• Welcome to the Two Wheeled Texans community! Feel free to hang out and lurk as long as you like. However, we would like to encourage you to register so that you can join the community and use the numerous features on the site. After registering, don't forget to post up an introduction!

.

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jarrett
  • Start date Start date
Forums New posts
​

Photo taken in the (air conditioned) shop.
Both screens on full brightness. Dash on for additional perspective.
OsmAnd app on Armor 7e. (added Wakey app to keep screen on all the time)

Zumo 660 on Left ........................................... UleFone Armor 7e phone on Right

Closeup (Grey rectangle covering classified information)

Armor7e_vs_Zumo660.jpg




Rider View


Armor7e_vs_Zumo660_rider.jpg

Okay, the phone is a brick, and yes, it still fits into my front pants pocket. Other than the expected size and weight this is a really nice phone ... that you can also hammer nails with.

Located a RAM X-Mount on hand and added a Silicone safety rubber band gizmo from Amazon that captures each corner of the phone. The phone also has an included leash that I use for fishing it from my pocket and found a spot to loop it over one of the Madstad windshield adjustment knobs as a third layer of attachment.

Eventually, I will get the bike outside and take some photos in sunlight, just not today as the outdoors is currently set on Broil and I'm not motivated enough to leave the air-con comfort of the house just to be scortched for a Kodak moment. The Zumo will remain mounted for further testing and photos. At this point it is pretty much a slam-dunk the Armor 7e will be replacing it. Watch for a Zumo 660, two bike mounts, a car mount, case, etc. to be listed in For Sale if this project goes as expected.

Next step will be buying a thin wireless charger and attaching it with Velcro to the RAM mount under the phone and wiring in a fast-charge USB connector somewhere nearby. I've gone into Developer Mode on the Android OS and set the screen to remain on when the unit is charging. The Wakey app will only be needed to keep the screen on while riding when I have removed the wireless charger due to weather. The 5500 mAh battery can likely run the app for longer than I will want to ride in a day anyway, but keeping the phone charged has its benefits in an emergency. (Okay, having it attached to the bike rather than in a jacket pocket has some potential drawbacks in the safety realm. Guess I'll have to get one of those ADVrider "Safety Third" decals. :-D )

As for the OsmAnd app, it shows more detail when zoomed further out than does the Zumo. This should be nice when riding rural/dirt roads where a little more detail at a zoomed out perspective will be appreciated.
 
Last edited:
Excellent - thanks for the quick feedback. Any notes usage with gloves?
 
Jeff S said:
Excellent - thanks for the quick feedback. Any notes usage with gloves?
Click to expand...

Forgot to test that, but I have enabled Glove mode on the phone. Will update soon.

Edit: :doh:Doh! Just realized my jacket and gloves were two steps away. Have now tested using a mesh glove with leather finger tips. It worked so amazingly well I was quite pleasantly surprised. This, on a glove that is a little longer than the finger I was pressing with. On the OsmAnd screen I was able to discretely press the Zoom +/- buttons without a hitch. See photo above, these buttons located on the bottom right of the screen on the right.
 
Last edited:
I'm have Osmand+ and Navigator loaded on both my Samsung9 and my Samsung Galaxy 7" tablet
which is my Nav screen.. Osmand is still too labor intensive for my simple mind while Navigator is just simple to use. I have both in tried and true Otterbox cases and Ram mounts. Both units are mounted vertically and I have not experienced any adverse heat issues as if this writing.
 
Awesome - and well done in scouring the internets to locate this device.
 
my6 said:
I'm have Osmand+ and Navigator loaded on both my Samsung9 and my Samsung Galaxy 7" tablet
which is my Nav screen.. Osmand is still too labor intensive for my simple mind while Navigator is just simple to use. I have both in tried and true Otterbox cases and Ram mounts. Both units are mounted vertically and I have not experienced any adverse heat issues as if this writing.
Click to expand...

Which "Navigator" app? Backcountry Navigator and MapFactor Navigator both turned up in a search. (presuming MapFactor, but wanted to check)
 
MotoTex said:
​

Photo taken in the (air conditioned) shop.
Both screens on full brightness. Dash on for additional perspective.
OsmAnd app on Armor 7e. (added Wakey app to keep screen on all the time)

Zumo 660 on Left ........................................... UleFone Armor 7e phone on Right

Closeup (Grey rectangle covering classified information)

Armor7e_vs_Zumo660.jpg




Rider View


Armor7e_vs_Zumo660_rider.jpg

Okay, the phone is a brick, and yes, it still fits into my front pants pocket. Other than the expected size and weight this is a really nice phone ... that you can also hammer nails with.

Located a RAM X-Mount on hand and added a Silicone safety rubber band gizmo from Amazon that captures each corner of the phone. The phone also has an included leash that I use for fishing it from my pocket and found a spot to loop it over one of the Madstad windshield adjustment knobs as a third layer of attachment.

Eventually, I will get the bike outside and take some photos in sunlight, just not today as the outdoors is currently set on Broil and I'm not motivated enough to leave the air-con comfort of the house just to be scortched for a Kodak moment. The Zumo will remain mounted for further testing and photos. At this point it is pretty much a slam-dunk the Armor 7e will be replacing it. Watch for a Zumo 660, two bike mounts, a car mount, case, etc. to be listed in For Sale if this project goes as expected.

Next step will be buying a thin wireless charger and attaching it with Velcro to the RAM mount under the phone and wiring in a fast-charge USB connector somewhere nearby. I've gone into Developer Mode on the Android OS and set the screen to remain on when the unit is charging. The Wakey app will only be needed to keep the screen on while riding when I have removed the wireless charger due to weather. The 5500 mAh battery can likely run the app for longer than I will want to ride in a day anyway, but keeping the phone charged has its benefits in an emergency. (Okay, having it attached to the bike rather than in a jacket pocket has some potential drawbacks in the safety realm. Guess I'll have to get one of those ADVrider "Safety Third" decals. :-D )

As for the OsmAnd app, it shows more detail when zoomed further out than does the Zumo. This should be nice when riding rural/dirt roads where a little more detail at a zoomed out perspective will be appreciated.
Click to expand...

Moto, how does that screen look in direct sunlight?
 
Jeff S said:
Awesome - and well done in scouring the internets to locate this device.
Click to expand...
+1
Never heard of the brand before this. I'll be waiting for a longer term review. My Galaxy S5 is still hanging on for now. I'll be waiting Ulefone to upgrade to Android 10 and release 5G. I do wish the screen was smaller though.

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk
 
MotoTex said:
Which "Navigator" app? Backcountry Navigator and MapFactor Navigator both turned up in a search. (presuming MapFactor, but wanted to check)
Click to expand...

Like my mama always said to me: pay attention boy!
 
SilverBullet said:
+1
Never heard of the brand before this. I'll be waiting for a longer term review. My Galaxy S5 is still hanging on for now. I'll be waiting Ulefone to upgrade to Android 10 and release 5G. I do wish the screen was smaller though.

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

They make other Armor models that have smaller screens.
 
OSMAnd and MAPS.ME.

I like MAPS.ME for general offline maps and navigation. OSMAnd has more features. Turn-by-turn navigation and routing with either have typically not been as good as a normal Garmin automotive GPS. MAPS.ME will display GPX routes as overlays after exporting them out of OSMAnd.
 
Braincloud lifted and I realized I didn't have to move the bike outside to get the "daylight" comparison photo.

The Zumo 660 has the matte screen and less reflection, but the Armor 7e is still much easier to read in direct sunlight.

Armor7e_vs_Zumo660_daylight.jpg
In reading the reviews one Armor owner purchased a matte stick-on screen protector. He was ambivalent about the results as it did reduce reflections, but also makes it a little fuzzier, as demonstrated with the Zumo here. I did the same thing on the Android Head Unit in the van and the results were similar.

I'll be taking a ride tomorrow and will report back.
 
The phone's display was positively great on the ride today. Easy to see, and even when I had direct sun from behind I could still make things out. The rest of the time it was absolutely superb and a welcome upgrade. Controls are, as expected, a little clumsy with gloves, but it wasn't any worse than the Zumo 660. Most of the time it responded as intended.

As for the OsmAnd app, we had a few arguments along the way. It kept changing the route I had painstakingly laid out beforehand. I'm in the shallow end of the learning curve with the app, so I won't cuss it too much until I'm sure there isn't a setting, or some other way to save the route exactly "as is" and protect it from the app filling in the blanks as it sees fit. (no need for the "use tracks" folks pipe up as I know that option is available too :-D ) This business with the route is one place the Zumo 660 shines over OsmAnd. I hope I can eventually outsmart OsmAnd.

As for the wireless charger, I removed it. Mostly because it needed the phone's position in the mount to be slightly different than where the RAM X-mount needed to be gripping the phone. If I moved the phone to a point that charges, the grippie on the mount would be pressing some button like volume +/-, or On/Off. Because the USB connector was already there to power the Wireless charger it was just a matter of plugging it into the phone. I'll keep the Wireless charger on board for over-nighting.

Had to toss the Wakey app and replace it with one called "Keep Screen On" that is much more reliable.

Overall a banner day as I work out the bugs on the new setup.
 
Another good option is Here WeGo. This supports offline maps, the navigation feature works very well and the map set is what Garmin uses in several (all?) of their standard automotive GPS units. For normal street routing, I prefer this to MAPS.ME or OSMAnd.
 
The app I use is Scenic, which seems to work pretty well for me here in Austin and the Hill Country. I use my iPhone XS in an X-Grip Tough Clamp with safety bands attached, and it's stable. I don't do anything off road so the Scenic app works for me. I don't have the premium version as I don't have any BT in my helmet. And TBH I don't use the app much except for newish roads/routes.
 
OsmAnd worked well for me today. I too made some mistakes, like choosing orange for the track color. It was too close to the yellow and red that are used for normal roads. Once I changed it back to green it was much better.

There were a few times I just got into riding and missed a turn, and one time where I had Jarrett's track and Sander's track both up and followed Jarrett's when I meant to follow Sander's. At a gas stop I turned off Jarrett's track and that reduced the confusion for the balance of the ride.

Still getting the feel for the app, and overall I like it compared to the Garmin I'm used to. Still need to try out some of the other suggestions to see if they might suit my riding even better.
 
pacman said:
Furkot for planning, CoPilot for navigating. 10 bucks for lifetime North America map updates through Google Play.
Click to expand...

I've used the same combination for a while now. Furkot will also output files in GPX and other formats, not just CoPilot, for people using other apps/devices.

CoPilot works great on it's own too, it does have a few short comings. The POI database can be a little weak, but it does have a internet search feature that makes up for some of the missing places in the database. The other is that avoiding major highways/freeways is now hard coded into the motorcycle profile. Which wouldn't be a big deal, but if you take a route that includes freeways, the apps way of avoiding them is to constantly direct off to the feeder road. I just switched the profile to auto and it routes as it should.
 
Slightly off-topic, but relevant to anyone wanting to use a phone for navigation.

Replaced the RAM X-mount (awkward to mount phone, would rotate slightly) with a Tackform Phone Mount Made in the U.S.A.
Simple, small, sturdy, 5 star rated on Amazon, and lots of praise in the reviews, even from off-roaders.
My ulefone Armor 7e just fits, which with spring tension holding it means a better grip.
Can orient the phone to Portrait or Landscape by loosening the RAM stalk.

Tackform_sideLR.jpg



Here's a shot with me pulling on the tension side.
Easy one-handed operation (compared to the X-mount)
I just drape the phone's leash over the mount as a backup, though several reviewers commented how it held onto the phone even in crashes.

Tackform_frontLR.jpg
 
MotoTex said:
Slightly off-topic, but relevant to anyone wanting to use a phone for navigation.

Replaced the RAM X-mount (awkward to mount phone, would rotate slightly) with a Tackform Phone Mount Made in the U.S.A.
Simple, small, sturdy, 5 star rated on Amazon, and lots of praise in the reviews, even from off-roaders.
My ulefone Armor 7e just fits, which with spring tension holding it means a better grip.
Can orient the phone to Portrait or Landscape by loosening the RAM stalk.

Tackform_sideLR.jpg



Here's a shot with me pulling on the tension side.
Easy one-handed operation (compared to the X-mount)
I just drape the phone's leash over the mount as a backup, though several reviewers commented how it held onto the phone even in crashes.

Tackform_frontLR.jpg
Click to expand...
That's not bad. My X-Grip keeps turning off my iPhone XS since one of the rubber holders is perfectly placed to do so. This one looks like it wouldn't do that.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top