Cabela's Recon Hunt App

[smarandr]

Has anyone downloaded the Cabela's Recon Hunt App for android? It looks pretty cool and the reviews are pretty favorable, but it costs $4. I know, it's only $4, but I'd rather have the cash for a sammich for lunch if the app sucks.

 

[Dana]

I've got it and really like it....it's suprisingly accurate too. It's $4....you might not like all of the tools it has, but totally worth the price. For what it's worth, I also have the Pocket Outfitter app which cost $20, and repeatedly go to the Cabela's app more.

 

[6speed]

I just got it and no complaints as of yet.

 

[smarandr]

I've been playing with it for a couple of days now myself. Pretty sweet to have access to all those topo maps for $4. I also read that they are planning on releasing an update that shows public/private boundaries.

 

[schmalts]

What makes this different from google maps?

 

[smarandr]

What makes this different from google maps?

I dunno, 4 bucks?

 

[schmalts]

I dunno, 4 bucks?

I can see the $4 if they update with the private land is accurate. Do you need cell data coverage to see the maps or are they downloaded before hand onto the sd card?
The droid phone would be way better than my garmin oregon if the battery life was better and you did not need cell data coverage to see the maps. I wonder why no one is able to make a full function gps program for the droid phones where you can save and navigate waypoints

 

[Dana]

Schmalts: I'll try to answer your question.... as they sell it, you are supposed to be able to use the app's mapping without being in cell coverage. I have yet to have used it in an area that I did not have cell service as of yet though....so I cant vouch for that. Anyone else?

As far as other differences than google maps, I like its ability to mark waypoints, follow where your path, measure your distance, speed, elevation, change of elevation, etc. It also has a bloodtrailing app that might come in handy should you need to vacate the trail or animal and return the next morning. There is also a journal feature that allows you to take your photos, mark a waypoint of the location, make written notes, etc. This is handy if you like to keep a hunt journal or blog like alot of guys on here do. There are quite a few other things you can do with the app, but I wont make this too lengthy or Cabela's is going to have to compensate me!

 

[schmalts]

Well that is a start. The GPS function in my droid 2 is lame, and I have only found that you can see the lat/long but could not mark or enter in waypoints. It has been a while since I looked for a better GPS app, so maybe they are out there. I can see for something like lope hunting where there is a lot of driving around that having the phone on a mount on the dash with a map showing private boundaries can be nice for the phone, but for me it would have to work without cell data coverage to be better than the Garmin hand held. Let me know how it all works out.
On a side note, I am working with verizon to try and trade my droid2 for the droid X, because the droid X has way better antenna it seems. I have a couple Friends with the X and we can lay our phones side by side and they can make a call where I cannot. I even have dead spots in my house and the basement is a total dead zone. The X was not my first choice because of the size and battery life, plus I liked the slide out keyboard on the 2 but all that is useless if I can't make a phone call, or get one for that matter. Verizon at least is making an effort and opened a ticket to see if the towers I use can be tweaked to use a different IP for my phone to see it that helps. I doubt it will help, and I have read other reviews that the X has better antennas

 

[6speed]

It will work without cell coverage and the GPS is as good as my 6 year old Magellan. The maps cache on to the SD card so you can access them without cell coverage. I was able to cache the maps and use them to set a track with nothing but the GPS turned on. This also helps save battery life. I have an LG Vortex so it's not the fastest Droid but the screen is bigger than my current GPS (and color!) and my battery life seems to be about double what the newer droid phones are. The only problem is with the maps you must cache every view before you go out. If you haven't cached a particular view at a particular zoom you won't be able to view it. I was able to look at maps I had cached but as soon as I tried to zoom in and out the map was gone. I looked into it and you must cache every zoom you want in order for it to be available off line. Once I figured that out I tried caching different zoom views and was able to make it work. It does take longer to load without service but that may be my phone as well a newer faster one would probably be less noticeable.