http://www.lecycle.fr/article/19878-essai-du-compteur-wahoo-elemnt-bolt-un-eclair-de-simplicite
This is what turns me off a Wahoo (and any other device using a similar design philosophy) Sorry it's in french! I know this is journalese but the information probably comes straight from Wahoo.
That's markettingease aimed at a specific market segment, the iphone+carbon crowd. Assuming that google comedy conversion isn't too far off the mark.
Yes you can use the device that way. But you don't have to. It's a shame there seems to be nothing out there for people who don't have a smart phone surgically attached to them.
On the subject of AAs against USB. For me the GPS is not an everyday device. It might see 3 or 4 outings a year (the nature of audaxing in la "France profonde" is that the 200s are grouped into the first 6 Months of the season so without doing ridiculous car mileages it is unlikely that I would do more than 2. Other than that a bit of route tracing and that's your lot. Anything more would be playing with a toy or gadget, not mission critical. I could do that on a set of rechargeables recharged for each occasion or just put new batteries in it. The thing with USB is that you have to know and have confidence in the device's charge indicator if you are only using it occasionally. My camera is a case in point. It's pretty good but sometimes I get caught out; it's not mission critical though.
Ah, round these part the 200's are grouped into the first 12 months of the year...
I must admit I have now gone and put a wahoo mount on my Brompton, and use my bolt even for city riding, mostly it gives me a basic map display, and speed. I didn't buy the device with that in mind, it's a nice bonus tho.
I used to be of the mind the AA/AAA battery is a good idea, you can get them anywhere, you can carry spare sets etc... But the reality I find is that the hope vision 1 light on my Brompton, that takes 4 AA rechargables, lasts long enough between charges for me to have lost the charger. Where as I'm setup for recharging usb stuff, there's a multi port wallwort by the the bed with 3 cables pluged in (µUSB + USB-C), there's another one next to the sofa, with 3 cables hanging out. This is the norm for many people my age and younger. It's easier for me to find a usb socket to charge from in my flat than a mains socket, and even harder if you are picky which type of mains socket (some are BS 1363, some are schuko).
Each to their own.
I of course don't mind missing the occasional turni on non critical rides. Sometimes that produces some of my most enjoyable rides, discovering or rediscovering things that I hadn't noticed before.
Mounts are not that critical for me; I don't want more stuff on my bars. It will probably go in the map pocket of a barbag or in a phone bag mounted on the top tube (my counter is normally mounted on the top tube.
I do have budget limits. The Wahoo and most of the Edges are outside it (although the Edge Explore isn't; I might need to look again at that one.) the thing with the Etrex20 is that, obsolete technology or not, it appears to do what I want.
The mount can be critical to the usability of the device. Can you read the screen through the map pocket plastic, in sunlight? or in the rain? or in rain and sunlight?
Some of the riders I've picked up on audaxes have been thinking they could put their mobile in case, or bar bag, or top tube bag, and read the screen through that for nav. Only to find it hasn't worked.
I'd advise to carry the GPS also on several local rides so you get used to it on known terrain before you use it where you really need it.
This, very much this.
You may even find in doing so that the device becomes more indispensable than you anticipated.
Good luck, and have fun!
J