iphone as GPS

Hi Twinkles,
If you use the gps s/w and then use google maps to locate yourself, then depending on your phone plan you may pay for the data that is downloaded to the phone.

hope this helps
Bryan

Hello Twinkles.

If you are using any of the programs that rely on Google Maps, then you must have mobile phone reception and a data plan of some sort (sometimes included in the normal plan). The phone downloads the maps over the mobile phone network as you travel along. In general, Google does not like you storing the maps on the phone but some programs have found ways around that. In any case, no reception, no maps and you are tracing a line on a blank screen. The download data can add up pretty quickly so watch your plan carefully. Also, no spoken directions with this option.

If you buy either Tom Tom or Sygic from the App Store, then you have all the maps on your phone and no longer need phone reception for the GPS to have maps. This option has turn by turn spoken directions. There are no topo maps readily available for these apps so you are restricted to named streets/roads etc.

The GPS in the iPhone is an "assisted GPS" which means it uses the mobile phone towers via triangulation to help get a fix. It will still work out of reception area but can take a long time to get a satellite fix. Mine took about 20 minutes out near Oodnadatta. The iPhone antenna is one of the poorest I have used, but I still like the phone a lot. Also, the battery drains at an alarming rate when using a GPS program like Sygic.

Cheers,
Mike

i dont know what your laws are like over there, but you can get charged in more ways than one over here (VIC), as they now say that as it is predominantly a mobile phone, using it for navigation is using a mobile phone and therefore illegal!

oh........in that case.......yes the laws are really being aimed lower than the slowest person over here, i think they get the slowest person, imagine him having an inbred idiotic second cousin who is married to someone half their IQ, then imagine these two people reproducing, and aim the laws at their childrens idiot mate!

If in a car when mobile....then YES...by the POLICE.


.

It works really well and you don't get charged apart from the data used when accessing the Internet etc. I use Motion X GPS for off road stuff, it's an awesome app.

Hi Twinkles, Pop into your local apple shop as apparently there is a car adaptor with a built in gps receiver improving on the std unit significantly. I could probably find out more details if you want.