IPhone

[zenwhipper]

Am considering an IPhone as a post holiday splurge. :clapping: These things seem amazing and quite usable for motorcycling. Anybody have an IPhone and uses it heavily for motorcycle riding? With all the apps out there and the standard awesome features - seems like it would be saweeet! I'm thinking it would be good forL

Phone integration into your on road communications

Music

GPS (?)

Maps

other?

I can see a Ram Mount being used too to place it in the drivers position to be used on road.

What say yuse? :cigar:

Thanks mates.

Scott

 

[deanw]

Phone integration into your on road communications

Near any BlueTooth phone, though.

Music

OK

GPS (?)

I've tried using my Android- a Nexus One- as a GPS in the car. It was like the best of 1997 GPS technology, combined with the worst of cellular coverage. It showed me driving off the street I was on, and was struggling to keep updating maps as I drove off the edge of what was already downloaded. that's with 3G; I can't imagine it would be at all useful if the data dropped off to 2G (EDGE) levels.

Maps

See above. Probably acceptable if you only get lost in urban areas. And the small display is ill optimized for quick glances at road speeds. Never mind trying to use the touch screen with gloves on.

What say yuse?

I wouldn't try using my phone for much beyond what a phone is designed for, which is communication. Get a GPS with BT, one of the ones that doesn't mind getting wet. Then your phone can stay in your pocket or otherwise dry. Get an iPod or other cheap music player for that, so you won't cry hard if it gets wet and dies.

 

[Dj Brady]

I agree with Dean on this one. Having had my iphone for quite some time and trying it out in conjunction with my Yummy, I realized it's not the best option.

I DO use my iphone connected through bluetooth with my Sena headset for music and communication but I keep it safely in my pocket.

I tried using the iphone for GPS and it's not good. As Dean said, you're relying on constant cellular data to update the map as you travel. Getting a dedicated GPS unit with preloaded maps is much better, plus most GPS screens are much larger than the iphone screen (and easier to use with gloves on due to their touchscreen style that's not relying on capacitance (bare skin)).

Lastly, I don't like putting my iphone through the vibration when mounting to the handlebars. I did buy a Ram Mount for my iPhone in case I liked using it that way but it was a $10 gamble and I just don't like that... along that same thought, I consider my old TomTom fairly disposable and I don't worry too much about the vibration but if/when I upgrade my GPS, I'm going to get a 'motorcycle' quality GPS that's water/vibration proof.

I fully applaud your thoughts on getting an iPhone for the sake of getting and iPhone. They're amazing and I love mine for all that it can do, but using it as a motorcycle tool isn't one use I'd recommend.

 

[ScottyUSN]

Iphone 3GS Phone and Music via J&M Bluetooth built into helmet.

Phone in tank bag or on ram mount works great if your fingertip is not gloved (I cut out the tip of my left index finger).

Note: When on ram mount.. Turn of the shake ipod to shuffle music option. Hit a bump and your song shuffles. Drove me crazy trying to figure that unknown feature out!

Due to the J&M audio flush helmet install and quality. Phone calls are great, Other end (other than family) know I am on a bike at all even at 70mph.

Maps on the fly. No thanks... It will work to STOP and figure out location or route. I will not use the phone for this the move. Ipod goes in tankbag.

Nuvi 765 goes on the mount at that point.

Recharger for Nuvi and Ipod plugged into tankbag. J&M BT headset will last all day. If it where to quit I will just plug in the headset.

Music via Bluetooth "A2DP" is good, not great, it's FAR better than mono.

 

[Patriot]

upgraded my IPhone 3G to a 4 last week

email, txting, facebook, alarm clock, weather forecast and radar

phone via Motorola 830 or Cardo Scaler helmet headset,

google latitude showing chosen friends where I am and they are on a google map

instamapper where family can see me moving along a road on a google map in real time...and where I stopped

(joke is using the "husband utility"...when ya at the "by hour" motel during the day...the program shows you at the nearby Cracker Barrel !!!)

my Zumo is my GPS and a mp3 is my music

4 has great camera and video

 

[ScottyUSN]

upgraded my IPhone 3G to a 4 last week

email, txting, facebook, alarm clock, weather forecast and radar

phone via Motorola 830 or Cardo Scaler helmet headset,

google latitude showing chosen friends where I am and they are on a google map

instamapper where family can see me moving along a road on a google map in real time...and where I stopped

(joke is using the "husband utility"...when ya at the "by hour" motel during the day...the program shows you at the nearby Cracker Barrel !!!)

my Zumo is my GPS and a mp3 is my music

4 has great camera and video

Mike,

Ya the 4 is nice, but my kid enjoys (and uses) the extra feature more than I do, so I kept the "older" model.

I really like the new and free mobile me update to the Gen 4. It allowed me to add all our devices to the locate your device list. Also can lock/wipe data/etc in the event your device is stolen.

I don't think the kid cares for the fact I can keep an eye on his location real time. My response "By your own phone and plan, and you won't have to worry about it".

 

[Patriot]

upgraded my IPhone 3G to a 4 last week

email, txting, facebook, alarm clock, weather forecast and radar

phone via Motorola 830 or Cardo Scaler helmet headset,

google latitude showing chosen friends where I am and they are on a google map

instamapper where family can see me moving along a road on a google map in real time...and where I stopped

(joke is using the "husband utility"...when ya at the "by hour" motel during the day...the program shows you at the nearby Cracker Barrel !!!)

my Zumo is my GPS and a mp3 is my music

4 has great camera and video

Mike,

Ya the 4 is nice, but my kid enjoys (and uses) the extra feature more than I do, so I kept the "older" model.

I really like the new and free mobile me update to the Gen 4. It allowed me to add all our devices to the locate your device list. Also can lock/wipe data/etc in the event your device is stolen.

I don't think the kid cares for the fact I can keep an eye on his location real time. My response "By your own phone and plan, and you won't have to worry about it".

I gave my 3G to my daughter

Love the speed over the internet as compared to my 3G which I avoided google and forums like the plague

And I take lotsa pics and post them on FB and move them to my external USB drive at home for prosperity...maybe I'll get into video too, but haven't yet shot any

For $200 and a 2 yr contract, plus Otterbox Defender on ebay $25, it was a no brainer

btw, a sales consultant in the middle of selling me the 3G showed me his IPhone with the Otterbox and literally threw it across the store to the hard tile floor...laughed while in the air and no consequences...it's basically sealed inside the case, so extremely water resistant and very very shock resistant...best cases on the market for many many smartphones...highly recommended and don't leave home without it

I have an extra Otterbox Defender in black on black for IPhone 4...I bought the $50 full retail case at RadioShack; afraid to have the phone without until a ebay $25 case comes in

Mostly on ebay, it comes in a clear ziplock bag with no original packaging...then my dogs tore my stored on my desk box from RadioShack.

Either I luck out and get packaging with the ebay case or I try to tape up the RadioShack case box or I sell my extra

Sheeeeeeeeze !!!

 

[NightShine]

An iPhone is a really fun device, but the biggest issues with it on a motorcycle are:

• Not weatherproof - not even a little bit. In fact as a matter of policy, Apple has denied warranty service on the device if any of its internal moisture "tell tales" have triggered (turned pink). And sometimes just taking a cold-soaked iPhone into a warm room is enough to trigger these.
   
  
• Touch screen control - not at all practical while riding with motorcycle gloves. The screen icons controls are too small. And its screen is capacitive (not pressure) touch, so only specialized gloves would work anyway, and none of those are even close to good for the ATGATT crowd.
  

So the only use I see on a bike for this device while riding would be using its bluetooth connected phone and "iPod" functions, along with any apps you might want to use during pit stops (checking email, weather; logging gas mileage, camera, etc...). So stow the iPhone somewhere safe on the bike, perhaps in something like this or this, and use its bluetooth connectivity to a wireless helmet communicator system (Sena, Cardio, etc) - perhaps through a dedicated GPS that supports bluetooth.

The setup I started with was cobbled together based on what was available in the market place at the time. I have an iPhone 3G, stowed in my tank bag inside of a Pelican box, connected via bluetooth through my TomTom Rider 2 GPS to my helmet's Scala Rider Q2. This gives me prioritized GPS prompts, phone, and intercom. My GPS doesn't support the stereo A2DP bluetooth profile, so I wire the iPhone in the tank bag to an audio port on the Scala Rider, but control its iPod function with a Scosche RF remote for iPod velcro'd to my left handle bar.

Now I've added a dedicated iPod nano I keep in my shirt pocket, wired to the Q2 and controlled by the scosche remote. This is a bit more versatile, and I'm not wired to the bike. No doubt better solutions are available today.

 

[Bike Effects]

Someone mentioned the IPhone is hard to use with gloves due to small icons. The real issue is no matter how large the icons are, they cannot be activated by a gloved hand.

 

[ScottyUSN]

Someone mentioned the IPhone is hard to use with gloves due to small icons. The real issue is no matter how large the icons are, they cannot be activated by a gloved hand.

If you really want to get past the glove issue without doing like me and just clip off the left index finger tip. Or it's just too cold to consider the idea of that digit sticking out.

Here is another solution that will not result in frost bite, or disrupt the ATGATT police.

Get your Iphone geek on

 

[Brodie]

I know the things are all about touch and gestures and stuff but I'm looking for system wide full voice control for all apps with vocal feedback. Couple that with the iPad size GPS screen screen and you would have the makings of a killer system. You would just need to waterproof it and protect it from temperature extremes.

Brodie

 

[ScottyUSN]

Next IPhone tip.. Do not buy the Apple Care warranty. Go over to squaretrade.com and warranty your phone (within 90 days of purchase).

You will now be covered for all sorts of breakage including screen and water damage (If you broke it there is a $50.00 deductible). Be sure to Google for discount codes,

I saved 20% off the insurance with a code months ago.

Apple only covers manufacture defect or failure.

 

[Bungie]

Given the battery life on the IPhone, about the only thing their good for on a motorcycle is a kickstand plate.

 

[ScottyUSN]

Given the battery life on the IPhone, about the only thing their good for on a motorcycle is a kickstand plate.

My Gen II has no problem keeping the Iphone juiced up

I would be a Android owner (again) if my Iphone and service wasn't free.

 

[RadioHowie]

My Gen II has no problem keeping the Iphone juiced up

Oh, that's clever.....WAY too clever for a GenII dink. :blum:

 

[spike747]

I'm a pretty tecky kinda guy and I love the iPhone for many reasons. I thought I'd use it alot when biking, but it has not worked out that way. But here's a few uses I've gotten from my iPhone:

1. If you buy Navigon app, it is a fully functional GPS app that looks very similar to a Zumo/Nuvi screen. But the best part of this app is it is 1.2 gigs in size! Yup, the maps are inside the app. So no downloading of maps while driving. As long as you have a clear view to the GPS satellites, the mapping works fine. You can completely turn off your 3G service if you like. It does have a really nice Google search function within it though so having 3G turned on is nice. But one obvious drawback to an iPhone for a GPS is you can't really use it while driving. O and the screen does not work with gloves. Needs bare skin. iPhone has a screen that detects current flow through bare skin, unlike Garmins screens which are pressure sensitive.

2. As far as listening to music, before I bought a Zumo I used the iPhone with a Monster remote. Its a bluetooth connection between the iPhone and a wrist band remote control. I'd put the iPhone in a jacket pocket and control the music with the wrist remote. The remote is water proof so you can use it in the rain too. I got mine for $20 on ebay. There were reports of the unit sometimes maxing out the volume randomly, but my unit never does that. If you are worried about that, you can set the maximum volume on the iPhone to less then maximum. One disadvantage to this unit though is the bluetooth connection is not done through the iPhone's bluetooth, rather a small bluetooth device that plugs into the bottom of the iPhone. This means the charging port is unavailable. But if all you use the iPhone for is music, it will last all day.

3. I got another app called Every Trail. This app tracks out my journey and lets me take photos along the way. At the end of the day, I upload the track data and photos to their site and I can post the link to Facebook. My buddy's wife really liked this cause she could see our trip from home. The google map she sees shows the photos along the way. It also shows a profile on the altimeter and speed I drove. This feature can be good and bad if you know what I mean. This is my prefered way of using the iPhone right now since my music is done through my Zumo now.

4. My music is done through my Zumo and a Scala Rider G4. This nice thing about this setup is I get music, intercom, and GPS voice prompts. Unfortunately Scala's G4 unit is very buggy when used with a Zumo and intercom to another rider. I'd look at another bluetooth intercom setup. There are a few out there that do the same things.

Lastly, if you use the iPhone for GPS I've found that the GPS draws enough power from the power cord that the battery does not get charged at all. So if you need to charge the battery, turn off the GPS apps. The charger for the iPhone seems to only draw 0.5 amps maximum from the battery. No matter what conditions. The 0.5 amps is probably because thats the maximum for USB ports.

O, and I also found that if you have your iPhone exposed to heat, the charger will disable. They must have an override inside for overheat conditions. Safety feature probably due to the Litium battery inside. I found this out when I had my iPhone in a tank bag transparent pocket. I guess there wasn't enough air flow around the phone.

 

[Richouse]

I have used my iPhone for many miles on my bike. It works great. I built my own mount that bolts to the clutch fluid res. (could not find a mount that would work with my otter box case) and have had no problems with it. I bought the TomTom GPS app and it works flawlessly, though kinda pricy ($50). I would recommend it. Hooks right in to the starcomm and can listen to music hear GPS directions and talk on the phone. As far as waterproof it is not. With the otter box it's somewhat water resistant. I don't worry about it in very light rain but any more a ziploc bag goes over it.

Only gripe is the horrible engine noise when it's plugged in to charge. I have not found a way to get rid of it. But still trying. Any ideas please let me know.

 

[TomInPA]

Am considering an IPhone as a post holiday splurge. :clapping: These things seem amazing and quite usable for motorcycling. Anybody have an IPhone and uses it heavily for motorcycle riding? With all the apps out there and the standard awesome features - seems like it would be saweeet! I'm thinking it would be good forL

Phone integration into your on road communications

Music

GPS (?)

Maps

other?

I can see a Ram Mount being used too to place it in the drivers position to be used on road.

What say yuse? :cigar:

Thanks mates.

Scott

I use the RadarScope ap for iPhone. It costs $9.99 and what you get is real-time detailed NEXRAD radar and animated radar screens for any location with a 3G connection. The weakness is remote areas that don't have connectivity. This allows viewing of storm location, intensity snd direction of movement when making travel decisions on the road. I found it very useful last summer on a 7K mile cross country trip.

 

[daddyg]

I use mine on a Ram mount I bought from the local dealer. It said it was for a GoldWing. Then I bought the Ram Ball Head nut from a link on here somewhere. Been using it for a year on this bike. I listen to my local stations using the iheart radio app. As for the GPS, I dont use that part of the phone on the bike.