EasyTrails GPS – Track Your Outdoor Activities with iPhone

When you go for hiking, trekking, running or have a bike trip, have you ever thought of tracking your trip or trail? If you’re using iPhone 3G or 3GS, with EasyTrails GPS, you can fully utilize the GPS ability of your iPhone to track your activities.

EasyTrails GPS, developed by Zirak Srl, is an iPhone app that lets you track your outdoor activities (e.g. trekking, running, etc). Say when you went out for a run, the app can keep track your run and tell you how far, how fast and how long of your run. It also displays the elevation profile and your track on the map in a street/satellite/hybrid fashion. The results can be stored, so it is very easy to retrieve them at any time to verify your progress.

The interface of the app is very simple and intuitive. After launching the app, what you have to do is to tap on the “Rec” button to start tracking. That’s it. EasyTrails then starts tracking your distance, altitude, speed of your walk or run. You can even put your iPhone into sleep mode and continue with your activity. The app can still work in background. After you finish your hike or run, tap the “Stop” button and EasyTrails will store the data (e.g. total distance, average speed) of your trail.

What’s more is the app shows you the map of your trail. Simply tap the “Tracks” button and then select “Map” to view your trail. Cool, right? Further, you can even export your track to your computer. That means you can import the track data into other GPS softwares. The app exports your tracks in standard formats (GPX, KML/KMZ and CSV) and can be used with a variety of GPS software including Google Maps, Google Earth, SportTracks (Windows) and TrailsRunner (MacOSX), or upload them to online services such as everyTrail.com.

I have tried out the app last week while having a hike with my friends. It’s a cool way to track my trail. And I love the ability to export my track to my computer and I can import it into Google Earth. Despite all these, the app is not perfect. As you can see in the review section of App Store, some users complained the app cannot pickup any GPS signal. I also experienced the same problem when I first used the app at my home. As discussed with the developer of EasyTrail, it’s common problem of iPhone’s GPS. To let the app to pickup the GPS signal, it’s best to use it in outdoor area. Yes, that’s true. It does solve the problem.

EasyTrails GPS is now available on App Store. It offers both free [iTunes link] and paid version [iTunes link]. The paid version is now at promotion and only sold at US$1.99. You can also download the free version to try it out before you buy. But please note it is limited to 1 track for 20 minute only. Anyhow, have fun with the app!