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Replacing GPS with GoogleNav

G

Groundpounder

Member
Hello all, first post here, current BB Tour owner, soon to be a D-X owner :D

I have a TomTom GPS that has a very out of date map. It will cost me $70 to update it, and for that amount of money, I might has well pony up the $30 more and get a brand new unit. But, after looking into the new Google Maps Navigation feature, I'm not sure I will need a stand alone GPS unit, once I take delivery of my D-X.

What, if any, features would I lose by using my D-X as my primary nav device vs. a dedicated GPS like a TomTom or Garmin Nuvi? Has anyone else made this transition?
 
If you pick well (and there are even more third party apps around for Android), you won't lose much at all.

I have been using cell based GPS for years now. I had TeleNav on my Curve, and it was phenomenal.
 
I put my 2 year old Garmin away when I got a car dock for my Moto Droid. It works just fine for nav WHEN YOU PLAN WHERE YOU'RE GOING BEFORE YOU LEAVE, or pull off to enter alternate waypoints or search for a certain location. There are too many presses to easily get it to do what you need in a pinch while driving, in my experience. And since the screen text is so small it is tough to read in a car, unlike a GPS with its purposefully huge text.

Google Nav doesn't nicely follow you on the roads like a dedicated GPS does when you're not in nav mode.

But the cool thing is that when you get to your destination you will be taking your phone in with you, so you will have it when the need to locate something arises...unlike a GPS that would remain in your car unless you purposely brought it with you. That said, you are always docking the phone in the car if you use it alot.
 
I've toyed with replacing my Magellan with my phone, but I've not tried to use the phone as a fulltime GPS. I rarely drive anywhere out of town and I tend to drive to the same places in town so I don't use my GPS all that much. The thing TomTom has that GMaps doesn't have is customizable voices. It's probably got a more user friendly interface as well. That being said, you don't have to worry about GMaps getting out of date. I've had no issues with it following me, but I do find the voice annoying. It responds amazingly well to voice control. I don't know about TomTom, but I can't tell my Magellan that I want to go to 1234 Main st and have it direct me there. I can with my phone which is a nice feature.
 
A big thing you'll lose if you use purely the Google app is, if you have no cell service, you're SOL when it comes to navigation as you don't have any preinstalled maps.


Granted, this can be bypassed by buying one of the many apps that let you download the maps on to your SD.


I have a Garmin that I bought back in 09, and that stays in my car. I use my Nexus one for all navigation unless I forget my charger and/or I'm so far out in BFE that I get no reception, then I use the standalone.
 
I love having navigation built into my phone so I don't have to carry a separate device. The only downside is that you do need to use data for it to work. You can get good coverage almost anywhere you want to go, but if you do get into an area where you have poor signal (or no signal), you cannot vary from your course at all because it can't recalculate the route.
 
I forgot about the pesky requirement for having a signal in order to get maps.....doh! Oh well, I will try it out. Its not very common that I need a GPS anyway, 90% of my driving is to the same place anyway.

Thanks for the help everyone
 
I have a TomTom Go 740 LIVE, and keep it in one vehicle, and use my Droid with Google Navigation in another. Things I miss when using Google Navigation:


  • Traffic info that actually affects my route, and automatic rerouting due to traffic
  • Ability to use navigation (and see the maps) when talking on the phone
  • Ability to remove certain roads from my route
  • More accurate estimated travel time and (IMO) better routing (IQ Routes)
  • Ability to make immediate changes to my maps (these usually get lost with a map update until TomTom catches up with my updates)
  • Custom POIs
  • Advanced Lane Guidance

I haven't run into no-signal situations, but that could also be a problem.

Things Google Navigation has that I wish TomTom had:


  • Google's voice recognition (I can say a full address in one breath, instead of being prompted for each piece of the address)
  • Maps are more quickly updates based on my feedback (I cant do it myself like with a TomTom, but Google seems to respond much more quickly)
  • I can select an address from other apps on my Droid and use it for navigation without re-entering it
  • Less frequent "keep to highway lane" instructions

But the thing I would miss the least if I started using Google Navigation full time would be the time spent dealing with TomToms many issues that never seem to go away, in addition to time spent dealing with poorly trained and unknowledgeable support reps. Google Navigation is in its infancy, and it's already a toss-up with regard to using it to replace my TomTom. I have no doubt that within a couple of years Google will make the choice crystal clear.
 
i'm using CoPilot since I prefer a GPS that doesn't require data coverage. I like the Google Navigation app only because it does better routing than CoPilot. but copilot has way more features and resembles an actual GPS unit. until Garmin releases a version for all android users (or until someone ports the WindowsMobile one), i find copilot better than GoogleNav.
 
I spent a couple of days playing with navigation on the phone. The phone's screen is smaller than my GPS. If you lose your cell signal, the phone can't re-calculate your route. It can still track you on the map, but can't re-calculate if you go off route. The voice is annoying I've found. If you're playing music, it doesn't pause your music to give directions, it just mutes it and talks over the top of it so you miss parts of songs and/or pod casts. I do like being able to just tell it where I want to go and it finds it. I can say "Navigate to Acme Brick" and it finds Acme Brick's address on-line and sets up instructions to go there. This is nice. With my Magellan, this won't work unless I've created an address entry in the address book for them. I can be going down the road and tell my Magellan to show me the nearest fast food and it will do it. Google navigation doesn't. The maps on Google navigation are just as up to date as Google maps is which is very nice and I love how it shows me a street view of my destination when I get there.
 
I've never had a regular GPS unit, but I've never once had a problem with Navigation on my Nexus One.

I just speak the location I want to get to, press "navigate" then just follow the instructions. Real easy.
 
swb said:
Do people have favorites of these? I've looked at Navigon only. Thanks.
Click to expand...

The only one I've tried is NDrive, and it seems pretty decent. The app itself is free, but you have to buy the maps after a 7-day trial. Take a look at the "NDrive Contest" sticky - today is the last day to win free maps.
 
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