MotionX-GPS: Home in on this iPhone App Store deal

Weekend warriors who are not iced in might want to take advantage of the current $2.99 sale on Apple's iTunes App Store of MotionX-GPS from Fullpower Technologies Inc. of Santa Cruz, Calif. That's down from $9.99. Who cares whether it's desperate move to lure buyers or a leading indicator of overall deflation to come, it's a great deal.

This is not the free "lite" version of the product, which never worked for me. As one reviewer aptly put it in his headline of the GPS lite app: "Not too useful, but looks great!"

MotionX-GPS is still limited by the GPS capabilities of the iPhone 3G, which have been noted by the New York Times and elsewhere. Still, I found the app compelling on recent mountain bike rides in the woods and hills of the Willamette Valley.

First, downloading MotionX-GPS from the AppStore service via AT&T's 3G wireless network was a snap, taking less than one minute, about the same time it takes to download a song to a PC from iTunes. The user interface is straightforward. I never once had to consult the included FAQs. The opening screen shows your current precise longitude and latitude. By tapping a forward arrow you get to the Stopwatch screen that charts your time, distance, current speed, average speed and pace, very similar to the Garmin Edge 205's main GPS display, which I also use.

Another tap on an arrow takes you to a handsome digital compass. Not only can you find your way to true or magnetic north, you can set waypoints at various intervals. Then you can use the compass to navigate your way back to those points, should you get lost.

The visual depiction of the ride (or hike) on the next screen is crystal clear. You can zoom in and out of your ride. Although if you expect to see Google Maps or something like it, you'll be disappointed. The trip is depicted in free space with only long/lat coordinates to guide you. But once you set a waypoint, you can click on a Google Maps button to find your location through that service.

MotionX-GPS takes advantage of the iPhone's camera and connectivity. You can snap a photo at a waypoint, then send it or an entire track via email to yourself or a friend. The message includes the picture and data about your trip in text. In version 2.1 you can only send a message to one person at a time. Of course, you can go to the Email function in Settings and change the addressee to connect with more people. You can also share your waypoints and tracks, as each outing is called, with a community on a Fullpower Web site.

I compared the data from my tracks with my trusty Garmin GPS and it was almost identical where the information overlapped. The Garmin unit was superior in rapidly acquiring satellite signals in about one or two minutes. It took more than ten minutes for MotionX-GPS and the iPhone to snag a strong enough signal (which was better than the "lite" version that never got a signal after more than an hour in a clear sky on a hilltop).

Garmin also pairs software for PCs and Macs with its GPS units. As you'd expect, it has more bells and whistles than MotionX-GPS, such as your calories burned, heart rate and other data. It also overlays your journeys over maps, which is what most people want to see.

Those limitations aside, MotionX-GPS is an excellent value with tremendous potential. For less money than the price of a bottle of Rogue Brewery's Shakespeare Stout, you can outfit your iPhone 3G with a nearly full-fledged, very impressive GPS application for many outdoor activities. Get out and enjoy.