imma git a new gps, you guys approve?

[OBLAMA2009]

i decided to replace my old gps with a new one. my old one is garmin and it was ok so im thinking about just getting this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-2555LMT...1&keywords=gps

i dont know much about them and dont really have time to research it and i dont care about cost, so do you think this would be a good choice? is garmin better than tomtom? is there a better garmin than this one? i just picked it because it was the most expensive garmin i saw at amazon

 

[wirednuts]

:/

i have had the itch to buy those, but nowadays it just seems like a ripoff when you can buy an inactivated android phone that will have better screen and better software- and it wont go out of date.

plus not to mention the thousand other things you can do with the cellphone. look on ebay- droid x2's with bad esns go for $120... good esn ones are $150. or if you want to save, the droid x's are $75 all day long, clean esn. throw the $25 copilot app on it so you dont need internet to use it and youre golden.

 

[Raswan]

:/

i have had the itch to buy those, but nowadays it just seems like a ripoff when you can buy an inactivated android phone that will have better screen and better software- and it wont go out of date.

plus not to mention the thousand other things you can do with the cellphone. look on ebay- droid x2's with bad esns go for $120... good esn ones are $150. or if you want to save, the droid x's are $75 all day long, clean esn. throw the $25 copilot app on it so you dont need internet to use it and youre golden.

+1

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

For 200 u might as well get a nexus 7 and tether it use offline maps.

 

[dguy6789]

+1 to suggestion of using an Android device. Either tether it or just download the maps of your area for offline use. Google Maps > any standalone GPS.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

+1 to suggestion of using an Android device. Either tether it or just download the maps of your area for offline use. Google Maps > any standalone GPS.

you're only allowed to download like 75mb of data for maps right? it's like a 50 mile radius.

useful for like 90% of the time, but not all those weekend trips and stuff if you go out a lot.

I'd like to see them allow you to download the whole freaking US... LOL

 

[dguy6789]

There's a maximum size area you can download at once by making a box around an area but you can do it as many times as you want. You can also do something like type in Orlando, FL and it will download the whole city.

 

[Raswan]

There's a maximum size area you can download at once by making a box around an area but you can do it as many times as you want. You can also do something like type in Orlando, FL and it will download the whole city.

Yup. Did it for OKC and Gainesville, FL, and it works like a dream. But the above poster is right, you should totally have an option to download the whole thing.

 

[wirednuts]

Yup. Did it for OKC and Gainesville, FL, and it works like a dream. But the above poster is right, you should totally have an option to download the whole thing.

nope. if google wanted that it would be done by now. they dont want you caching anything, but the masses are forcing them to give that option.

google wants you to have a data connection while using their software, so they can make sure the maps and poi's you have are up to date (software/service quality thing) and they also want to track how you use your gps- and force ads down your throat as youre driving.

if you want true offline gps software, get copilot. its $25 one time fee for the states, its better then google maps and youll never need a data connection. also, google maps at least on my phone drains the battery like a mofo, even though its not using data. copilot is much easier on the battery for some reason.

 

[corkyg]

I bought that Garmin unit last spring - love the 5-in display, and the LMT means lifetime free downloads of map updates. I'm on my second one - had to add a microSD card! I also have an Android phone, but it can't compare to the Garmin. Also, I got the beanbag mount (required in California) and it makes it easy to move the Garmin from car to car - even a rental.

If cost is no object, take a look at the Dash Express - the first GPS with 2-way communication to server, and it can be used in a learn mode.

http://gizmodo.com/372736/dash-express-gps-full-drive-review-total-traffic-terminator

 

[xSauronx]

i reckon if you *need* a gps it looks good. im one of the using-my-phone people thought. 4.3" screen is comparable, and i have car mounts for the phone. so it gets to not just do gps but...waze traffic updates, music, phone calls, blah blah. my favorite thing, however, is probably that i can just select from my google contacts when i want to hit a destination. I use it for work A LOT so this is pretty handy.

can a modern gps sync with any sort of account you already have and pull in addresses? if i had to type in contacts on a gps as often as i use one id throw the thing out of a window.

 

[corkyg]

You make good points. But, I like to keep my phone separated from that chore. I have also figured out a neat little trick for GPS units. I have had a COleman thermoelectric cooler for about 18 years. It has a transformer for connecting it in the house or a motel. I found that it works perfectly with my Garmin, amd even gets the satellites. It thinks its in a parked car!

So, I simply use the Apps mode and Trip Planner to create all my routes.

I recently traveled from Tucson to Crozet, VA via Richmand. I rented a car at RIC and had all the routes pre-planned. They worked perfectly. I kept my phone clear for phone stuff. Here's the setup for that pre planned work>

And, as a matter of fact, the Android phone screen is too small for me to read without a magnifying glass. <LOL>

 

[pandemonium]

I'm also going to suggest bypassing the whole dedicated GPS and just get a smartphone for the same function.

I didn't see it mentioned yet, but Nokia Maps really is hands down the best maps application I've used thus far on my N8 (or any other smartphone for that matter). No limitations to how much data can be stored, you can download the entire map for tons of countries and have it preloaded, and the GPS function seems to be more accurate and quicker in Nokia maps as opposed to Google maps. If you're going to primarily use the device for GPS, then any arguments against using a Symbian device are moot.

I just got back from a 2500 mile trip and Nokia maps saved me when Google maps couldn't find a data connection up in the mountains through cellular dead zones. ^^

Edit: Nokia Maps is 100% free, supports turn-by-turn navigation (with voice in about 50 different languages), has night driving mode, shows ETA, trip duration, or current speed, instantly allows directions to any contacts with address information, traffic updating and rerouting... It really has impressed me. I started to mount my phone on my front windshield sort-of like a HUD for long trips (and also to record some mountain passes) and it was tremendously useful.

 

[Imp]

This is the cheapest piece of shit Garmin offers, and I have one. It works well. Better than the $500+ model someone's given me from years ago.

http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-n%C3%BC...ords=garmin+40

Get the Garmin 50 model if you want a bigger screen.

Personally, I want a Garmin 62sc with a built in geotagging camera and quad-helix antenna. Only $400...

Phone with google maps is great, but data plan + need for constant connection + using your phone versus a completely separate unit.

 

[SilthDraeth]

Buy a Nexus 7 and get Copilot for it. I used my $25 credit for CoPilot of USA and Canada maps with voice navigation, lifetime map updates, was like $15 of the free $25 credit.

 

[Crow550]

Take a look at Navfree USA which has offline maps too: https://play.google.com/store/apps/...xLDMsImNvbS5uYXZmcmVlLmFuZHJvaWQuT1NNLlVTQSJd

or Navfree outside the US: https://play.google.com/store/apps/...yLDYsImNvbS5uYXZmcmVlLmFuZHJvaWQuT1NNLkFMTCJd

 

[corkyg]

Does Smartphone GPS work if you do not have cell phone coverage?

 

[WelshBloke]

Does Smartphone GPS work if you do not have cell phone coverage?

Depends.

Google navigation needs data (you can offline areas but for the most part you need data).

Apps such as Copilot work fully without a data connection. All the map data is downloaded in advance when you install the app and stored on your sdcard, mine takes up a 2gig chunk.

 

[Crow550]

Does Smartphone GPS work if you do not have cell phone coverage?

I tested my phone with the sim card out and another test in Airplane mode Navfree worked just fine.

 

[wirednuts]

the point is to buy an inactivated android phone for dedicated gps use. i totally understand why you dont want to use your phone, thats why you should just buy another one.

and since you dont activate it, you can buy a bad esn one. moto droid x2's are dual core, super bright big screens and excellent touch screen. you can find them easily for $150, and they will probably run any android gps software that comes out in the next two decades. your garmin will seem like junk in 10 years.

even droid x's are 1ghz single cores that, with custom roms, are nearly just as fast as the x2's. and those only set you back $75.

 

[SilthDraeth]

Once again Nexus 7 over a bad esn droid x2 or any other deactivated phone.

 

[Crow550]

Once again Nexus 7 over a bad esn droid x2 or any other deactivated phone.

Yup: http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-57484949-48/transform-your-nexus-7-into-a-car-tech-powerhouse/

Also check out the new Kindle Fires coming out. Only if the hardware is better and price.

You can always consider tethering it your phone too. If you want to use something like Waze.