Does anyone use Garmin/TomTom Sat Nav anymore?
Discussion
I was thinking today about my holiday to Italy earlier in the summer. We drove down to where my Mrs dad is from, tiny town in the southern Italian countryside. He spent ages looking at maps and routes to get us there, I told him to just follow me with Google maps. It got us door to door, avoided traffic and generally made the trip hassle free. The father in law and his brother were amazed, even more so when on the 4th day it took us about an hour out into the sticks to find the town her mum is from.
So, does anyone still use standalone systems? Or even in car systems? Do they have any advantage or has Google maps got all of our directional needs sorted?
So, does anyone still use standalone systems? Or even in car systems? Do they have any advantage or has Google maps got all of our directional needs sorted?
For me, the problem with sat navs was having to keep them update. My iPhone stays up dated, has real time traffic, alerts for speed cameras etc - for free, with no subscription. I'd never use a dedicated sat nav again.
I also wouldn't spec sat nav in my cars either, especially if apple play or whatever its called can be added instead.
I also wouldn't spec sat nav in my cars either, especially if apple play or whatever its called can be added instead.
w00tman said:
For me, the problem with sat navs was having to keep them update. My iPhone stays up dated, has real time traffic, alerts for speed cameras etc - for free, with no subscription. I'd never use a dedicated sat nav again.
I also wouldn't spec sat nav in my cars either, especially if apple play or whatever its called can be added instead.
My £70 garmin has real time traffic and alerts for speed cameras and lifetime free updates.I also wouldn't spec sat nav in my cars either, especially if apple play or whatever its called can be added instead.
I bought a new TomTom Go40 last month after the mount failed on my aged Go940. Not interested in big screens but lifetime maps. The Go40 was on offer at Argos for £79.99 and I had a £50 Star Employee voucher from work (w
ker of the month we call it!). I use a standalone satnav even in the 2015 520d as the satnav still has me driving in fields on some uprated dual carriageways and new housing estates are a nightmare.
ker of the month we call it!). I use a standalone satnav even in the 2015 520d as the satnav still has me driving in fields on some uprated dual carriageways and new housing estates are a nightmare.w00tman said:
daemon said:
My £70 garmin has real time traffic and alerts for speed cameras and lifetime free updates.
That's pretty good - my sat nav can also make calls, send dirty text messages to my wife, and then download internet pornography when she rebuffs me.
AND i dont have to wally about mounting / dismounting my mobile phone into some sort of cradle on the dash every time i get into / out of the car, or worry about it draining my phone battery.
Edited by daemon on Thursday 20th October 18:45
daemon said:
I dont particularly want my phone up on the dash on some sort of bracket.
.
That was something I didnt like the thought of but thankfully a cheap amazon phone holder that clips on the dash vent works perfect and is easy to remove. .
It'd be interesting to see what would be better in changing traffic conditions, a satnav (I presume uses traditional traffic cameras still?) VS a phone with Google maps.
I've never even owned a stand-alone satnav, although I have used the paid Tom-Tom app on my phone (although was then infuriated it when they made it obsolete and refused upgrades to the latest version; £60 was more than I've ever paid for a mobile app!)
On my old Nokia Lumia 800 the built-in nav app was free and didn't require any data use, which made using it whilst in France and Italy a lot easier and cheaper. Google Maps on Android seems OK but I've not tried it abroad yet beyond using it to find places whilst I'm walking around town centres.
On my old Nokia Lumia 800 the built-in nav app was free and didn't require any data use, which made using it whilst in France and Italy a lot easier and cheaper. Google Maps on Android seems OK but I've not tried it abroad yet beyond using it to find places whilst I'm walking around town centres.
CaptainMorgan said:
daemon said:
I dont particularly want my phone up on the dash on some sort of bracket.
.
That was something I didnt like the thought of but thankfully a cheap amazon phone holder that clips on the dash vent works perfect and is easy to remove. .
It'd be interesting to see what would be better in changing traffic conditions, a satnav (I presume uses traditional traffic cameras still?) VS a phone with Google maps.
Its individual choice really. My nav is there and on in the MG when i switch the car on, and i generally plug in my destination, even if it is "home", so it will alert me of traffic problems and divert me if required.
I like being able to do that. Other people i'm sure couldnt be bothered.
Not sure how much we'll use it on the A45. Its a plug in garmin card that uses the central touch screen.
Use a 5" Garmin 2599-LMT stick-on all the time. £125.00
It has live traffic updates via RDS, so no data plan/phone needed. Hard wired into the car.
Has all of Europe on it, plus Points of Interest like gas stations and hotels with phone numbers, which has helped a couple of times late at night in France. Live Traffic has got me off the M25 before a jam on several occasions.
It came with free lifetime map and POI updates, and is so much better than the sat-nav unit that came installed into the car, so I took that out and just use the Garmin. Maps and POIs updates are twice a year. Also has BlueTooth hands-free.
Has Lane Assist View which is great on motorways when there's a truck obscuring the exit signs, plus a useful fuel usage calculator which can forecast fuel costs for a trip.
Screen auto-dims in tunnels, which is slightly spooky, as it does it five seconds before you enter them. Also has some kind of lost-signal processing; so it 'works' all the way under the Channel Tunnel, which is bizarre to watch.
I have tried Waze and Here Maps/Google Maps, but the Garmin is better for me.
Other brands are available.
I see quite a view 7" Android tablets on the dash of cars in Europe now, with Google Maps/Here maps on them instead of a sat-nav. There's a lot of choice these days.
It has live traffic updates via RDS, so no data plan/phone needed. Hard wired into the car.
Has all of Europe on it, plus Points of Interest like gas stations and hotels with phone numbers, which has helped a couple of times late at night in France. Live Traffic has got me off the M25 before a jam on several occasions.
It came with free lifetime map and POI updates, and is so much better than the sat-nav unit that came installed into the car, so I took that out and just use the Garmin. Maps and POIs updates are twice a year. Also has BlueTooth hands-free.
Has Lane Assist View which is great on motorways when there's a truck obscuring the exit signs, plus a useful fuel usage calculator which can forecast fuel costs for a trip.
Screen auto-dims in tunnels, which is slightly spooky, as it does it five seconds before you enter them. Also has some kind of lost-signal processing; so it 'works' all the way under the Channel Tunnel, which is bizarre to watch.
I have tried Waze and Here Maps/Google Maps, but the Garmin is better for me.
Other brands are available.
I see quite a view 7" Android tablets on the dash of cars in Europe now, with Google Maps/Here maps on them instead of a sat-nav. There's a lot of choice these days.
Edited by Slushbox on Thursday 20th October 18:56
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