TNT, just out of interest, which model iPhone do you have ? (I’m just trying to determine if the “iPhone overheating and shutting down in the hot sun” is still an issue with the latest models.
My personal opinion is that it is not going to be too long before specialist GPS units are no longer produced, as mobile phones running the specialist GPS apps become more and more robust.
Pete
That's certainly a thought Pete, but I reckon, at least here in Oz, they'll likely go the other way - the '
specialist GPS units' will be increasingly upgraded/enhanced to do more than '
just' the address finder/street navigator GPS type stuff that many here think is all they currently do, likely because their only exposure has been to the GPS 'toys' that you can put in your pocket or mount on the windscreen of a vehicle!
It certainly looks to be already going the way of the increasingly capable & '
not so specialised' GPS with integrated control systems in the Maritime World, what with fully integrated GPS, chart plotters, auto pilots, fish finders, radars, et al; and especially here in Oz, where we have
vast tracts of country where mobile phones aren't even as useful as a long wait for a plane; satellite phones often won't/don't necessarily work as a phone or anything else for fairly large chunks of time due to the limitations of communication satellite coverage, travellers are calling for high powered large memory capable devices that not only provide high definition maps with heaps of ancillary info and the traditional specialised GPS position/navigation features, but they're calling for more & more integrated features & capabilities to enhance their driving & exploring experience, so these features & capabilities are all being loaded into devices with larger screens, greater on-board memory, & more vehicle integration etc etc in devices like the Hema Navigators etc. :thumbup:
I've watched these '
Enhanced Navigation devices' grow from '
simple' positioning aids that did little more than provide a reasonably accurate position that someone who knew what they were doing could transfer onto a paper map, thru to fully integrated Navigation systems with satellite, ground station, and inertial capabilities that far exceed the accuracy & utility of any foreseeable 'mobile phone' that's based on just cell towers &/or a limited number of comms satelites. These integrated Navigation & Control devices with GPS accuracy that makes your eyes water are already in use as Auto-pilots and vehicle/implement control systems in Primary Industry, and are increasingly pushing those extended & enhanced capabilities into the realm of 4WD'ing, Caravanning, & Overlanding, not only in the Outback & the wide open spaces Oz has so much of, but also even into places a lot closer to 'civilisation' like the Vic High Country, the Snowy Mountains, & a lot of the 4WD Mecca's all along the Great Divide.... :2thumbs:
So I reckon that some form or enhanced version of '
specialised GPS Units' will be with us for a long time yet, altho maybe not in any form like the small GPS 'toys' that most here would be familiar with & are likely thinking of when they're comparing them to their mobiles/cell phones! Those GPS 'toys' may well be over-taken by mobile/cell phones & their limited capabilities, but '
Specialised GPS Units' are already sooo much more than that, and they are continually being further enhanced & integrated into industry, recreation, and our day to day lives.
hyea:
