iPhone, GPS , Maps
Submitted: Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 16:36
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Brian B
Has anyone looked at using the new 8gb iPhone to load maps onto for navigation in the outback
Reply By: chisel - Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 16:59
Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 16:59
I've looked and looked for iphone apps that can use raster maps but the only things I found were US-based and downloaded maps directly from a server (google TopopointUSA and Fugawi). I haven't been able to find ones that you can supply your own maps to. It should be possible, but hasn't been done as far as I know.
There are many gps apps for the iphone though - so if you don't need raster maps (eg. hema 4wd maps) then maybe there's something else which does what you need with some sort of topo maps. (I've looked for these too, but not very hard as I want to use my hema maps).
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364854
Reply By: Brian B - Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 18:02
Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 18:02
Does the GPS component require the phone to be in range?
If not then it would be ideal for bush walking??
AnswerID:
364871
Follow Up By: Russell [Pajero] - Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 18:24
Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 18:24
Its a AGPS system, assisted GPS believe it uses sattelites and Towers giving reasonable performance in most circs. Only had
mine 24 hours and I'm impressed. Bought on recom of friend whos a techo and pushed it to the limits for 6 months.
Russell
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Follow Up By: Brian B - Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 19:38
Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 19:38
Just to clarify, it doesnt use the mobile component, it uses normal satellites like normal GPS, and therefore can be used anywhere in the outback, like the Magellans etc.
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Follow Up By: Russell [Pajero] - Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 19:44
Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 19:44
Just to clarify your clarification please read
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPS_Phone.
I thought it was quite clear that it does get assistance ffrom the network.
Russell
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Follow Up By: viz - Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 20:34
Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 20:34
Unless I am very much mistaken, the iPhone does not have a GPS receiver built into it and relies on network access for AGPS - in effect no network, no GPS.
viz
iPhone and ? nut
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Follow Up By: viz - Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 20:35
Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 20:35
That ? should have read as the Apple symbol :)
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Follow Up By: chisel - Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 20:43
Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 20:43
The original iphone did not have gps. The new iphone 3g, the only one that has been sold directly into Australia, definitely does have gps and will work without the assistance of the phone network - ie. outside coverage areas.
Unfortunately most of the gps apps (eg. inbuilt google maps) basically rely on phone coverage to download the maps as required. That should change soon with the introduction of real turn-by-turn (car satnav) gps apps.
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Follow Up By: Stu-k - Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 20:45
Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 20:45
But the price of maps for a mobile device is around $200, so you have to wonder if your not just better off buying a dedicated gps
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Follow Up By: Member - John W (WA) - Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 20:47
Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 20:47
I use a samsung omnia i900 , it runs igo8 , also ozice, plus
google maps
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Follow Up By: viz - Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 21:23
Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 21:23
Hi chisel,
Most of the reading that I have done shows that the 3G phone has GPS *functionality* (geek-speak for GPS-like functions?); nowhere can I find anything about the GPS receivers e.g. type, number of channels, accuracy etc. Or if you can use it has a USB GPS receiver for say a laptop using Memory Map...)
I'll do some more research and enquiries - seems to me quite amazing that there are no apps available for GPS mapping software (yes you would have to pay).
Watch this space :)
viz
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Follow Up By: ben_gv3 - Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 22:41
Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 22:41
Have a mate with an IPhone who wanted to use GPS outright. He found Tomtom actually made an app for the IPhone but was blocked by Apple.
The IPhone does have a dedicated GPS receiver but there are no apps available due to Apple.
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Follow Up By: chisel - Friday, May 15, 2009 at 16:15
Friday, May 15, 2009 at 16:15
There are plenty of gps apps - and some very good ones. There just aren't any (a) decent turn-by-turn car navigation apps (will be soon) or (b) moving map apps that can take maps like oziexplorer.
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632691
Reply By: Brian B - Friday, May 15, 2009 at 20:13
Friday, May 15, 2009 at 20:13
What I was looking at was to reduce the number of gadgets. Currently I have a Magellan explorist 600 and a tomtom 720
The tomtom works great, and woiuld be costly to use the iPhoine.
I was looking at storing maps on the iPhone (8gb storage), and then use the GPS component to track the vehcile when 4wding or bushwalking. If it does that then I can remove the Magellan.
Think the GPS comonent has been trahsed, yes it does work outside of range, just need to workout how to store maps on the iPhone
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