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Google Maps good enough as GPS?

My D2 came preinstalled with google maps. I find it pretty cool.
Why do I need another GPS software such as TomTom 7?
Is it purely for navigation (such as in a car)? Also which software would you recommend?

Why do I need another GPS software such as TomTom 7?
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What happens when you're lost somewhere and can't get a 2G/3G signal??

well , a full featured Navigation system will provide a lot of extra features, and is usually faster - unless you have HSDPA
just compare them (youtube videos) with google maps and youll see the differnce

cencored said:
My D2 came preinstalled with google maps. I find it pretty cool.
Why do I need another GPS software such as TomTom 7?
Is it purely for navigation (such as in a car)? Also which software would you recommend?
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Click to collapse
I have a stand alone GPS. I've owned TomTom and iGuidance for my phone. I use Google Maps for everything and never touch the others. It does not have all the fancy bells and whistles but to me it's much better. Everything is always up to date. You can get walking directions. You can see street view. You can see satellite view. It does not take up any room on your memory. It's free and always updated.
Between Google Maps and Windows Live Search (Bing.com), I have no need for a paid GPS program.

WMguy said:
I have a stand alone GPS. I've owned TomTom and iGuidance for my phone. I use Google Maps for everything and never touch the others. It does not have all the fancy bells and whistles but to me it's much better. Everything is always up to date. You can get walking directions. You can see street view. You can see satellite view. It does not take up any room on your memory. It's free and always updated.
Between Google Maps and Windows Live Search (Bing.com), I have no need for a paid GPS program.
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Ditto! No need for anything else.

I think it depends on the region of the world you are travelling in.
Google maps is totally useless here in Japan, and it has limited use in Europe (my opinion) while in US it might replace TomTom or Garmin or ...
I needed Garmin and a special map for Japan, because with Google there is no routing possible here.

Does your Google Maps speak to you? Give you turn by turn directions?

mrmckeb said:
Does your Google Maps speak to you? Give you turn by turn directions?
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No it doesn't speak, but I can read, and yes it gives turn by turn directions. I have a speaking Garmin, and I spent most of my time reading with it, to help get where I was going.
With street view you can see exactly what the building or place looks like that your going to, I have even seen the front of my house.
Really the only draw back is, you need a good data plan, but I have that for other reasons, so for me that's not an issue.

I'm using Garmin XT and it's much faster (significantly less lag) than Google Maps with 3G...

I have to agree that Google Maps is superb, with its satellite and street views. But, is the TD2 3G radio in combination with a typical network really good enough for serious standalone GPS replacement?
Even in London there are very many weak coverage spots where data transfer hardly works (unless you're willing to hold the phone high in the air, not a "cool" sight!). In the countryside there are huge regions with very little 3G coverage and minimal 2G coverage.

For walking Google Maps is fine, you've got plenty of time to look at it and decide where you want to go, but for driving Google Maps it too slow, as it has to update the maps via download and too small a view to be glanced at while driving, all the dedicated SatNav Driving programs are fast, don't reply on a data connection (which will drop out) and give big clear directions which you only have to glance at, and not take your eyes off the road for too long.

Lots of good points here. I am currently overseas and really need some free gps guidance, so google maps is a nono. I have switched off internet access via my provider completely to avoid horror bills.
So I am looking for a reliable gps software particularly for walking, so it needs to have pedestrian function.
Any recommendations?
Garmin, TomTom, ...??

cencored said:
Lots of good points here. I am currently overseas and really need some free gps guidance, so google maps is a nono. I have switched off internet access via my provider completely to avoid horror bills.
So I am looking for a reliable gps software particularly for walking, so it needs to have pedestrian function.
Any recommendations?
Garmin, TomTom, ...??
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Where are you? For Asia there is not a lot of possibilities. MapKing is one, GarminXT with some special local maps (in english) the other.

harolds said:
No it doesn't speak, but I can read, and yes it gives turn by turn directions. I have a speaking Garmin, and I spent most of my time reading with it, to help get where I was going.
With street view you can see exactly what the building or place looks like that your going to, I have even seen the front of my house.
Really the only draw back is, you need a good data plan, but I have that for other reasons, so for me that's not an issue.
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Using Google Maps when you are abroad could be a real pain unless you buy local SIM Card .

Google Maps cannot, and I repeat, cannot be used as a GPS in the car. Google Maps even shows this warning when installed.

TyKH said:
Google Maps cannot, and I repeat, cannot be used as a GPS in the car. Google Maps even shows this warning when installed.
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Have to agree with u there, tried using it once in a car and got completely lost. you need TURN BY TURN DIRECTIONS FOR IT TO WORK AS A NAVIGATION SYSTEM.

Google Navigator
Have a look at Google Navigator. It solves the problems mentioned above:
you can go online _or_ download a map for a region before starting your trip.
cu
André

Good Topographical Mapping?

I use to have a Garmin 3600 Palm/GPS combo. One of the coolest things I found was the ability to download raw data from USGS and create my own Topo maps for different areas I wanted to explore. (You could also spend $120 and get some pretty good ones from Garmin).
The GPS on my Nexus One locks faster than any GPS device I've ever used. I was wondering if anyone has experience with good GPS applications. I'm thinking outdoorsy, not road navigation. How about the ability to create and use my own maps? I want something that works even when (or especially) when there's no data/cell service available.

Another thing, why the hell don't we have google earth? In the desktop application you can use alternate map sources, and I think this would be perfect. I sure the hell won't use all my 16GB of card space on music and videos...

That was my response. Google Earth. I think they demoed as much in the N1 press conference.

Update
In case anyone else was interested in this:Just downloaded Trimble Outdoors from the Market. Cost $10.
Looks to have some good features and topo maps can be cached for offline use to the SDcard. I was checking out the topo maps for the area around my house, and it looks like they are using USFS maps from the 1950s or 1960s. There are a number of trails and roads missing, but it's definitely better than nothing. I think I'll contact the developer to see if it would be possible in a future release for loading my own maps.

GPS recommendations for hiking uk?

as per title really going hiking next month and need a decent app for hiking, ive got one now but it's untested and i dont really like it, off hand i cant even remember the name of it!
Many thanks

waz000000 said:
as per title really going hiking next month and need a decent app for hiking, ive got one now but it's untested and i dont really like it, off hand i cant even remember the name of it!
Many thanks
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I'm using the program RUNsat, you can find it here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=613381
There's a new version.

Not tried these, but maybe of help:
this (paid) lets you view OS maps on the move:
http://www.memory-map.co.uk/pda_mobile.htm
this (free) lets you get speed, altitude, distance, etc. and data for post analysis using PC:
http://www.1800pocketpc.com/2010/04/28/gps-sport-tracker-1-3-0-free-gps-app-for-windows-mobile.html
Let us know what you find useful as I'd be interested in what's good for UK hiking too.
Ian

i use memory map both for off road driving and for hiking. because os maps are used then not only can you see tracks etc. but you can work out heights and elevations as contour lines are used.
in addition, you can plan a route in advance and put this as an overlay on your map. you can then follow this realtime using your gps. also, the route you are actually taking draws a track which you can save and keep.
by using tweaks you can rotate the screen as you wish.
because the memory map prog is driven from your pc you only have to download a section of a whole map therefore saving memory card space. installed prog runs fine from the memory card.
Mike

MemoryMap +1

memory map for navigation.
Runsat for logging routes, (also known as Navmi).
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=613381
depends on what you need..
Runsat can download openstreetmap/opencyclemap tiles, which depending on where you're heading can include quite a lot of data including paths and contours.. but obviously memory map has much more data on it ..
I use both quite a lot, professionally and otherwise, and contribute to openstreetmap/opencyclemap so I tend to like using that data whenever I can

Free CoPilot with T Mobile Pulse - is it worth the download?

As anyone who has taken T-Mobile up on there recent offer knows, you get a free copy of CoPilot Live with selected phones, which includes the Pulse.
With it being the "Live" version, I'm wondering if this is any better or worse than the free Google navigation that comes with Android 2.1. The later does turn by turn, voice, and (as far as I'm aware) the unique ability to be able to overlay satellite imagery over top of the map.
I've no idea what CoPilot offers (I know there's the website, but I doubt they'll be giving away the latest version)
So is CoPilot worth the download? Or should I not bother and just keep the phone holder?
After all, it seems like a lot of hassle (prepare an SD card, download the app, request a license key, blah blah)

speckles said:
As anyone who has taken T-Mobile up on there recent offer knows, you get a free copy of CoPilot Live with selected phones, which includes the Pulse.
With it being the "Live" version, I'm wondering if this is any better or worse than the free Google navigation that comes with Android 2.1. The later does turn by turn, voice, and (as far as I'm aware) the unique ability to be able to overlay satellite imagery over top of the map.
I've no idea what CoPilot offers (I know there's the website, but I doubt they'll be giving away the latest version)
So is CoPilot worth the download? Or should I not bother and just keep the phone holder?
After all, it seems like a lot of hassle (prepare an SD card, download the app, request a license key, blah blah)
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i definitely would take it. i used for a long time (although not sooo legally ) the big advantage was live traffic to avoid traffic jams and OFFLINE MAPS which was very useful for me becuase i dont have a data plan.
i have prepaid of a discounter ^^
furthermore i think the interface is way better and it is only developed for navigation.
google navigation seems at least for me to be an addon for google maps which works quite well nut copilot works in another league.
i hope i could help in any way.
could be that my point of view is very limited as i just cant use google maps that much without an unlimited dataplan. (24cent/mbyte is way too much to use it for navigation)
cheers

Even if you have a good dataplan, CoPilot would be worth getting because it will work where the 3G coverage is poor or non-existent.

Good points, I'll try it when it comes and check. Offline maps for non-3G areas would be an excellent feature.

I'm using it on my Milestone and I think it's pretty good (even though I have 'unlimited' data anyway).
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Sent from my Milestone via the XDA Tapatalk App

i think copilot live does not use data to calculate routes
only if you use the live traffic updates etc then it uses data?
thats what im understanding?

Looking for a geocaching app

Because simply put, the $11 geocaching app is kinda crap. I'd like to have an overlay on the stock 'maps' app that'll show me the nearby ones, so I can do more than one at a time. Kind of a pain in the arse to do it their way.
www(DOT)geocaching(DOT)com/map/default(DOT)aspx?lat=47.12304&lng=-122.3156
They have a google map available, even. They're not opposed to google integration, they're just a little bastardly about everything.
Help?

c:geo is the answer, it's in the market.

NerfJihad said:
Because simply put, the $11 geocaching app is kinda crap. I'd like to have an overlay on the stock 'maps' app that'll show me the nearby ones, so I can do more than one at a time. Kind of a pain in the arse to do it their way.
www(DOT)geocaching(DOT)com/map/default(DOT)aspx?lat=47.12304&lng=-122.3156
They have a google map available, even. They're not opposed to google integration, they're just a little bastardly about everything.
Help?
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c:geo has some uses, but IMO it's too slow to load data (online or GPX) and its main usefulness is if you're caching in an area which you don't already have a Pocket Query for, or for a brand new just published cache you don't have a PQ for.. So for those times I keep it on hand.
My actual caching program is GeOrg. It's $6 but it's well worth it. It's fast as lightning loading GPX, it doesn't slow down when you have 500 or even 1500 entries in a database, you can have many databases to separate out data, and it has great tools built into it, great Maps integration to navigate inside the client, compass is great, and it also has great integration with Google Maps to navigate using the old school 2d overview or using Google Navigator.
FYI for my usage, I tend to make a database per PQ because then I know which to load based on where I am and there's less to scroll through, but you could as easily load all of your PQs into the same DB. I went somewhere over a weekend and loaded up 2300 caches in one DB and there was no noticeable slowdown.
AND... If you load your PQs into bcaching, there is a connector there which you can use to access, so if you really want online on the fly without having GPX on the device you can do it that way OR if you can compile yourself, he provides a completely ready to compile project for a connector directly to geocaching.org to load data directly from their databases, but he won't provide it in binary/apk form to comply with their rules. Either way is still faster than c:geo
And you can of course log or create field notes in the app. There are also some useful solvers built in, you can create waypoints, do offsets (waypoint projection), store databases in internal storage or on SD card, etc.. He also has plans to support Bluetooth GPS directly in his app in the future, but I've found Bluetooth GPS Provider works great for that for increased accuracy and sensitivity vs the internal GPS in my Nexus One.
BTW, I use Tasker to get PQ's onto my phone, but you could do it any number of ways. You could save them from email or whatever works best for you. I've had a system for about 5 years where all of my PQ's arrive at my server and are digested and placed into one central zip file so I download that one file for my "local area" and that's what I typically import when I update the database when going out caching, and I have a larger zip file which contains all the other PQ's that I update when I go to one of those locations. GeOrg can update directly from the zip, or you can point it right at a gpx.
If you're at all serious about Geocaching, GeOrg is the way to go.

If you don't have a premium membership I'd also suggest to use "c:geo" - its free and not that slow as it sounds in khaytsus' post and it provides all the important features, but more userfriendly (my opinion) than "geOrg".
I use it mostly for paperless caching even with parallel use of my Oregon device for exact navigation. But i don't have a pm and the original gc-app is crap (just my opinion, too).
c:geo has an builtin compass as well and uses the google maps client/navigator for map and navigation. It can store caches including notes and waypoints offline, can calculate waypoints ("waypoint projection") and log founds online.
The most awesome feature is the "livemap": it shows the immediate environs around your position with all known caches - with their types and if they're deactivated or not. This map follows your movements, which is interesting for caching tours by car or bike...
The author of the app is providing fixes very fast, sometimes maybe too often, but everytime when it's necessary.
I've tried "Columbus" as well, but it didn't fit my needs and i've found it not as clear as c:geo. But it's worth to try it, too...

so... it has a localized map of geocaches in your surrounding area that'll respond to basic 'zoom' commands, so I can just wander around while bored and do some caches?
...Looking at it, yes. Yes it does. God I love you guys.
I don't have a premium account. Would that prevent the awesomeness that it is from working?
I ask because I'm a tool and I bought the $11 geocaching app thinking it'd add a layer on maps...

khaytsus said:
My actual caching program is GeOrg. It's $6 but it's well worth it.
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Totally agree. GeOrg is the best.

sorry man can't help u

mcfisch said:
If you don't have a premium membership I'd also suggest to use "c:geo" - its free and not that slow as it sounds in khaytsus' post and it provides all the important features, but more userfriendly (my opinion) than "geOrg".
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It's free, and in this scenario, so is Geocaching.org, since you don't have a premium membership. Way to leach.
mcfisch said:
c:geo has an builtin compass as well and uses the google maps client/navigator for map and navigation. It can store caches including notes and waypoints offline, can calculate waypoints ("waypoint projection") and log founds online.
The most awesome feature is the "livemap": it shows the immediate environs around your position with all known caches - with their types and if they're deactivated or not. This map follows your movements, which is interesting for caching tours by car or bike...
The author of the app is providing fixes very fast, sometimes maybe too often, but everytime when it's necessary.
I've tried "Columbus" as well, but it didn't fit my needs and i've found it not as clear as c:geo. But it's worth to try it, too...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All that applies to GeOrg, as I already said But it's much faster. You can not compare the speed at which GeOrg imports GPX vs c:geo importing GPX. Nor can you compare the speed at which GeOrg loads details vs the c:geo load details for nearby caches. Live map functionality is pretty similar, the only difference is that GeOrg doesn't directly provide a feed from geocaching.org since it violates their Terms of Service. They do directly provide a bcaching feed which is pretty much the same. Personally I am a Premium Member so I have GPX and can load up the local caches and go in seconds.

For people who also use GSAK there is a new free app: GDAK on the market.

GeoTag
I noticed that this is an old thread, but for people who are still interested:
I use GeoTag which I took off my SE X10i Mini, a bit of searching will lead you to it.
It looks like google maps with minature versions of your geotagged images overlayed and you can select them to view in gallery
Works good for me but each to thier own!!! )

khaytsus said:
It's free, and in this scenario, so is Geocaching.org, since you don't have a premium membership. Way to leach.
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Perhaps people want to participate in this hobby without paying a membership. Why should one website have a monopoly on an international hobby?

You don't have to pay!

Just as a note, because it was not mentioned yet...
Did anyone try the combination c:geo and Locus? Perfect for offline caching!!!
Cheers

berkley said:
Just as a note, because it was not mentioned yet...
Did anyone try the combination c:geo and Locus? Perfect for offline caching!!!
Cheers
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Agreed. Nothing beats C:GEO. The responsiveness of the dev is amazing. Best app on the market, hands down.

LexusBrian400 said:
Agreed. Nothing beats C:GEO. The responsiveness of the dev is amazing. Best app on the market, hands down.
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He has to be responsive, he's scraping data and Geocaching.com breaks that every time they update...
Shame that loading GPX data into c:geo wasn't more responsive.
I'll stick with GeOrg, it's extremely fast, flexible, has a LOT more tools for hunting and placing caches built into it, and as I've already mentioned can do On The Fly caching just like c:Geo if you really want that.

GeOrg will also use Locus maps.

tdusen said:
GeOrg will also use Locus maps.
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Is that using precached tiles with the Custom Tiilepack map type? Yeah I forgot to mention that, although I use BackCountry Navigator.. Topo and OSM maps, I can't get the sat tiles to view properly, I suspect because they're 512 pixels rather than 256 but not sure.
I need to pester the GeOrg dev about that.