Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
I like a navigation tool that just does that (sole function) and does not depend on cellular and does not impact my phone or other tools that might depend on their own battery power. Sure I have a cell phone and it has apps. I want a dedicated tool. I do like the mid size tablet as a navigation tool, but a dedicated navigation tool is something I like.
I haul around a GARMIN navigation tool all the time on road trips....I prefer it over my phone.
You don't need a cell connection to use your phone as a navigation device. I use Google Maps, GaiaGPS, and AvenzaMaps. They all work with offline maps. And when I'm in cell range, they automatically update. Best of both worlds.
IMHO, the UX on most navigators suck.
does that not depend on the phone in use? Well yes...with "offline" maps, thats true.
Not sure what this new device from garmin has with respect to specifications, but my preference is for the device to navigate without cellular input, and without having to upload offline map data. A truly stand alone GPS device that functions off and on road, sure if signals are out there it could use them, but when not, it should not turn into a brick. (cellular signals). To the extent I'm aware thats how stand alone GPS tools work. Or I would like the ability to load say a an entire state map (off-road data) via usb or other sim card type device and then "let her rip" as far as navigation...or better yet an entire region (multi-state) uploaded by sim card, if the data were to be too large for all of that to sit on the device at once. Seems that data devices keep shrinking in physical size and growing in capacity, (SSD) or whatever is used as the drive device in these tools. Given the technology advancements it would seem a device that functions off-road in the same fashion as those for on-road would be fully feasible at this point, with less requirements for the end user to pre-plan or to upload offline map data. I understand that the volume of off-road data is likely huge...in comparison to the data used to just navigate via pavement, or thats my guess. But off-road data only speaks to elevation and generalized direction data...etc, rather than the on road data that shows businesses and resturants...etc...etc.