qzing01

I finally got the new 24k topographical maps installed on my new Garmin phone. No more need to carry an additional gps for the trails and it comes with a windshield mount. Also with a built in gps reciever I dont have to worry about losing my maping if I dont have cell service like the iphone.

The phone has a screen shot utility and thats what I used for these.

tslewisz

Interesting. Thanks for posting.

Mark Doiron

New? Are these not the area maps that Garmin has had for awhile, or is this the whole U.S. (at least the lower-48)? At $120 for an area of four or five states, they were pretty pricey. But, they are having to compete with iPhone and Google (my Android phone has free GPS and nav, including turn-by-turn, with the network limitations you cite).

BTW: They look really nice. I currently run the 100K topo maps on my Nuvi 500.

qzing01

They Topo 24k has been out for a while(maybe a year) They do have them broke down into different areas like South Central/North Central etc. and I did have to buy them. The phone does come with the street level maps of the entire US built in at no extra cost. And these do every thing the iphone does and then some. You also dont need a data plan like you do with the other google phones to download your mapping. It end up being a lot cheaper. The GPS that the iphone and google phones use is called a Type A gps. Type A uses your cell phone signal to triangulate your position. If you dont have cell service, you will not have a GPS signal. Thats another good thing about this new garmin phone it has a real gps antenna.

Mark Doiron

I don't believe that your description is entirely accurate. I can see on my phone the GPS satellites that it's receiving, along with the strength of their signals. Right now, in my house, I'm receiving satellites 3, 6, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19 and 23.

ftp://tycho.usno.navy.mil/pub/gps/gpstd.txt (look at the PRN number column)

I believe that the GPS towers provide some assistance for triangulating location, but there's more to it than that. For example, they are based on timing, and that time signal used is the GPS time signal. This feature is tied into the cell phone 911 system, BTW.

As for the maps: Yes, they must be downloaded on the fly. I'm uncertain if there is a way to cache them on the phone right now. Even if not, I don't expect that to stay that way.

Anyway, I'm not trying to propose using a phone instead of a real GPS--for the time being. But, it won't be long before that is a real possibility, and the way we're headed, it will be free. I give Garmin and the rest of the GPS manufacturers about a year or two before they better change product lines to stay in business.

qzing01

Mark,
I am not to sure what kind of phone you have or if it has a built in gps receiver or not. There are more and more phones coming out with a built in receiver. I do know that if your using an android phone and the Google maps that are provide with the android OS, than the phone will need to down load maps for navigation. The Garmin phone is the only phone on the market that the street level maps come preloaded on the device. The type A gps is assisted gps and is tied in to the 911 services. How ever if you don’t have cell service the best they can do is what is call predictive ephemeris data, that uses a number of algorithms to guestimate your current location. As far as GPS being free, it has always been free. Its the software and hardware to utilize that data that costs money.

The shocking cost of free GPS...


http://w**w.businesswire.com/portal/...18&newsLang=en

Mark Doiron

As you point out, I forget that there are folks who use iPhones and AT&T's (and other company's) data limiting plans. I use T-Mobile's unlimited data plan. And I think it won't be much longer before pretty much everyone expects unlimited data, despite AT&T's recent backing away from that (I believe video calling will bust things wide open). Anyway, I'm not arguing for using a cell phone for these purposes (mine is a MyTouch, BTW, my son's is a Google Nexus One--both have built-in GPS reception). Personally, I think I prefer a single-purpose device, but the price and performance has got to be right.

I think that what is being charge for maps that the manufacturer did not develop (it's based on USGS, DMA and CIA data that is freely available) is outrageous. I'm not very fond of the GPS manufacturers for charging outrageous prices to massage public domain data to proprietary formats. I'll be glad to see that practice die--can't happen soon enough.

BTW: I just returned from running the White Rim Trail and used my Nuvi 500 100K topos and a National Geographic paper (vinyl, actually) to track our progress. Maybe I'm just a Luddite, but I can't image having a 3.5 or 4 inch square through which I must look at the larger scale map. That's why I didn't opt for the $120 for the UT/etc Garmin maps--too much like trying to read a map through a straw. That NatGeo map was a ton easier to use, would never break down (in fact, had to be carried anyway for that very reason), and cost me all of $13.

One final BTW: A couple weeks ago we compared my son's Nexus One running his GPS application to my Nuvi purchased earlier this year. The Nexus One was consistently more accurate, with the Nexus One having roads that were missing on the Nuvi, and construction warnings (available for a monthly fee on the Nuvi, no charge over Google). I like my Nuvi 500, but the Nexus One and free software and an already paid for unlimited data plan kicked its butt during our trip through NY, NH, MA and ME. Honestly, the GPS manufacturers better wake up.

qzing01

When was the last time you updated you maps? I know there is a ton of things that could be improved upon, but in my opinon having everything all in one is a big plus. Less clutter on the dash to me is a little safer. I also would want to recommend looking at the screen while your driving. that is what the garmins voice navigation is for. google does give there mapping for free with the android os that is on your sons nexus but then again if you lost your data connection/cell coverage you would not have maps even if you had a gps signal.


One final BTW: A couple weeks ago we compared my son's Nexus One running his GPS application to my Nuvi purchased earlier this year. The Nexus One was consistently more accurate, with the Nexus One having roads that were missing on the Nuvi, and construction warnings (available for a monthly fee on the Nuvi, no charge over Google). I like my Nuvi 500, but the Nexus One and free software and an already paid for unlimited data plan kicked its butt during our trip through NY, NH, MA and ME. Honestly, the GPS manufacturers better wake up.[/QUOTE]

Mark Doiron

I bought it new less than six months ago. I updated it at that time. I'm not about ready to pay $120 for the next update (they only give you 60 days for the free updates)--they didn't even have the two year old Best Buy near my home in their map data base. It was pitiful.

qzing01

Its 120 for lifetime map updates or 69 for a one time update. The maps are updated quarterly now. Also, the part about some places not being in the mapping. Almost all navigation companies get their maps from Navteq(Megelan/tomtom/garmin/lorance etc.). If a location is not in the mapping data it is usually because they choose not to or they have not reported their location to Navteq yet. For the most part I think they have done a pretty good job considering how fairly new public navigation is and how many new roads and residences there are every year in the world.