GISmo

I found some value with this link: http://www.gislounge.com/free-field-survey-tools/

Thank you for the recommendations and the reading. It was an overwhelming list, but your point 1 was exactly what I was missing. We're thinking about utilizing mobile devices for data collection. It's absurd how cheap of an alternative it is to Trimble. Do you have any advice on GIS collection apps? Also, how reliable would mobile devices be, I worry they aren't very rugged?

I searched GIS in the apple app store and received a never ending list of free GIS apps, all of which seemed very similar. Are some better than others? Are any of them actually "free" are do they have hidden costs associated with them? What advantages would you get with a paid GIS app? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!