery lasts well into the evening, but I’ll probable get one next time I order something just in case.