How is the battery life of Android phones with the GPS constantly on?

[New Daddy]

How is the battery life of Android phones with the GPS constantly on?

My current WM phone (HTC Touch Pro 2) lasts about 3 hours with the GPS on even after a full charge. I do a lot of hiking and biking, and would like to double my smart phone as a GPS logger, instead of carrying a separate GPS device. I was wondering that Android phone's battery can withstand such extended use of GPS, which creates a enormous battery drain on WM phones. Would this be a function of the hardware, and not of the OS?

 

[prjctchris]

Keeping the GPS on and having it being used regularly by the OS will drain your battery pretty quickly, regardless of the phone you're using. I always keep my GPS on, but it's not until I open apps or use services that use the GPS that I notice a dip in battery drain over turning it off. Just be mindful that a ton of apps will use the GPS, even for a second. An example is the Google Mobile site that quickly fetches your location for local results. Doing this a lot within the cycle of a full charge, on top of random Google Maps inquiries, or Twitter updates with location will definitely dip your battery quicker than normal.

 

[chanchan05]

Currently no phone manufacturer I know has a phone last for more than approx 4hrs using a GPS app (includes non-Droid manufacturers).

 

[dalegg]

Your best bet is to purchase enough cell phone battery packs to last the whole trip or buy one of the cell phone solar chargers, assuming you don't live on the Washington or Oregon coast where they see the sun in August every year.

 

[entelechy3]

I second dalegg's suggestion--check out solar chargers. I use a Joos Orange, and it's been great. It holds enough charge to charge your phone a couple times by itself, and it charges relatively well (for a portable solar charger) if you're going on a really extended trip... even in overcast skies.

With my old phone I managed to log almost the entirety of a 4-day hike using My Tracks, so the phone and GPS were on all day long (or almost all day long, when I remembered to start the app), and I made it through the whole hike, using only my phone, a single battery, and the charger.