Do you bother with a dedicated GPS unit?

djimi · 07-03-2013 11:23AM

listermint wrote: »

Not a hope of getting several hours out of an S3 with the screen on and GPS maps running. Its just not going to happen.

Drive to belfast / Tralee from dublin on it and see how several hours its lasts on battery alone.

I drove from Naas to west Cork using the GPS without the phone being plugged in and I still had life in the phone when I got there. You probably wouldnt get more than 3-4 hours max on the battery, but with a car charger it should be no issue whatsoever.

listermint · 07-03-2013 11:28AM

djimi wrote: »

I drove from Naas to west Cork using the GPS without the phone being plugged in and I still had life in the phone when I got there. You probably wouldnt get more than 3-4 hours max on the battery, but with a car charger it should be no issue whatsoever.

Anecdotal as it is, But im just not buying this. When you say battery life it had to be on dregs or just beeping plug me in. Its not possible to have the screen running for that length of time. Ive done the journey with 2 different phones and the wont last it to the end.

Anyway, i know have a dedicated Android headunit with all this built in so its not a problem.

tossy · 07-03-2013 11:36AM

listermint wrote: »

Anecdotal as it is, But im just not buying this.

There are 2 'anecdotal' stories posted here now to prove otherwise

Uriel. · 07-03-2013 11:37AM

listermint wrote: »

Not a hope of getting several hours out of an S3 with the screen on and GPS maps running. Its just not going to happen.

Drive to belfast / Tralee from dublin on it and see how several hours its lasts on battery alone.

I tend to just turn the screen off. For example, when I get onto the motor way and the map is telling me that I have to take exit 34 and it is 92km away, I just flick the screen off. Navigation continues in the background but battery drain obviously completely reduced. Screen gets flicked back on when about to leave the motorway etc...

Alpha Dog 1 · 07-03-2013 11:40AM

listermint wrote: »

Anecdotal as it is, But im just not buying this. When you say battery life it had to be on dregs or just beeping plug me in. Its not possible to have the screen running for that length of time. Ive done the journey with 2 different phones and the wont last it to the end.

Anyway, i know have a dedicated Android headunit with all this built in so its not a problem.

Listermint, get yourself a decent phone and or a car charger. There is no reason why you cannot keep the phone going using navigation.
I can maintain a 100% charge on a 3 hour journey with GPS, mobile data, blue tooth enabled while also listening to podcasts.
Replacement batteries can be picked up for 3euro.
Battery should not be an issue.

dgt · 07-03-2013 11:47AM

Have driven all over N Ireland and the Rep without a sat nav. Rarely get caught out, don't see the need for one

Paddy@CIRL · 07-03-2013 11:50AM

I've my phone setup over A2DP so can listen to music, take calls and hear the GPS over the car's standard head unit. I've been using TomTom's Western Europe App for the iPhone for the last few weeks and it's miles better than my old Garmin Nuvi (which had the most recent maps on it). If someone calls during Navigation, you can just tap the top of the screen and it returns to the map. Only downside is when you quit out of the app but don't close it and find yourself in the toilet of a services with 'Please Make a U-Turn When Possible' blaring from your pockets.

djimi · 07-03-2013 11:56AM

listermint wrote: »

Anecdotal as it is, But im just not buying this. When you say battery life it had to be on dregs or just beeping plug me in. Its not possible to have the screen running for that length of time. Ive done the journey with 2 different phones and the wont last it to the end.

Anyway, i know have a dedicated Android headunit with all this built in so its not a problem.

I dont give a toss if you believe me or not! It was down to about 20% by the time I got there. Given that large stretches of the journey are motorway the screen was able to dim for large parts of the journey and use a lot less battery life. Perhaps if I was spending three hours driving around country back roads where Id need the screen all the time then it would be a different story, but then Id just plug the phone in.

I also dont know where you are getting this notion from that a plugged in phone is not going to keep up with GPS; unless you are using a rubbish cable or have no real power going to the phone then it should not be an issue.

keithclancy · 07-03-2013 12:13PM

listermint wrote: »

Anecdotal as it is, But im just not buying this. When you say battery life it had to be on dregs or just beeping plug me in. Its not possible to have the screen running for that length of time. Ive done the journey with 2 different phones and the wont last it to the end.

Anyway, i know have a dedicated Android headunit with all this built in so its not a problem.

My Samsung Galaxy S+ did Eindhoven - Berlin grand, have a Tunelink A2DP Bluetooth Adapter which also provides power over USB.

Switched over to the Nexus 7 now, 7 inch screen is a great in the car for the Sat Nav, plus powerful enough to run other apps in the background e.g. Podkicker, music, Flitsmeister (or your other favorite speed camera app) and Torque

Want to get a better mount though, hence why I bought the Brodit Kit.

Its not the 3g Version, but were so close to the border of Germany (And I work there) I just stick on tethering on my German phone, when in NL I stick on tethering on my Dutch phone.

Using Sygic Android at the moment and its great.

Battery in the Nexus lasts around 9-10 hours with usage.

Also have a Tomtom .. but never use it, its ok like .. just I'd prefer to have one device that does it all rather than one device for each task.

cormie · 07-03-2013 12:22PM

Is there any case I wonder where a phone would be using more power than it's getting fed from the charger? GPS, music, phone calls, wifi, bluetooth all on together?

dgt, the money saved in fuel, driver wage, stress relief etc more than covers the cost of a GPS. When I'm booking a job with a customer who lives in the middle of nowhere, I open up google maps, stick in the closest place to them, name a few roads around it, get the right road, open up street view, tell them I see the barn with the stones painted white at the gate, pan another little bit, tell them I see their house with the yellow door and the green nissan micra, they are baffled at this technology, I then click "what's here", get the coordinates, add the coordinates to the booking, the driver who has never spoken to the customer or has any idea where he's going before the job gets into the van, puts the coordinates into the GPS and arrives exactly on time. I'm just so thankful for such technology given my business and can only imagine how much heartbreak drivers must have had in the days before google maps, GPS and even mobile phones.

listermint · 07-03-2013 12:35PM

djimi wrote: »

I dont give a toss if you believe me or not! It was down to about 20% by the time I got there. Given that large stretches of the journey are motorway the screen was able to dim for large parts of the journey and use a lot less battery life. Perhaps if I was spending three hours driving around country back roads where Id need the screen all the time then it would be a different story, but then Id just plug the phone in.

I also dont know where you are getting this notion from that a plugged in phone is not going to keep up with GPS; unless you are using a rubbish cable or have no real power going to the phone then it should not be an issue.

Ooo Touchy! Sorry for picking on your phone. Your experience is no less experience than mine.

BTW i have a Samsung Galaxy Nexus, it is a high end phone. So dont need a new one.

@Kieth - The nexus 7 has obvious battery capabilities over a phone, It has a larger capacity doesnt have GSM , GPRS to contend with. I also have one of them and they are awesome. Wouldnt need it in the car as i have a android already. Albeit its not where near as quality as the nexus. Sygic maps is superb too i use that.

djimi · 07-03-2013 12:43PM

listermint wrote: »

Ooo Touchy! Sorry for picking on your phone. Your experience is no less experience than mine.

BTW i have a Samsung Galaxy Nexus, it is a high end phone. So dont need a new one.

Its got nothing to do with my phone; you all but accused me of lying!

djimi · 07-03-2013 12:45PM

cormie wrote: »

Is there any case I wonder where a phone would be using more power than it's getting fed from the charger? GPS, music, phone calls, wifi, bluetooth all on together?

Its possible, but I dont think I have ever experienced a situation where a phone, even when plugged into a car charger, has actually lost power while charging. At worst it might just stay static or charge extremely slowly.

listermint · 07-03-2013 12:45PM

djimi wrote: »

Its got nothing to do with my phone; you all but accused me of lying!

I said im not buying this, Because my experience is otherwise. Not really saying your lying is it now. Just means im skeptical and would need to see it with my eyes because my experience is otherwise.

No need to be touchy. Its the internet we are all friends here.

djimi · 07-03-2013 12:51PM

listermint wrote: »

I said im not buying this, Because my experience is otherwise. Not really saying your lying is it now. Just means im skeptical and would need to see it with my eyes because my experience is otherwise.

No need to be touchy. Its the internet we are all friends here.

I told you my experience, you called it anecdotal and said youre not buying it. Call it whatever you want; it amounts to the same. Theres no need to be a dick about it; several people have now disagreed with you.

listermint · 07-03-2013 12:53PM

djimi wrote: »

I told you my experience, you called it anecdotal and said youre not buying it. Call it whatever you want; it amounts to the same. Theres no need to be a dick about it; several people have now disagreed with you.

2 People disagreed with me, I never called you names. You need to grow up a bit when some disagrees with you.

djimi · 07-03-2013 12:56PM

listermint wrote: »

You need to grow up a bit when some disagrees with you.

Advice you would do well to take yourself...

keithclancy · 07-03-2013 12:57PM

Edit ..

Erra i'm not going to bother.

Grow up you langers

djimi · 07-03-2013 01:00PM

Youre right; lifes to short and all that

68 lost souls · 07-03-2013 01:00PM

What I found on my iPhone 4 (may be different with other models/brands not sure) was that the GPS app used about 1% battery every minute. Did most of the driving after that with the phone plugged into the car charger. I partially blame this for the poor battery life I have now.

granturismo · 07-03-2013 01:01PM

tossy wrote: »

I disagree there,i drove 3,300 miles around Europe years ago with a primitive nokia N97 and Garmin XT s.. fact it out performed a stand alone Tom tom sat nav and a VW factory sat nav in the other cars,we were on the road for 5/6 hours non stop at times.

Furthest i've gone on the Iphone/Tom tom combo is Birmingham, under similar conditions i'e playing Mp3's answering and making calls it never missed a beat.

The era of the stand alone Sat nav is dead really.

How are roaming charges avoided when abroad - can the GPS on the phone be used with roaming turned off resulting in no charge for GPS?

Do you use a downloaded app or google maps on the phone? thanks

tossy · 07-03-2013 01:02PM

dgt wrote: »

Have driven all over N Ireland and the Rep without a sat nav. Rarely get caught out, don't see the need for one

Ah the standard Paddy Answer!

Try driving through Brussels/Munich/Praha/Rome in rush hour traffic when you are on the wrong side of the road and the road signs are in a different language and you are not looking for an Airport,hospital or ferry

See how no sat nav works then.

tossy · 07-03-2013 01:05PM

granturismo wrote: »

How are roaming charges avoided when abroad - can the GPS on the phone be used with roaming turned off resulting in no charge for GPS?

Do you use a downloaded app or google maps on the phone? thanks

No roaming as the maps are installed on the phone,so the phone uses it's built in GPS to communicate with the satellites - just like a stand alone sat nav but better

I've never used google maps - never really impressed me much.I use a Tom Tom app on the iphone.

challengemaster · 07-03-2013 01:06PM

listermint wrote: »

Generally speaking the battery of a phone, even when plugged in isnt enough to retain maps for long travel distances.

They just arent built to have a fully illuminated screen over 3 Hours time. Thats why dedicated GPS systems come into play.

The phones when plugged in cant keep up with the power loss of the screen, processor and GPS signals pulling down its juice.

Fine for short journeys thats about all.

Either you have electrics problems, phone battery problems or are just talking shíte. In fairness you usually don't so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt here

I regularly use my iPhone 4S with the TomTom app as a nav and it'll give we'll over an hour without even plugging it in. When plugged in it charges up toy 100% and never drops either. Was using my 3G exactly the same before the 4S came out and had exactly the same experience. Longest stint of continuous use was 4-5 hours.

keithclancy · 07-03-2013 01:06PM

granturismo wrote: »

How are roaming charges avoided when abroad - can the GPS on the phone be used with roaming turned off resulting in no charge for GPS?

Do you use a downloaded app or google maps on the phone? thanks

CoPilot, Navigon, Tomtom and Sygic all have offline maps that you put on the memory card or in the Internal memory of your phone/tablet.

monty_python · 07-03-2013 01:09PM

listermint wrote: »

Not a hope of getting several hours out of an S3 with the screen on and GPS maps running. Its just not going to happen.

Drive to belfast / Tralee from dublin on it and see how several hours its lasts on battery alone.

i hav to agree with djimi.
ive used my s3 as a sat nav many times and i play music on it at the same time and i always get 8ish hours from it
(there are a few battery saver apps availible for it)

robinph · 07-03-2013 01:09PM

granturismo wrote: »

How are roaming charges avoided when abroad - can the GPS on the phone be used with roaming turned off resulting in no charge for GPS?

Do you use a downloaded app or google maps on the phone? thanks

There is no charge or data required for using GPS. It is just your phone calculating it's location itself based on radio signals that it picks up from the satellites in orbit. It is only a reciever, no data is transmitted by the phone or other device.

GSM/ 2G/ 2.5G/ 3G/ 4G/ Edge/ HSPDA...etc are the phone making two way communication links with ground based mobile telephone masts. This is the connection that you pay the mobile phone provider for and where the bills mount up if used whilst roaming.

listermint · 07-03-2013 01:10PM

challengemaster wrote: »

Either you have electrics problems, phone battery problems or are just talking shíte. In fairness you usually don't so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt here

I regularly use my iPhone 4S with the TomTom app as a nav and it'll give we'll over an hour without even plugging it in. When plugged in it charges up toy 100% and never drops either. Was using my 3G exactly the same before the 4S came out and had exactly the same experience. Longest stint of continuous use was 4-5 hours.

Offline Map applications such as Tom Tom are well suited for it. Reliance on Google Maps in a non offline mode will eat your battery (screen and 3G) being the biggest culprits.

I wouldnt allow an electrical problem in my baby. Integrated headunits are the future. Only povers use their phones :P

robinph · 07-03-2013 01:13PM

challengemaster wrote: »

Either you have electrics problems, phone battery problems or are just talking shíte. In fairness you usually don't so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt here

I regularly use my iPhone 4S with the TomTom app as a nav and it'll give we'll over an hour without even plugging it in. When plugged in it charges up toy 100% and never drops either. Was using my 3G exactly the same before the 4S came out and had exactly the same experience. Longest stint of continuous use was 4-5 hours.

But it is possible to have loads of stray apps running in the background of a phone which can be eating up the battery usage. Uninstall the ones that are not needed and things will last longer, but get a dedicated GPS device and you don't have to worry about that kind of messing about in order to get more battery life as the device just has the one job to do.

challengemaster · 07-03-2013 01:25PM

robinph wrote: »

But it is possible to have loads of stray apps running in the background of a phone which can be eating up the battery usage. Uninstall the ones that are not needed and things will last longer, but get a dedicated GPS device and you don't have to worry about that kind of messing about in order to get more battery life as the device just has the one job to do.

I've something like 5 pages of apps on the phone and never bother closing out any before using GPS. Again, never had any adverse effect on battery life. Just sounds like you're making up excuses to justify you buying a GPS

In fact being completely honest, the days I use my phone for GPS are the days it lasts longer than ever. It gets a full charge while I'm driving. Otherwise with normal use it'd be on its last legs by bedtime.

Do you bother with a dedicated GPS unit?

Comments