[mikestew]

Why do people (outside of special applications perhaps... planes? military?) still use these devices?

Strap your cell phone to the dashboard of my 1200cc on/off road motorcycle, take it down the Dalton Highway from Fairbanks, AK until the Arctic Ocean stops you (more accurately, British Petroleum will stop you). When you return, I'd like to know 1. how your navigation experience was with no cell connection until you get to Deadhorse and 2. After being beat to death bouncing down 900 miles of gravel road, does the phone even still work?

I have lots of applications for GPS usage that have nothing to do with military use or an airplane, and I only use my phone in the car. Otherwise I probably need something with offline maps and less delicate than an iPhone. Without an unwieldy Otterbox case, phones are delicate little things not suited to harsh environments.