Orange Sat Nav – worth 200 minutes per month?

Changing from PAYG to contract and have been offered two similar deals from Orange.

One has Orange Sat Nav and picture messaging included, the other is the same price, has 200 extra minutes per month, but doesn’t have the Sat Nav or the picture messaging.

Anyone used the Orange Sat Nav? Is it worth sacrificing the extra minutes for?
Will I be able to download something equally as good (if not better) for a one off payment, or even for free?

Thanks in advance and apologies for yet another ‘phone thread.

Get an Android phone and it comes with Sat-Nav, although you do have to allow for data on your contract or PAYG SIM.

It’s an Android phone I’m after.

Contracts are similar, only differences are the ‘Panther’ contract comes bundled with the Orange Sat Nav & the pic messages, the ‘Dolphin’ one doesn’t and has 200 additional minutes per month.

Sorry, I’m completely new to all this mobile contract malarky and am now very, very confused. 🙂

If the Orange Sat Nav is a good peice of software, I’d be tempted to sacrifice the additional minutes, which I’d probably not use anyway.

Can I download something equally as good as the Orange software?
Would be prepared to pay for something decent.

Just wondering if anyone has any direct experience.

Dunno about Orange satnav, but there are many free and paid-for alternatives. CoPilot is well regarded, is full satnav and is a one-off payment of 20 quid (ish).

Get an Android phone and it comes with Sat-Nav, although you do have to allow for data on your contract or PAYG SIM.

I don’t think co-pilot does. Orange’s apps are in general total shite.

Co-Pilot looks like just what I’m after, thanks.

Orange’s apps are in general total shite.

If I buy the ‘phone from Carphone Warehouse, but with an Orange contract, will it still come with Orange branding and all the Orange apps installed?

Contract is the same whoever I buy from, but would prefer a non branded one if I don’t get on with it and decide to sell it on in the future.

Android has built in sat nav from Google. I’ve used it a couple of times and it’s great. I’d hazard a guess that it’s better than the orange offering. The only caveat is that it needs an internet signal, either 3g or wi-fi, to plan the route. Oh yeah it also needs a recent version of android but any phone you buy now should be fine. Once planned it caches the route but if you deviate it needs an internet connection to re-plan. I used it from Sheffield to the arse end of Wales and it worked great.

Obviously not as good as Tom Tom or other dedicated sat-nav but I use it once in a blue moon and is a good ‘freebie’.

There’s a review of it here… http://www.trustedreviews.com/car-tech/review/2010/06/07/Google-Maps-Navigation/p1

it also needs a recent version of android

Google Maps Navigate requires Android 1.6 or higher. If you’re getting a phone that doesn’t meet this prerequisite, seriously, get a different phone. 1.6 is three revisions behind current.

Rusty, it’d help if you told us what phone you’re looking at. I dunno offhand what CW does.

Generally, debranding (which isn’t the same as unlocking) is fairly straight forward on the Android platform, but it differs between handsets. Chances are that even if CW does come Orange-branded, it’s fixable.

Orange don’t do apps, bar a few token things.

I think it means that if you have satnav included in your bundle, you won’t be charged the data costs of download the maps.

Google maps (with navigation) is available for just about all phones for free – but not the data part I guess, unless you have free data for everything.

With the Nokia satnav application you can pre-download maps on a memory card which is great if you are abroad, or have no signal.

Funnily enough I was reading the reviews of the Orange satnav app for the iPhone earlier, out of curiosity, as I’m on O2, and the consensus seems to be that it blows goats. It only works via a 3G data connection, you have to download a complete new route if you have to change it, and it’s apparently very slow to react. Avoid like you’d avoid a herpes carrier.
In fact avoid any satnav app that requires cloud mapping and a 3G data connection rather than native mapping is going to have issues; lost connections due to heavy data traffic or sparse towers, and cost implications due to data usage limitations, (500mb/month). An example: I was on holiday in South Devon a week or so back, and any phone coverage was a luxury; 3G data non-existent in many places. The same is going to be true of Orange as it is of O2. I use CoPilot Live, the maps are native to the devise and available at all times. I don’t know about availability for the Android OS, but that’s what you need to be looking for.

That’s why Nokia Ovi maps with pre-downloaded maps is good. I DLed the whole of North America onto an SD card for when I went over there – saved me a fortune.

Ta for the advice everyone.

This is the app in question.

From looking at the FAQS it would appear that the issues Count Zero highlighted make it a bit of a non starter.

Think I’ll go for the extra minutes or try and negotiate a better contract.
It’s an HTC Desire HD I’m after (along with half the population of the UK it seems) as it seems to be getting very good reviews and comes with the latest OS.

Would like to stick with Orange as I find I can usually get a signal even where others on different networks are struggling (Swaledale and bits of North Wales spring to mind).

Will do a bit more research and maybe wait a few weeks for the minimum contract price to drop – not sure if I need 800 minutes per month!

Once again, ta for the help – I wish there was a comprehensive guide to Smartphones for beginners out there, but I can’t seem to find a decent one.

orange and t-mobile have merged, meaning anyone on either network can use either network for data\voice. So might be worth a look there.

Virgin hang their phones off the same network, and have very good deals – I got a free blackberry with 50 mins\250 texts\unlimited data & email for £10\month

Is the HD out on Orange then? Far as I knew they hadn’t announced it (unless you’re buying through a third party I suppose).

The Desire HD will absolutely hammer CoPilot about. If you want a proper satnav that’s definitely your best option. Google Nav is free, and pretty damn good, but as has been said will require data reception. I’ve used it in emergencies and it’s served me well but I wouldn’t like to rely on it daily.