Hi - I've been looking for a clear answer to this, and while a number of people have posted about it, I still am not 100% sure of the answer. I am going on a trip to England in a couple of weeks; I am not planning on using my phone to make calls or send texts while I am there, so I am not looking into any kind of international data plan (I'm not even sure if this exists for Eris). However, I will be driving around quite a bit, and it would be really nice if there was any way to use the GPS navigation. From other posts it seems like this may not be possible, but I'm not sure. I had thought that since GPS uses a satellite signal rather than the cell network, I could put the phone into airplane mode, then just enable satellite reception and I would be all set. Perhaps this doesn't work because the data connection is needed to load the maps ... ? Anyway, if someone could explain to me the ins, outs and possibilities of using GPS in other countries, I'd much appreciate it.
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GPS International Question
- Thread starter nickap
- Start date
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- Tags
- htc droid eris
MrDangerous
Android Enthusiast
The main thing is the Eris's service (1xRTT and EVDO) don't exist in Europe. You won't be able to pull down map data, the GPS module may be able to pull a latitude and longitude but the map application may not be able to display anything because of no way to get data. If you were in wifi coverage, you might be able to cache up the directions.
On my Eris I can get the directions over EVDO and then start a phone call and as long as I don't stray too far from the path, it will keep directing me. If I stray it will say that it needs a data connection to continue. (So I have to hang up and let it cache some more data)
On my Eris I can get the directions over EVDO and then start a phone call and as long as I don't stray too far from the path, it will keep directing me. If I stray it will say that it needs a data connection to continue. (So I have to hang up and let it cache some more data)
Blrfl
Well-Known Member
GPS, as your phone receives it, is just a bunch of timing information received from the satellites that can be used by the receiver to determine where you are. Anything else - maps, navigation, etc. -- is an add-on that runs on the phone. Google's navigation downloads the map tiles for your route via the Internet, so you never get the whole set.
I have a bottom-of-the-barrel Garmin eTrex with no maps that I take on trips and carry with me if I decide to go for a walkabout. I drop a waypoint at my hotel (or anyplace else interesting) and navigate back just fine using the compass. Trimble Outdoors is $5.00 and would do just fine for that.
--Mark
I have a bottom-of-the-barrel Garmin eTrex with no maps that I take on trips and carry with me if I decide to go for a walkabout. I drop a waypoint at my hotel (or anyplace else interesting) and navigate back just fine using the compass. Trimble Outdoors is $5.00 and would do just fine for that.
--Mark
nomarsgirl
Android Enthusiast
Mapdroyd is free and you can download and store the maps before you go. It does not include turn-by-turn navigation.
Looks like they just released NavDroyd which uses the same maps but has the nav feature. It is available in the market for 4.99 euros. I have not downloaded it, so I can't say how well it works. But that is less than the cost of renting a GPS for one day if you are renting a car in europe.
http://www.navdroyd.com/
Looks like they just released NavDroyd which uses the same maps but has the nav feature. It is available in the market for 4.99 euros. I have not downloaded it, so I can't say how well it works. But that is less than the cost of renting a GPS for one day if you are renting a car in europe.
http://www.navdroyd.com/
I just downloaded NavDroyd and it seems very cool - thanks for the tip! I got the maps for England, Scotland and Northeast USA. As far as I can tell, GPS is working with Navdroyd, even with airplane mode enabled. So just to check - if I put the phone into airplane mode, then just enable wireless and GPS, I won't get any charges from Verizon, right?
nomarsgirl
Android Enthusiast
Correct. Have a great trip. Good luck driving on the wrong side of the road. We didn't have the guts to rent a car in England -- just took trains and buses everywhere. We did drive in Italy and navigation would have been very helpful. It was easy enough to get from one city to another, but finding the hotels was a challenge.