Nokia 5800 v Iphone

Pros and cons? ......Help! ;-)

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Lucky Jim
30/08/2010 at 17:04

I'm wondering whether to try a mobile phone for GPS. I always take paper maps so it will mostly be used for getting a position 'fix' and I like having an OS map displayed to make it easy to confirm where I am. Navigation isn't one of my strongest points, and neither is techy gadgetry!

Will the Nokia 5800 'talk' to an Imac for route planning etc? I've seen 2 versions, one with buttons and one with a touch screen. Which version are folk using?

The display on an Iphone 4 looks great and routebuddy seem to be developing better software. Are there other good alternatives? I understand battery life would probably be shorter on the Iphone. Is this true even if it's just switched on occassionally to get a fix? Are there other ways around this, charging from a power monkey? How long do folk think they can eak out battery life?

Cost isn't the greatest consideration here, although I'd rather not spend money I don't need to. Ease of use and an intuitive user interface are probably the most critical factors for me.

Grateful for your help!

Metric Kate
30/08/2010 at 17:38
What Nokia 5800 have you seen with buttons? It's a touch-screen phone, it only has 3 little function buttons at the bottom.
Lucky Jim
30/08/2010 at 18:09

Thanks Kate. I thought I'd seen a pic of one with buttons on the bottom half and only a smallish screen at the top but I could easily be wrong there.

How good do you find the picture/detailing using OS maps on the 5800?

Metric Kate
30/08/2010 at 18:51

Yeah, what Twiggy said. I don't use my Nokia as my princpial nav tool - that's a map and compass - but viewranger is pretty intuitive. You can carry a spare battery too and change it if necessary!

Can't compare with i-Stuff cos I've never used it.

ALoveSupreme
30/08/2010 at 19:38
Have a look at the new Samsung Galaxy S - the screen is massive and much brighter than the Apple My wife's just got one, and is very pleased with it; the screen is just so clear. O2 are doing good deals. Viewranger works on it, though we haven't tried it.
Phil S
30/08/2010 at 19:59
Have been having great results with HTC Desire. Several OS packages available for nothing for easy grid reference fix plus mapping plus Google Maps as well. Absolutely excellent and you can change batteries if your away for a long weekend unlike the iPhone.
Metric Kate
30/08/2010 at 20:10
Phil, is there any OS mapping available for Android phones?
Phil S
30/08/2010 at 20:23
Kate, there is free OS mapping software but it needs the data connection on as well as paid software which stores the maps on the phone so no data connection needed. View ranger springs to mind.
Lucky Jim
30/08/2010 at 20:32

Thanks folks. Can you use the 5800 effectively as a stand-alone device, without the need to connect to a PC?

This would be pretty critical really, unless there is Mac connectivity, as I don't have a PC.

Edited: 30/08/2010 at 20:33
ALoveSupreme
30/08/2010 at 20:46

Kate - Viewranger is now available for Android phones - see here. I'll download a trial onto my wifes Galaxy when she's not looking - it should look good on the 4" screen.

P.S. Though if I was an apple type person I'd look at memorymap for the iPhone - see this. 

Edited: 30/08/2010 at 20:50
Metric Kate
30/08/2010 at 21:26

Jim - yes. Only make sure you have a wireless broadband to download Viewranger - you don't want to be downloading it off contract internet time!

ALS - that's good news. Even better, it looks as though one can transfer one's maps from an old phone to a new one.

Lucky Jim
30/08/2010 at 21:54

Thanks ALS. A friend of mine just got the Samsung and she's had real problems learning to do even basic things like call/text etc, but it might just be a steep learning curve at the start as she's always had Nokias. I'll check out the screen though and if you use it for GPS please let me know how you get on

Kate, thanks. I've got broadband and I can plug in a thingamy to get wireless.

Any more thoughts from iPhone users?

Mr Sworld
30/08/2010 at 22:27
Ohh... You can trial Viewranger! Off to download it!

Sig's are a waste of bandwidth...

Metric Kate
30/08/2010 at 22:41
btw, Jim, if you go for the 5800, then download the 'extended' user manual from the internet (ignore the crappy booklet that comes with the phone, it's useless), and go to the Nokia 5800 help forums to get yourself connected to the internet. I pulled out quite a lot of hair til someone directed me to the help forum, suggesting I google 'connect Nokia 5800 to the internet', then it was straight-forward
geekinthesticks
31/08/2010 at 08:59
The 5800 appears as a removable drive if you connect it to a computer. So you can transfer files if you use a Mac or Linux (like me). What you can't do is use Nokia's PC suite on a non Windows computer. However, you don't need it.

You can sync and backup your contacts over the Internet using Google Contacts, or Ovi contacts via the internet. Both these solutions are free. You can download maps over the internet, but it's best to do this via WiFi. The SatNav part is free and generally works very well.

Make sure that your phone has the latest firmware, as many improvements have been added in various firmware releases. You can update the phone's firmware over the air from the phone itself.

You may find it cheaper in the long run to buy an unlocked phone for around £200. Yo can then get one of the rolling monthly tariffs from someone like T-Mobile. This lets you jump ship to another/better deal with only 1 months notice. At the moment we get around 200 minutes, unlimited texts and "unlimited" internet for around £20 per month.

Ian.
Steve Woodward
31/08/2010 at 17:12
I use viewranger on a Nokia X6 on 02. I paid a princely 50 quid upfront but have it on a tariff of a tenner a month for unlimited text and pretty much all the calls I need. To me iphones seem a brilliant way to pay an awful lot of monthly subs. It might be a sign of age (namely remembering life before computers let alone mobiles), but I find all the hype around the various iphones bells and whistles sends me scuttling away like a woodlouse suddenly exposed to light.
Edited: 31/08/2010 at 18:02
Lucky Jim
31/08/2010 at 22:47

Many thanks Nokia and Android users. Some food for thought there. The Samsung looks good. Nice big screen for my failing old eyes!

Anyone want to tell the 'pro iPhone story'? I'm sure there are a few in use out there.

I wonder if I can find anywhere where I could look at an OS map on-screen on the Nokia, Samsung and iPhone to compare?

Mr Sworld
01/09/2010 at 00:54
To be honest a Nokia is probably the best phone to use viewranger on.

You get the full works (Android and iPhone don't get the full package yet), battery life is good and you can swap the batteries over. Also 5800's are about to flood the market as they are 2 years old now so you can pick them up cheap.

I love my Android Desire but it won't track longer than 8 hours before the battery dies and that's with the 2G and 3G radios switched off!

Sig's are a waste of bandwidth...

ALoveSupreme
01/09/2010 at 07:51
Lucky Jim - our local main O2 shop has Nokia, Apple and Samsung phones connected, online and working, so you can see use them for real and see real images - no Viewranger but you could use google maps or whatever to compare them. It was the real hands on demo that sold us and our cronky old eyes on the Galaxy and at £320 it's a lot cheaper than any Apple. So perhaps if you hunt out a city centre O2 shop you'll be able to play for real ..
ALoveSupreme
01/09/2010 at 12:45
.. though if you really want a good screen, the rumoured to be imminent 7" Samsung Tab looks splendid - see here.
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