GPS model

[kien]

I know you said no smart phone.. But one option is to get an old/used smart phone (with GPS) and install a stand alone nav app with built in maps. You can use GPS on your smart phone without using any cellular data. This is what I do when I'm in the US. I use Garmin's Navigon app for iPhone which has it's own maps so I don't have to use any cellular or wifi data while using the GPS app.

[kien]

The added bonus is that you can also use your smart phone as a portable web browser by enabling wifi whenever you want. Plus you can use it as a point and shoot camera. Or music player. All of these features you can use without having any cellular data plan on the smart phone :-)

[Ross]

Originally Posted by kien

But one option is to get an old/used smart phone (with GPS) and install a stand alone nav app with built in maps.

Which nav app do you use without a data plan?


I had a Tom Tom and the screen died on it just after the warranty period expired.
Only used it 3 or 4 times.
So needless to say, I'm leery of them

[kien]

Originally Posted by Ross

Which nav app do you use without a data plan?

I use Garmin's iPhone Navigon app. It's essentially the GPS software found in some of their GPS units but in the iPhone. Not sure if there is an Android version or not but I would guess yes. What's nice is you have the flexibility to install whatever Province/State map you want. Right now I just have Alberta maps installed. When I travel to the US I will load up the state map. While using the app it doesn't need to constantly download map data like Google Maps. It's all pre-loaded just like a standalone GPS device.

[pinhead]

Tom Toms are extremely easy to customize and update.

Many models have exactly the same hardware with features disabled on the cheaper models. By loading modified firmware you can change an entry model into a full featured one. Maps are readily available and are easily added to the main memory or sd card. They are generally updated 4 times a year. I have changed the maps and used the Tom Tom in both Europe and Australia.

My brother has a Garmin and he is basically is stuck with the stock firmware and map updates are expensive.

I can give you some links If you want to do some research.

[intarsiabox]

Originally Posted by pinhead

My brother has a Garmin and he is basically is stuck with the stock firmware and map updates are expensive.

How old is it? When I was looking for my last GPS unit every Garmin model (even the cheapest) had free life-time maps and updates.

[pinhead]

Originally Posted by intarsiabox

How old is it? When I was looking for my last GPS unit every Garmin model (even the cheapest) had free life-time maps and updates.

I am talking about hacking the Tom Tom. Free maps from anywhere in the world. New firmware to make the GPS do things that they cannot do out of the box. Modifying the device, the maps or the software if the GPS doesn't quite do what you want it to do. The Tom Tom hacking community is large, not so much for Garmin.

Sort of like the open sourced Android vs Apple argument

[mike31154]

Originally Posted by kien

The added bonus is that you can also use your smart phone as a portable web browser by enabling wifi whenever you want. Plus you can use it as a point and shoot camera. Or music player. All of these features you can use without having any cellular data plan on the smart phone :-)

That's pretty slick! A market for old smart phones. I still like my phone to be just that & haven't bought into any new plan other than whatever the older network (3g?) is, but this has me thinking... Although if you're going to go this route, why not simply get one of the newer, small tablets with GPS hard/software? Larger screen than an old smart phone... better for folks like me with small font reading issues. I can sort of see why few retailers stock much in the way of GPS hardware any longer, virtually all new vehicles have it built in to their audio/video systems these days and as mentioned most new smart phones have GPS as well.

I did see an ad for a new 'heads up' GPS that mounts on your dashboard & displays info on your windscreen...

Personally, I find my old Garmin Oregon 200 adequate for most situations. I originally purchased it mainly for my backcountry adventures, but it has a number of mode & profile options including hiking, road, marine. All can be customized or you can use them as is. The only thing it doesn't do is talk to you, which is fine by me. It's also a bit small, but that's because it's main purpose is for travel in the boonies, so size & weight are important. I've used it in my cars, motorbikes, bicycle & paddling. A few accessories such as a "RAM" mount & power cable to save the batteries is all I needed to purchase separately. Also had to buy the Garmin Topo Canada maps back when I purchased the unit. I think the newer ones have most of the street & highway mapping info included, the Topo is only needed for backcountry travel. For road travel in the USA I would need to buy additional map software.





Here's a screenshot of data downloaded from the Oregon 200 & imported to Google Earth. Not bad for a unit that's a few years old & no longer made...