$100 waterproof GPS?

[Jack D]

Cellular provider MetroPCS currently has the Kyocera Hydro Life phone on sale for $49.

https://www.metropcs.com/cell-phones/phonedetails.Kyocera_Hydro_LIFE.610214635860.html

I had to buy a micro SD card for $20. I also installed the Android GPS app Copilot Premium for $30. I have used this app for over a year with my Samsung Galaxy S4 which of course is not waterproof.

Copilot allows you to create a trip with via points to force the route to go the way you want. The Premium option gives you voice instructions and 3d maps. The non premium version is free. The trips that you define can be saved for future use and waypoints are also saved as My Places. You can select locations from a city, address, My Places, predefined and categorized POIs such as businesses, attractions, etc., Contacts, Photos, coordinates or pick from the map. The maps are all stored on the SD card so you need no internet access. It can be difficult picking locations on the map from a small cell phone so I have installed the free app on an old Android tablet and define trips on that and then transfer the trip file to the phone using Bluetooth. You can also get a PC version of the program but it is $100 and I think there is no free version for a PC. The program at this time does not accept GPX files.

The phone is smaller than my Samsung but has a much brighter display than either the Samsung or my Garmin Nuvi 765. I had NO problem seeing the display in bright sunlight even when the sun was behind me shining into the screen. You can use the app in Portrait mode, it shows more detail than the Nuvi as well as having a crisper display. The app runs much faster than the Nuvi. The phone is waterproof at the ports including the USB/charging port BUT NOT when the cables are connected. I did a test yesterday running the app with no charging cable connected and it ran over an hour without completely discharging the battery which was not fully charged when I started. My plans were to permanently connect the charging cable and seal it with silicone. I have no intentions of activating this unit for phone use, it will only be a GPS. The phone is mounted an a RAM X-mount.

Drawbacks

The phone screen is capacitive which means that you cannot use it with normal gloves on.

No GPX file support at least currently.

Learning curve for Copilot, though faster than switching from MapSource to Basecamp IMHO.

Positives

Faster program than a Garmin GPS, recalculations are instantaneous.

Much better display than Garmin

Portrait mode operation

Phone will run other apps including being a phone if desired

Free map upgrades

I have only tested this phone for 400 miles yesterday and did not have voice instructions as I was using the free version. Today I have installed the premium version and will be testing the voice instructions via Bluetooth to my Sena10 headset this week. I have used the voice instructions with my Samsung and was happy with it so this will really be a test of the phones Bluetooth.

More info as I do more testing. My goal is to get away from Garmin's high priced devices.

 

[RichDoyle]

I've been using copilot for a couple of years. It works OK as a basic GPS and have found it offers accurate and timely route guidance. I still use it in my car and sometimes on foot. POI database is feeble, though. I've found it to be years out of date in some locales. Don't expect much there.

 

[Pterodactyl]

You are limited to areas with cellular coverage, are you not?

 

[Warpdrv]

DIY Tech Gloves with Conductive Thread

https://www.blogher.com/diy-tech-gloves-conductive-thread

 

[RichDoyle]

You are limited to areas with cellular coverage, are you not?

No. I have used copilot where there is no coverage. It uses the GPS. I use it in my iPad mini, which has no cell capability at all.

I have found that when I use my Galaxy 4 with copilot and the GPS running it gets toasty warm. Of course, this is in my climate-controlled car. I'm not sure about the effects of having the thing working this hard in the direct sunlight and 90 degree heat.

I just gave a current test of the POI database. Still sucks right around here. Example: It show 1 gas station that is near me (one of those co-op deals with mystery gas), and ignores 2 closer stations (Texaco and Shell) and 3 more right along the highway toward the ferry. Instead it shows a whole bunch over on the Kitsap and Olympic peninsulas and Camano Island as being "close", when in fact they are only close if you are a bird, as you have to drive many miles to one or more ferries and cross the water to get there.

 

[Jack D]

Regarding POIs such as gas stations, motels, etc., I have used Copilot to find those when needed and have also used Garmin. I have had much better luck with things being current in Copilot than in Garmin. Just my experience, not trying to disagree about the POIs in Copilot but rather how disappointed I have been with POIs in Garmin. Copilot supposedly will make map corrections promptly when notified but I am not sure if that inclufes POIs.

Regarding heat buildup, that was a real problem for me using Copilot and my previous Samsung phone continuously on the charger. It would get hot enough to quit working. My Galaxy S4 in an Otterbox also gets warm but has not yet shut down. I did not feel how hot the Kyocera was yesterday but will do that in a future tests.