Spot / Google Latitude

[sergeantnic]

Was looking at some of the spot links that NAFO folks are posting and thought it was interesting so I started looking at the www.spotwalla.com website and found you can use your Android supported phone and Google Latitude instead of buying a SPOT tracker.

Anybody else use this setup? Any issues with areas that lack cell phone service?

I'm going to try it out and see how it works for our trip to the mountains next week.

 

[Crash Cash]

I've experimented with Latitude on my Motorola Droid. It does suck down the battery sending a bit more cell traffic. You don't have to have the GPS turned on, as it'll use "coarse location" (i.e. the cell tower to which it's presently connected) - I turned on the GPS and it started sucking that battery like it was a bottle of Cap'n Morgan's. I'd definitely want to start the day with a full charge.

I specifically bought my Droid since I'm considering a trip to visit Phoenix. I like the Google Navigation a HELL of a lot more than my Garmin or TomTom GPS units, boy howdy! I wish the screen was readable-size, but then it wouldn't fit in my pocket... On the other hand, when my regular GPS throws a ****-fit, I can pull over and have another navigation option available, which is really nice.

Edit: as for using Latitude, I had a friend watch while I drove over to KSC. He says it updates pretty much in real time.