Does anyone use Garmin/TomTom Sat Nav anymore?
Discussion
Guyr said:
I use Google Maps generally on an iPhone and it's great, not least because it can search for specific businesses or locations rather than address.
However, for those that live out of major towns, or travel there - there are still plenty of parts of the UK and definitely Europe that have no 3G or 4G signal and if you're lost or starting a route from that point, then no phone based system works.
I therefore keep an older Garmin in my glovebox and it has been called into action on a few occasions.
There are plenty of options for downloading the maps to your phone's memory so you don't need a data connection However, for those that live out of major towns, or travel there - there are still plenty of parts of the UK and definitely Europe that have no 3G or 4G signal and if you're lost or starting a route from that point, then no phone based system works.
I therefore keep an older Garmin in my glovebox and it has been called into action on a few occasions.
Dave Hedgehog said:
depends on the car, it appears only some of the very latest support wireless connection
i think the idea of these systems is that you keep the phone in the arm rest box plugged in and out of sight and control everything from the in car display
Ahh ok. Thanks for clearing things! Learn something new every day i think the idea of these systems is that you keep the phone in the arm rest box plugged in and out of sight and control everything from the in car display
I've got an old TomTom 720 that I take with me whenever I might get diverted off-course and have to find my way around areas I don't know, but it doesn't get used much. I've had to replace the screen as the backlight went, and the battery doesn't hold a charge any more, and the internal memory is iffy so it has to have everything on a card. But I don't have a contract phone as I hardly use it, and it's a Symbian mobile so no-one does software for it now, and so on.
My biggest problem is finding somewhere to put it in the car temporarily - the older TomTom 510 (the wedge-shaped one) was much handier as it would sit on a flat surface with the display pointing up. Usually I wedge it in the ashtray, where every time I go round a bend it shifts so the display is out of sight. One of these days I'll do something proper about it.
My biggest problem is finding somewhere to put it in the car temporarily - the older TomTom 510 (the wedge-shaped one) was much handier as it would sit on a flat surface with the display pointing up. Usually I wedge it in the ashtray, where every time I go round a bend it shifts so the display is out of sight. One of these days I'll do something proper about it.
I never travel anywhere without my eight-year-old TomTom 520. Have no use for anything more modern, including built-in satnavs.
For me the the real value of a satnav is in pre-planning routes and side-loading them onto a device - modern TomToms have much more limited itinerary-planning capability (although Garmin retains this).
For me the the real value of a satnav is in pre-planning routes and side-loading them onto a device - modern TomToms have much more limited itinerary-planning capability (although Garmin retains this).
I stopped using the proper Garmin when I bought a Garmin HUD+ which is a £50 heads-up display and iPhone Garmin maps app.
The annoying thing about that is that you cannot plan routes or anything until you're in the car and it has paired with the HUD. But apart from that it is pretty good.
Google Maps saw me right for nearly 2000 miles around California recently, as I could not download US maps for the Garmin on the UK apple store, and since then I've not bothered with the Garmin.
I rented a new Jaguar XE and used its internal sat-nav (the new version) which was brilliant, especially the display in the instrument panel.
The annoying thing about that is that you cannot plan routes or anything until you're in the car and it has paired with the HUD. But apart from that it is pretty good.
Google Maps saw me right for nearly 2000 miles around California recently, as I could not download US maps for the Garmin on the UK apple store, and since then I've not bothered with the Garmin.
I rented a new Jaguar XE and used its internal sat-nav (the new version) which was brilliant, especially the display in the instrument panel.
Jimmy Recard said:
There are plenty of options for downloading the maps to your phone's memory so you don't need a data connection
Really? Thought you could only download small areas in advance? I find I only think about it when I need it (ie when I've already lost signal). Google maps was much better when the maps were all resident on the phone. This dumb expectation that users will always have a perfect data signal makes all such systems unusable. It's pretty shocking just how bad the coverage still is in this country.So, I still use my TomTom as my primary navigation and Google or Waze if I'm bored and want some life traffic info, although Waze seems to guzzle battery power.
I always use Google Maps - all the SatNav you need.
However, on a long trip to the States I didn't want the data cost of constantly downloading maps, so I used the CoPilot app I've got installed on my 'phone (but never use) - that stores the maps on the 'phone rather than downloading them on the go, so no data usage.
However, on a long trip to the States I didn't want the data cost of constantly downloading maps, so I used the CoPilot app I've got installed on my 'phone (but never use) - that stores the maps on the 'phone rather than downloading them on the go, so no data usage.
daemon said:
I dont particularly want my phone up on the dash on some sort of bracket.
Not quite seeing the logic here - instead you'd have your sat nav "up on the dash in some sort of bracket.".I'm a complete convert to Waze, but even Google Maps blows Garmin and TomTom out of the water. My folks have tried brand new Garmin and TomTom kit in the last year or so (I've just upgraded them to proper smartphones), and they felt so clunky and unintuitive.
My dad still uses a standalone Tomtom, and he upgraded a year or so ago after my old one I gave him died.
Haven't used a standalone unit for about 8 years. Got a Civic with built-in nav, then when that started getting out of date I went to phone. Currently have Apple Carplay in the Golf which works pretty well and can keep the phone out of the way.
Haven't used a standalone unit for about 8 years. Got a Civic with built-in nav, then when that started getting out of date I went to phone. Currently have Apple Carplay in the Golf which works pretty well and can keep the phone out of the way.
I use the tomtom app on my phone.
I need the traffic and find it to be much more accurate than google maps.
I also need a system that will work when I don't have a signal, which can happen a lot travelling up in the hills in scotland (okay, i admit i don't really need the traffic when I'm up there...)
Oh, and also the speed camera warnings are a bonus too.
I need the traffic and find it to be much more accurate than google maps.
I also need a system that will work when I don't have a signal, which can happen a lot travelling up in the hills in scotland (okay, i admit i don't really need the traffic when I'm up there...)
Oh, and also the speed camera warnings are a bonus too.
I still use my almost 10 year old Garmin nüvi660 SatNav, with lifetime update mapping. Perhaps if Garmin weren't so miserly and allowed customers to transfer their lifetime map updating agreement to a newer device, I might have replaced it.
I take it with me on foreign trips - easier to use familiar HMI and up-to-date maps than faff with whatever 'NAVI' system might be in the hire car.
I also still use my Nokia 6310i phone in the car in a Nokia hands-free system - I've yet to find anything as good and which doesn't need charging more often.
I take it with me on foreign trips - easier to use familiar HMI and up-to-date maps than faff with whatever 'NAVI' system might be in the hire car.
I also still use my Nokia 6310i phone in the car in a Nokia hands-free system - I've yet to find anything as good and which doesn't need charging more often.
C70R said:
daemon said:
I dont particularly want my phone up on the dash on some sort of bracket.
Not quite seeing the logic here - instead you'd have your sat nav "up on the dash in some sort of bracket.".I'm a complete convert to Waze, but even Google Maps blows Garmin and TomTom out of the water. My folks have tried brand new Garmin and TomTom kit in the last year or so (I've just upgraded them to proper smartphones), and they felt so clunky and unintuitive.
I'd rather have a £50-100 satnav on display than a £700 iPhone.
vikingaero said:
C70R said:
daemon said:
I dont particularly want my phone up on the dash on some sort of bracket.
Not quite seeing the logic here - instead you'd have your sat nav "up on the dash in some sort of bracket.".I'm a complete convert to Waze, but even Google Maps blows Garmin and TomTom out of the water. My folks have tried brand new Garmin and TomTom kit in the last year or so (I've just upgraded them to proper smartphones), and they felt so clunky and unintuitive.
I'd rather have a £50-100 satnav on display than a £700 iPhone.
FWIW, even Waze on a £100 Moto G (over 4G) kicks the standalone satnavs into touch.
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