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I'm now elligible for a new phone and wanted to get a nickel's worth of free advice from the electronic gizmo peeps. Is there a particular i phone/droid that is best for recording data (g's mainly) during runs? Preferably the app would also do acceleration times. Does this app/phone even exist?
Most of the phones now don't list an accelerometer in their features. Are they so common that manufacturers don't bother to mention them? I think they would all have accels by now. Thanks for any help.
IMHO - The iphone 4 has the best accelerometers, and decent gps function. I've used the 3G and the HTC Aria and found the iphone4 to be better, at least for dynolicious and maxqdata.
The best iphone/android for data aquisition is actually a Windows mobile phone paired with a cheap 5 HZ Bluetooth GPS and a copy of Racechrono datalogger freeware.
Second best option is a Windows mobile phone paired with a MaxQData 5Hz Bluetooth TraQr.
Third best option, but much more expensive, would be an iphone and a MaxQData Quantum Wifi datalogger.
I have an iphone, but I still keep my old Samsung Blackjack paired with RaceChrono (track) or MaxQ (autocross) for datalogging. There really aren't any good datalogging options for the iphone, because the internal GPS is only 1 Hz (and usually not even that), and you cannot pair it with a higher frequency external GPS receiver. MaxQ got around this by developing a Wifi datalogger, but it's expensive at almost $500.
FWIW, you can buy used Blackjacks on ebay for $30-50, and you don't need a SIM card in the phone to use it as a datalogger. With a cheap external GPS receiver and Racechrono, you could be recording data for less than $100 bucks, and there is even software out there (RaceChrono2AVI) that lets you transform the data into custom overlays you can add to video.
i have been looking at making something like getting a usb gps and running race chrono on my dad's net book. the usb receiver would be way more accurate then any cell phone
I will use the device for both acq and as a phone. Iain what exactly do you mean by "Windows mobile phone"? I have zero experience with anything newer than a basic camera phone.
Thanks for the info everyone!
there are 4 main types of smart phones, apple ios, blackberry os, Google os, and windows mobile os. it's just the operating system the phone is running.Quote:
Originally Posted by danzo
and windows mobile is the worst of all worlds. Bad as a smart phone, bad as a phone.
If you have AT&T just get an iPhone honestly... unless you want an android phone.
iphone blow imo, i have had a 2g, 3g, 3gs, and played with a 4g, after my 3gs i got a evo 4, best phone i have ever owned.
I'm not a fan of the iPhone, but mostly because I don't like Apple, iTunes or Steve "we're gonna bleed the customer dry" Jobs, but I do admit that if you can swallow the pill they are good devices.
My wife has the Evo and I personally am not a fan. It's big, clunky to do things, a complete battery suck, the apps aren't as polished as the ones in the apple store, etc. Plus onscreen keyboards suck donkey balls.
(FWIW, I use a BlackBerry because it handles text communications 100000000x better than winmo, android and ios ever will).
+1. 10HZ bluetooth gps is only $80 now days. Recently I discovered you can export RaceChrono data in VBox format, which can be analyze using performance box's software. You can also add OBD2 data just by adding a bluetooth dongle.Quote:
Originally Posted by altiain
You can set that up on the cheap. Get the free copy of RaceChrono for Windows, buy a QSTARZ 818XT 10hz bluetooth gps and usd it as a USB GPS.Quote:
Originally Posted by jeff_man
Have to agree with goofy that my android experience was awful. Battery life was so bad that I couldnt; get through a full day. Too many damn screens to go thru to get to what I wanted, and you have to have an app killer or they will eat-up data. Apple stuff isn't for everyone, but it works exactly like they say it will.
I datalog with the cheap netbook and a 10hz BT gps reciever, and it is excellent. You cna get a decent netbook for under $100 on ebay, and a gps for $50.
Agreed. That's why I suggested buying whatever phone you want, and picking up a cheap, Bluetooth-enabled Windows or Windows Mobile device (phone, PDA, netbook, whatever) on ebay and using that as your data aquisition device.Quote:
Originally Posted by goofygrin
i don't know what you people are doing to not get more then a day on a charge. i get 2 days to a charge with random phone calls and surfing. spent an hour on the phone yesterday, just now started charging it and it had 45% batt.Quote:
Originally Posted by OZMDD
So, Danzo, are you all clear on what to buy?
Buy teh Android, be cool like teh jeffman.Quote:
Originally Posted by jeff_man
/thread
I had it on 3G and used the traffic maps in the morning for about 15 minutes. Never made it through the day without battery warnings.Quote:
Originally Posted by jeff_man
I have noticed that the NAV function on my android burns through power like crazy. I believe it is a combination of the fact that the screen is always lit (which is the biggest power eater on any smart phone) and that the GPS uses a good deal of power too. As long as I have the phone plugged in to the car charger when using NAV, I never have battery issues.Quote:
Originally Posted by OZMDD
with the nav on my wife's Evo will burn through battery faster than the car charger can put it back in.
Sounds like she needs to turn down the brightness a little. I had that issue when I had it really bright, but it isn't an issue since I turned down the brightness.Quote:
Originally Posted by goofygrin
i will admit non wall chargers wont do shit for evo4sQuote:
Originally Posted by goofygrin
So what I am hearing is that my best bet would be to get whatever phone I like based on its telephonic capabilities (prolly android/i type phone) and leave the data acq to other devices? I won't be collecting race data until next year so I have plenty o' time to decide which route to go.
Thanks again for the help!