iPhone + Navigon vs a real gps

[max384]

Originally Posted by _cy_

thanks... so I take it one cannot download different maps without purchasing a new Navigon app.
that's not going to work as I'm setting up to go RTW... back to a dedicated GPS.

I don't want to say that's definitely the case, but it appears to be anyhow.

[forrestlaw]

Originally Posted by abhibeckert

What/how do you plan to use it? Maybe we can point you towards the right app.



Yes, apps do go on sale. But which ones and when isn't very predictable. Sometimes a paid app will even be free for a limited time (if you "buy" a free app, you will still be allowed to download it for free as many times as you want in future, even if it goes from free to paid).

#1 - on road for sure. I plan on mounting to my handlebar with ram mount and using it to keep from getting lost on street rides. Also, I plan on using it for making sure I get to where I need to go on both the bike and in the car.

#2 - I found the website appshopper.com which lists all apps and any price drops/increases and new version for pretty much every app. It seems that the GPS apps seem to go on sale 3-4 times per year for a discount of 10 to 20 dollars off.

[nhbubba]

Just read through this thread. Intriguing.

I am an iphone 4 user. Predominantly street rider. (I know, I know, GTFO, right?!)

My biggest single goal with a GPS is to be able to pre-plan routes and trips using either google maps or the Garmin software and then download the finished routes to my device for use underway. I know several people who publish nice routes they know of in *.gdb file format.

Can any of these itoy apps read this format? Can you easily exchange routes and tracks with Garmin users?

[dlearl476]

Originally Posted by nhbubba

Just read through this thread. Intriguing.

I am an iphone 4 user. Predominantly street rider. (I know, I know, GTFO, right?!)

My biggest single goal with a GPS is to be able to pre-plan routes and trips using either google maps or the Garmin software and then download the finished routes to my device for use underway. I know several people who publish nice routes they know of in *.gdb file format.

Can any of these itoy apps read this format? Can you easily exchange routes and tracks with Garmin users?

I think you mean .gpx files. I don't know if you can share files FROM an iPhone. But you can certainly upload .gpx routes to one.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=773211

http://www.gpsxchange.com/phpBB2/index.php

[nhbubba]

Nope. I meant gdb or Garmin GPS Database Files, which is what my copy of MapSource seems to read and write. These files are what the GPS enabled riders I know seem to share their rides in.

Maybe I need to get some schoolin' in GPS file formats. Google doesn't seem to be much help here.

Even pointed searches about importing into Navigon doesn't return much of value.

Is GPX more universal or something?

[dlearl476]

Originally Posted by nhbubba

Is GPX more universal or something?

I have no idea. Other than between my own PC and my own Garmins, the only file type I've ever transferred has been a .gpx. Probably has more to do with the 15 hours of trouble shooting required with any Garmin product.

[Jeff@TheQuadShop]

Originally Posted by nhbubba

Is GPX more universal or something?

Yes, it has become the universal standard for GPS files.

[max384]

It had been awhile since I had updated my apps. Most of my apps are just games and I don't bother with updates on a regular basis. I was looking through the available updates and noticed that Navigon needed one. One of the new features of the latest update was that you can download maps of states individually to save HD space. Great idea if you ask me... However, I didn't realize that it would delete all of the maps that were currently downloaded when I updated. I updated it and went to use the GPS a couple days later and a screen came up that said I needed to install the maps before using it. It requires having a wireless internet connection to download, but I wasn't at home and only had cell signal. WTF! Navigon has really disappointed me in how they handled this update. It wouldn't have been a big deal if I had realized this was going to happen, but I didn't.

[odellkevin]

I have a 60CSx with handlebar mount/power wire, all the maps, etc. I got my first iPhone about a year ago (I know, I know), an older 3GS, used $220, I've got NaviGon version 1.8.2 (the new 2.0 kinda sucks) on it with City Navigator Western Europe NT 2012, (~ 1.8 GB). I haven't even turned my 60CSx on since. I never really liked the CSx anyway, because even mounted on my handlebars 2 feet away, I could hardly make out the route, and I didn't like leaning in closer to it and trying to hit buttons while driving. So, what I do now is, put my desired route into the iPhone, start my music up, plug my headphones in (speakers mounted inside helmet), click the power button once to turn the screen off, slip the iPhone into the chest pocket of my jacket, and I'm off. I'm listening to my music, and when a turn is coming up, the music volume goes down, and this British chick comes on and says, "Turn right, at the T junction in 200 yards", and then my music comes back up. The GPS knows how fast you're going, and the maps know the speed limits on every street, so when you're speeding, she comes on and says "Beware", (you can change this to a warning only when you're 10, 20, 30 mph over the limit, only in rural or urban, or not at all), but my favorite is the one I had to dig deep into the options to find and is turned off by default, it's when she says, "Beware, watch your speed!", it means there is a traffic camera coming up, I don't know how many 1000's of $ she's saved me in tickets. So basically, I've trained myself to navigate solely by the voice commands. Occasionally, I'll get confused, and I'll have to pull over and take it out of my jacket and actually look at it, but the more you go by voice, the better idea you have of what she wants you to do. The only caveats I have so far, are, it does get a little warm inside the jacket, and the GPS receiver will eat up your battery, (one clicking the power button to turn off the screen helps tremendously, because by default, when the GPS is navigating, the screen will never turn off) I can navigate and listen to music with the screen off for usually about 4-5 hours before it dies. I've kicked around the idea of running a cigarette lighter style iPhone charger cable from the power plug on my cluster into my jacket, but I really haven't been on rides long enough to completely kill it. And like has been mentioned before, no, you don't have to have a cell signal to use it. It uses a built-in GPS receiver just like a Garmin/TomTom/etc. Plus, like other people have said, it's a cell phone, a camera, an e-mail/internet checker, music, calendar, video, blah, blah, blah, and I'm all about "multi-use" items. I might sell my 60CSx, or just keep it as a spare in case I lose/destroy my iPhone...who knows. The only other thing I really want to figure out is how to import .gpx files into Navigon, there's a whole boatload of them on bestbikingroads(dot)com, and I'm dieing to get them into my iPhone.

[John Smallberries]

Originally Posted by nhbubba

Just read through this thread. Intriguing.

I am an iphone 4 user. Predominantly street rider. (I know, I know, GTFO, right?!)

My biggest single goal with a GPS is to be able to pre-plan routes and trips using either google maps or the Garmin software and then download the finished routes to my device for use underway. I know several people who publish nice routes they know of in *.gdb file format.

Can any of these itoy apps read this format? Can you easily exchange routes and tracks with Garmin users?

Motion X almost has this right. You can easily upload/download .gpx files from Google Maps, BUT - only to their Motion X product. Motion X has no turn-by-turn street navigation. Their other product - Motion X Drive - has excellent turn-by-turn navigation, but cant accept .gpx files.

Unfortunately, the Magellan Roadmate app can't handle .gpx files either. So - at this point - Motion X is the best choice I know to follow a .gpx track, but no computer voice talks to you!

For instructions - use the Google search "site:www.advrider.com Motion X gpx"

[Emmbeedee]

There's a really interesting article explaining iPhone GPS technology here: http://www.macworld.com/article/1159...ion_works.html

[abhibeckert]

Originally Posted by John Smallberries

There is some amazing technology churning away under the surface.

That article barely even scratches the surface. There's a *lot* more going on they don't talk about. Most of the juicy stuff isn't documented, except at the WWDC conference, most of which is available as an almost endless list of hour-long videos (if you pay for them).

Suffice to say, they're throwing hundreds of millions of dollars at their research lab, who are doing everything they can to get the best location fix possible.

Originally Posted by John Smallberries

With my iPhone, i don't even worry about these things - it just works.

Yup!

[max384]

Argghhh!

Ever since I last updated Navigon, I've been having nothing but troubles with navigating on my phone. My GPS constantly loses signal and I have to restart the phone to get it back (restarting the app doesn't work), the app will randomly pause on me, and the app is slow to respond and choppy at times. This all started immediately after updating Navigon, and only happens with it, not other apps. I'm at the point now where I wouldn't want to trust the Navigon app if going on a long trip. Today was such a damn headache.

Is anyone else having these issues?

[DRZ Charlie]

Not using Navigon but I am/was using TomTom for iPhone. I had the same issues but noticed it after Verizon put out a "Carrier update". The GPS either had a "poor signal" or none at all which was odd because all of my other apps that use GPS were fine. I finally just got rid of TomTom even though it's a very pricey app.

[Jeff@TheQuadShop]

No problems with mine at all.