Next S9 generation without map feature

To my understanding it’s ok if the next s9 does not have maps. It’s the next S9 not an S11 or S13 or S7. When the time comes we can ask the same question.

I do use GPX tracks and SA App to build a route for S9 navigation very often, which is perfect for me.
If there are questions about maps sometimes, I always prefer my phone with bigger screen.
Which is in reach within 1 second in my trail vest…
So I think I would not use maps on watch…

@frederick-rochette said in Next S9 generation without map feature:

As you can see in this video, the map feature is not planned for the next version of the S9…

I am very surprised to learn this because it is a feature I expected in the next S9. Am I alone?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vnK8GzI_jqs&fbclid=IwAR1dkyOzTxmOM7CftdPS7S31CjhgOan7wp1nHzZHSfDl9Ixq0kLP6A18hZA

I would rather prefer suunto to focus on “essential” (for me) things like sensors support, training load, structured workout than maps. And even on size, weight, confort.
As others said, on the fenix, it is not that awesome. Cool to have, but honestly, for me breadcrumb on the watch and good maps on phone/bike gps.

DMytro

I would prefer to have maps in my new watch. Main reason I bouth the current one was to be able to navigate with an active gps all the time without worrying about battery llife. I new from the start s9 could only do breadcrumb, but I didn’t like fenix 5+ at the time. I like how navigation works apart from the times there are multiple turns available - there the breadcrumb often fails as gps positioning in a forest or in a mountain valley isn’t always perfect which makes me guess and ofter go back from the false turn.
I’m not going to change the watch until I have to, but I hope by then there will be a map enabled suunto watch on the market with a decent battery life (ie not android wear).

Prenj

Would it be possible to have activity data synced to Suunto app during activity? I think it would be much more useful to have map on a bigger screen (offline available) with all the data from your watch (breadcrumb on the map, route, POI-s and all the stats).

I’d rather check the map on a phone screen than on my watch. Basic route, as we now have it on the watch is enough for me to quick glance that I’m on the right track, but if I want to see the bigger picture, I’d reach for the paper map in my case. But it would be pretty cool to utilize the larger phone screen for this. Even manual sync only when opening Suunto app would do.

We did have a “second screen” feature in Movescount app, but it didn’t use the whole phone screen.

I don’t know if any competitor have a similar feature but I’d find this highly valuable. What do you say?

Dimitrios Kanellopoulos

@prenj I think s9 does support during activity route edit (as a hack). Meaning you can edit the route or create a new one, and sync it to the watch and re-select it or select a new one

Prenj

@dimitrios-kanellopoulos
I understand that. My suggestion was more for the live viewing your activity (or at least current location, breadcrumb, route and POI-s) in the Suunto app. That would be even better than having maps on the watch itself. In theory, as this syncing in the background is already possible, this could be done in Suunto app. No?

Dimitrios Kanellopoulos

@prenj well it is possible to be done but it would require both devices to spend a significant amount of power more .

Prenj

@dimitrios-kanellopoulos Even with just manual sync only when you request it from the Suunto app on your phone? I don’t know if it’s possible to do just a partial sync with only current location and breadcrumb while route and poi-s are already there in the Suunto app.

Ok now I’m maybe leaning too much to the features interesting to those into hiking and similar activities involving navigation, but this would be a really useful feature in my opinion.

And for the impact on battery consumption, I guess it would be much smaller than with using the maps in the watch.

Fenr1r

@prenj If you’re choosing to see your position on the phone anyway, why not just use the phone’s GPS and the larger selection of fully downloadable (sometime higher-grade topo) maps available for other apps? Save battery on watch by leaving it alone on airplane mode?

Fenr1r

I wonder if it’s possible* and would save enough battery to be worthwhile, to have an option to load & display only a static, (zoom-able?) map of the current position. No automatic direction orientation, no off-pos panning. Loaded from memory only on request, perhaps as an S+ SAFE or POI component.

The point being simply one of faster, route-less, phone-free relative location confirmation. “Which trail/creek/cliff is this?” “Where am I along this river/fence line?” “How far am I into this forest/bog/quicksand … and (maybe using zoom) where is the nearest area that isn’t any of the above?”

The main obvious problems arise from the extra battery drain from the redraws during zooms and the loss of detail/clarity as the scale increases, so perhaps this baby-map/enhanced SAFE should be restricted to the highest detail map (& thus) tightest area. As long as the loading lag was shorter than firing up the phone or applying coords to a paper map, it would be a win.

It’s not unlike @Mff73’s route+trail junction-clarifier concept, only minus the route and, possibly, junction. But with, necessarily, an entire, detailed area map (at least as image tiles) on the watch. Just waiting.

*And if anyone else would even want it.

Prenj

@fenr1r said in Next S9 generation without map feature:

@prenj If you’re choosing to see your position on the phone anyway, why not just use the phone’s GPS and the larger selection of fully downloadable (sometime higher-grade topo) maps available for other apps? Save battery on watch by leaving it alone on airplane mode?

Because watch still has better battery life, but lacks big screen that would be beneficial for looking at the map. Most of the time I don’t need the map, route in the watch is just enough, but from time to time, I’d like to check the position in the map, identify some mountain peak, hut or something to get the better idea of my surroundings.

I don’t think checking the map from time to time on your phone, without use of phones GPS would affect the battery much.

Of course having offline maps in Suunto app would be great. I’d even be willing to buy detailed topo maps if the Suunto app offered this sync of location and breadcrumb, while showing chosen route and POI-s during activity.

DMytro

@prenj not every phone is build to last the way suunto watches are. I stash mine into a waterproof pocket of my trailrunning vest (convinient for hiking also) and use it rarely. I agree that map on the watch is not to look for small details, but would be nice to take the right turn. I think just this usecase can be solved without having an actual map. Just by adding way more waypoint types. Like three, four, five road crossings with the one to be taken highlighted.

Dimitrios Kanellopoulos

@дима-мельниченко 76 pois are in my watch. It displays them. I use them for triangulation etc even without a route