reubenray
Pearl River, LA.
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I just bought a new Samsung Note Android phone and plan on using it as my GPS. It has a 5.3" screen and comes preloaded with "Google Maps Navigation with spoken turn-by-turn directions showing real-time traffic".
Will this be enough for my trips or will I need to download something else?
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Klueck
Florida
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I love my Droid Gps. We have a regular gps that we use for trips, but to find the nearest grocery store, library, or something like that nothing beats the Droid. Its much easier to program. The only problem with it being your only gps is that sometimes you lose your gps signal....can be a pain if you don't have a back up.
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wcjeep
Tacoma, Wa
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Should be enough. You can also pre plan routes on the Computer and send to your phone.
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davelinde
Lake Nona, Florida
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We have set up my DW's Android and the Garmin to do dueling GPS. Both work. Get a car charger for the Android -- GPS on chews battery.
Dave Lindemulder
Tammy, Mark & Kirsten
04 Dodge 2500 4x4 SLT QC/SB HO-CTD/48RE
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docj
Fulltime--Home is where we park it
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The one unnerving thing about using a phone as a GPS is when it suddenly loses the data signal and simply "stops". A Garmin or equivalent GPS will continue to work for a period of time after it loses the GPS signal so you usually never notice when this happens.
Sandie & Joel
2000 40' Beaver Patriot Thunder Princeton--425 HP/1550 ft-lbs CAT C-12
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Kiwi_too
Western, WA
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I use my Thunderbolt as a GPS all the time. I do not use VZNavigator but the true navigator. My Thunderbolt has an actual GPS and uses assisted GPS through the phone system and towers. You can lose assisted GPS when out of range of a tower or blocked by obstacles. I do not lose actual GPS unless in a tunnel or a blind spot that a Garmin will also lose signal in. Look into what type of GPS is in the Samsung and that will tell you how you will use signal and when you might lose signal.
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sch911
Rochester Hills, MI
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As stated the maps are not stored on the device so a data connection is always required. There are alternatives to Google Maps that do store map data on the phone. Be advised!
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Kiwi_too
Western, WA
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sch911 wrote:As stated the maps are not stored on the device so a data connection is always required. There are alternatives to Google Maps that do store map data on the phone. Be advised!
Yes, This is correct. My phone only stores a few bits of maps around the immediate area. If I lode the towers, I lose maps but not navigation until I reenter an area with a cell tower.
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Dick_B
Palos Heights, IL USA
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We used ours to get around California on a recent trip but have a Garmin with a big screen for our RV travels. It sets on the dash and one need not hold it and it plugs into the 12V socket so it never loses its power.
Droids are notoriously power hungry especially when doing something continuous like navigating.
Dick_B
2003 SunnyBrook 27FKS
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RFCN2
MT
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I have been using the Droid directions features for two years now. It is not a good substitute for something like a Garmin. Just my humble opinion, but to us the Droid is something to be used in conjunction with the Garmin. Plus the maps are way easier to see on a big screen Garmin (Or Tom Tom or Magellan) than the Droid. I think my current screen is 4.3" on the droid and 7" on the Garmin.
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