Converting my iPhone into a Satnav?

Am I missing something? I used to use the google maps navigation just fine on my HTC, sure there's a few more features with my parent's standalone TomTom but google maps app served me well going from A to B.

Thankfully now I don't use my phone or a TomTom, because I'm now using my car's built in sat nav (9 years old) which also works perfectly now that it has the latest maps on it.
 
Google Nav all the way :P

It's always up-to-date, has real time movement/traffic info so you know straight away if there are issue on your route in order to re-plan, reroutes very fast, never steered me worng.

Great having Nav in a mobile though, I've just got my phone in it's holder hooked up to my car speakers via bluetooth so it becomes my music player, digital/internet radio, turn by turn sat nav, speakerphone, movie player. And as it's intergrated with google I can find anything and everything world wide or right next to me and it takes me there... it's my all round entertainment & navigation system.
 
Shimmy said:
Am I missing something? I used to use the google maps navigation just fine on my HTC, sure there's a few more features with my parent's standalone TomTom but google maps app served me well going from A to B.

Thankfully now I don't use my phone or a TomTom, because I'm now using my car's built in sat nav (9 years old) which also works perfectly now that it has the latest maps on it.
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Did your HTC have turn by turn voice navigation?
 
Shimmy said:
Am I missing something? I used to use the google maps navigation just fine on my HTC, sure there's a few more features with my parent's standalone TomTom but google maps app served me well going from A to B.

Thankfully now I don't use my phone or a TomTom, because I'm now using my car's built in sat nav (9 years old) which also works perfectly now that it has the latest maps on it.
Click to expand...

The problem is that on android (and other devices using google maps api), you have to have a data connection as no maps are stored locally.

It works ok, but in patchy signal, or times when you need fast updating in a GPRS only area, it's next to useless.
 
paradigm said:
The problem is that on android (and other devices using google maps api), you have to have a data connection as no maps are stored locally.

It works ok, but in patchy signal, or times when you need fast updating in a GPRS only area, it's next to useless.
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Ah thanks, I see the need now. I never had problems myself on Orange which also uses the T-Mobile signal, but then I only needed to use the navigation a couple times a month.
 
Whats a decent mount for the 3GS? I am intrigued to use TomTom on it as the audio may then come through my car speakers if I connect the 3GS to my USB headunit. Could check this with a free sat nav I guess.

It's a Pioneer 6200BT HU.
 
the brodit cradles are (as usual) exceptionally good for the iphones - i've got a 3g pass through cradle and luckily it works fine for the iPhone4

I use navigon (as it was the first one out). The route finding is a little shakey sometimes - seems to prefer a direct route which isn't always the quickest when taking you via the real back roads, but the route selection screen is pretty useful :)

I wouldn't look back now - does everything I need :)
 
I use Sygic Mobile Maps, on the N900, if the iPhone version is anywhere near as good then you should do fine.

Agree with the comments about not bothering with a dedicated unit. A decent mobile phone app these days is just as good as all but the most expensive standalones and almost no danger of forgetting to take it out of the car with you.

I too have it hooked up to the car audio system and use it as an MP3 player and handsfree kit. It works fine. Sygic will even pause the music while giving voice directions.
 
5UB said:
I have been looking at this Sat Nav, I think I have been persuaded to stick with a dedicated Sat Nav as I only have the 3GS.

This one looks classy, what do I mainly need to look out for when buying one?

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/..._productId_728865_langId_-1_categoryId_165685
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I would at least give the free nav a try before spending £170 on a separate unit. I've "only" have the 3GS as well & Co-Pilot works great.

Tesla said:
Whats a decent mount for the 3GS?
Click to expand...
Got a Brodit cradle myself as I heard good things about it - does the job well.
 
I use TomTom for iPhone regularly and without the GPS cradle and it has never let me down although a standalone can lock on to a satellite quicker 95% of the time, my only gripe is the iPhone will sometimes take a couple of mins to lock on and sync. Garmin have just started to produce their version as well.
 
Duke said:
Works perfectly fine for me, whether in a city or the middle of no-where. Phone calls work fine also - including having a Parrot bluetooth connected. I've got a cradle for the phone, so its near the radio / towards the top of the dashboard. Where is yours held?
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It's on a cradle mounted on the windscreen. If you can get it to do a trip from one end of London through the City to the other end without it getting lost, telling you to go down one way roads, putting you on a totally random road or plain not tracking you then you must be doing well. Seriously, i have never in 12 months had it complete a journey correctly. Whereas i drove 1000 miles around Germany and Austria last year using a 1st gen Tom Tom with Europe maps and it was flawless. Got me from Munich to a tiny Austrian hamlet with no errors at all. That was a 400km journey on its own..

As someone else said, if you use satnav all the time get a dedicated unit, if you use it infrequently try CoPilot. Might work for you i guess.
 
I'm another iPhone 4 TomTom user with cradle and Traffic subscription - It's perfect. Integration is the way forward - one less device to carry around.
 
Thanks for the recommendations guys, I will look into the free app for the Sat Nav before I buy a dedicated one.
 
It works as well on my iphone4 as it did my 3gs, which was more than good enough
 
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