Smartphone with best sat nav

teddy12

Hey everyone,
I am looking for some advice because I want to get a new smartphone. Im really not a person that would use my phone to its full potential but I really want a phone that I has or could get a good sat nav. I have been told nokia is the way to go for that.
I have been considering the n8 but i think its a big expensive and I have been thinking about the c7 (I dont like the way it looks though).
The phone should also be able to hold its signal well because I live in a part of the country with very bad coverage!!! I am limited to the o2 network and it would have to be a prepay phone. Oh yeah and I really want a touch screen!

I am open to suggestion, please give me some advice

bd250110

The Nokia option would be the best and cheapest. With a lot of smart phones you need to be connected to the Network, as the maps are not stored on board the phone, so no good where network is not great, or when you are abroad. TomTom is available for iPhone (roughly equivalent to a TomTom ONE) I think Navigon is similar and available on Android too.

The N8 has been getting some really good reviews from users. the battery life is really strong too. It is pricey, but the competition is the HTC desire (original/Z/HD), Galaxy S and iPhone. None of these are budget handsets!

Gooch2k4

Hell a Nokia 5230 would do what you want it to, and its only €99!

evolutionqy7

If u want a decent smartphone don't waste money on a mid range one. Rather save up and get something decent. Low/mid end smartphones will give u bad user experience.

Nokia or android is your best call. Ovid maps or Google maps. There's an app on android called Brut mod. It caches Google maps on SD card so u wouldn't waste hell of alot of data. Nokia is good for maps but **** phone in general. N8 isn't what its meants to be.

KrisW

For navigation, Nokia hands down. The Ovi Maps application is basically a fully-featured sat-nav, and it will work without downloading a single byte of data from the network.

Google's maps (on Android) aren't bad, but in my experience are not as accurate as Nokia's, and if you want to use it abroad, you'll need to know exactly where you're going and then pre-cache the maps, or you'll get a nasty surprise when your bill arrives.

For navigation, iPhone isn't really in the game anymore.

Nokia is good for maps but **** phone in general. N8 isn't what its meants to be.

I know what you're getting at, but I'd disagree with "**** phone". The voice phone is exceptionally good - way better in signal and voice quality than any other "smart" phone. UI still needs work, especially for new users, but the longer you use one of these phones, the more features you discover.

N8 can be had for €99-€150 on contract right now, but you'll have to wait a couple of days for a phone in most places.

Boxfresh

I'd have to say the HTC HD2 with CoPilot Live 8.

It's brilliant on the 4.3 inch screen. You will have to pay €29 for it though but well worth it IMO. Great phone too!

Nokia would probably be good enough too since it's free.

evolutionqy7

I always used to find it taking ages to pick up the GPS signal when i used to use Ovi Maps sometimes i had to restart it to get one lol.

Either way if your tight on money maybe Mid end Nokia phone that supports ovi maps.

Though agree with above big screen makes it better than my current tomtom

iGo 8 is the ****

biko

I have a 5800 with Ovi maps and it's free worldwide maps for life.
It also has walking directions with street names.

Sometimes it can take a 2-3 minutes to pick signal up (depends on if you have set it to use network or not) but I haven't had any other issues at all.

teddy12

Thanks everyone!
I have decided that I am definitely getting a nokia. But I really yhtink the N8 is a bit expensive for me as I would have to get it on prepay.
Because of free texts I only use about 20 a month credit so bill pay not really an option because that would double it, but I am thinking about it.

evolutionqy7

Yeah bill pay plans aren't exactly rewarding. Their usually **** value.

The only good one is smart bill with free meteor calls and texts + 300min 300 texts and 1 GB data for 30E 18 month and 35 for 12 month.

Thats the only fair one ive seen. And its still **** value. You get the same as you would get out of a 20 quid on pre pay. Reason why i cancelled my contract was because i was being ripped of for being a loyal customer

KrisW

How about the Nokia C7? Almost the same internals as N8, but with a less fancy camera.

Pay-as-you-go pricing:
Vodafone: €270 [€240 for existing customers]
Three: €319
O2: €349

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

biko

Get a used 5800 for 80-100 euro.
http://www.adverts.ie/showcat.php?cat=all&si=5800&sort=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjblVi0kAk

bigfeller

KrisW wrote: »

For navigation, iPhone isn't really in the game anymore.

Just interested why you say this. Recently got the 4 and loaded the Navigon Ireland and UK maps for €25. GPS lock takes about 2 seconds, the redraw is super smooth, has lane assist and Google search for POIs. All in all far better than any standalone GPS I've used.

Gooch2k4

Both Android and Nokia's offerings are free...

Venom

biko wrote: »

Get a used 5800 for 80-100 euro.
http://www.adverts.ie/showcat.php?cat=all&si=5800&sort=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjblVi0kAk

The GPS on the 5800 is pretty dire tbh.

KrisW

bigfeller wrote: »

Just interested why you say this. Recently got the 4 and loaded the Navigon Ireland and UK maps for €25. GPS lock takes about 2 seconds, the redraw is super smooth, has lane assist and Google search for POIs. All in all far better than any standalone GPS I've used.

I said it's not in the game anymore because what you get with the phone is way behind what the competition offers. Sure, you can add applications to remedy this, but it's at an additional cost, on top of the additional cost of buying an iPhone4.

biko

Venom wrote: »

The GPS on the 5800 is pretty dire tbh.

I've only used Tomtom and a rented Garmin before so don't have much to compare with.
What other GPS are you comparing with? What's the issues you've had with the 5800 GPS?

I'm sure other smartphones have better screen etc but for the price I think the 5800 does an excellent job.

Venom

biko wrote: »

I've only used Tomtom and a rented Garmin before so don't have much to compare with.
What other GPS are you comparing with? What's the issues you've had with the 5800 GPS?

I'm sure other smartphones have better screen etc but for the price I think the 5800 does an excellent job.

With the 5800 I found the GPS very slow to lock on to my location (around various parts of Dublin) and about 50% of the time it just wouldn't lock in. OVI maps while good for free are just not as nearly up to date as Google maps for Ireland in my experence.

Compared to my HTC Desire which is almost an instant lock for the GPS and almost monthly updates of Google maps, the 5800 just felt like a really outdated piece of tech.

biko

A mate has the HTC and I must say it's well nice, particularly the screen clarity and screen responsiveness is way beyond the 5800.
But it's several times the price too so should be much better.

It's true it locks slowly, usually about 2-3 minutes unless you have set it to use network etc. It's also showed me as being in the wrong place once or twice when I was stationary, probably because it couldn't get enough satellite readings. As soon as I started moving it positioned itself just fine.

teddy12

Gooch2k4 wrote: »

Both Android and Nokia's offerings are free...

I thought nokia ovi maps was the only free one. Are u on paying data charges or something for android phones?

Gooch2k4

Well yes, but the fact is that most smartphone users are on data plans

KrisW

Use your data-based sat nav abroad, and you'll pay for it, and if you venture anywhere into the wilds, the cost of data won't matter, because you won't have coverage. Mountainous areas often don't have any voice coverage, let alone data.

Considering you're more likely to use this kind of thing when you're away from home, offline operation is almost a necessity.

That said, you can pre-cache the maps for your route on Android phones, and avoid data roaming charges or coverage issues this way, but you either need to know where you're likely to be going, or be able to duck into wifi hotspots to do it. If you use navigation often, you'd be better off buying a navigation app and save yourself the hassle.

k123456

I have google maps sat nav on my anddroid phone, is there a way I can cache the whole of Dublin over my wi-fi, trying not to use data over phone carrier

Venom

KrisW wrote: »

Use your data-based sat nav abroad, and you'll pay for it, and if you venture anywhere into the wilds, the cost of data won't matter, because you won't have coverage. Mountainous areas often don't have any voice coverage, let alone data.

Considering you're more likely to use this kind of thing when you're away from home, offline operation is almost a necessity.

That said, you can pre-cache the maps for your route on Android phones, and avoid data roaming charges or coverage issues this way, but you either need to know where you're likely to be going, or be able to duck into wifi hotspots to do it. If you use navigation often, you'd be better off buying a navigation app and save yourself the hassle.

Using OVI maps without a data connection is just an exercise in frustration and since even the most basic PAYG plan gives you 50mb per day for less than a euro using the Android/Iphone full navigation apps just isn't an issue anymore.

evolutionqy7

yeah but having data connection on for maps will drain the battery more than just standalone maps app

Gooch2k4

evolutionqy7 wrote: »

yeah but having data connection on for maps will drain the battery more than just standalone maps app

It doesnt actually make a whole lot of difference

KrisW

Yep, data connections are only brought up as needed, so shouldn't make a huge difference.

A far bigger problem would be a lack of reliable data coverage in remote or upland areas.

dodzy

Iphone 3GS / 4 with Navigon FTW

KrisW

k123456 wrote: »

I have google maps sat nav on my anddroid phone, is there a way I can cache the whole of Dublin over my wi-fi, trying not to use data over phone carrier

You might get a helpful response by posting in the Android sub-forum...

Iphone 3GS / 4 with Navigon FTW

If you've got an iPhone, sure. If you don't it's a pretty expensive way to get what Nokia or even Google can give you for free.

BostonB

My E71 didn't have free OVI maps until I updated to a Euro code, then got the lastest firmware. Which allowed you to download the maps. I'm surprised how well it works tbh. Not a huge Nokia fan.