GPS phones

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jjkolk

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Wannabe Geek

Topic # 18074 26-Dec-2007 14:14

I'm looking at getting a new mobile phone and like the idea of the GPS available now but not sure on how they work?
Do you need to be online for the GPS to work? If this is the case i would think the cost of doing so would out weigh the benifit?
and help would be great
Cheers
JJ

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Reply # 101826 26-Dec-2007 14:30

You don't need to be online for GPS to work

You do for the Maps though to work with the GPS

jjkolk

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Reply # 101827 26-Dec-2007 14:34

is there anyway to make the maps work with the gps without going online? EG an add on for the car?

johnr

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Reply # 101828 26-Dec-2007 14:41

jjkolk: is there anyway to make the maps work with the gps without going online? EG an add on for the car?

some devices do not require to be online

NZtechfreak

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Reply # 101839 26-Dec-2007 16:44

Speaking for the Nokia GPS-enabled handsets (N95, N95 8GB, N82 and E90) the option to use no network traffic is available. That means going without A-GPS, which means slower lock times, however A-GPS network traffic is minimal so its no biggy anyways.

In terms of downloading maps as you go there are a couple of options that don't require this - Garmin Mobile XT is great (voice guidance and everything, excellent NZ maps by way of the NZ Open GPS maps), and MGMaps also works (more trouble to set up than Garmin, and Java so slower, more RAM and battery intensive, but freeware). Nokia maps can be downloaded also, but they're essentially useless for NZ at the moment.

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jjkolk

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Wannabe Geek

Reply # 101861 26-Dec-2007 22:57

thanks for your help, I'm still a little lost but feel better about getting one now.... I will just have to come back here to find out what to do:-)

inquisitor

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Master Geek

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Reply # 102841 4-Jan-2008 09:06

I can't judge the current map quality of Nokia's maps for NZ, but Nokia has a very big advantage compared to any other navigation solution: Nokia allows customers to download the latest maps for every available country to your device through the "Nokia Map Loader", so you can always update your maps for free, whereas all other onboard-navigation-solutions I know require maps for other regions resp. map updates for your home region to be bought.
Since Nokia is about to buy Navteq (Garmin's map supplier) you can expect the same NZ-maps to be available soon, if they're not already.
But on the other hand Nokia Maps in the N95 doesn't provide navigation out of the box - you can view maps, pan and zoom, find POIs and routes, but you won't get navigation instructions (neither visual nor spoken), unless you've purchased a navigation license. Having just checked license prices with my N95, NZ wasn't listed at all (presumably current NZ maps are not navigable), but a 1-year-license for Australia costed € 69.99 and 3 years costed € 79.99.
A-GPS is a great feature - the assistance data transfered usually amounts to 1KB only and will make a N95 get a satfix within 10-20 secs. I've just tried it indoors in a concrete house about 3 meteres away from the window and I immediately got a satfix (however to 4 satellites only).
The N95 is really a great device - I haven't been that happy with a phone since I got a Nokia 9110 Communicator back in 1999.
Btw the N82 doesn't have GPS integrated.

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heavenlywild

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Reply # 102852 4-Jan-2008 10:34

inquisitor:
Btw the N82 doesn't have GPS integrated.

Actually N82 does have GPS integrated just like the one in N95:)

inquisitor

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Reply # 102886 4-Jan-2008 11:56

Sorry. You're right - I mixed it up with the N81.

weblordpepe

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Reply # 103072 5-Jan-2008 19:04

Can you use these phones as GPS devices for the computer? Like do they pass GPS info to the PC in any way? Or am I dreaming here.

NZtechfreak

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Reply # 103080 5-Jan-2008 20:09

weblordpepe: Can you use these phones as GPS devices for the computer? Like do they pass GPS info to the PC in any way? Or am I dreaming here.

Here you go - use N95 as external GPS reciever

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weblordpepe

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Reply # 103106 6-Jan-2008 02:33

fap fap fap fap thanks thats just what I was after.

ninjabear

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Reply # 103109 6-Jan-2008 03:44

I tried the Nokia n82 with the Nokia map software preinstalled when I had it with me in hong kong.The maps were perfectly layed out with all the streets available but after I took it back to NZ with me it was very very very disapointing that the streets are not complete.

You can only view the suburbs and the main streets as well as the motorway number.

Thats just lame

inquisitor

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Reply # 103129 6-Jan-2008 11:01

The cause for the bad NZ maps of Nokia is that neither their current map provider TeleAtlas nor their future subsdiary Navteq (which Nokia is about to acquire) have mapped NZ yet. So both global players in the mapping business don't offer NZ maps.
But as I read here, Navteq has recently signed a deal with Critchlow, who already have a navigable database of NZ. So due to the Navteq-acquisition Nokia will surely switch to Navteq soon and so get the Critchlow maps, which then will be available to Nokia users. That may take some months, but you guys will definitely get detailed NZ-maps for free before year end.

allstarnz

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Reply # 106135 22-Jan-2008 16:14

the Nokia 6110 Navigator looks pretty nifty, but it's not available here yet. It has quite a small screen though, especially compared to a full GPS unit such as a TomTom One XL

tallPete

99 posts

Master Geek

Reply # 106148 22-Jan-2008 17:03

I have an HTC P3600i. Its a Windows Mobile device. The thing is indispensable, I live in Melbourne and the GPS is a real timesaver.

I use Tomtom. You load the maps onto the phone, so there is no need to have a data plan. In fact I don't have a data plan, so I guess that is proof.

Tomotom doesn't have NZ maps at the moment. There seems to be no way of doing turn by turn navigation in NZ , so if this is what you want to use it for, then bad news,

From an economic point of view, given that in car GPS is so cheap (well, it is here) It might be smart to price out the cost of a well featured phone and an in car GPS as separate units - adding the GPS to a phone seems to attract a huge premium.

If you are wanting something to plug in to your laptop, then there are lots of much cheaper options. Get a bluetooth GPS unit or something, or look on trademe for a GPS with a serial connector cable.

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