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Tonight's question - Cellphone GPS

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JPSmit

JPSmit

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I am so technologically illiterate. sheesh.

Anyway, Beatrix our GPS is dying - It's a Garmin and simply wearing out.

SWMBO & I each have Motorola Razr phones. Would it make sense just to use them for GPS? If so, what? Does phone GPS use data? I would love it if this were possible.

thanks for help from people who understand this, oh, and I certainly don't mind buying a program but, we don't have a huge data plan right now.
 
JP - first thing that pops to mind, is that I'd question whether the small screen of a Razr would really be useful as a GPS screen. Maybe as a backup, but ...

Luddite Tom.
 
JP
Does the new car have Bluetooth? The new razr has its own map app. With Bluetooth you can hear the driving instructions through your car stereo. It can also run google maps, a great app, but a data hog.
Paul
 
I don't claim to be an expert at consumer GPS, but my understanding is that with a Razr you would need a data plan in order to download maps and an app to use them. GPS by itself only gives lat/lon; you probably want a map in order to translate that to roads and street addresses.

This might be helpful
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0xefJ-oG8I
 
You'll get a lot of different opinions about this, but I think the answer depends on how you use a GPS. If you like to let it direct you turn by turn, and you don't normally have navigator in the passenger seat, then I would recommend getting large screen full GPS unit. On the other hand, if you just want something to pull up a map occasionally, then I think any kind of full-screen 'smart' phone will be sufficient.

I use a GPS in the latter way, and I have been totally happy with just using Google maps on my android phone. The positioning on the map is often not as accurate as a real GPS, but it always places me on the map close enough to find where I am and navigate to where I want to go.

If you have doubts, I would recommend that you try using Google maps as a navigation tool for a while and see if it is sufficient. It's a free app, so you can try that route without spending any money.

Keith
 
NutmegCT said:
JP - first thing that pops to mind, is that I'd question whether the small screen of a Razr would really be useful as a GPS screen.
Click to expand...

The Razr seems to have the same 4.3" screen size as my widescreen Garmin. I know there are 7" GPS screens out there.
 
My Motorola has a 4.5" screen, which I find perfectly acceptable. There are a number of free apps for navigation out there. Just be sure your data plan is large enough.
 
What's this GPS stuff? Is it another version of Texaco or AAA maps? Do they fit in the map pouch in the door of my car? Can I use them with no electricity? Can the gummint track me when I use it?
 
TOC said:
What's this GPS stuff? Is it another version of Texaco or AAA maps? Do they fit in the map pouch in the door of my car? Can I use them with no electricity? Can the gummint track me when I use it?
Click to expand...

:grin:

dinosaur-computer.jpg
 
Is it another version of Texaco or AAA maps? Yes
Do they fit in the map pouch in the door of my car? Why yes they do
Can I use them with no electricity? Yes they come with a battery, read a map at night without light lately?
Can the gummint track me when I use it? Yes, but if they were interested in you, they have other means.

Bonus questions
Can I use a map for real time traffic reports? No, you will have to rely on AM radio for that.
What if I get stranded in the middle of nowhere? Take your map and walk down the road until you find a phone to call for help.
 
Depends on just how much you use the GPS, JP. I'm quite happy using my iPhone when I need the feature, but it's pretty rare need for me -- I know where the grocery store and my office are already. :jester:

For longer road trips I do still use AAA maps and keep an atlas in my car, but having the phone there as a backup is quite nice.
 
drooartz said:
Depends on just how much you use the GPS, JP. I'm quite happy using my iPhone when I need the feature, but it's pretty rare need for me -- I know where the grocery store and my office are already. :jester:

For longer road trips I do still use AAA maps and keep an atlas in my car, but having the phone there as a backup is quite nice.
Click to expand...

My sentiments exactly!

Tom
 
GPS units are great, if you have the need. A good friend of mine was a traveling musician for many years, driving all over the USA. The GPS she had was a critical tool for her. I'm just much more boring and rarely go places where it'd be helpful -- and most Utah cities are on a grid system, so you can always get close with just the address.

Did find the iPhone's GPS handy last fall -- a friend picked a new campsite for our annual trip using Google Earth and we had some sketchy directions and longitude/latitude. Even without the digital mapping feature the GPS proved very helpful when it got dark and we were 70 miles out in the desert. Great campsite, by the way...
 
drooartz said:
A good friend of mine was a traveling musician for many years, driving all over the USA. The GPS she had was a critical tool for her.
Click to expand...
You have to be a bit careful, though, especially if you like to drive off the beaten track. Some years ago I pulled up to the front entrance to Carlsbad Caverns in NM only to discover that they were closed for the day, and told the GPS to direct me on down the road towards my final destination in IN. I thought it was strange that it directed me to turn south, but decided to follow along to see where it would take me. Where it took me was a parking lot in front of a long-abandoned country club out in the middle of nowhere! It insisted that I was on a highway that simply did not exist (and had not existed in the past 50 years at least).

Another example (different GPS unit), we were exploring the back roads near Meramec Cavern in MO. I really enjoy those Ozark hills, feels like home to me so I was having a great time. Got kind of dark, so I asked the GPS to find the shortest route back to I-44 (where our motel room was). Followed it for a few turns, until I realized it was directing me into the river! I guess there is a ford there that is passable during the dry season, but since there was at least 3 feet of water in the river I declined to attempt the crossing. Besides the wife was screaming at the top of her lungs, she probably would have had a heart attack if I had actually attempted to ford the river :smile:

Somehow, I find it a lot less frustrating when a paper map is wrong. At least it doesn't have a cool. calm voice telling me to do something stupid!
 
TR3driver said:
... Somehow, I find it a lot less frustrating when a paper map is wrong. At least it doesn't have a cool. calm voice telling me to do something stupid!
Click to expand...

I'm sorry Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that.

6a00d83451bdb569e20105364ef5e1970b-pi
 
sail said:
Does a $100 Garmin run for free while a smart phone costs minutes?
Click to expand...
There can be data usage for the phone (but not minutes) while you are downloading the maps. Once downloaded, it shouldn't be using any network.
 
drooartz said:
There can be data usage for the phone (but not minutes) while you are downloading the maps. Once downloaded, it shouldn't be using any network.
Click to expand...

Yes, the Garmin runs for free - so, if I download the maps on WiFi? am I good to go?
 
JPSmit said:
Yes, the Garmin runs for free - so, if I download the maps on WiFi? am I good to go?
Click to expand...

Most likely, yes. I've not looked into it too closely, as I only us the map feature every now and then -- and I've got a 2gig data plan and rarely use more than 1/4 of the allotment.
 
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