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| Thread ID: 134639 | 2013-07-23 06:47:00 | GPS For My Car | JohnnyR (9277) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 1349629 | 2013-07-23 06:47:00 | I want to buy a GPS for my car that can also be taken to Australia and Europe. There are a lot of brands out there. Does anyone have any recommendations or brands to be wary of/ Thanks JR |
JohnnyR (9277) | ||
| 1349630 | 2013-07-23 07:04:00 | If you get a car GPS it is unlikely to have the EU map unless you buy that map but those maps are quite pricey, think $100+ I think. Many come with the AU map thou. For car GPS you want a larger screen size and other funcs just depend on you. Many people nowadays get a cellphone GPS but the trouble is if you want in-car navigation ie voice prompts, you need to use 3G internet. You can begin at home/hotel with a Wifi but you cannot change tack or turn it off until you get to your destination. You also need to download a offline map - ie offline cache using Google Maps or with a offline app. Or all alternatively you pickup a commercial offline map such as Sygic or CoPilot. On second thought maybe a commercial offline map might be your best way. You can use your current cellphone or get it and you've also got a flash phone. Pickup a offline map. If you happen to have a Nokia phone that has Nokia Drive which is an offline map. Other's don't have it included. |
Nomad (952) | ||
| 1349631 | 2013-07-23 07:39:00 | But presumably a GPS designed for a car would have more features and be easier to read than a phone? | JohnnyR (9277) | ||
| 1349632 | 2013-07-23 08:06:00 | We have a Navman MY80T that came with a NZ map but when we went to Europe last year I "hired" a Europe map for it for a month which worked out really well. It was normally $30 for a month but they had everything discounted just before I downloaded it so the 20% off made it even better value. The best thing with this option is not only the cheap price compared to purchasing a map but you get the latest one and aren't stuck with an out of date map after the trip. Just hire another if you go again or to another country. |
FoxyMX (5) | ||
| 1349633 | 2013-07-23 09:29:00 | IMO, for consumer use it's not a big deal. The commercial apps are better than Google in terms of its GUI. Google doesn't have Petrol Station icon for eg or Hotels but you can search like typing petrol. You can search like restaurants are in a text row/row list. The 4yr old Navman I have the icons are big square ones so it is easier to use. It also can display like 4x or 5x lil info like DTG, ETA, Speedo etc. The phones may not have as much as that. If you are a taxi or courier driver I think car GPS are easier. When you need to access it quick as it's part of your job. For tourist use, the cells is one less item to carry and you may not want to store it in the glovebox when you leave the vehicle. You can also intergrate it with Google Earth and save your points. But I imagine car GPS should do that also these days :confused: The app may be for lifetime and you get updates ... The Sygic is now 35 Euro for the Europe map which is quite a bit less than a car GPS map and competitive to their hires. |
Nomad (952) | ||
| 1349634 | 2013-07-23 09:44:00 | Edit - a cell is more versatile, one less item etc . Has pretty much all the feature most people need . If you buy the car GPS hardware - compared to a phone without WiFi, 3G, AGPS . If you use the phone regularly it may take 30sec to lock on etc . Car GPS maybe 15sec and yeah . . the GUI may be better not that it's essential but it is better designed . If you drive beside hills, phones without those assistance may be thrown off . Also if you start the car and then use the GPS car GPS may work faster . |
Nomad (952) | ||
| 1349635 | 2013-07-23 10:00:00 | Just as you can dig your garden with a spoon, you can use a phone as a car GPS. Neither will be particularly efficient, but it saves you buying a shovel or a GPS. If you like adventure, get an iPhone with Apple maps and you may find some off-the-beaten-track exciting places. If you want a GPS to just navigate you around simply and reliably, Tom Toms take some beating. Stupid name, but a good car GPS. |
R2x1 (4628) | ||
| 1349636 | 2013-07-23 11:17:00 | Lol R2, funny analogy but hardly fair. Car GPS is better, but phone GPS is pretty bloody close if you have a reasonable phone. I've used a tom Tom and a Navman and my S3 with google maps - the experience is not that different. Yes the phone uses 3G to navigate and that's a limitation but the data usage is pretty small, I'm on a 500Mb per month prepay and never use it up using the navigation a couple of times a week as well as my normal usage. My biggest gripe with the phone is actually the latest google maps update which removed the separate navigation interface/icon. For occasional use a phone is fine, hardly the equivalent of digging a garden with a spoon. | dugimodo (138) | ||
| 1349637 | 2013-07-23 22:36:00 | TomTom with 6" screen is bloody great. Can pronounce most NZ (Maori) names too, and in a clear voice. I love it, especially when I go to Auckland. Screen is clear and easily understandable, so saves a lot of bad vibes from the co-driver. Comes with NZ and Aus maps with others readily available. As suggested, leasing a map is a great idea. | Richard (739) | ||
| 1349638 | 2013-07-23 23:04:00 | TomTom Live 5" : avoid this one (Im told the more expensive Tom Toms are much better) Unreliable, get too far past Manurewa & its useless. Cant find some St names using the search (navigate to) , yet these st names will show on the device as you approach them It gets really confused with Gt Sth Rd in Ak, probably as that st has street no's starting & stopping all over the place It was cheap ($140) |
1101 (13337) | ||
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