![]() ![]() We stayed at a cabin at Shawnee and had no cell signal. A large dead zone is Shawnee State Forest and Shawnee State Park. However there are still dead spots in Ohio where neither network has coverage. Having access to two networks has been handy and we’ve gotten access to more LTE (fast) networks than we had with Sprint alone. I’ve had the service since January and Deb’s had it for several weeks. It may change providers several times during the course of the day. If WiFi is not available, the phone will look for the fastest and strongest Sprint or T-Mobile signal. If the phone is connected to WiFi, it will use that for data and phone calls (both voice and text). Google has cut a deal with Sprint and T-Mobile to use both networks. The cost is $20 / month for unlimited voice / text plus a rate of $10 / GB (rounded to the nearest MB) for cellular data plus tax. ![]() We signed up for Project Fi (replacing our previous Sprint service). Project Fi is Google’s entry into the market as a wireless provider. The Nexus 5x as well as it’s big brother the Nexus 6P phone support Google’s Project Fi. Project Fiĭeb and I recently replaced our aging Android phones with Nexus 5X phones. There is a free version (with advertising) and a paid version (which I purchased) that costs $2.38. The MyTrails app is published by FrogSparks and is available from the Google Play Store. MyTrails: 4.1 mile hike on Maat Shawnee State Forest MyTrails: Details of Shawnee Hike MyTrails: Elevation graph for Shawnee Hike My Trails: Recording Preferences – one of the several options screens MyTracks displayed calories burned, MyTrails doesn’t.Can export to Google Maps, but not as easily.MyTracks audibly announced distance and speed every mile, MyTrails doesn’t do this.The capability of storing off-line maps for use in areas with no cell signal.Can screen capture images, or export GPX files.Summary pages of details and statistics from hike.Can be set to omit ‘pauses’ from map – stopping to take photos, etc.Variety of free map sources including Microsoft and Google maps (including terrain and satellite maps), OSM (open source) maps, and my favorite: USGS 7.5′ Topo Maps.I tried a variety of GPS apps from the Android store and settled on an app called MyTrails. However, I’d gotten used to using my phone for hiking and the GPS chip in my latest phone was more accurate and got satellite lock a lot faster than the older Magellen unit. I'd still want a fully-fledged running watch for training (the Vivosmart 5 lacks on-board GPS, plus tools like on-screen training status and stamina), but the little fitness tracker has really won me over, and I might just end up investing in my own once I've shipped the review unit back to Garmin after testing.We could always go back to using the handheld Magellen. Charging is quick though, and you should be able to get it fully juiced up in around three hours. With those two enabled, you're looking at battery life closer to four days. Garmin says the watch will last a week on a single charge, but only if you disable SpO2 and sleep tracking. I'm still in the process of testing the Vivosmart 5, but the main downside I've found so far is battery life. It's an amazing amount of information to cram into a screen that measures just 10.5 mm x 18.5 mm. ![]() Tapping the face lets you see step count, heart rate, battery level, weather, Intensity Minutes, and Body Battery Score at a glance, and swiping down allows you to drill down for more data on each metric. The Garmin Vivosmart 5 has a monochrome OLED display and comes in three colors: mint, white, and black (Image credit: Garmin / Lifestyle Travel Photo / Shutterstock) ![]()
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