Trimble Map/Battery

[Aldaron]

Well, at first I thought this was cool:

http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/TopoCharger/

Expensive, but cool.

But then I just noticed that each card only has one state on it.

Now I'm not so sure it's all that cool.

 

[Nick]

Yeah. Seems gimmicky...

 

[steve]

It'd be cool if it had a solar panel on the back of it. My next phone will definitely have a replaceable battery.

Interesting that they're selling the map cards that way. With the elite membership, you get unlimited downloads of all the maps of the US (only catch is: you have to download them county by county). I got all of utah for $3 my first month. I plan on getting California soon, then AZ and CO.

 

[Aldaron]

I've always felt that Trimble just tries to nickel and dime you, and this thing just seems to support that belief. Other apps have offline downloadable topo maps and satellite imagery for phones with just one upfront payment of $5-10, and other websites allow printing of topo maps for free.

As far as the replaceable phone battery goes, you can get a portable charger such as this or this. They accomplish the same thing as carrying a spare battery, without being tied to buying a particular phone in order to have a replaceable battery.

 

[steve]

Trimble isn't for everyone, and there are cheaper options out there.

I was so close to buying a nice Garmin for $300, then I realized I could use my phone with Trimble for 10 years before I'd hit $300. I realize I'm paying for convenience, and there are cheaper options out there, but as long as my $3/month gets me all the features, I'm happy.

 

[Aldaron]

Yeah, that's a better choice than buying dedicated hardware, I think. But you might be able to save even more money with a different app.

 

[steve]

No doubt. The time savings I get from trimble, as well as ease of use, fits my GPS needs far better than the other free ones I've tried.