Smart Phone vs. SatNav

Author
Discussion

plenty

4,685 posts

186 months

Tuesday 16th September 2014
quotequote all
One consideration to be aware of is that operating a phone while driving is illegal whereas the use of a standalone GPS device is not.

Roo

11,503 posts

207 months

Tuesday 16th September 2014
quotequote all
plenty said:
One consideration to be aware of is that operating a phone while driving is illegal whereas the use of a standalone GPS device is not.
Not if it's in a holder/cradle.

colonel c

7,890 posts

239 months

Wednesday 24th September 2014
quotequote all

I find Co Polite on Android quite adequate for my needs. Well worth £20.

markmullen

15,877 posts

234 months

Wednesday 24th September 2014
quotequote all
Smartphone nav apps are good if you are only ever in towns, or have an app which downloads all the mapping to your phone. If you're in the Yorkshire Dales, North York Moors or the highlands of Scotland with no signal they are useless.

colonel c

7,890 posts

239 months

Wednesday 24th September 2014
quotequote all
markmullen said:
Smartphone nav apps are good if you are only ever in towns, or have an app which downloads all the mapping to your phone. If you're in the Yorkshire Dales, North York Moors or the highlands of Scotland with no signal they are useless.
Co Polite has the maps preinstalled. So no off line worries.

markmullen

15,877 posts

234 months

Thursday 25th September 2014
quotequote all
colonel c said:
markmullen said:
Smartphone nav apps are good if you are only ever in towns, or have an app which downloads all the mapping to your phone. If you're in the Yorkshire Dales, North York Moors or the highlands of Scotland with no signal they are useless.
Co Polite has the maps preinstalled. So no off line worries.

LiamMD

33 posts

151 months

Thursday 25th September 2014
quotequote all
SEAN 46 said:
I'll have a look into the power saving modes on my iPhone but not aware i'm running any.
I really want to make my iPhone work well as a sat nav so will keep trying and experimenting.
Do you keep your wifi switched on?

With iPhones keeping your wifi switched on (not necessarily connected to anything) improves gps accuracy massively.

SEAN 46

102 posts

175 months

Sunday 28th September 2014
quotequote all
LiamMD said:
SEAN 46 said:
I'll have a look into the power saving modes on my iPhone but not aware i'm running any.
I really want to make my iPhone work well as a sat nav so will keep trying and experimenting.
Do you keep your wifi switched on?

With iPhones keeping your wifi switched on (not necessarily connected to anything) improves gps accuracy massively.
Yes wifi always left on.
Just returned from a 1500 mile trip into Europe and I always reach for the stand alone totom rather than trust the iPhone. The tomtom never lets me down.

AreEssTimbo

Original Poster:

23 posts

116 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
colonel c said:
Co Polite has the maps preinstalled. So no off line worries.
IMO That is the only benefit I have heard really so far.

A lot of people are saying about phones losing signal but I have experienced exactly the same thing from sat navs.

Super Slo Mo

5,368 posts

198 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
AreEssTimbo said:
colonel c said:
Co Polite has the maps preinstalled. So no off line worries.
IMO That is the only benefit I have heard really so far.

A lot of people are saying about phones losing signal but I have experienced exactly the same thing from sat navs.
I use the iPhone all the time now, the massive snag with it is that if you're in a no data signal area, or poor signal area and need to enter a destination, you simply can't, and have to drive until you reach 3G, which on a recent trip I was doing was a good 20 miles, partly in the wrong direction as it turned out.

Tom toms and their ilk don't require a data signal to work, they just need GPS, which if you're struggling with that (usually in a built up area), can be easily resolved by driving a few yards to somewhere with a clear view of the sky.

Having said that, I have experienced a recent Tom Tom in someone else's car just locking up and doing nothing, although I think it was a fault with that particular unit.

SidJames

1,399 posts

233 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
Just selling my TomTom 1005 v2 on the bay right now, as I've switched to using TT on my iphone, now that I've figured how to push POI's onto it using disk aid.

I also have the pro in car nav which can also search using t'initerweb, so I'm a bit spoilt really.

I think the PND's will be dead within 18 months, and those that currently don't offer 3rd Party POI's (including teh newer TT units) you might as well throw in the bin, as they have almost zero second hand value.

IMHO ^^


l6rth

452 posts

163 months

Thursday 16th October 2014
quotequote all
I am planning on going to thunder in the tunnels, I need a nav that can have a programmed route multi point stops for each tunnel and can do them in order without trying to take you back to the first point but I would like it on my iPhone 6 as an app.

Thanks

Rob

SEAN 46

102 posts

175 months

Sunday 26th October 2014
quotequote all
Ran my reliable tomtom via live against iPhone with M8 navigation yesterday. M8 relies on 3g or wifi for it to work correctly. 5 miles from home it's useless as no signal while tomtom works perfectly.
Co pilot may work with pre installed maps but I still like a bigger screen than the iPhone provides.
I Still think stand alone sat navs have a future.

egor110

16,860 posts

203 months

Sunday 26th October 2014
quotequote all
If you use a windows phone they don't use any data for sat nav.

Just download the maps you want and just use phones gps.

HTP99

22,546 posts

140 months

Sunday 26th October 2014
quotequote all
Nokia Here Drive + is a fantastic sat nav, doesn't cost a penny if you have a Lumia, you have the whole of the world available and you can download maps and use them offline.

I have used mine many times when the supposed up to date system in my car has thrown a wobbler, it even has traffic too.

tedsC6GTO

65 posts

151 months

Monday 27th October 2014
quotequote all
Best of both worlds.... I installed a Parrot Asteroid Smart 2-DIN Head unit which runs Android so my MP3s always playing, occasionally muted by TomTom with speedCams etc. offline and also use a smartphone for GMaps with live traffic..... where there's a signal.

No such thing as overkill if you don't know where you're going....


aizvara

2,051 posts

167 months

Monday 27th October 2014
quotequote all
I used to use Ovi maps on an old Nokia "smart"phone, then Co-Pilot on Android phone, and more recently on a 7" tablet. I got fed up of the built in head unit for music, and the smallish smartphone screen for navigation so replaced them both.

If Co-Pilot fails for some reason, then I can launch Google Maps or one of the other satnav apps (e.g.: tomtom make an app). I don't think I'll ever buy a standalone satnav unit.

70proof

6,051 posts

155 months

Monday 27th October 2014
quotequote all
aizvara said:
I used to use Ovi maps on an old Nokia "smart"phone, then Co-Pilot on Android phone, and more recently on a 7" tablet. I got fed up of the built in head unit for music, and the smallish smartphone screen for navigation so replaced them both.

If Co-Pilot fails for some reason, then I can launch Google Maps or one of the other satnav apps (e.g.: tomtom make an app). I don't think I'll ever buy a standalone satnav unit.
Ovi maps, now Nokia drive the dogs danglies.... I've used it in Europe and north america.... Biggest plus you can download the country for free and keep roaming off... Biggest plus it doesn't keep asking you to turnaround if you force a detour.

tedsC6GTO

65 posts

151 months

Wednesday 29th October 2014
quotequote all
Only annoying problem with smartphone/Android Headunit versions is that when you make a call or call comes in, you lose your navi screen and voice instructions until you hang up.

And before anyone comments, I object to anyone telling me I shouldn't be talking while driving. I always use a hands-free (no excuse for not having one these days). And if you can eat a McDonalds or Subway while driving (recently evidenced at many lights and roundabouts) you can talk quite safely without your mouth full.

I suspect a mouthful of anything would be much more of a distraction (intentional double entendre there)..... heck even picking one's nose can lead to a youtube event these days.....