About three weeks ago, I bit the bullet and upgraded my venerable Blackberry Curve to a new HTC Incredible. The web is chock full of reviews of this new Android "super phone" (sometimes dubbed the "Droid Incredible")  so I'm not going to get into a full evaluation of it. What I want to do is keep a few notes as to whether this might be something worth taking on a camping trip.

The phone itself is amazing. The screen is large and bright (as long as you're not in direct sunlight). Compared to my old phone, well, there's really no comparison -- it's better in every way except one (battery life). There are a ton of applications to download in the Android Market that might be helpful when camping.

• Google Sky: This is a great application for those of us who are novice stargazers. Start up the application, point your phone at the sky, and you can identify planets, stars, constellations, and other heavenly bodies. One of my goals for this year is to learn to read a star chart. This application will help me get there sooner.
• Google Maps: When you're connected to the Internet, this great application will plot your current location. It can provide turn-by-turn directions to almost any destination. It's even helpful in locating nearby stores, restaraunts, or other attractions. What's even better is that it integrates nicely with the desktop-computer version of Google Maps, which means you can create a map in the comfort of your home (on a full-size keyboard!), then open that same map on the phone so that you can use it on the road.
• GPS: There are several GPS applications that lend themselves to camping. Several of them (GPS Logger, for example) will record your track whether you have a cellular signal or not. Combined with a mapping application (like Google Maps), you can plot your planned hiking path, or record it for sharing with other campers when you get back to civilization
• LED Flashlight: Not what I would recommend for full-time use, but this could be handy for the odd moment when you don't have a flashlight but need to dig something out of a bag or from within the tent in the dark. Be careful, though... it could seriously put a dent in your battery life.
• Facebook/Twitter: Not really something I would call useful, since I often go into the wilderness with the hope of "getting away from it all." If you're the kind of person who likes to maintain the social contact, even when camping, these applications can let you share your experiences with others en masse.
• Camera: The 8 megapixel camera is great for taking photos of scenery. It doesn't offer a lot of tuning for the photographs, but it is great for taking a picture of a great view, camp site, or your co-campers. If the subject is moving fast it won't be a substitute for a high-shutter-speed camera. It also offers the ability to share photos through email, text, Facebook, and a few other options for those of you who want to do so.
• Video: The phone can record reasonably good video, and this is useful for sharing those moments where a snapshot absolutely will not do.
• Games: There are lots of games (both free and paid) in the Android Market. These can be great for the kids on the trip (in the car) to the site, but I'd recommend that you make them off-limits while actually at camp. I'm of the opinion that there's plenty to do for distraction when you're camping, and video games are best played on the Wii (or computer or Playstation) at home.
• Survival Manuals: Yep, you can download whole manuals on survival to your phone. Interesting idea (I haven't tried any yet), but they won't help you if you're lost for weeks with no way to charge th phone.
• Guides: There are also applications which can serve as guides to popular destinations. This would be quite handy for a day trip to Arches NP, for example.

The biggest drawback for me, and critical for trying to use the phone on a camping trip, is the poor battery life. Some have told me that I may have a "bad" phone or battery, but I have to charge the phone several times per day, even with light usage. For a wilderness trip this would make some sort of alternate charging system, probably solar, absolutely mandatory.

While the phone itself is great, I'm not planning to keep it. I'll try another Android phone (probably an HTC EVO) in hopes of finding something that will have the ability to hold a charge for a full day. All the above applications should work on any Android phone, so their value won't be diminished.

If you have a recommendation for blending technology with a camping trip, let me know in the comments. As a geek, I'm always looking for new ways to combine my love of the outdoors with my love for gadgets.