Forum Home
PC World Chat
 
Thread ID: 106207 2009-12-30 23:25:00 Anyone really used a cellphone GPS? Nomad (952) PC World Chat
Post ID Timestamp Content User
844393 2009-12-30 23:25:00 When my Navman went wonky, I also left my handheld Garmin at home, I had my Nokia cellphone.

So I used the $1 10MB mobile data. I must of downloaded only the Wellington map so when I got to Auckland I had to download maps on the fly, it was so slow while you were driving, it couldn't track you on the map anymore, the whole map goes blank waiting for downloading....

I couldn't use driving aids because I didn't pay the $5/day. I think I did tried it out but I must of used up my demo at the time. It wouldn't even let you know the route, it simply just throws you to a page for the price per day and if you cancel it just brings you back to the map showing you your current position with no heading route at all..... let alone audio driving aids. AFIK if you want driving turn/turn aids on the Nokia that cost you too, so you pay 2x, or 3x, Vodafone data charges, Nokai tracking fees subscription, and Nokia driving turn/turn aids subscription.

So from my experience it wasn't practical. How have yours been?
Nomad (952)
844394 2009-12-31 00:52:00 I've used Google Maps on my HTC and it works perfectly well. Had no issues with the loading speeds or the accuracy.

Does kill the battery but I have a car charger so it doesn't matter.
beeswax34 (63)
844395 2009-12-31 01:33:00 Yeah, google maps on my blackberry...although depending on the tower, you can be up to 50m?( or is it 500m) away from the pin placement. SolMiester (139)
844396 2009-12-31 03:33:00 When I bought my Nokia (6210 Navigator) it came with a 6 months subscription to Nokia Maps navigation. Works exactly like a proper GPS, voice based turn navigation. Pity it costs $100 a year to keep it going.

Now I just use Google Maps navigation while walking or someone else driving, as it doesn't have the voice, or update which way point you're up to. It a manual action to pass each waypoint.

Hopefully with Google maps navigation announced on Android it will be coming for symbian.
psycik (12851)
844397 2009-12-31 03:37:00 Yeah I got a parallel import so I didn't have the 6 months in NZ. I had the overseas map which is no use to me.

I find that I have to pay mobile broadband for assisted GPS. There is a navigation subscription and also a turn by turn subscription too.

I did have the navigation try out demo for a week maybe. I didn't have the turn by turn thou not in the demo. With that setup you just look at the screen and maybe it beeps at each area but it won't speak to you. Now I am not paying, I have nothing in terms of Nokia itself. It just tracks my position when move and doesn't care where I move. It doesn't draw the route for me, it doesn't speak to me. That function is not available unless I subscribe. I cannot for eg., tell me how to get to Queens Street, I need to manually find my own way on the map and it just tracks my position, so I zoom in and zoom out ok I go there and there and then there ....
Nomad (952)
844398 2009-12-31 07:18:00 Watched someone demo a cell phone navigator, I was quite impressed that I was able to keep a straight face and did not comment at all.
Turned on the Tomtom for the next few KM and was able to avoid laughing through that bit too. I won't be getting any gps cellphones for a while.
R2x1 (4628)
844399 2009-12-31 08:07:00 Are they still in early stages of accuracy R2X1? prefect (6291)
844400 2009-12-31 18:35:00 Well, at a guess, the cell phone navigation widget I saw is not the sort of thing you would dive back into a fire to save.
It would have to improve by a huge (approx.) amount to see if it even had any accuracy.
R2x1 (4628)
844401 2009-12-31 21:42:00 I've used Google Maps on my HTC and it works perfectly well. Had no issues with the loading speeds or the accuracy.

Does kill the battery but I have a car charger so it doesn't matter.

Did you use mobile internet? Or were maps already downloaded?
Is the HTC a true GPS or it also work with cellular towers?
Nomad (952)
844402 2009-12-31 21:46:00 Are they still in early stages of accuracy R2X1?

When I had the free demo, if you use mobile data internet (aGPS) and a subscription if required for navigation it works pretty well. Small screen and less visual aids than a car GPS. And if you want you can get a subscription of turn by turn driving aids too if you want.

On the Nokia if you don't use aGPS it don't work at all, well, takes a few mins to establish the position when you are just outside, so I haven't at all used it in the car.

With Nokia you will be paying $4.95 for a casual per day rate. Or more economical per month subscription plans or greater. I guess they are not bad for travel esp for overseas when GPS maps are $200-300 each provided you can get a prepaid simcard for aGPS. Accessing GPS a couple of days, for a price of a latte per day..... 2hr and the phones battery may go flat thou..... You will require to download all the maps you want first thou with a PC. Don't expect to whip out mobile data internet and download on the go.
Nomad (952)
1 2