Directions Magazine has a review of the AllSport GPS cellphone application for monitoring, recording and mapping sports activities.
The application is designed to run on phones supplied by Sprint PCS, Nextel, SouthernLINC, or Boost Mobile (a division of Sprint Nextel). The phone used in this product review, a Motorola i855 from Boost Mobile (right), supplied by Trimble Outdoors.
The application is first downloaded to the phone and then initialized after the phone acquires the user’s location using the GPS constellation. Information from each session is automatically uploaded to the Web service to which the user logs in to view additional details.
The basic phone-based functions of the AllSport GPS include keeping time, recording distance and elevation, tabulating calories used and determining average speed. Advanced features include recording lap times, viewing a small map of the completed route and storing daily and weekly statistics. Recording lap times is possible with the “push-to-talk” button for this particular Motorola phone. An audible signal can be engaged to alert the user for each mile or kilometer reached.
When the workout is completed, a summary is displayed on the phone of distance traveled, average speed, calories and rest time, if any. The user may choose to display a map of the route directly on the phone.
As a GPS application that constantly records elevation in addition to location, the route profile can be displayed as a two-dimensional chart of distance versus terrain height above sea level. A speed chart shows the variation of the user’s speed over distance. Street maps can be downloaded directly to the phone and the exact location of the user’s route can be displayed.
AllSport GPS also includes an Internet-based Web service to which the user’s daily workouts are automatically uploaded upon completion of the workout after the user hits the “STOP” button. The service will show the user’s route integrated with Google Maps (or Google Earth) and supports all the features associated with the mapping portal such as the “hybrid” visualization using maps and aerial imagery.
