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Google Maps and data roaming

  • 17-08-2010 12:11pm
    #1
    BionicRasher
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,820 ✭✭✭


    Ok, so we plan to go to the North of Ireland this week and i want to use Google Maps to do turn by turn navigation but wow Meteor are charging over €10 per MB of data. It's going to cost a small fortune. Can I get sim from say T-Mobile and stick it in the phone to get a data connection? Is it easy to get a pay as you go sim up north?
    Or would someone recommend an offline navigation tool that I can use on my HTC DESIRE


Comments

  • #2
    mickoneill30
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,073 ✭✭✭mickoneill30


    tui0hcg wrote: »
    Ok, so we plan to go to the North of Ireland this week and i want to use Google Maps to do turn by turn navigation but wow Meteor are charging over €10 per MB of data. It's going to cost a small fortune. Can I get sim from say T-Mobile and stick it in the phone to get a data connection? Is it easy to get a pay as you go sim up north?
    Or would someone recommend an offline navigation tool that I can use on my HTC DESIRE

    I think a lot of Desires came unlocked (I got 2 from Vodafone) so you might be able to put a SIM into it. You won't know until you try though.

    I use an app called CoPilot (cost me about €30 for UK & Ireland) and it's great. It doesn't need a data connection. If you have a data connection it does do gimmicky stuff like tell you where your mates are (if they have CoPilot too) or give traffic updates (dunno if it does it for Ireland) but I don't use all that as I've no data connection anyway.

    Just looking at it now and they only seem to sell it on the Market (i.e. not in Ireland), they sold it directly on their website when I was buying it.


  • #3
    johnny_adidas
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,977 ✭✭✭johnny_adidas


    did i read on one of the thread that vodafone allow you to use data while roaming? least u could have the simcard in advance of going up north.
    got caught out with this myself on meteor when finding my way back walking from a pub up there. didnt expect it would download too much data for the maps but next bill date i was €45 lighter


  • #4
    EasyBoy1974
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 329 ✭✭EasyBoy1974


    You can download map packs for Andnav2 ahead of time - not sure how good it is though ...


  • #5
    BionicRasher
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,820 ✭✭✭BionicRasher


    mickoneill30 wrote: »
    I think a lot of Desires came unlocked (I got 2 from Vodafone) so you might be able to put a SIM into it. You won't know until you try though.

    I use an app called CoPilot (cost me about €30 for UK & Ireland) and it's great. It doesn't need a data connection. If you have a data connection it does do gimmicky stuff like tell you where your mates are (if they have CoPilot too) or give traffic updates (dunno if it does it for Ireland) but I don't use all that as I've no data connection anyway.

    Just looking at it now and they only seem to sell it on the Market (i.e. not in Ireland), they sold it directly on their website when I was buying it.

    Yes Copilot looks great - might wait until I go on a more substantial journey to purchase that however.
    Will things like Andnav2 do turn by turn navigation? Will they do a reroute if you head off in the wrong direction?

    Daughter has a Vodafone PAYG sim and I will try that in the Desire and see what it can do.
    anyone know if you can just walk into a Vodafone shop in the North of Ireland and just pick up a PAYG sim there?


  • #6
    Pimp Ninja
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,130 ✭✭✭Pimp Ninja


    Won't do turn by turn and doesn't cover everywhere but I've found Mapdroyd very good.


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  • #7
    robo
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,824 ✭✭✭robo


    I have a Meteor bill pay Desire and I went up to Belfast a few weeks ago. I hadn't enabled the roaming so I could not use the phone and I had turned off the 3G also in case. I used the Google Maps Navigator without any phone network and I was not charged for data. It works like a normal sat nav and doesn't use data. Checked my itemised bill for the time that I used it and I was definielty not charged.


  • #8
    Zynks
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,693 ✭✭✭Zynks


    robo wrote: »
    I have a Meteor bill pay Desire and I went up to Belfast a few weeks ago. I hadn't enabled the roaming so I could not use the phone and I had turned off the 3G also in case. I used the Google Maps Navigator without any phone network and I was not charged for data. It works like a normal sat nav and doesn't use data. Checked my itemised bill for the time that I used it and I was definielty not charged.

    I am totally confused now. I was under the impression that you couldn't store the maps from GM - i.e., they were downloaded on demand.... so how can this be possible? Can anyone else confirm having a similar experience to robo abroad?


  • #9
    Random
    Closed Accounts Posts: 19,080 ✭✭✭✭Random


    assuming your phone is unlocked ...

    i would buy a vodafone sim for a tenner and prob get tenner credit on it. ask the guy in the shop to activate the vodafone360 service on it. you'll get 100meg for 39c a day.


  • #10
    Pimp Ninja
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,130 ✭✭✭Pimp Ninja


    I queried this with meteor and the best answer I could get was that I will be charged for data. The desire has its own satellite receiver, as I understand, so I can't work out how they can charge for satellite usage.


  • #11
    Random
    Closed Accounts Posts: 19,080 ✭✭✭✭Random


    Pimp Ninja wrote: »
    I queried this with meteor and the best answer I could get was that I will be charged for data. The desire has its own satellite receiver, as I understand, so I can't work out how they can charge for satellite usage.
    what exactly did you ask meteor?


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  • #12
    smackyB
    Registered Users Posts: 752 ✭✭✭smackyB


    Zynks wrote: »
    I am totally confused now. I was under the impression that you couldn't store the maps from GM - i.e., they were downloaded on demand.... so how can this be possible? Can anyone else confirm having a similar experience to robo abroad?

    Yes Google Navigation requires an active data connection to establish and calculate a route, however once it has done that it has all the information it needs and doesn't need a connection thereafter. I actually used Google Navigation on a trip up to Belfast recently and it worked great, so long as you stay on the route it describes and don't alter your destination. Its quite clever also in that it caches roads in the area around your route so that if you stray off, you know where you are without needing a data connection. For making the return trip though, you'd need a new route to be downloaded. Hope that helps.


  • #13
    jimmycrackcorm
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 14,346 ✭✭✭✭jimmycrackcorm


    Pimp Ninja wrote: »
    I queried this with meteor and the best answer I could get was that I will be charged for data. The desire has its own satellite receiver, as I understand, so I can't work out how they can charge for satellite usage.
    If you start navigating when you are in the Roi or within range of a wifi connection in the north then you get the map data and directions at that point. Your gps location on the map does not necessarily require a data connection.


  • #14
    BionicRasher
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,820 ✭✭✭BionicRasher


    Random wrote: »
    assuming your phone is unlocked ...

    i would buy a vodafone sim for a tenner and prob get tenner credit on it. ask the guy in the shop to activate the vodafone360 service on it. you'll get 100meg for 39c a day.

    Yes we have a Vodafone PAYG sim in the house and the Vodafone shop tell me we can get 50 MB for €1 (that's the daily limit) while roaming in the North of Ireland. That's really good and should be more than enough to use maps as Meteor charge and arm and a leg so I can try that and will post results. We will also try the Google Maps offline and see how that goes as we don't intend to stray too far from the suggested routes it gives me.


    Will the street level stuff kick in automatically when I get up there? I think its completely covered up north now.
    Anyone know when we will be getting up to date maps down here? Sections of the new motorways like M3 and Cork to Dublin still have me driving through fields and the Red Cow roundabout is nuts and my Google Maps had me all confused on a trip from Cork to Navan last night


  • #15
    johnny_adidas
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,977 ✭✭✭johnny_adidas


    you will get your gps location shown on your map, this does not require data connection. but if the map is zoomed in at all, it wont be able to load the next section of the map without data connection

    with navigation, if you dont stray way off your route then you wont need data connection after setting out from ireland. however you will need some way load the maps for return journey, either data or wifi. this could be a chancey way of doing it as what if there is an accident or roadworks en route (or click 'back' one time too many and unload your destination)?

    street level views cant be loaded without a data connection afaik

    going to pick up a vodafone uk sim myself when im up north next week and try it. least then i should have the double advantage of cheap internet while abroad and cheaper phone calls/texts to home whenever in the uk. (Must look into the costs involved in forward my phone calls to the uk number also.)


  • #16
    jumbobreakfast
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,143 ✭✭✭jumbobreakfast


    Review of several GPS nav apps for iphone and android here:
    http://www.reghardware.com/2010/08/19/group_test_satnav_apps/

    Ovi maps for Nokia is also reviewed and it comes out tops alongside copilot. I think I'll hang onto my Nokia E71 and the free Ovi maps but copilot does look very good.


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