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Sat Nav on Desire

Having used CoPilot before updating to froyo, i tried out google navigation today.

Aside from the obvious voice issues (Not really an issue, just personal preference) there were two points that i found affected the overall user experience.

I found that the arrow representing your car was often a little behind where you actually were, so with the direction to turn right ahead, its often difficult to figure out which turning it actually means.

The other main issue was battery drain. It was HUGE compared to copilot.
I drove for 40 mins and my battery was at 50% from full. I know GPRS takes up battery, but having used copilot who's battery drain wasnt all that bad, this was a big shock.


Knowing this, il take my USB charger into my car in the future - For a free product, it isnt all that bad. Still, cant beat the more tuned, focused satnav apps.
 
as of tonight's update you can now tap on the navigation icon in googlemaps and get a street view style navigation view! and they have added 'places' which is an aroundme style app that lets you find places nearby.
 
Haste75 said:
The other main issue was battery drain. It was HUGE compared to copilot.
I drove for 40 mins and my battery was at 50% from full. I know GPRS takes up battery, but having used copilot who's battery drain wasnt all that bad, this was a big shock.
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I reckon the reason for this will be that copilot is only using GPS whereas Google will be using GPS + Data.
 
I'm driving from Brighton to Genoa (Italy) and just tried the Maps function and it came up with the route with no problems, I probably wont use it as a Satnav device but my god its gonna come in handy!
 
There is also another free sat nav app u can try on marketplace called SKOBBLER, its really good for free also
 
I've just moved from sussex to gloucestershire and google navigation is proving to be so incredibly useful!
 
I am a little confused with the GPS and Google navigation. Do I need either a network connection whilst driving or are all the waypoints loaded from wifi before commencing the journey?
I see on ebay someone selling GPS Software for the HTC Desire (maps of Australia, alerts,36 voice languages etc) which claims to unlock your Desire to a full GPS with no need for data download at all. Has anyone here tried this type of mapping software?
 
el_caro said:
I am a little confused with the GPS and Google navigation. Do I need either a network connection whilst driving or are all the waypoints loaded from wifi before commencing the journey?
I see on ebay someone selling GPS Software for the HTC Desire (maps of Australia, alerts,36 voice languages etc) which claims to unlock your Desire to a full GPS with no need for data download at all. Has anyone here tried this type of mapping software?
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Thats like copilot that I use. Basically the maps are stored on SD so the app has all it needs locally so doesnt need a data connection rather than with Google Navigation your are accessing Google Maps online... You can prepare your route at home over wifi and it will cache the maps so minimising data use but if you deviate from the route it will connect and redownload the mapdata it requires, same as if you were to just use while you were out an about.
 
While I like google navigation, I previously used Nokia Maps, which I paid for a subscription to, and probably had the edge over google navigation. But Google Navigation is still developing, and I am sure that the issues people have about battery drain and data usage will some how be addressed on future versions.
The battery drian is probably not helped with such a big screen. I did a 240 mile round trip the other day, and had ir running not plugged in to a charger for the whole of the journy, but when on the motorway and it told me my next instruction wasn't for 20 miles or more I turned the screen off. I still got the voice instructions and could turn the screen back on when I need to.
The only thing which worrys me, is that the back of the phone gets quite warm.
Only major improvement I would like to see is being able to play music from the media player while having the navigation running, it works fine until you get a voice instruction then it stops the media player.
 
Really happy with Copilot Live V8. After I finish downloading all the worlds maps onto my 32gb card I think I will have my idea of the real smart phone in my pocket. A phone, compass, gps, email, document editor, mp3 player, photo album, video player, camera - still and video, internet, calculator, currency converter, gameboy, weather station just to name a few. Pity the damn think can't make a cup of coffee.
Just got love this little sucker.
 
el_caro said:
Pity the damn thing can't make a cup of coffee.
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I heard from a reliable source that's coming in android 3.0 ;)

On a serious note, is there a free maps program with downloadable maps including points of interest etc? Just having the map with no features on it is a bit crappy, and I don't want to have to use data every time I want to check a map.
 
Phenomenological said:
I heard from a reliable source that's coming in android 3.0 ;)

On a serious note, is there a free maps program with downloadable maps including points of interest etc? Just having the map with no features on it is a bit crappy, and I don't want to have to use data every time I want to check a map.
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There's one called we travel, in theory it should work on the desire as its only requirements are a java enabled phone & an sd card

WeTravel

I have it on my lg renoir & you can add maps from all over the world
 
Just a question in general and perhaps it is slightly on the ******ed side since it uses Google maps, but is Google Navigation compatible in other countries? Like perhaps street view might not work but will it work as a universal sat nav so I can use it in other countries to get to places? Thanks!
 
can anyone explain to me why different carriers have different internet allowances? i see that vodafone and orange offer 500mb of data, but why is it so little? with t-mobile, i have a fair use policy of up to 3gb of mobile data? whats the catch? lol..
 
The Great One said:
Just a question in general and perhaps it is slightly on the ******ed side since it uses Google maps, but is Google Navigation compatible in other countries? Like perhaps street view might not work but will it work as a universal sat nav so I can use it in other countries to get to places? Thanks!
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Yes!! :)
 
Pedro7 said:
can anyone explain to me why different carriers have different internet allowances? i see that vodafone and orange offer 500mb of data, but why is it so little? with t-mobile, i have a fair use policy of up to 3gb of mobile data? whats the catch? lol..
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Just that vodafone & orange are miserly with their allowances.
 
[QUOTE
On a serious note, is there a free maps program with downloadable maps including points of interest etc? Just having the map with no features on it is a bit crappy, and I don't want to have to use data every time I want to check a map.[/QUOTE]

Copilot Live V8 has POIs on my downloaded maps.
 
The Great One said:
Just a question in general and perhaps it is slightly on the ******ed side since it uses Google maps, but is Google Navigation compatible in other countries? Like perhaps street view might not work but will it work as a universal sat nav so I can use it in other countries to get to places? Thanks!
Click to expand...

Actually no, even though Google has maps of tons of countries, Navigation is only supported in certain countries, see:

Google Maps Navigation in 11 more countries! - Google Mobile Help

For example, I have an UK imported phone, I'm in New Zealand and when I start Navigation, it says it's not yet available in this country.

CoPilot works really well though.
 
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