Apps

yes I use two apps that both have their merits. The first is Motion x. This app is has a ton of features and great mapping and trail finding capabilities. I am able to cache an area of about 30sq' easily when in wifi environment and then use it on the trail despite 3g signal. The GPS doesn't loose signal out here in the wide open terrain of Sedona and have had great luck in Flagstaff in the forest as well. The main reason I go back to this app is that when I go to Map screen it shows my current track which is obvious but it also shows all my others that I have riden and this makes it great for figuring out connections and loops that can be done on the fly. Even a simple hike a bike over a ridge to another track can be accomplished with confidence. The dashboard is clear and contrast and color choice is good if not great. I this the other App I reviewed has a cooler look but this is straight forward and is an easy transition from Garmin type screen. There is a scrollling option that has timing control in the setting. I have played with this but find I never see the screen I want when I look down and then I can't stair at it so I turned it off and just run the normal data. When I want to see the map for details I stop and evaluate, just like I used to do when it was all on paper. And that is just fine and a part of my MTb experience since I started; searching for the trail should be part of the fun now we have another cool tool. Remember we started out with a simple bike computer and a map so it used to be all based on mile marks---things have come a long way now. With both of these apps you can literaly zoom in on google earth and in desert areas see the trails all around you and make way better decisions then the old days. Downside for the fitness weeny is no ANT+ option so the heartrate and cadence stuff has to be run seperatly. Also this app seems to use more batt then the other one I talk about below. I get about 3-4hrs out of a full charge then the phone is smoked. So out of a safety standpoint I usually cut it on the low batt warning in case I need to make a call for help.
This brings me to my other App I use called Bike Brain. This app was developed by Biologic a division of Dahon folding bikes as part of their product launch for their new Iphone4 case/mount. I use their case and have taken it down triple black decents and all the rough stuff Sedona has to offer and it is still there and the phone is fine. The only flaw with this case is the mount is off center so for mountain biking when body english and terrain hit the extreem it is possible to knock the phone/mount with a knee which is the only time I got it to pop off. I thought it was broken but it poped right back on again, no harm no foul. The phone hit some rocks but the case is so protective it didn't matter anyway. I do run a rubber band as a security measure that the case wont open on impact. The newer model has a better and larger locking latch system then my model. The app has the best dashboard I have seen and it realy easy and fun to read. In analog mode it looks like the cluster of a aircraft instrument (i am a pilot) including the speed bug and heartrate bug. Yes this app is ANT+ compatible with a receiver(you have to buy that and the case I mentioned has space for the dongle to be plugged in while inside and safe). The downside to this app is while it stores and gives you google map views you can only see the current track which doesn't make it any help when trying to figure out where last weeks connector loop was based on your current location. Either way it is solid and fun to ride with but not a great navigator app. This one seems more slanted toward fitness where as motion X is more slanted to navigation and tracking. Batt seems to go a little longer on this app. Motion X uses the accelerometer and GPS to give more accurate speed change data, this may be why batt performace is not quite as good as bike brain. Bike brain seems to go more toward 5hrs on full charge. Both would go all day with an aux bat which biologic has built into their new case and the old cases have cord out so a usb aux batt could be used for epic rides. Using an aux batt would of course take up the only port on the iphone you could use for the ANt reciever. Not sure if Biologic has that part covered or not but the new case should be available soon if not already.
Those are the ones I have messed with and they each have their strengths and weeknesses. If the dashboard of Bike Brain was on Motion X, I think I would bag all the ANT+ issues and go with strong navigation and easy to read dashboard. To summarize I find myself going back to motionX out of pure need to find trails and intersections of prvious rides that I want to connect. Sedona is a litteral spider web of posibilites if you know all the waypoints and secrets so having that data is a great asset on a ride.