GPS question

"CPT Speedbump" (cpt-speedbump)
05/27/2014 at 15:35 • Filed to: None

Whyyy would anyone waste money on a GPS now a days? I was looking at one for work, because it's cool you can plan a route..buutt, a phone has a gps app, and a phone battery lasts all day, where GPS battery's last "up to" 2-5 hours in most cases..whats the point of that exactly if I have a phone that'll last me all day????

DISCUSSION (64)

Cixelsyd > CPT Speedbump
05/27/2014 at 15:37

What phone do you have that will last all day while running a GPS app? Mine eats battery at something like a percent per minute with GPS fired up.

Nibbles > CPT Speedbump
05/27/2014 at 15:37

All I want is a dummy terminal in my dashboard that connects and becomes a remote display for my phone

I may have to build this

BRB prototyping

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > CPT Speedbump
05/27/2014 at 15:38

Because GPS route calculations on a phone require cellular service.

Plus my phone isn't waterproof. My Garmin zumo *is*, so it can be used on the motorbike.

CPT Speedbump > Cixelsyd
05/27/2014 at 15:39

One of the Motorola Droids, lol

Grindintosecond > CPT Speedbump
05/27/2014 at 15:39

becausee old peoplet. My parents ha've smart phones but trying to use the gps feature while driving = nervous crash worry. Its easier to push the button on the dash nav screen. Done.

When I achieve old, its how i will feel. multitasking is already getting more difficult now im 40.

CPT Speedbump > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
05/27/2014 at 15:39

Thats why they make otterbox's ;) and I just need one that can last through 8 hours of a delivery route, lol

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Nibbles
05/27/2014 at 15:41

Isn't that what the new Apple and Android-powered head units are trying to do? I've heard Microsoft has something in the works that's compatible with the three new Lumias (630, 930, and that other one) that allows them to project their screen to a car head unit.

Cixelsyd > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
05/27/2014 at 15:41

Depends on the app. Navigon stores all the maps locally on your phone and doesn't need a cell signal to do any routing.

Imirrelephant > CPT Speedbump
05/27/2014 at 15:43

I stopped using my Garmin for that reason. The down side is, it will eat battery at a higher rate while in use. Also, if you put it on your dash board in a mount (like I do), the phone could get hot from the sun beating down upon it through the windshield. It's not as much of a problem in colder weather, but still a concern. I also keep a charger for my phone in my car due to battery life issues. You have to be mindful of how much data you are using as well if you don't have a small data plan, but it generally doesn't use that much. The up side, however, is that the apps often have more functions built into them and the maps are constantly updated. My favorite app is Waze b/c it gets traffic data from the users automatically. Users can also report hazards (i.e. vehicles on the side of the road, traffic cameras, speed traps).

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
05/27/2014 at 15:43

Not sure about Google Maps on iOS/Andorid, but Nokia HERE Drive+ uses the same maps as Garmin (Nokia's map division IIRC supplies the maps to Garmin and Nuvi) and I can search for addresses and all that jazz without a data plan (can't afford a data plan), and I can pick up a Lumia 520 which will do all of that GPS stuffage for about $100 just as a standalone device.

CalzoneGolem > CPT Speedbump
05/27/2014 at 15:43

It's been my experience that a dedicated gps is better than a phone's

yamahog > Cixelsyd
05/27/2014 at 15:44

My Moto X has been getting awesome battery life even with my heavy data usage (wooo unlimited!), which I enjoy rubbing in the face of my SO who insists on sticking with his crapcan iPhone.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > CPT Speedbump
05/27/2014 at 15:46

So that's why they make emoticons for an otterbox? (pluralization does not imply possession)

Plus futzing with something on a motorcycle is not recommended, even when standing still. Having to take the phone out and put it away, with gloves on, in your cycle jacket or pants, would be supremely annoying.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Cixelsyd
05/27/2014 at 15:47

Very true, but most people tend to stick with Apple/Google Maps.

Google, I think, finally did a "Store this section of map to local device", so it could be used for a small section without a cellular connection.

RacecaR > CPT Speedbump
05/27/2014 at 15:47

I just came back from a long trip and wondered why we needed a GPS as well. I kept telling my wife we each had nifty devices in our pockets that would help if we got lost.

But we still used it, and I am glad. I ended up using my phone to play music via headphones while everyone else in the car slept. Could not have done that while trying to navigate with a GPS app on my phone.
EDIT — It was a borrowed GPS from her parents. I do not see me ever actually BUYING one.

Side story, my wife also printed out google map directions...PRINTED. THEM. OUT.

Kinja'd!!!

Nibbles > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
05/27/2014 at 15:49

I highly doubt they'll be cross-platform. I'm device agnostic, and my car should be as well.

CPT Speedbump > RacecaR
05/27/2014 at 15:52

Lol, another thing you can use ur phone for, take pictures of the google directions, haha

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Nibbles
05/27/2014 at 15:54

We can hope.

jariten1781 > CPT Speedbump
05/27/2014 at 15:54

If you drive where there's not a consistent signal GPS is very useful. I recently had my phone's antenna give out (3g died, LTE and wifi still worked) when I was somewhere I'd never been before. It was a pain in the ass to have to go to a gas station and ask for a map (also, found out a bunch of gas stations don't carry maps anymore...WTF). I have family that lives out in ND where data signals don't really exist so standalone GPS is great there as well.

Cixelsyd > yamahog
05/27/2014 at 15:54

GPS does not equal data usage. It's a separate chip.

Although, I am on a 3 year old iPhone 4s with a battery that is barely hanging on right now. I've abused the shit out of it over its life span and it is definitely showing its age. I need the 6 to come out NOW just so I can get a fresh battery!

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
05/27/2014 at 15:57

Google maps now has a "Store this portion of the map to local device".

But that still doesn't get around the "Smartphones don't play well with water".

Jayhawk Jake > CPT Speedbump
05/27/2014 at 16:09

A phone battery doesn't last all day if you are using the GPS all day.

That being said, it depends on where you are. Inside a major city the phone will be fine, but end up in bumfuck Nebraska with no cellular service and you won't have the maps anymore.

Jayhawk Jake > RacecaR
05/27/2014 at 16:11

I print out directions sometimes.

It's a heck of a lot easier to just grab a printed map and take a quick glance rather than try to pull up stuff on my tiny phone.

Technology is great, but there are many times I'd rather have a piece of paper in front of me.

Jayhawk Jake > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
05/27/2014 at 16:12

Carplay will, yes.

Mylink already kinda sorta does this in the Sonic and Spark, the phone runs the software and the car displays it for Pandora and BringGo.

CPT Speedbump > Jayhawk Jake
05/27/2014 at 16:15

Mine lasts longer then 2-5 hours for sure, lol

Imirrelephant > Cixelsyd
05/27/2014 at 16:19

It depends on the app. A lot of them use cell data to download map information. Also, iOS Location Services uses cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS to determine your position, but the data usage is minimal.

Slave2anMG > CPT Speedbump
05/27/2014 at 16:19

My car has a built in GPS. I use it but about as often I use Google Maps because it shows traffic. If you let the screen on your phone shut off you'll get decent battery life; if you keep the screen on your battery life will be pretty lousy; you'll need a car charger because the phone will not last all day.

Nibbles > Jayhawk Jake
05/27/2014 at 16:21

But Carplay won't play nice with my Lumia 920 will it

jkm7680 > CPT Speedbump
05/27/2014 at 16:24

Waze is what I use currently. My parents both have different Gps units, one built in, and one that isn't. I guess you can charge the GPS in the car, but I wouldn't really want to spend more than $100 on something that serves the same purpose of Waze. Which is a free app.

Klaus Schmoll > Nibbles
05/27/2014 at 16:27

Kinja'd!!!

You can stop your soldering! Renault is offering exactly that for their new Twingo (The rear engined, RWD one). A blank screen in the dashboard that comes alive after you mate it to your smartphone. Their reasoning is that most owners will get a new phone every two years or so, and that the navigation maps and software will me much more up to date than anything they install now. Well, and it's cost effective.

Our town got a new by-pass a few years ago, but there's still a lot of traffic on the old route. Mostly cars with plates from out of town. My guess is that their old software is oblivious to the new route. Won't happen with google maps on a phone.

Jayhawk Jake > Nibbles
05/27/2014 at 16:34

Probably not but who knows.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Nibbles
05/27/2014 at 16:38

Nope. Won't play nice with my 925, either. The Lumias that are just now coming out will work with it, but you and I are dead in the water (implying I would ever be able to afford a decent car with Carplay).

Nibbles > Klaus Schmoll
05/27/2014 at 16:44

Hooray! Someone gets it!

Now alls I gotta do is move out of McFreedomLand

Klaus Schmoll > Nibbles
05/27/2014 at 16:47

Or wait 25 years! :)

Nibbles > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
05/27/2014 at 16:48

From what I read, Carplay will not support WinPho in general. They're promising "Android integration... when Google delivers" but nothing at all about Windows.

Makes sense though. Both Apple and Google have made it quite clear they don't like Microsoft playing in their sandbox, and will do whatever they can to keep 'em off the monkey bars.

deekster_caddy > CPT Speedbump
05/27/2014 at 16:49

Not just GPS devices but built in GPS systems too. I'd much rather get a nice professional looking mounting clip for my phone (look at pro clip if you've never heard of them) and have my entire audio collection on tap as well.

deekster_caddy > Jayhawk Jake
05/27/2014 at 16:50

Except MyLink really bites. I have it in my '13 Volt and I finally stopped using it completely. I just use bluetooth audio. I plug my phone into power in the car, but leave the 'connected' USB port for my little USB flash drive full of tunes.

deekster_caddy > Cixelsyd
05/27/2014 at 16:52

Navigon rocks it! I use Waze when I have data, Navigon when I won't.

deekster_caddy > Cixelsyd
05/27/2014 at 16:54

But you can just plug it in anyway. If you are going to use it as a GPS, get a proper power source! (monoprice has quality inexpensive high output USB chargers and cables for just about everything for pretty damn cheap)

Jayhawk Jake > deekster_caddy
05/27/2014 at 16:54

I like MyLink in the Sonic. I only use the apps for Pandora, and the Sonic iteration is different than other cars in the GM family, but it's far better than Sync

Cixelsyd > deekster_caddy
05/27/2014 at 17:22

I know. I was addressing the original poster's claim that hsi phone would last all day while using GPS.

Cé hé sin > CPT Speedbump
05/27/2014 at 17:38

Because if your use your phone to navigate while abroad it'll probably cost you a fortune.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > CPT Speedbump
05/27/2014 at 17:49

I find it's the exact opposite. My Garmin will last about 8 hours on a charge, whereas my phone will give me 3 or 4. I also find that the interfaces on GPSs are also better designed and easier to use because it's a dedicated navigation device as opposed to an all-in-one device that happens to have a GPS receiver.

Mosqvich > CPT Speedbump
05/27/2014 at 17:58

I use both the Garmin app on my iPhone and Waze. With Garmin, I don't have to have a cell signal, but I do have to have the cell radio turn on. Like others have stated, I typically plug in my phone when I'm using GPS - it's sucks the life out of the battery.

My Garmin app works as well in the boondocks as it does in the city. I have used mine in most of the lower 48 and even in Hawaii and Alaska with pretty good results. Google maps sent me to a real estate office instead of a restaurant in Maui once.

I did used to use CoPilotLive and thought I loved it until it started to really work poorly and my kids started calling it CoPilotLied.

Two Drink Minimum > CPT Speedbump
05/27/2014 at 18:09

Where I live, cellular dead zones are all over the place (even the interstates). Until all the road data is stored locally on my phone, it's just not gonna work.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Nibbles
05/27/2014 at 18:14

The way I heard it was that MS and Apple are working together to unseat Google, since Google plays around in both of their sandboxes, and there isn't nearly as much overlap between Apple and MS as there is between Apple and The Goog.
Of course, this is merely speculation.

Some sort of wireless display protocol that is relatively open and available to all three players would be ideal. I would kill to have a "Cortana/Siri/Google Now" button in my car (which I could do by modifying a Bluetooth headset and a clever application of hot glue)

Nibbles > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
05/27/2014 at 18:26

MS and Apple are cordial at best. They don't seem to be actively pursuing each other, though stories from the inside may be different ;)

Google, however, has made it absolutely clear they want MS out of the mobile game. They went as far as to not only discontinue, but completely pull, their APIs for tying Google services to the Windows Phone architecture.

About that protocol: There's this cool thing called MirrorLink . Already working with Symbian and Xperia phones, this should be the way to go. Nokia and Google are already "in bed" with it, so to speak, and it is supposedly the way WinPho is going to go as well.

Of course all this research I've been doing also says 'put down that soldering gun, son. It's already on the market' and makes me kinda sad because I was really thinking this was going to fund my mountain home :(

deekster_caddy > Jayhawk Jake
05/27/2014 at 18:49

hmm. I heard they made some improvements for the '14s. Now I can't remember what it was I didn't like about having it direct-USB controlling my phone. But I like having all my music on tap w USB anyway.

deekster_caddy > Cixelsyd
05/27/2014 at 18:51

yup. I agree w you. But any full-time GPS I would expect to stay plugged in.

deekster_caddy > Nibbles
05/27/2014 at 18:55

phase 1 complete: zoom level 0

Kinja'd!!!

(when I hear 'terminal' I think character based interface)

CPT Speedbump > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
05/27/2014 at 20:17

Which Garmin do you have??

CPT Speedbump > Cé hé sin
05/27/2014 at 20:17

That is a extremely valid point, lol

CPT Speedbump > jkm7680
05/27/2014 at 20:18

Can't charge them in a UPS truck really though D:

jkm7680 > CPT Speedbump
05/27/2014 at 20:31

That too, Haha.

Give Waze a shot though! It really helps with traffic :)

CPT Speedbump > jkm7680
05/27/2014 at 20:33

Really just wish someone had a GPS that could run constantlyfor 8 hours, then I could type in my whole route for the day, and follow it, haha

jkm7680 > CPT Speedbump
05/27/2014 at 20:43

Haha, That would probably be really useful.

CPT Speedbump > jkm7680
05/27/2014 at 20:46

indeed, can't believe GPS's only last 2 for the most part... like, wtf batteries are they putting in them that only last 2 hours? O.o

jkm7680 > CPT Speedbump
05/27/2014 at 20:52

Haha, Do the newer automatic trucks have outlets?

CPT Speedbump > jkm7680
05/27/2014 at 20:53

Err.....doubtful

jkm7680 > CPT Speedbump
05/27/2014 at 20:56

Damn, Haha.

I'd be scared of getting lost, or skipping houses.

CPT Speedbump > jkm7680
05/27/2014 at 20:59

Very easy to do, lol, the diad tells you the address's but still, lol

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > CPT Speedbump
05/27/2014 at 23:57

Nuvi 265W. Perhaps I was exaggerating on the battery life but it definitely lasts waaaay longer than my phone. Besides, they all come with a charger that plugs into the 12v outlet, so battery life doesn't really matter. Plus, because their suction mounts are tailored to the device it's less clunky and much easier to set up than one of those universal phone mounts.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Nibbles
05/28/2014 at 00:18

No, go with your heart. Soldering irons are ALWAYS the solution.

CPT Speedbump > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
05/28/2014 at 08:29

I don't think my UPS truck has a 12v outlet, lol