<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr><p>but don't GPS receivers use a buttload of energy?<p><hr></blockquote><p> No, they don't anymore. As with your old GPSR unit, they used to. The antennae technology improved a bunch so the receiving uses far fewer watts.<br><br>My RAZR can run all day doing GPS and phone and the GPS acquisition does not seem to burn anything additive at all. As I just found out in San Diego though it is the roaming which sucks the thing dry. But when using it as GPS it makes a short 30 second phone call to lookup the map. Then from then out it is only receiving from the satellites and will let you drive all the way across state with no problem.<br><br>Being able to tell the phone to forget about roaming and you only want to make outgoing calls and use GPS would be the battery saver feature I would want. I bet I could do that with the RAZR but I would have to first find the manual. Maybe Sarge will tell me how to do it.<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>

Hmmm... well then it would be nice to have when we go backpacking (iPod, phone, GPS, camera (sort of) all in one). Bring my little Solio solar charger and we're set.<br><br>Obviously Apple left things out, maybe on purpose, who knows. For example, you can take pictures and email them, but you can't send OR RECEIVE them via SMS. What?? All phones do that now.<br><br>

For backpacking I would not rely on a GPS receiver which needs to call out on a cell tower to activate. You could easily be screwed in not so remote places. When I go four wheel driving in Utah I can go all day without being able to use a cell.<br><br>In hiking I would always take a stand alone GPS unit as well as a good topo and a compass. And make sure the map and compass do not require batteries. One can really screw oneself relying on only one GPS but you knew that. Like that computer advice dude who screwed his whole family following a GPS track across a mountain range in the winter a year or two back. Better to look up and think, "hmm, time to turn back as this road doesn't look like a road anymore."<br><br><br><br><br><br><br>