New car GPS: dedicated or Android?

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markwolk

101 posts

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#198522 12-Jul-2016 15:39

I know it has been discussed several times here, but I can find no real consensus.

It's now time to update my 10 y.o. Garmin GPS Nuvi 300.

My needs are:

- Must be easily transferable from car to car. I attach my current Nuvi to the inside mirror using 2 rubber bands (actually, thermostat gaskets) and that system so far has worked in every car I have used or rented.

- Must work in remote areas without cellular coverage

- Must work worldwide (or, at least, NZ AU Europe USA Asia) and have lifetime map updates

- Must accept multi-point itineraries which I can prepare in advance on my home PC

- Must have route options like "avoid motorways" and similar

I would be interested to read your recommendations. Should I buy an Android phone, or a dedicated GPS unit?

kiwifidget

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#1590397 12-Jul-2016 15:55

My 2 cents : the best tool for the job is often the tool designed for the job.

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eracode

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#1590484 12-Jul-2016 18:15

kiwifidget:

My 2 cents : the best tool for the job is often the tool designed for the job.

Normally I would agree with this approach - but I must say that over the past six months I have been using the free Here Maps app on my Android phone almost daily in the UK and Europe - and it has worked extremely well. Downloaded maps work offline.

You can now do the same thing with downloaded saved maps on Google Maps.

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blakamin

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#1590487 12-Jul-2016 18:21

I'm pretty sure any dedicated GPS unit will only have certain regions of maps for free. And then it's only for a couple of years. Other maps are often quite pricey.

Google maps are updating now to do multiple destination travel.

Technofreak

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#1590544 12-Jul-2016 20:44

Another vote here for Here Maps.

It's all I ever use, in New Zealand or overseas, download maps over WiFi no need for internet when using them.

If you want to search for something or a location while you're out and about, having a data connection is very useful, something you cannot do with a dedicated GPS.

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Beddhist

57 posts

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#1590757 13-Jul-2016 01:03

I use a Garmin GPS and free OSM maps from garmin.openstreetmap.nl. They are by no means perfect, but often more up-to-date than commercial maps and you can choose what to download and install.

For offline use I install them into Mapsource, a free Garmin program. You may prefer its successor Basecamp.

pulsta

164 posts

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#1590786 13-Jul-2016 08:03

+1 Here maps

eracode

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#1599987 28-Jul-2016 08:04

I advocated for Here Maps (now renamed Here WeGo) above - but I see Google Maps have recently added multiple stops/waypoints to the functionality of their online and offline map GPS guidance - for Android and iOS. You can have up to nine points.

Haven't actually used the multi-point on the road yet but given its very easy set-up, this must make it a strong contender. The ability to set points or destination by clicking on the map is great - and not always so simple with other systems.

Edit: Just noticed #blakamin pointed this out in an earlier post.

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eracode

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#1607329 10-Aug-2016 04:13

A further tweak to Google Maps' navigation:

https://www.engadget.com/2016/08/09/google-maps-for-android-lets-you-save-maps-to-an-sd-card/

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.