What's recommended?
Whatever Tomtom is on offer
Your phone?
Google maps/voice navigation on your phone
No smartphone here
I'd agree with the phone thing, if you have a smart phone. I've used a couple of free sat nav apps which work just fine, but now I just use a Google maps.
[url= http://www.amazon.co.uk/Great-Britain-Super-Scale-Atlas/dp/1843488620 ]Navigation device[/url]
Not what you're looking for but whilst it was a lot of fun, I would not recommend Hertz's Magellan-based NeverLost. Hilarious for driving on the I-78 around Newark.
I used to have a Garmin. Slow, expensive, clumsy to use. Took ages to find the satellites. Now I just use intuition, a map, or the iPhone. Apple's Maps program is OK. Google Maps is better for finding 'things' - businesses & the like.
CoPilot on a smartphone. Circa £20, well worth it.
If you're dead set on a dedicated device, check your local pawnerie; Cash Converters in town here have a few for very little money, they had a TomTom One in for £20 last time I was passing.
+1 for Cougar's suggestion. Some of them might even have a list of useful destinations still on them from the previous owner.
Not used one but lots of good reviews
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An unlocked MotoG is about £100 and WAZE is free and lets users submit traffic data both manually and automatically and it learns your regular journeys and can advise if your usual route is best avoided because of a one-off accident, etc.
If you haven't got a smartphone now is the time to embrace the future!
Doesn't using a phone use loads of data?
Doesn't using a phone use loads of data?
No.
Once you've downloaded the maps on wifi they use no data at all.
A mate used google maps on his phone for 20mins when we got lost in Roeun france last year. He said not to worry he had European data allowance. Cost him £27. How we laughed when he got the text telling him the news.
I use garmin a the minute and not an exspensive one, pretty simple to use and it can pin point house numbers most of the time, wheras google maps is way off on that front and I can't reliably get it to save for offline on my iphone, also when you do it doesn't save all the street names and can only do a small area. There is also all the lane stuff which it doesn't do
No.Once you've downloaded the maps on wifi they use no data at all.
That totally depends on what programme you're using. Google Maps or Apple Maps will use plenty of data, much like granny ring says. Tomtom app, Sygic (also very good), etc with maps that you download shouldn't use any data unless you've left a live update function switched on.
Alternatively, does the current version of Google Maps on Android still let you save a big chunk of map for offline use?
Presumably a smartphone wouldn't need a SIM card if I was using offline mapping?
Presumably a smartphone wouldn't need a SIM card if I was using offline mapping?
Correct.
Once you've downloaded the maps on wifi they use no data at all.That totally depends on what programme you're using. Google Maps or Apple Maps will use plenty of data, much like granny ring says.
Obviously.
Which is why I said you needed to download maps first on wifi. So you don't use data at all when in use.
U can download google maps on andripd just tried it
Nokia Here Drive+ on my lumia 920. Can be used offline so no data used. Its that good I dont need to use my Garmin one anymore.
[quote=nealglover ]Which is why I said you needed to download maps first on wifi. So you don't use data at all when in use.
Well that depends. On my trip yesterday I had data switched off on my phone and the route I'd selected on Google Maps before I left worked fine (had downloaded maps for the whole route before I started). Had to turn data back on for it to do the return route (it won't route without a network connection) and left it on to get traffic updates. Burnt through 20MB in a 2 hour trip - seems a lot for just traffic, so wondering whether it was also updating maps given a network link (I don't have enough data allowance to want to do lots of experiments - that's more than my daily average allowance).
The issue as mentioned is that if you have data turned off Google can't reroute.
I used Navfree on the same trip earlier in the week (it's a regular trip I don't actually need directions for) and that worked fine with data turned off, including rerouting when the motorway ahead had a big hold up (I simply selected "no motorways").
Oh and quality s/h Sony smartphone from ebay £40 (not as good a spec as a Moto G, but then that doesn't have Ant+).
so buy a used smartphone to get an ap for similar cost of buying a dedicated satnav?
Errr right.
JG Tesco direct have a tomtom for 80 that includes Europe. I hate using sat nav on my phone.
porlus - MemberNokia Here Drive+ on my lumia 920. Can be used offline so no data used. Its that good I dont need to use my Garmin one anymore.
i thought the same when i first got my Nokia-but a current 3 week trip round Europe shows it to be utter crap. Cant find particular streets, routing is crsp, cant drop pins on the map, cant accept co ordinates. Have gone back to my trusty HP Ipaq running Igo8 and a compactflash GPS module.
[quote=hora ]so buy a used smartphone to get an ap for similar cost of buying a dedicated satnav?
There are of course other advantages to owning a smartphone (you'll note my Ant+ requirement) - if you just want a cheap satnav then probably buy a dedicated one of those on ebay instead. Though clearly my solution with a smartphone is half the price of what you're suggesting.
Thanks all - ended up getting a used TomTom off eBay for £20