6 ms·

Why do people (outside of special applications perhaps... planes? military?) still use these devices? Had one in a rental car recently, after battling with it

• seren 9y ago
  I still have one in my car that I rarely use. When you have really low/bad network coverage (narrow valley for example), having a device that got the map pre-loaded is helpful. GPS coverage is far bigger than 3G/4G still. But it is more of a backup, and I would not buy a new one.
  • thaumasiotes 9y ago
    > When you have really low/bad network coverage (narrow valley for example), having a device that got the map pre-loaded is helpful. This may be an advantage of a dedicated GPS device over Google Maps, but it's certainly not an advantage of a dedicated GPS device over a smartphone.
• gambiting 9y ago
  I don't know where you live, but for me Google Maps is absolutely dire, to a point where it's actually dangerous(telling me to turn wrong way into one way street, ignoring no-turn signs etc) plus the streets are wrong and/or missing(two streets which are in reality separated by a lawn appear connected in google maps so obviously the app shows me that I can drive through there fine). TomTom/Garmin/Navteq/AutoMapa are so much better than smartphone maps it's not even funny.
  • dawnerd 9y ago
    You should load up maps on your desktop and suggest edits. They’re pretty responsive with fixing things.
    • gsnedders 9y ago
      They've got much, much worse at fixing things since they stopped relying on the community (through MapMaker) to review edits. Where things used to get fixed in hours, they now often take months.
      • dawnerd 9y ago
        I haven't seen that yet. My new street was added within a few hours. I've been able to suggest edits to locations and have them updated instantly too. Might help that I'm a "local guide" whatever that means.
  • wycy 9y ago
    Where does this happen? I've never had Google Maps do this. For me it even accurately knows what time of day roads are closed or become unidirectional.
    • gambiting 9y ago
      North East UK.
• jvzr 9y ago
  Anecdotal data: my parents (aged ~60) refuse to use their smartphones for GPS and have a dedicated device for this. They only use for long distance travels and never optimize their shorter travels (one could argue the long-distance travels aren't optimized as well, as TomTom cannot compete with Waze regarding time optimization, in my experience)
• flatline 9y ago
  Google maps (at least on iOS) changes their interface frequently and needlessly. I have not seen a meaningful update to the UI in maybe the last three years. The ability to mute the volume is the only real change that comes to mind and that's not really a UI enhancement. Rather, features useful to me jump around through the various UI layers seemingly at random. The map display changes without warning. Sometimes these changes help me navigate, sometimes just the opposite. Each time the app updates I'm never sure what I'm going to find or if I'm going to have to take five minutes out of my trip just to figure out what this shuffle of the deck brought. I swear Google employs a host of front-end engineers with no real purpose in life. A dedicated device with a predictable and unchanging UI could be very useful. The problem is that the convenience of the phone still outweighs the drawbacks for me.
• tonyedgecombe 9y ago
  I do because I don't have data on my phone.
• dingaling 9y ago
  An in-car unit is permanently powered and can maintain a warm-fix for much faster positioning than a cold-fix from my phone, which takes about five minutes with a good view.
• dingaling 9y ago
  An in-car unit is permanently powered and can maintain a warm-fix for much faster positioning than a cold-fix from my phone, which takes about five minutes with a good view. Plus the advantages of a large, external antenna. Instead of holding my phone out of the sunroof...
  • mi100hael 9y ago
    What phone do you have that could possibly require 5 mins and an arm out the sunroof just for a GPS fix?
    • Symbiote 9y ago
      Many phones with data service switched off, which might be the case when driving abroad.
      • Bud 9y ago
        Data service has nothing to do with a GPS fix. Nothing at all. No data is used. GPS does not require any internet connection at all.
        • ropiku 9y ago
          You are technically true but if you don't have internet connection to get the almanac (future position of satellites) you have to wait 12.5 minutes to download it very slowly from the GPS itself. That's what parent was saying. It works but the time-to-fix is very high.
        • mynewtb 9y ago
          AGPS uses data service to get the almanac.
          • Bud 9y ago
            Thank you. I learned something from this. How often does that almanac need to be updated, however?
• aluhut 9y ago
  Bigger display, better UI, faster GPS fix, data costs on mobile, doesn't want to unnecessary charge the mobiles battery in unnecessary intervals (other battery issues) is what comes into my mind.
• Xylakant 9y ago
  I have a host of issues with google maps. The routing and the maps itself are certainly great, but I have my phones language set to English and it attempts to use English pronounciation for all road names. In germany, this makes for a moderately hilarious guessing game (what street would that be), but when I cross over to Poland, things get unbearable. Every time you get into a tunnel, the phone looses the GPS fix, making routing in tunnels worthless. There’s a few places in Berlin where you need to take an on/off ramp in a tunnel or right at the end and a built in Navi reliably routes you, but a map on the phone cannot. It doesn’t work in regions without good cellular connectivity either.
  • mantas 9y ago
    > The routing and the maps itself are certainly great Depends on your location. In my whereabouts, Google Maps routinely routes to "shortcuts" on dirt roads. They seem to use 70km/h legal limit for those roads. Thankyouverymuch, but I'll take next exit, do 10km extra and take fully paved route...
    • Rebelgecko 9y ago
      Whatever algorithm they use is sometimes a bit too greedy. There have been times where I've been able to manually drag my path to another freeway and make it faster
      • mantas 9y ago
        What is weird, they even don't follow easiest to calculate path. Let's say there's an officially signed route following top-tier highways. Nope, it's suggesting a random dirt road. I'm pretty sure it'd be easier to hardcode the "official" routes and then check alternatives whenever there's a problem (crash, slow traffic, etc) on it. Nope, "official" one is all green and no constructions and crashes. Yet it's still suggesting the random dirt route :/
    • reaperducer 9y ago
      In southern California, I've had Google Maps take me along roads that gradually turned from pavement to gravel to dirt and then deep sand. Dirt road navigation isn't unusual where I was, so going forward made sense. But once I ended up in sand before I could find a safe place to turns around and got a "Transmission overheat" warning message on my dashboard. Thanks, Google!
• khedoros1 9y ago
  - Operation outside of reliable cell connection. - A call or text at an inopportune time doesn't inhibit navigation. - The dedicated UI is simpler and doesn't change; my GPS is about 8 years old and has stayed the same the whole time. Every Maps app I've had has changed a dozen damn times since then; I value the stable interface more than the bullshit bells and whistles. It needs to show me directions and be otherwise unobtrusive; a phone doesn't do that. - Sometimes I turn my phone off to eliminate distractions - Sometimes I'll hand my phone to my kid to play a game A phone does a thousand things, but none of them as well as a dedicated device can do 1 or 2 items from the list.
  • reaperducer 9y ago
    > - Operation outside of reliable cell connection. This. I just spent the entire weekend outside of cell range. And I can't always download maps in advance because I rarely know where I'm going from day to day.
    • Const-me 9y ago
      > I can't always download maps in advance because I rarely know where I'm going from day to day. Can’t you download offline maps for the whole country? On my phone I have two sets of offline maps for my + neighbor countries. Microsoft is free, Garmin was one time purchase. Both work OK without Internet.
      • lightbulbjim 9y ago
        Yeah, I'm not sure why it's such a common complaint that phone service is required for navigation. There are plenty of apps available which let you download whole countries/regions for very cheap, and can do all of their routing offline.
        • exodust 9y ago
          Because people will typically use Google maps, and Google only provides one month of offline map data before it demands to be put online again to "refresh" that data. Honestly, the way Google changes the goal posts and rearranges the furniture within its own apps, I stay well clear of that mess when I need consistency and reliability. My phone remains a phone when I'm driving and need an uninterrupted, non-internet, non-phone navigation device.
• ars 9y ago
  Because my phone is used for other things on long drives, so I like having a dedicated devices that's just GPS. It's on a suction cup on the car and stays there - I don't take it in the house with me. Unlike a phone, you also don't need a data connection to navigate anywhere in North America. I may have to buy a cheap phone that does nothing except Google maps, and leave it in the car (but fear of thieves means I can't leave it on the windshield all the time, unlike a GPS which no one seems to steal anymore). Good job killing your market TomTom - why would anyone buy a device from you ever again? I actually have a built-in device in the car, but I don't use it, and instead use the TomTom device because the car one blocks input if the car is in motion. I guess whoever made it has never driven with a passenger.
• mulmen 9y ago
  The UX on smartphone GPS apps is awful. My 10 year old car allows me to do things like search for gas stations and rest stops on my route and does a much better job of working with previous destinations. Cell phone GPS/Nav apps are slow and awkward to use and offer little in the way of useful features beyond simple turn-by-turn navigation.
  • menage 9y ago
    Google Maps has supported on-the-route searching for a while - it will give you a bunch of options on the map, indicating how much of a detour each requires.
    • mwexler 9y ago
      Another good one: when tapping on the Garmins, it tells you the nearest address, which can be a godsend when you are on the phone trying to meet someone. TomTom isn't as good at this, but Google and Apple maps both fail this. Try finding the nearest address to you, while driving a route, without tons of butterfingering.
    • mulmen 9y ago
      Cool, I did not know that was there. The UI in my car categorizes points of interest then shows me a list sorted by range. It's a lot easier to parse while driving but the Google Maps functionality is good. Over a long distance I could see it being a bit hard to decipher. I believe my car also allows filtering by top-tier stations only. I did not notice this functionality because I have learned to be very afraid of touching the screen while navigating with Google Maps for fear that the navigation will be cancelled and I will have to start my search over again.
• mikestew 9y ago
  Why do people (outside of special applications perhaps... planes? military?) still use these devices? Strap your cell phone to the dashboard of my 1200cc on/off road motorcycle, take it down the Dalton Highway from Fairbanks, AK until the Arctic Ocean stops you (more accurately, British Petroleum will stop you). When you return, I'd like to know 1. how your navigation experience was with no cell connection until you get to Deadhorse and 2. After being beat to death bouncing down 900 miles of gravel road, does the phone even still work? I have lots of applications for GPS usage that have nothing to do with military use or an airplane, and I only use my phone in the car. Otherwise I probably need something with offline maps and less delicate than an iPhone. Without an unwieldy Otterbox case, phones are delicate little things not suited to harsh environments.
• djsumdog 9y ago
  The UI on my Pioneer GPS from 2009 was way better than the current UIs on Google, Here and Waze maps. I like the distance indicator as you approach a turn. I suspect these UI elements are patented and Google/Here don't want to pay to incorporate them into their apps. After having and Android head unit, I think I'd rather go back to a Pioneer dedicated nav unit with Bluetooth connection to my cell/music.