Do people still use non phone GPS machines?

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i was cleaning out some old stuff and stumbled on to my old tom tom. have not used it in years as my phone is my main GPS now. Seeing that almost everyone has a smart phone now with gps, is there even still a market for tom tom and garmins?
 
Russian Air Force:

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US military would have spent around $200k . Russia a Garmin and broccoli rubber band.
 
Stick a fork in them they are done. Some old geezers will continue to use them but not enough to support a market.
 
I pay for data so will put the GPS on, sometimes for amusement, sometimes for actual navigation. Also sometimes I don't get a great data signal.

I still print out Google Maps directions on paper!
 
I use them. I am surprised the prices for new units have not come down. I need a new one, they do offer lifetime updates now.
 
Around town I use my phone.

On a road trip I use the Garmin for 2 reasons.

1. Signal. If I'm up in the mountains, I don't want to miss a turn or get lost.

2. Data. I've got 10gb of data but don't want to eat up a massive amount for no reason at all.
 
Originally Posted By: spasm3
I use them. I am surprised the prices for new units have not come down. I need a new one, they do offer lifetime updates now.


There's something like "Open-street-maps" that supplies public domain improved maps compiled for popular devices. I made my wife's Garmin Canada-capable for a trip she took. The suppliers know this exists and need other reasons to market.

I got my dad a garmin dash cam/ GPS that adds forward collision alert warnings. Basically to geek out on gadgetry.
 
Try to drive around the great smokey mountains with a phone based GPS. There are hundreds of square miles with no cell towers at all. You will have zero maps the entire time, and a functionally useless GPS. The old fashioned GPS will work fine. I have a prepared mindset, so I keep a spare in the glove box at all times. its a backup to the car GPS, which is a backup to the phone GPS.
 
Originally Posted By: madRiver
Russian Air Force: US military would have spent around $200k . Russia a Garmin and broccoli rubber band.


God I hope the Russians plan is to use a Garmin GPS .... *****.

Perhaps they forgot WHO built the GPS system, and who has the switch and can turn it off for military purposes at any time.

So keep doing what you are doing Russia. *****!!
 
I use one mounted in a RAM mount on my motorcycle. The resistive touch screen lets me control it with motorcycle gloves on, and I don't lose much if it falls off or gets stolen. If I were using my $700 iPhone for a GPS, losing it while on the road would be BAD.
 
Originally Posted By: bubbatime
Try to drive around the great smokey mountains with a phone based GPS. There are hundreds of square miles with no cell towers at all. You will have zero maps the entire time, and a functionally useless GPS. The old fashioned GPS will work fine. I have a prepared mindset, so I keep a spare in the glove box at all times. its a backup to the car GPS, which is a backup to the phone GPS.


If your phone has a GPS chip it will not have any issues as long as it can see a satellite.
 
Originally Posted By: bubbatime
Originally Posted By: madRiver
Russian Air Force: US military would have spent around $200k . Russia a Garmin and broccoli rubber band.


God I hope the Russians plan is to use a Garmin GPS .... *****.

Perhaps they forgot WHO built the GPS system, and who has the switch and can turn it off for military purposes at any time.

So keep doing what you are doing Russia. *****!!


GLONASS <---- Look it up.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: bubbatime
Try to drive around the great smokey mountains with a phone based GPS. There are hundreds of square miles with no cell towers at all. You will have zero maps the entire time, and a functionally useless GPS. The old fashioned GPS will work fine. I have a prepared mindset, so I keep a spare in the glove box at all times. its a backup to the car GPS, which is a backup to the phone GPS.


When was the last time you drove with a phone? Back when I had my DroidX in 2010 I used google maps in Colorado going into the mountains, it would continue to function but, would not reroute.

Now within the last few years you can download offline maps of areas you'll be so it will reroute you. Obviously if you do not have cell reception it will not know traffic details but will still work just fine.
 
Originally Posted By: 123Saab
Originally Posted By: bubbatime
Try to drive around the great smokey mountains with a phone based GPS. There are hundreds of square miles with no cell towers at all. You will have zero maps the entire time, and a functionally useless GPS. The old fashioned GPS will work fine. I have a prepared mindset, so I keep a spare in the glove box at all times. its a backup to the car GPS, which is a backup to the phone GPS.


If your phone has a GPS chip it will not have any issues as long as it can see a satellite.


Negative. Most phones download the map via data as they are used. Not all phones have the maps already installed on the phone. So while almost all phones have a "GPS Chip" in them that could probably tell you your lat/long, that's about useless if your phone doesn't have a map to go along with it. No service, no downloaded map, no GPS navigation. Yes I am aware that you can download the maps to your phone, but that takes forethought, and probably most people would not know how to do that, and wouldn't do that. Expecting their phone to work, and get a nasty surprise when they are without any form of working GPS.

A used $50 GPS in the glove box (or an old fashioned paper map) can be a life saver.
 
Originally Posted By: bubbatime
Try to drive around the great smokey mountains with a phone based GPS. There are hundreds of square miles with no cell towers at all. You will have zero maps the entire time, and a functionally useless GPS. The old fashioned GPS will work fine. I have a prepared mindset, so I keep a spare in the glove box at all times. its a backup to the car GPS, which is a backup to the phone GPS.


You can download maps in advance and cache them on the phone. I did have an old one I used to use, but I've kinda stopped using it in the last few years. It was still good, but didn't really have traffic and it was also handy when people would call you on the phone and then you wouldn't have a gps. That still happens once in a while and I have no gps and I miss a turn. The traffic makes up for it though.
 
We keep an old TomTom in the truck for camping trips as some places we go have no service and while the phone will download a map if service is spotty and you get off the beaten path you're screwed. Or get to place A and have no service to continue on to place B.

I also have a Garmin eTrex for Geocaching and other navigation (kayaks, hiking). Standalone GPS have a place as even with AT&T or Verizon there are PLENTY of places without cell service.
 
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