Related
Hi all,
Now im part of the 'gang' I was wondering what the recommended Sat Nav with voice navigation was on Android for the HTC Desire HD? I come from Nokia land where we have Ovi Maps which is very good and free.
What alternatives do I have over here on Android, ideally free, that is good and has voice navigation and good UK postcode search?
Thanks in advance for your suggestions.
Google Maps with voice, all you need my friend
Forgot to add, ideally one where you can save maps, ie, for traveling without having to use roaming?
Thanks
Isn't a free one where maps are stored. To be honest co pilot probably the best if you want no data charges but Google map rubs rings around everything
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
Hi,
Yes, just tried Maps, shame about the voice!
I'd rather be able to download maps then I dont have to worry about roaming.
Do you know if you are able to, for example, set your route at the hotel/house and let it calculate the route, say on wifi, and then leave in the car and turn roaming off?
That said, i'd consider paying a small fee if I were able to access offline maps in advance.
Thanks again.
gavin watson said:
Hi,
Yes, just tried Maps, shame about the voice!
I'd rather be able to download maps then I dont have to worry about roaming.
Do you know if you are able to, for example, set your route at the hotel/house and let it calculate the route, say on wifi, and then leave in the car and turn roaming off?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you can do this with Maps but the problem is if you take a wrong turn somewhere then it can't recalculate the route for you without a data connection. Not ideal really.
If you want to do it though then simply calculate your route with wifi or 3G enabled then press your home button to continue using your phone, turn off your data connection then pull Maps back up again - it will still be running and will the just use GPS as you drive around... provided you don't take that wrong turn we spoke about earlier
Sent from my X10i using XDA App
Waze is much better than Google maps. No offline navigating yet, but they plan on implementing that too. And the good thing is it has crowdsourced traffic info (jams/hazards/speed cams etc), and turn by turn voice guided navigation. It's fun!
oi guys ive had a look at a few of those suggested threads about gps and yeah nah they dont really answer my question so feel free to link me to a thread if it answers my question
ok so, what the go.. the phone has gps.. but it doesnt work like a gps device eg navman, tomtom etc.. or does it? i've tried stock froyo and cyanogenmod using that google car app and then going to navigation, but it just keeps searching for a signal for ever. i dont want to use data cause it costs money and defeats the purpose of having a gps.. that is if the phone gps actually works like a gps device. if not then thats pretty bad advertising. anyways let me know, cheers
Mine gets connected to satelites on few seconds,performs as good as my Tom Tom does,i am using Navigon app&maps.
the latest google maps has offline support so you wouldnt need data...
what??! thats rediculous! i left mine in that navigation mode where it was looking for navigation or something like that and the gps symbol was flashing for like 15 min straight as i drove to work and nothing! is it meant to take that long?
EDIT: ok i opened up maps with wifi and it went through all that first time use crap. and so it was using wifi and gps it looked like and that was working. but then when i disabled wifi none of the maps load. only the maps that i had previously loaded while on wifi. wtf? arent maps installed..????????? therefore it should just load them.. what the #%^% im starting to get really pissed off with how stupid this design is. the maps are there, cause theyre installed, and the gps is there so.............. what the ^%#* is its problem?
your right it will only save maps you have browsed while on wifi...i believe there is a setting that overrides this though...
nolook said:
your right it will only save maps you have browsed while on wifi...i believe there is a setting that overrides this though...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
do you know where this setting is? oh and i got the gps to work ie i got it to find me and all that. i did some reading and with gps on most phones the first time they connect it takes a while cause its gotta do all this satellite scanning and then eventually it goes yep ok hes in this part of the country, lets set him up with these satellites and so from then on it connects with gps a lot faster
First of all: the design is just great, you are the stupid.
How GPS work on dah phone ? well just like any other GPS: it receives signal from a few satellites around and it find your position based on the time laps between the reception of each signal (signal come with a time sync).
Now, how WELL does the Legend's GPS work ? as good as any other GPS: very nice in a car or outdoor, but very badly indoor and if it was unable to find your position for 15 minute I'm pretty sure you were indoor (or maybe outdoor in a big city).
Also on smartphone's GPS the data connection can help the GPS itself by downloading some data which will speed up the localisation by satellite, but this is not mandatory and if you're not connected you will end up being positionned. It will only take a few minutes (less than 15)
Finally about the navigation system (which is a bit different of GPS itself) Google's is fairly different than other software because it doesn't come with maps but it download them as you need them:
pros:
-maps are always up to date
-you don't have to waste 2Gb or more on your microSD to store them
-it's free !
cons:
-requires data connection (unlimited download recommanded)
If you prefer usual navigation software, feel free to use co-pilot or navigon or tomtom or any of the other regular software. But you'll have to pay (or crack) them.
Nashan said:
First of all: the design is just great, you are the stupid.
How GPS work on dah phone ? well just like any other GPS: it receives signal from a few satellites around and it find your position based on the time laps between the reception of each signal (signal come with a time sync).
Now, how WELL does the Legend's GPS work ? as good as any other GPS: very nice in a car or outdoor, but very badly indoor and if it was unable to find your position for 15 minute I'm pretty sure you were indoor (or maybe outdoor in a big city).
Also on smartphone's GPS the data connection can help the GPS itself by downloading some data which will speed up the localisation by satellite, but this is not mandatory and if you're not connected you will end up being positionned. It will only take a few minutes (less than 15)
Finally about the navigation system (which is a bit different of GPS itself) Google's is fairly different than other software because it doesn't come with maps but it download them as you need them:
pros:
-maps are always up to date
-you don't have to waste 2Gb or more on your microSD to store them
-it's free !
cons:
-requires data connection (unlimited download recommanded)
If you prefer usual navigation software, feel free to use co-pilot or navigon or tomtom or any of the other regular software. But you'll have to pay (or crack) them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
whoa whoa whoa hang on now. lets not go throwing the word stupid around especially if you didnt even understand what i meant or you assumed i didnt know how gps works in the first place.
my general question was that it wasnt connecting to gps and the maps werent showing so im thinking you need data for the maps to show even though you have the maps installed, and secondly im thinking something is wrong with my gps or maybe it doesnt work like a normal device navman, tomtom etc because its been half an hour and still no connectivity. then i answered my own question as usual via the internet from other forums i found using google which explained what i said above.
basically with normal gps devices they are already setup with a region.. thingy or whatever it is built into the gps device. this means the first time you connect its actually quite quick because it already has an idea where you are in the world. however with phones, they apparently dont have this so the process of connecting for the first time can range from 3 min, instantly or up to 3 hours like numerous people claimed it had taken for their phones. as for mine it took just over half an hour and now it works fine.
the only question left over now is apparently you can get the maps to show without a data connection through some option change in the settings as someone mentioned a bit earlier.
dont go throwing stupid around mate or assuming anything cause now who looks stupid. besides the design is quite silly since none of this was explained. when they say the phone has gps people (like me) generally go oh wow like those car gps' and expect them to work like that. so when they dont we become a bit skeptical and i was right to do so because look at all this crap ^^^that ive discovered. anyways like i said theres still one stupid thing left about all this which is why data is needed to view maps that are already installed. its like those video games that you install and require you to be on the net to play
You were the one throwing stupid at the design while you still seem to misunderstand how google nav (quit calling it GPS please) works.
Maps are not completely loaded, they're only stored in the cache and that's true only for one scale, and around one place. You can hardly use that to explore the map offline not even mentionning navigating.
The new feature only allow google nav to keep guiding you if you lose connection for a little while. But you can't really use it offline.
I think that design is just awesome, although I have an unlimited data connection. If you don't have that kind of service you should take a look at usual GPS softwares.
And I'm not assuming anything, you asked "how GPS works" not "how google nav works"
Nashan said:
You were the one throwing stupid at the design while you still seem to misunderstand how google nav (quit calling it GPS please) works.
Maps are not completely loaded, they're only stored in the cache and that's true only for one scale, and around one place. You can hardly use that to explore the map offline not even mentionning navigating.
The new feature only allow google nav to keep guiding you if you lose connection for a little while. But you can't really use it offline.
I think that design is just awesome, although I have an unlimited data connection. If you don't have that kind of service you should take a look at usual GPS softwares.
And I'm not assuming anything, you asked "how GPS works" not "how google nav works"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ugh forget it, i already answered my own question and now you're just being picky and all technical when no one really cares. i think 99% get what i mean so i dont care
GPS is working great. Google Maps is the "problem", more precisely not a real problem but the way it was designed. Unlike other GPS navigation software, the maps are not stored locally but in a cache. The latest version seems to have an offline mode but I didn't tested so I can't say if it's totally offline or not. If you want navigation without using your data connection or WiFi, switch to TomTom, iGO, or similar instead.
That's why Google Maps has only couple of MB and iGO for ex. has over 2 GB with all maps loaded...the difference is the space occupied by the maps.
P.S. And yes, first GPS lock is acquired a little bit later.
Rapier said:
GPS is working great. Google Maps is the "problem", more precisely not a real problem but the way it was designed. Unlike other GPS navigation software, the maps are not stored locally but in a cache. The latest version seems to have an offline mode but I didn't tested so I can't say if it's totally offline or not. If you want navigation without using your data connection or WiFi, switch to TomTom, iGO, or similar instead.
That's why Google Maps has only couple of MB and iGO for ex. has over 2 GB with all maps loaded...the difference is the space occupied by the maps.
P.S. And yes, first GPS lock is acquired a little bit later.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you. that clears it all up
now to that other guy, wouldnt it have been easier to just say that ^
I use Igo for my offline nav. It works just like a tom tom. For my geocaching needs, I use geobeagle.
Sent from my HTC Legend using XDA App
Just a couple of simple questions.....
Does Google Navigation work on the Nexus 7?
Can you download offline maps while connected to WiFi and then use them offline with Google Navigation while driving?
Thanks
Questions go in the Q&A section
I read one of the early reviews that said it does work, it has a full gps capable chipset. I thought it was on Android Central, but I can't find the specific article at the moment.
Yes it has GPS and navigation will work. Though remember that navigation requires a data connection so you'll have to supply a wifi hotspot through your phone most likely.
Can it navigate? YES
Can it navigate offline? NO
Is it possible they could add this later? YES, but unlikely
You need data to begin navigation, you need data to reroute, you need data. Is it possible to start navigating with wifi data and drive all the way there without data? Yes, but pray you never make a wrong turn or that the device thinks it needs to reroute. You can test this on your phone by throwing your phone into airplane mode.
Only thing I would add to that:
Can you download maps for your area? Yes, 60 miles or so.
Can you look at those maps offline? Yes, just no turn-by-turn navigation that we know of.
Well a couple more comments. Garmin, Magellan, and Tomtom all seem to navigate just fine, never having a data connection.
The Nexus 7 is certainly more capable than those dedicated GPS units, so Google could do it if they wanted.
Third party Android apps may already have that capability.
Right, its 100% a software issue. The only question is whether google can stop circlejerking about "the cloud" for long enough to actually implement it. Normally I would say no, but JB brought us offline voice and offline maps, so who knows.
I really wish I would have tested this out when I had the chance. Oh, well. We will find out in the next 3-10 days. Hopefully.
It just seems that all of the items are there to do this....
bradsh1 said:
but JB brought us offline voice and offline maps, so who knows.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
JB didn't bring us offline maps, it's built-in with the newest version of Maps running on most/all android devices now. I have all of Houston and DFW saved to my N1 running 2.3.6...
as others have said- i dont see why we can't have offline nav for offline maps. I think the only reason would be that google wants to incorporate their traffic data into the route calculations, but i wouldn't mind going without that so that i can use offline nav. The N7 is a very capable device, and with large sections of maps saved for offline use it would be awesome for nav.
I'm sure we'll get offline navigation eventually. offline maps was a sure start to it. but don't expect it anytime soon.
I'm pretty sure that there are other navigation maps in the market that don't require data.
but google maps navigation requires data even if you save the maps offline.
This one here on the market has offline, but requires a subscription https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sygic.aura
Tomtom and Garmin don't need data connection to navigate. It is a possibility.
MB860, CM7.2.0, Faux 026b1 1Ghz
iso1600 said:
as others have said- i dont see why we can't have offline nav for offline maps. I think the only reason would be that google wants to incorporate their traffic data into the route calculations, but i wouldn't mind going without that so that i can use offline nav. The N7 is a very capable device, and with large sections of maps saved for offline use it would be awesome for nav.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because it is probably a low priority and takes quite a bit of work to make it function correctly, especially when the whole service is set up to work ON THE CLOUD
---------- Post added at 10:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:00 PM ----------
i say on the cloud in caps because i hate the cloud and think its ridiculous
I use Sygic on my Transformer for navigation. Works great around here and in Mexico where I can't get a cell signal anywhere. Here are the maps that are currently available - http://www.sygic.com/en/android:buy-now. I have Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, and all of Mexico loaded and those take up about 750MB. When I'm just running around with a cell signal I use Google on my phone. It's very different than the old days, when I had to pay about $100 a year just to keep maps updated to run off a separate gps receiver. - sheureka
the perfect woman is not expensive: she is rich
but in this case is she perfect?
she is if she brins with her a Nexus &:laugh:
Soldier-2Point0 said:
Tomtom and Garmin don't need data connection to navigate. It is a possibility.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've used CoPilot Live Premium without a data connection and it's fine.
Do any of the offline navigation apps work with Jellybean and no SD card? I've seen some reviews where some newer phones without SD storage are having issues downloading maps since it's looking for an SD card/external storage.
I don't know about JellyBean, but I have ICS on my Transformer and Sygic works great. Nothing goes to the SD card.
you could always tether the tablet to your cell.
My old phone could not run GPS without a data connection and that sucked, massively when I was overseas.
Does anyone know if the Nexus 4 is the same way, or if there is a way to run GPS without a data connection?
Thanks!
I've never heard of a phone that didn't have a separate GPS radio. If like you say your old phone needed a data connection then that wouldn't have been true GPS and was probably using triangulation between cell towers for location and that's a different beast all together. On every android device I've owned since 2010, including the Nexus 4, GPS is a standalone feature.
Your question is confusing. If you're asking if you can use all GPS features without data, in other words navigation/etc the answer is yes. However, Google Maps does not support those features without an active connection, you will need to purchase or obtain a standalone GPS application for Android (Garmin for example has one).
GPS will return location data, but Google requires a data connection for directions. You can download maps for offline use in My Places, but you will still need data for routes and directions. You can buy offline Nav apps for total offline use (CoPilot is one of them).
You might want to check into Backcountry Pro if you're looking for 'offline' GPS support that also has to support things like topographic maps and way points (primarily for backpacking, hiking, and camping). You should check into something like Garmin's app if you need directions and road maps offline.
Suppose I want to use my nexus 10 to navigate a trip from Boston to New York... A clever guy might say 'I can just preload the map'. But that won't work because when I try and load that much map it says to me 'not enough storage, map too big'. The thing is I have nearly 30 gigs free on this thing and it looks like it can't get much beyond a few hundred megs of map storage. Is there some way to kick up the storable size of a map selection? I've not found any setting in maps that'll let me save even the state of tiny Rhode Island! Or will this thing save enough map if I set up navigation before breaking the WiFi connection that it'll just work?
Sent from my Nexus 10 using xda app-developers app
Doctor Dedroid said:
Suppose I want to use my nexus 10 to navigate a trip from Boston to New York... A clever guy might say 'I can just preload the map'. But that won't work because when I try and load that much map it says to me 'not enough storage, map too big'. The thing is I have nearly 30 gigs free on this thing and it looks like it can't get much beyond a few hundred megs of map storage. Is there some way to kick up the storable size of a map selection? I've not found any setting in maps that'll let me save even the state of tiny Rhode Island! Or will this thing save enough map if I set up navigation before breaking the WiFi connection that it'll just work?
Sent from my Nexus 10 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
in google maps use the "make available offline" and break the route into separate slightly overlapping squares instead of one large area which will be too big for it. if you just try to save new york to boston in one large square you are getting tons of extra area you dont need and it wont work. if you break it down i think it will let you save 6 or 7 smaller offline maps. ive been able to use it offline between cincinnati and washington dc doing this and it worked fine.
not sure if there is a way to increase the storage limit it sets but it would be nice.
Best suggestion would be Dave's, Google Maps does not allow making big areas available as offline maps.
Btw doesn't the Nexus 10 have a GPS? I thought this GPS would work without the need of a data connection since the Nexus 10 does not support data connection but WiFi only, could someone please confirm or deny this? If you do need a wireless internet connection, then I would say it's stupid to have a GPS built-in if I can just use the network location future for map use when I'm connected to the internet.
daLareid said:
Best suggestion would be Dave's, Google Maps does not allow making big areas available as offline maps.
Btw doesn't the Nexus 10 have a GPS? I thought this GPS would work without the need of a data connection since the Nexus 10 does not support data connection but WiFi only, could someone please confirm or deny this? If you do need a wireless internet connection, then I would say it's stupid to have a GPS built-in if I can just use the network location future for map use when I'm connected to the internet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First off, thanks to Dave for the suggestion. I wasn't making the connection... Thought I needed one saved map. The Nexus 10 does have GPS... But when using my phone for navigation, doesn't it download the maps as it needs them? If this is so, then once you broke the wireless connection , the Nexus 10 wouldn't be able to load maps as needed. I was under the assumption that I would have to preload the maps somehow which of course, Google Maps can do. If this device is smart enough to load all the bits of map it needs for whatever route it calculates... Then all of this discussion is mood anyway. Of course if you set up your phone for wifi hotspot and you wouldn't need to preload the maps it seems to me... that is of course assuming that you prefer to use the Nexus 10 for navigation rather than your phone.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using xda app-developers app
Doctor Dedroid said:
First off, thanks to Dave for the suggestion. I wasn't making the connection... Thought I needed one saved map. The Nexus 10 does have GPS... But when using my phone for navigation, doesn't it download the maps as it needs them? If this is so, then once you broke the wireless connection , the Nexus 10 wouldn't be able to load maps as needed. I was under the assumption that I would have to preload the maps somehow which of course, Google Maps can do. If this device is smart enough to load all the bits of map it needs for whatever route it calculates... Then all of this discussion is mood anyway. Of course if you set up your phone for wifi hotspot and you wouldn't need to preload the maps it seems to me... that is of course assuming that you prefer to use the Nexus 10 for navigation rather than your phone.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you can confirm the GPS feature is pretty much useless? that's pretty much what I would be meaning to use it for, Navigation, but like I said before if it only works with a working internet connection then it truly is pointless, why would I bother tethering my mobile's data connection to enable the Nexus 10 when I can instead just use my mobile for Navigation. Has anybody else tried Navigation via GPS only on Nexus 10?
daLareid said:
So you can confirm the GPS feature is pretty much useless? that's pretty much what I would be meaning to use it for, Navigation, but like I said before if it only works with a working internet connection then it truly is pointless, why would I bother tethering my mobile's data connection to enable the Nexus 10 when I can instead just use my mobile for Navigation. Has anybody else tried Navigation via GPS only on Nexus 10?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my Nexus 10 using xda app-developers app
I simply have not had the opportunity to try using it for navigation yet. I have several apps that do need to have a good position in order for them to function correctly. In particular the the app that needs an accurate as possible location is called sattrack.
I believe if you pre load maps prior to leaving on your trip then the position will be quite accurate as provided by the GPS. I believe the only issue that I'm bringing up is whether or not the maps preload automatically prior to taking the Nexus 10 on the road.
Yes tethering is perhaps somewhat superfluous... However if you want a bigger display it seems like one way to do it.
Copilot Live is cheap, and works very well ...
Doctor Dedroid said:
Sent from my Nexus 10 using xda app-developers app
I simply have not had the opportunity to try using it for navigation yet. I have several apps that do need to have a good position in order for them to function correctly. In particular the the app that needs an accurate as possible location is called sattrack.
I believe if you pre load maps prior to leaving on your trip then the position will be quite accurate as provided by the GPS. I believe the only issue that I'm bringing up is whether or not the maps preload automatically prior to taking the Nexus 10 on the road.
Yes tethering is perhaps somewhat superfluous... However if you want a bigger display it seems like one way to do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've tried it and it works. Download the mapping data of the areas you are traveling and it will navigate offline.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Doctor Dedroid said:
First off, thanks to Dave for the suggestion. I wasn't making the connection... Thought I needed one saved map. The Nexus 10 does have GPS... But when using my phone for navigation, doesn't it download the maps as it needs them? If this is so, then once you broke the wireless connection , the Nexus 10 wouldn't be able to load maps as needed. I was under the assumption that I would have to preload the maps somehow which of course, Google Maps can do. If this device is smart enough to load all the bits of map it needs for whatever route it calculates... Then all of this discussion is mood anyway. Of course if you set up your phone for wifi hotspot and you wouldn't need to preload the maps it seems to me... that is of course assuming that you prefer to use the Nexus 10 for navigation rather than your phone.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont think it will save the maps along the route if you have a connection initially but it might.
On both my phone and tablet i usually have the area i normally am traveling within always saved offline- it loads faster and if you lose cell service it still works. If i break it into seperate maps i easily can save a 100+ mile radius from home which is probably 99% of my normal travel. If i am headed on a long trip i just delete a few local files and i save along the route and im good to go. If you save the maps offline make sure you are on wifi and not on cell connection or tethering- only takes a few minutes on wifi but files are a little big to do over cell.
to the questions others had about the gps. its very accurate and quick on the nexus 10. in addition to the navigation i have occasionally used some other apps to map some project sites using it and also to view topo and other maps.
Has anybody tested the device with offline programs like iGO or Sygic (with pre-downloaded maps)?
Hmm... I've tried downloading and using offline maps for trips and I found that it wasn't reliable... when I lost connection the GPS couldn't track my location. However, I will mention that I did not make the entire distance from my starting location to destination available offline... I assumed once I was in the area that I downloaded it would automatically pinpoint my location. Maybe I was wrong to think that?