Phone app or dedicated GPS unit?

OP
OP
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Apr 6, 2014
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u/k
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ST1300
Tried out the difference between a Zumo and a Copilot phone app---

The Zumo is so faint and muffled to hear even with volume tuned up on directions through a Bluetooth helmet.
A phone is much better to hear on Bluetooth , the maps are pre loaded in the phone so don`t need data.
I find squinting at a gps screen in the sun is asking for a smash , and i can`t really adjust it while moving.

Best way for me is -- set up the route on the phone while having a pee break, put the phone in my jacket pocket with a power lead in to ciggy 12v socket.
It does not get hot in there , is waterproof, I won`t be tempted to fiddle or stare at it,it is very clear to hear , the maps are updated daily free.

Remember to remove the helmet when off the bike, as the phone still gives directions to a Mc Donalds while on foot!:D and you will look like a nurd!!
 

JPKalishek

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My old android is stuck with using Sprint Towers only so coverage is spotty (it also doesn't preload maps well ... too old), but when it has signal I find it works better for routing than either Garmin I have. It does get hot, and I have had it lock up, but the times of arrival, and the routes for No Highways/Quickest Route are better when it works. I need to upgrade to a newer phone. My 2455 sent me well over 100 miles out of the way on such a route from my home in Alvarado to Nacogdoches. On long trips I tend to only use the speedometer modes anyhow, and then use the Maps on either once I get close to a destination.
I need to return my Garmin for repair (it thinks it is connected to a computer when the power cord is plugged in, due to corrosion I have not been able to rectify) and have been thinking of getting one of those that is running WinCE and loads maps and POI from the intertubes but is waterproofed for bike use and not nearly $600.
 

gepol

Greek Guy
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I used to have a dedicated GPS unit made by Navigon. It was OK, but slow. When I went on a long to trip from Athens Greece to Brussels Belgium I borrowed a Zumo 660 from a friend since the Navigon was almost obsolete (very old) and could not handle the maps well. When in large cities with tall buildings, the Zumo was lagging a bit but it was OK. At that time, I had an iphone 3GS with me, and I tried it just for fun. The response was much better than the Zumo.

Now I use my Samsung Note/I, with Navigon software. I agree with all of the above comments (heats up, ridiculous battery consumption while on operation(battery goes down even while charging), not weather proof, etc.) But the speed of the processor makes it like watching video - smooth and fast, nothing like the Zumo 660 or any other dedicated GPS I have come up with.

Now, in terms of user friendliness, I would prefer a dedicated GPS, because you can lock it on the bike, it switches on and off with the bike, mounts and unmounts easily, it has better anti glare screen, you can use it wearing your gloves while you can't on the phone, but on the other hand I find that a good GPS like Zumo 660 or similar is ridiculously priced for no reason. Or in any case I cannot afford one :eek::.

My 2p :)
 
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ST Gui

240Robert
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you can lock it on the bike, it switches on and off with the bike, it has better anti glare screen, you can use it wearing your gloves
After using my iPhone for navigation those are the only reasons I'd ever consider a standalone GPS. My old n?vi can't be updated to current maps because of its storage is too small. But a Zumo is just way too expensive for my taste.

And the convenience of inputting a destination on the fly is a big deal to me. I don't even have to touch the phone. I use the phone daily but a GPS only occasionally.

Now if a Zumo were much more reasonably priced I'd have one if only because I'm a gadget guy at heart.
 

ST Gui

240Robert
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So why not correct this by throwing a microSD into the slot... even a class10 costs only a few bucks...
You assume way too much. The SD card held the extra map data but the Garmin wouldn't see it. It would see music that I loaded on the card but not the maps.

So.
 
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Definitely a dedicated GPS. I've tried both and would almost rather skip assisted navigation than try to use a phone again. My Zumo 665 has it's shortcomings, but it is much better than trying to use a phone. A phone is very clumsy- usually a smaller screen; smaller print on the screen; difficult, if not impossible, to make adjustments while riding; it only works if you have cell coverage, which is fine in cities, but where I am, I was left without navigation half the time I used it; a MC friendly GPS is waterproof; the GPS will handle bumps and vibrations better than a phone...too many more reasons to list.

Oh, and I haven't found any phone software yet that will let me enter a whole trip and navigate to different points- it will just let me enter one destination and go there. If there is something, I'd appreciate a heads-up so I could try it. I still wouldn't use it on the bike, but it would be handy as a backup in the cage.
 

SupraSabre

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I prefer a dedicated GPS. I have a NIB Garmin Nuvi 765 (that I just bought a few months ago). I have music playing from the MP# in it and my phone all tied into a Autocom. Works for me just fine!

I can make changes to the 765 with gloves on. I doubt if I could do that with my phone.
 
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I used the SPOT for 2 things- keep a log of my rides to look at later, and for my wife to know where I was. I'm divorced now, so no need for instant tracking when there is nobody to watch it anyway. Bubbler takes care of saving the trip logs just fine. It also DOES let you send out messages- more detailed than SPOT, and you can change them any time, unlike SPOT.

I don't rely on a gadget to save my life. You are lucky to get help with a phone, even if you are connected. Hoping every step of the Spot emergency service goes right is nice, but I wouldn't rely on it. Hopefully it works if it's ever needed, but hopefully it is never needed.
 
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I have to say I've used my Blackberry Storm2 and now my Blackberry z10 both as a GPS and as a moving map and as a route planner. One nice thing that I like about the navigation apps on Blackberry is they have several that don't need cell towers to run. They have a couple that do satellite navigation. So if there is no cell service the GPS still works. I also use it for intercom and music as well. The GPS is easily heard over the music as it mutes the music when giving voice directions for Moving Map. I have a mount that puts it just below the bottom half of the speedo in my view. It works great and with icon screen friendly gloves I don't have to take off my gloves at stops to change settings or take calls.:dr13:
 

Blrfl

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Looks like I get to go through this decision process myself since the touch screen in my aging Lowrance iWay 500c bit the dust yesterday.

--Mark
 

ST1100Y

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You assume way too much. The SD card held the extra map data but the Garmin wouldn't see it. It would see music that I loaded on the card but not the maps.
You'll need to create a folder named [Garmin] on the SDcard...
 

Appalachian

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I've been on too many stretches of road where I've looked down at the GPS for a second, or tried to call up a nearby gas station, only to discover how far to the side or center of the road I've drifted. I don't mean to stand on a pulpit, or claim to be self-righteous, but as I age, my reaction times aren't improving.
Yes, but this is more a function of personal choice, than device function...

Choose well, ride safe :)
 

moddy

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This comes up in pretty much every thread we've had about this subject: there are GPS applications for all of the major mobile platforms that keep the maps on the phone and don't require a network connection.

--Mark
The two apps I use are Sygic and Maps.me for Anroid. Both are free and you download the states you'd like, to keep the memory on your phone as free as possible. Neither utilize a data connection for navigation.
 

SteveST1300

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I still use my ZUmo 550 with a Sena SMH10 and SM10 The Zumo gives me GPS and XM radio as well as Mp3's My phone pairs with the SMH10 the SMH10 with the SM10 the Zumo plugs in to the SM10 it all works seamlessly. I use my phone for WAZE when I am on the highway it wrns me of traffic police etc. I dont use the phone for routing.
 
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Garmin nuvi 350 mounted right back against the screen. super cheap as its a car one but has audio out which I use with an extension cable to the seat where I plug in direct. problem about a phone one is simple if you ever forget to remove it you just lost your phone and your life. lose a ?35 car one and oh well
my 350 cost me ?35 plus ?5 to mount it. A waterproof case capable of holding and charging my phone would cost ?60 unless I get one of those cheap universal cases but they look awful. to anyone stuck with older maps on a garmin as mentioned above maps go onto the sd card in a folder called Garmin however some models wont read maps bigger than 2gb in which case you would need to put 2 maps west and east Europe and the only ones that will fit are the 2013 ones. eventually I may get a 660LM
 
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