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News Google enables Android Turn-by-Turn Sat Nav for UK users

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by Sifter3000, 28 Apr 2010.

  1. Sifter3000

    Sifter3000 I used to be somebody

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    Sifter3000, 28 Apr 2010
    #1
  2. Baz

    Baz I work for Corsair

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    Shame Hero owners have to wait until JUNE for this though :(
     
    Baz, 28 Apr 2010
    #2
  3. Sifter3000

    Sifter3000 I used to be somebody

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    Sucks to be you, although you on holiday :p
     
    Sifter3000, 28 Apr 2010
    #3
  4. EvilMerc

    EvilMerc Minimodder

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    I'm loving these free sat nav apps. Ovi Maps on my Nokia 5800 rocks and it works just as well as any dedicated sat nav.
     
    EvilMerc, 28 Apr 2010
    #4
  5. LJF

    LJF Modded

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    Though I haven't thoroughly tested it myself, i've read that Navigation downloads the necessary data for your route to local storage when you set it. (Apparently) It only needs to download extra data if you stray from the set route.

    Just while sat here at my desk (without a GPS connection) I plotted a local route. When scrolling along the route it only appears to download data when bringing up local street names. The map itself appears to be drawn differently to standard Google Maps and doesnt have the same level of detail suggesting it might be local.

    Anyone else got any more of an idea about it?
     
    LJF, 28 Apr 2010
    #5
  6. msm722

    msm722 What's a Dremel?

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    It's a shame it has to download the maps/image as you go.
     
    msm722, 28 Apr 2010
    #6
  7. samkiller42

    samkiller42 For i AM Cheesecake!!

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    Wow, your only a week late on this news. TR announced this on the 21st

    Sam
     
    samkiller42, 28 Apr 2010
    #7
  8. l3v1ck

    l3v1ck Fueling the world, one oil well at a time.

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    Sweet! I now have sat nav!
     
    l3v1ck, 28 Apr 2010
    #8
  9. l3v1ck

    l3v1ck Fueling the world, one oil well at a time.

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    Or at least I would if my Desire could find a satellite :(
     
    l3v1ck, 28 Apr 2010
    #9
  10. LJF

    LJF Modded

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    ... what did I just say?

    You aren't stood indoors are you?! :D
     
    LJF, 28 Apr 2010
    #10
  11. Combatus

    Combatus Bit-tech Modding + hardware reviews Lover of bit-tech Super Moderator

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    It's great for short trips but even if you remember to charge your battery before you go on a longer trip, your phone will still be dead in a couple of hours as the GPS and A-GPS network triangulation take a heavy toll on the battery. I've got in the habit of using a portable battery pack in the car for my iPhone + CoPilot which keeps it going for about 12 hrs of navigation, but if you already have a dedicated sat nav unit, it's far from redundant imho.
     
    Combatus, 28 Apr 2010
    #11
  12. Eccles

    Eccles What's a Dremel?

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    Hopefully the voices will be sorted out at some point as the TTS it uses on the Desire is rubbish and quite often it's too garbled to understand. Apart from that it seems to work well.
     
    Eccles, 28 Apr 2010
    #12
  13. human_error

    human_error What's a Dremel?

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    I've been using google navigation since it was enabled last week and before that i was using brutal's hacked verion of google navigation for use in the UK.

    The data usage for maps is as follows - when you plot a map initially it stores the basic map data for the entire route, and about 100 foot of the roads along your route in case you make a small mistake. If you need to significantly re-plot, have sattelite view enabled (instead of the map view you get the google earth sattelite images as your map), if you want to see street view images of where you are and where you are going or if you have the traffic info up then navigation will need a data connection to enable those features (the sattelite image view is great to drive with, but eats bandwidth and needs a constant connection else you get low-res images or just the plain road map if you don't have any data bandwidth available.

    I love google navigation - ever since i started using it my old tom tom pda kit has been sitting idle - nothing beats having fully up-to-date maps with the option to do a voice search for things you need on the way - low on petrol, ask it to display gas stations and it will show you all the petrol stations near you, with the option to get info such as phone numbers and user reviews with a couple of clicks.

    As for battery life yeah it drains your battery fast, but if you are using it in a car why the hell would you not have it plugged into a car charger anyway? Even before google navigation i plugged my phone into the car charger just to keep the battery topped up.
     
    human_error, 28 Apr 2010
    #13
  14. TWeaK

    TWeaK Minimodder

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    .... or you could just plug your phone into the cigarette lighter socket - just like the satnav, for that matter. Also if you need directions while you're on foot chances are you don't want to carry around a portable satnav, but you'll more than likely have your phone.

    I've been using Ovimaps for yonks. A while back my N95 had free maps for a good while, and you downloaded the map files as well so you were sorted even if there wasn't a data connection. Lost that with the N97, but they made it free for all a few months back. It always used to come up with different routes than Googlemaps, though, and I tended to think that GM gave a better route - you just have to read it like a map if you haven't got an Android. Still, they both get you where you want to go.
     
    TWeaK, 28 Apr 2010
    #14
  15. l3v1ck

    l3v1ck Fueling the world, one oil well at a time.

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    Technically yes, but I was right next to a big window so it should have picked up something.
    I'll give it another test outside tomorrow.
     
    l3v1ck, 28 Apr 2010
    #15
  16. Crunch77

    Crunch77 What's a Dremel?

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    Shame that it is not enabled in Scandinavia yet, just as paid apps aren't.
    Would certainly be nice with an option to pre-download data for an area/county/country, especially when going abroad.
     
    Crunch77, 29 Apr 2010
    #16
  17. tonyd223

    tonyd223 king of nothing

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    got my desire just as satnav in car packs in...
     
    tonyd223, 29 Apr 2010
    #17
  18. humdrumian_monkey

    humdrumian_monkey What's a Dremel?

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    About time someone released free sat nav software
     
    humdrumian_monkey, 29 Apr 2010
    #18
  19. Denis_iii

    Denis_iii What's a Dremel?

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    any recomendations for a car mount that will support most HTC android devices?
    I will def pick one up now, probabaly the incredible when its avilaable in the UK if ever else will be desire or legend
     
    Denis_iii, 30 Apr 2010
    #19
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