Should I get a new GPS? Which one?

[zinger1457]

Alberta is the richest province in Canada and I believe it's economy also tops all US states. Calgary is booming. So please don't judge by my experience.

Last data I saw had California's economy larger than all of Canada, it would have ranked about 10 of all countries.

 

[Meadbh]

Last data I saw had California's economy larger than all of Canada, it would have ranked about 10 of all countries.

In absolute terms you are correct.

When we look at per capita measures of the economy, Alberta had a per capita GDP of $78154 in 2011 and currently has a provincial surplus of $4340 per capita.

California had a per capita GDP of $51914 in 2011 and currently has a state debt of $3990 per capita.

 

[Redbugdave]

Garmin has four map updates a year. For me, one update a year is plenty good. And I got along without updating for more than three years, till now. But, if you travel a lot I can see updating more frequently.

 

[zinger1457]

Currently on a road trip to Yellowstone NP. Prior to leaving I updated the maps on my TomTom device. Everything looked good until I accidentally knocked the device off my kitchen counter onto a tile floor. I soon found out that touchscreens don't work well (or at all) when they are cracked. I decided to load the android navigation app Sygic on my phone and try that, it came with a 7 day free trial and doesn't require a data connection. It may very well be that the GPS receiver on my phone wasn't strong enough but it would constantly lose connection, plus the screen on my phone is just too small. Like the 5" screen on my TomTom. Stopped at a Frys electronics along the way and picked up a new TomTom GO 2535 on sale, well worth the money in my opinion. I'm actually quite impressed with the voice recognition feature. So far it has been able to recognize every address I have spoken on the first try and is much faster than manually entering an address.

 

[travelover]

In absolute terms you are correct.

When we look at per capita measures of the economy, Alberta had a per capita GDP of $78154 in 2011 and currently has a provincial surplus of $4340 per capita.

California had a per capita GDP of $51914 in 2011 and currently has a state debt of $3990 per capita.

Wow, just think what a great economy you'd have if you had a huge oil boom.

 

[omni550]

I decided to load the android navigation app Sygic on my phone and try that, it came with a 7 day free trial and doesn't require a data connection. It may very well be that the GPS receiver on my phone wasn't strong enough but it would constantly lose connection, plus the screen on my phone is just too small.

Similar to my experiences with trying to use my Android phone for navigation.

Are any people here having success using their smartphone in place of a GPS? If so, I'd love to hear what phone, what app, and in what part(s) of the country they are traveling.

omni

 

[REWahoo]

Are any people here having success using their smartphone in place of a GPS?

+1

I stopped using my Garmin as I found the phone to be easier to use - and always with me.

If so, I'd love to hear what phone...

Virgin Mobile HTC EVO V 4G

what app...

Google Maps (Directions)

...and in what part(s) of the country they are traveling.

TX and surrounding states.

 

[MichaelB]

I stopped using my Garmin as I found the phone to be easier to use - and always with me.

Virgin Mobile HTC EVO V 4G

Google Maps (Directions)

TX and surrounding states.

"The phone is always with you" is a compelling reason. With Virgin Mobile you have an unlimited data plan, but have you checked to see how much data is used by the GPS function? One thing that has me a little unsure is the Verizon data calculator estimates GPS to consume lots of data, which is pricey.

 

[REWahoo]

"The phone is always with you" is a compelling reason. With Virgin Mobile you have an unlimited data plan, but have you checked to see how much data is used by the GPS function? One thing that has me a little unsure is the Verizon data calculator estimates GPS to consume lots of data, which is pricey.

Good question.

We've been on the road for 3+ weeks, using the phone for navigation almost daily, plus using it as a hot-spot for internet access. Since Sept 4 (the start of my billing month) I have used 1.7GB of data. Although I have no way of measuring accurately, I believe only 1/3 of that usage was for navigation.

 

[MichaelB]

Good question.

We've been on the road for 3+ weeks, using the phone for navigation almost daily, plus using it as a hot-spot for internet access. Since Sept 4 (the start of my billing month) I have used 1.7GB of data. Although I have no way of measuring accurately, I believe only 1/3 of that usage was for navigation.

Well, you could stop all other data based applications for a month, only use your smartphone for GPS, track the daily use, and report back to use with graphs and charts.

Just joking. Very helpful response. The Verizon calculator led me to conclude GPS would use more data than that. Verizon charges by 2GB increments ($10), and rate plans can be changed monthly. So, for any month with lots of travel and need for extensive GPS, increasing the plan by 2GB should do it.

 

[FIREd]

Similar to my experiences with trying to use my Android phone for navigation.

Are any people here having success using their smartphone in place of a GPS? If so, I'd love to hear what phone, what app, and in what part(s) of the country they are traveling.

omni

I am using the Navigon app on my iPhone. I've used it without issues to cross the country last year. From large cities to the boonies, it never stopped working.

One thing to note is that the phone has to be placed carefully in the car in order to maximize GPS signal reception (like a dedicated GPS unit I suppose). I mount my iPhone on the windshield (or on the dashboard here in CA) and have no reception problems. But my GPS signal gets very spotty if I mount the Phone on the center console for example.

Since you can use the GPS on the iPhone without a wifi connection or data plan, I don't think that using the GPS counts towards your monthly data plan, assuming the maps are saved on your device prior to your trip. To test this, I turned off wifi and cellular data on my iPhone, and Navigon is still working fine. Also, during the month when I used the Navigon app 8-10 hours a day for 4 days in a row last year during my country crossing, my data usage ended up being only 290MB for the whole month.

 

[omni550]

At a quick glance Navigon looks to be about $60 for android.

What do you do when you get a phone call while using Navigon to guide you? Or when you need to make a call?

omni

 

[FIREd]

At a quick glance Navigon looks to be about $60 for android.

What do you do when you get a phone call while using Navigon to guide you? Or when you need to make a call?

omni

Disclaimer: I have no idea how Navigon works on the android platform and I do not use the phone while driving as it is too dangerous for me to use the phone, follow GPS instructions, and pay attention to the road all at once.

But in the relative safety of my living room I checked, and you can answer a phone call while using Navigon. However, the map disappears from the screen while you are on the phone. Audio instructions may still be audible though.

 

[steelyman]

Also...I get Consumer Reports. The September issue rates them. The best overall is the Nuvi 3590LMT. The best on a budget is Nuvi 1300.

Thanks for the info. I am thinking of getting the 3590, to be used mainly for driving. This would be my first GPS, and have read mainly positive reviews (but not CR). I thought I'd check here to see if anyone has one and their thoughts on it.

After all, you can't post to ER if it's not true

Any feedback welcome!

 

[steelyman]

The Garmin arrived today. Not being accustomed, I was of course amazed!

I think I bought a nag, but a nice one.

 

[steelyman]

One thing I noticed: it appears to only take Windows or Intel Mac for "lifetime updates".

Regardless, it was fun driving around today in town and ignoring its instructions. I was waiting for it to get fed up with me and say, "Oh, go #*!!" yourself".