Looking for a decent GPS for my car.
Any specific recommendations may b from dick smith might have some good bargains?
Car GPS
anonymoususer on 21/04/2016 - 22:43
Comments
The problem with using your phone is that you can't touch it while driving, while you can do whatever you want on a dedicated GPS unit no worries.
So whilst driving I can play Doom on my dedicated GPS?
Yes you can touch your phone to use its navigation function while driving, as long as it is mounted on a commercially made mount. How illogical would that be if that were illegal?
Most of the Dick Smiths around me just have those "move" branded phone cases left.
One was even selling a broken laptop (cracked screen, does not even turn on) at like 25% off…don't think that will ever get sold :P
If you're looking for a deal, perhaps eBay's 15% off at selected stores can help. Should be plenty of options at Bing Lee.
Buy a phone mount and use your phone is much better.
Here Maps from Nokia is decent. It is free and offline. You dont need worry about your data.
If you got enough data, use Google maps. It tell you the best way to avoid traffic.
There are many great paid navigation apps as well. All cheaper than a GPS.And when you touch it to update the route or put in an address and get pulled over for using your phone while driving? I prefer a dedicated GPS which is just as dangerous to operate while driving but with no illegality.
Use "HERE MAPS" on your phone.
Yep, as others said it's best to use a phone.
An added bonus is you can use it as a dash cam too!
I love my Garmin Nuvi 2689LMT. It's amazing. The benefits it has over my phone:
- Lane Guidance Technology: On motorways, freeways, and almost all major roads, the GPS tells me which lane I need to be in. eg if I need to turn left and then make a right shortly after, it'll say "Be in the right lane…" This constantly saves my ass, especially when on a motorway with 5 lanes in the same direction and what seems like a million different exits! My fav feature!
- "Natural" Language: Instead of my phone which says "Turn left in 300m", this little baby says "Turn left before the McDonalds" or any other landmark it knows. It knows petrol stations, fast food, pubs, liquor stores, and stop signs. So instead of me being like "arrghh is it this road.. or this one.. oops missed it" (or watching the GPS to see when I'm close enough), it'll say "Turn left at the stop sign" so I know exactly which one it is.
- Satellite signal: My phone/google maps always used to lose signal in Sydney CBD.. apparently it's the congestion of the buildings etc? Anyway, the GPS doesn't lose signal, almost never unless you're way way way underground in a carpark. Also, if it DOES lose signal in the occasional tunnel… you would never know, because it can keep calculating whereabouts you'd be based on what it knows your speed was AND the speed limit AND any traffic incidents etc. So I exit the huge tunnel, and it's pretty much perfect. Meanwhile, my phone just announces it's lost signal in the tunnel, and the blue dot ends up being a million miles away from where I really am when I come out. Then it takes a few precious minutes to catch up, at which point I've missed the exit arrrgh.
- Day/Night mode: The GPS has some sort of sensor where, if it knows it's night-time or you've entered a tunnel or carpark, it'll change its colours and contrast to suit that. And then switch back to normal mode in the light.
- Traffic Incidents: I'm sure my phone did notify me of traffic incidents, but never as reliably as my GPS. The GPS tells me if there's a delay 20mins ahead, and then reassures me with ".. but you're on the fastest route" or "Re-routing now". It even picks up stuff like a closed lane due to trackworks (something Google Maps never would for me :( ), or a broken down truck in the last 20mins, etc.
- Other random stuff: Other stuff I find convenient is… having a bunch of saved addresses you could go to, being able to nickname them (eg "Navigate to my doctor"), accepting phone calls via the GPS if I want to, voice commands of course, and being able to create multi-step routes (eg go to friend's place, but actually, mid-way I'd search for a petrol station and 'add' it to my route, and shuffle the order so that it suits me). I'm sure most of these features already exist in phones / google maps etc though.
Phewf! OK you can see I'm a fan. Maybe I'm just a noob, but honestly the lane guidance + natural language are the best features to have ever happened to me.
Coming from a phone-only user.. I now 100% believe in the power of my GPS and wouldn't go without it!So if I use my phone with a mount as a GPS can I also use it as a Dashcam so that the app will record in the background at the same time ? Anyone have any experience or recommendations for this ?
Two things to remember if you use your mobile phone rather than buy a GPS set.
1. It has to be mounted in a cradle and you cannot touch it once the engine is started.
2. Mobile phones do not use GPS, they use cellphone towers for location and guidance so they are not as accurate or reliable.hmm, so when a phone spec lists against the GPS feature: "Yes, GPS + AGPS + GLONASS + BDS(BeiDou Navigation Satellite System)", you are saying that they really mean cell tower navigation ???
No my original post was incorrect. Most mobile phones do have GPS, but they do not have some of the accuracy functionality of GPS sets.
If your phone has GLONASS then it probably will be very accurate.
See kittiekat's entry above. That pretty much demonstrates the difference.
I think the "cannot touch it once engine start" rule only applies in certain states. I would say, the safest bet is to look up your own state's traffic rules.
In NSW, the rules on GPS usage is actually really odd.
If you hold a Green P or a full licence, you CAN use your phone as a GPS. However, if you hold a learner's licence or Red P, you MUST NOT use your phone as a GPS, however you are legally allowed to use a GPS unit.
Thanks guys. But I specifically just want a dedicated GPS unit (no phone).
dick smith is pretty much empty.
why not use your phone as for GPS?