Don't believe everything your GPS tells you

[RunningBum]

I bought GPSNav II for a few bucks and download European maps (each continent cost a few bucks) then you download maps for where you are going. this allows navigation without cellular data turned on. You ned to find and save favorites that you want to enter in as destinations whie you have WIFI. If you do the app works great. Global data costs a bundle.

That sounds worthwhile. So I can enter my destinations from home or at the hotel with wifi, then use GPS on the road to track me without using any data?

 

[rodi]

I'm always arguing with my GPS in the US! It's great having an automaton to argue about directions with.

Our tom tom can load different voices (and different languages.
Prior to our last Italy trip I had it in Italian mode just to beef up my directions vocabulary.

We debated purchasing the add on voice of Yota. You can get samples on their website. Instead of saying
"Turn right in 200 feet" it might say "Anticipate the turn to the right, I would."

You can even get the yota voice in a foreign language. My bff is fluent in Italian and we had her listen to Darth Vader in Italian (samples from the website) She was cracking up.

 

[ERD50]

I have not done this, but it might help in a general sense:

Mark up a paper map (or stored editable digital one) with GPS co-ordinates - either a matrix, or key points along the way.

Now, you can at least tell where you are if you can get your GPS to show you the current co-ordinates. That will at least get you located on your map.

That's not going to help for 'turn here', but it might help you figure out where you are if lost.

Handy tip - Bookmark this -

javascript:void(prompt('',gApplication.getMap().getCenter()));

bring up a google map, select that bookmark and it will provide GPS co-ordinates from the center of the map.

-ERD50

 

[drb391]

had a garmin that I went to update (US only) cuz it'd been a couple years. it told me the update wouldn't fit cuz the memory was full. it gave me choices of Eastern US, Western US, maybe others, but I chose Eastern cuz that's where I would use it at street level more. so I'm thinking it would UPDATE the E US only and leave the rest alone... but NO.O.oo; get across the Mississippi and it's worthless

so I saw another one cheap at Woot and ordered it. brand new out of box I went to update (think it might have been a refurb) and upon completion, it's FULL again!! but this one tells me I can put an SD card in it. WHA..?!?! could I have done that with the original one? never know I guess; didn't look into it since I had "new" one

bottom line - check to see if your gps will take an SD card if it states it's full or can't take an update for lack of room

 

[audreyh1]

had a garmin that I went to update (US only) cuz it'd been a couple years. it told me the update wouldn't fit cuz the memory was full. it gave me choices of Eastern US, Western US, maybe others, but I chose Eastern cuz that's where I would use it at street level more. so I'm thinking it would UPDATE the E US only and leave the rest alone... but NO.O.oo; get across the Mississippi and it's worthless

so I saw another one cheap at Woot and ordered it. brand new out of box I went to update (think it might have been a refurb) and upon completion, it's FULL again!! but this one tells me I can put an SD card in it. WHA..?!?! could I have done that with the original one? never know I guess; didn't look into it since I had "new" one

bottom line - check to see if your gps will take an SD card if it states it's full or can't take an update for lack of room

Yep. I bought a refurbished older unit and knew that I would need an SD card to get any of the updated maps. We had an extra card unused at home, so it worked out well.

 

[donheff]

That sounds worthwhile. So I can enter my destinations from home or at the hotel with wifi, then use GPS on the road to track me without using any data?

Yes. I think you can also click on a map location and navigate to it at any time but you can't effectively search unless you have data access through wifi or cellular. I have used the app numerous times to figure out where I am in a city (one tap and the map will follow you, two and it will follow you with north oriented up on the screen). On a trip to New Zealand I entered my hotels and some restaurants I wanted to visit before leaving and drove all over the country to the designated locations with turn by turn navigation - very nice. It also has a route function that can be set to car, foot, or bike. Nice for walking back to a hotel if you get lost. As others noted, navigation apps burn up battery power. I take a car accessory plug/USB cable and a window mount holder, for trips that involve a car. For my upcoming car-less trip to London and Berlin I am taking a small supplemental battery pack/charger that I will keep topped up and carry in my back pack.

I noted that I called it GPS Nav II but I just looked at the Apple Store and realize it is Skobbler GPS Navigation. They also have ForeverMap 2 -- Worldwide Offline Maps but I would check with Skobbler by email before getting that. I got ForeverMap 1 but the US version could not get world wide maps so I got GPS Nav. I think they may have unified the code base now but I am not sure.

 

[Corporateburnout]

had a garmin that I went to update (US only) cuz it'd been a couple years. it told me the update wouldn't fit cuz the memory was full. it gave me choices of Eastern US, Western US, maybe others, but I chose Eastern cuz that's where I would use it at street level more. so I'm thinking it would UPDATE the E US only and leave the rest alone... but NO.O.oo; get across the Mississippi and it's worthless

so I saw another one cheap at Woot and ordered it. brand new out of box I went to update (think it might have been a refurb) and upon completion, it's FULL again!! but this one tells me I can put an SD card in it. WHA..?!?! could I have done that with the original one? never know I guess; didn't look into it since I had "new" one

bottom line - check to see if your gps will take an SD card if it states it's full or can't take an update for lack of room

Most Garmin would require an SD card to load the full update. They should include a MicroSD card with the unit and add $5 to the cost of the unit. I have three units and every single one needed a card after the first or second update.