Own hardware (Garmin GPSmap 64s killer)

Not necessarily. For example you can go to alibaba and ask if someone is capable to produce something like http://www.iget.eu/cs/blackview-bv6000 without GSM, camera and other stuff that is not necessary for navigation.

Then you can go to Kickstarter and test if customers are interested.

If I start to explain to my friends that they can buy a phone, then application, became familiar with application, then maps, then Brouter... They want to buy all-in-one solution. I would buy an rugged Locus navigation with lifetime pre-paid maps and everything ready to go beside my phone if it was for reasonable price. At least I wouldn't have to fear of smashing the phone when riding a bike :-)

I think the demand for one-purpose navigation devices is fully covered by Garmins, TomToms etc. and their Chinese copies. We aren't going to enter this market. You are proposing a rugged phone with Locus only - why if you can buy it now and use it for more purposes? There are a lot of people who don't want to haul another thing in their pocket when they can have a multipurpose device that can communicate, navigate and take photos. And can be tough as your proposed iGet.

At the moment we're thinking about different things that are much more realistic and executable in our small team and which will take our time for several years ahead - complete server side support of synchronizing Locus user data, web e-shop etc. etc.

We're talking about OUTDOOR/CYCLING navigation. Tomtom doesn't produce any outdoor navigation at all. If you want to have outdoor navigation to Alps you have two general options (in Czech rep.). Either you can buy Garmin for 350€ and SD card with topo maps for 100€. Then you can buy another SD card with maps of Czech rep (for next 100€). Or you can buy Teasi one for approximately 200€ with OSM, but I don't find it as competitor at all (lacks lots of functions/maps and so). For example there is no way to use IGN maps (France, Switzerland). In short- you can either buy VERY expansive Garmin or navigation from stone age.

Why I seek for single purpose "phone" with PREINSTALLED Locus?

The device (hardware) would be far cheaper. You can have rugged phone with GSM functions, camera, 8 cores for 350€. But for Locus you need device that costs 100-150€. Low price is nice "feature" if you're afraid of smashing the navigation.

In general I'm not keen on idea of hauling rugged phone to the office, to the bars and so. And who would buy "city"phone and another "outdoor" phone? In fact most of Locus users uses their common phones, but with its limitations - usually not waterproof and with short batterylife. As I do. But I have problems if it rains. And I'm fearing smashing Xiaomi when attached on hadlebars.

Even though I treat myself as power user, it would take me several hours setup everything. Order a phone, install locus, buy maps, install Brouter, underclock processor. Well, I can do that. Less power users won't. How many subscriptions you have to sell to get 500€ that Garmin gets from single user (trust me, Garmin hardware is cheap crap)?

As there are users who wants to have just one multi-purpose device there are many customers who wants to have single purpose device. I know many people who uses dummy phones, who fears of drying phone battery, or are simply more conservative. Is there any reason to refuse their money?

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I think that the idea is quite simple to process. Some basic research, test and then you can probe the interest on Kickstarter. If you get positive reaction, you get the money to widen your team.

There are two general points in my opening text. Since there is strong synergy between them, I've mixed them up. You didn't get any.

First: horrible user experience (UX) with Locus if you're not power user. Sorry, but it's really bad. I have friends, smart and clever, who goes to mountains with me. They're interested in Locus. But when I start to explain them what they have to do to get IGN map of Mont Blanc into their pocket, they refuses me with something like "thank you, but I'm looking for something that really works. I'm not gonna to play with the phone, I'm not looking for a fathers toy." So they buy Garmin. Or they installs Mapy.cz (nice UX, user gets offline data with just a few clicks). They treat selecting proper device as a part of "playing with mobile" that they refuse to do (and, to be honest, the're right). So answering to this with "there are hundreds of devices" is completely meaningless :-) Offering them some proper device would help them a lot.

Second: you did not get use case I'm writing about at all. I'm not writing about Saturday afternoon trip to Brdy (hills close to Prague). I'm writing about Alps. For example you can imagine trip to Grossvenediger: http://www.gps-tracks.com/grossvenediger-3674-m.%C3%BC.m.-skitour-S02221.html One of the "key feature" of a such trip in Alps is that for most of the trip there is no fucking GSM signal at all. So one of the first think you intentionally do is turning GSM services off. Because it drains the battery, since phone uses full power output when it tries to connect. Anyone who relies on online data in Alps is, ehm, fool. If you're not Austrian (I'm not) you probably do not want to pay for roamed data.

Next we're talking about trips that last for 10+ hours. On a such trip you want to make whole trip with no need of recharging and you want to have a reasonable power reserve at the end of the day (or even enough power for two days). How many phones manages to last with running Locus for, lets say, 20+ hours? Finally, there sometimes happens that it rains. Peoples are usually not carrying an umbrella to cover the device when they need to look at the map. So they need waterproof device. So there is need of waterproof phone with big memory and good battery. Hundreds of devices you say? Nope. Just a few.

Some basic research is not a naive imagination. It's as simple as picking a phone and calling to Krno (I hope you would survive their weird accent), to developers of iGet and ask them if it was possible to adapt their device to better fit needs of Locus users.

Monterra cost $650. You can have brand new iGet (or some other rugged phone) for less than half. Other $300 would be just for installing Locus itself. Maps are subject of another puchase ($100+ for each). You say that $300-400 is not enough to install Locus on Android phone? Well, it's not super-easy, but I'd do that for you as part-time job if you pay me $200 for each installed device.

Bottom-lines: I do not want to compare Locus to Mapy.cz, I'm just comparing UX with setup of application of inexperienced newbie.

You sometimes do some tests. give newbie phone in factory reset and tell him that he wants to do Tour du Mont Blanc and there is a nice payed map of Mont Blanc and free detailed overall map of whole Alps for Locus. I really wonder how many would get proper IGN and OpenAndroMaps and how long it would take them. With Garmin you can purchase it with just a few clicks in e-shop.

My phone has a 3630 mAh battery. Ten hours of GPS usage (in Airplane Mode) consumes about 25% of the battery's capacity. If I need more capacity, I can buy a lightweight, inexpensive, external battery pack like this one: https://www.amazon.com/bar-Sized-Portable-External-High-Speed-Technology/dp/B00P7Q5778

My phone has a water-resistant coating which means a few raindrops aren't a threat. Otherwise, I can buy a protective water-proof case for it. Or I can replace it with a water-proof phone.

In one comment you suggest Asamm should offer a new hardware product. In another comment you indicate "horrible user experience (UX) with Locus if you're not power user. Sorry, but it's really bad." This means Asamm must not only get involved in the hardware business but also develop an entirely new version of Locus Map for it.

I respect your suggestion but I can understand why Michael thinks it is "out of range" of their normal activity.

I'd rather see Asamm continue to focus on enhancing Locus Map rather than direct their development energy elsewhere.