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Post by cernunnos on Nov 10, 2023 9:39:23 GMT 1
People look at us in wonder , when we say that we don't have a GPS . If we need to travel I look up where I need to go online and note the places that are en-route and then drive there. Works every time,....well nearly.  |
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Post by elsie on Nov 10, 2023 10:01:54 GMT 1
Have you thought about getting a smartphone that’s larger than a fag packet. I understand your reluctance of using google maps on a small phone. Sometimes we use google maps on the iPad if we suspect a problem with the car’s gps system. There are brackets available for most sizes of tablets. For several years from 2013 I used a Google Nexus 7 tablet running iGo software. There are other free and charged for satnav programs en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_satellite_navigation_software I also have the free Here WeGo on by phone wego.here.com (from consortium majority owned by Audi, BMW, the Mercedes-Benz Group and Intel) installed. It also includes public transport, walking and cycling routes. I also have the one-off subscription version of Sygic GPS www.sygic.com installed. They all have different index databases of locations/places of interest/etc so all get used at different times. |
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Aardvark
Non-gamer
Living in soggy 22 and still wondering what's going on.
Posts: 2,172
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Post by Aardvark on Nov 10, 2023 10:10:56 GMT 1
Have you thought about getting a smartphone that’s larger than a fag packet. I understand your reluctance of using google maps on a small phone. Sometimes we use google maps on the iPad if we suspect a problem with the car’s gps system. Sadly, any "I" product is way beyond our means and I assume still won't work where there is no network coverage so unless we go out to get coverage it will be of no use at home where it would spend 99% of its life. |
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Aardvark
Non-gamer
Living in soggy 22 and still wondering what's going on.
Posts: 2,172
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Post by Aardvark on Nov 10, 2023 10:13:44 GMT 1
People look at us in wonder , when we say that we don't have a GPS . If we need to travel I look up where I need to go online and note the places that are en-route and then drive there. Works every time,....well nearly. I guess the "nearly" times are when you encounter a new roundabout or junction that has appeared since the map was published. |
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Post by elsie on Nov 10, 2023 10:15:47 GMT 1
Have you thought about getting a smartphone that’s larger than a fag packet. I understand your reluctance of using google maps on a small phone. Sometimes we use google maps on the iPad if we suspect a problem with the car’s gps system. Sadly, any "I" product is way beyond our means and I assume still won't work where there is no network coverage so unless we go out to get coverage it will be of no use at home where it would spend 99% of its life. Several of the sat nav programs (e.g. Here WeGo, Sygic) have offline maps stored on the phone so you do not need an internet connection to use them. Which is another of the reasons I have them installed. |
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Post by beejay on Nov 10, 2023 16:21:12 GMT 1
The only downside is the somewhat unreliable fixing system to the dashboard. I have returned to the car to find it, and its support fixings, sitting in the passenger foot well.
Make your own mounting to suit the dashboard location. Cut the ball off the fixing and epoxy glue it to a piece of aluminium plate size and shape for the required curvature. Attach to dash with double-sided tape.
I still have a Garmin Nuvi 2340 from 2010 and a Garmin 2589 from 2018 and both can still be updated.
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Le-Dolly
Member
La Souterraine (23) depuis '05.
Posts: 570
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Post by Le-Dolly on Nov 10, 2023 16:33:23 GMT 1
It's as well to be aware, though, that 'lifetime updates' means the pre-planned lifetime of the gadget, not the user  That can turn out to be the opposite of your statement. At one time I worked as a programmer for City Maps, they transitioned into TomTom. Now I get not only updated maps and add-ons but also the latest devices, free. I have just had a notification that their latest model, the 7" Go Exclusive is waiting for me at the local Chronopost depot upon my return to France next week. |
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Post by lurcher on Nov 10, 2023 19:18:01 GMT 1
I think there may be a customer waiting for your old TT. Your old company seem to be very generous. You reap what you sow.
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Post by cernunnos on Nov 10, 2023 21:40:58 GMT 1
People look at us in wonder , when we say that we don't have a GPS . If we need to travel I look up where I need to go online and note the places that are en-route and then drive there. Works every time,....well nearly. I guess the "nearly" times are when you encounter a new roundabout or junction that has appeared since the map was published. Nope, the nearly times are when I miss the junction /roundabout , we use viamichelin to plan the route , which is upto date. We always enjoy the trip anyway .
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Nifty
Member
Posts: 5,034
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Post by Nifty on Nov 11, 2023 6:09:12 GMT 1
you could always buy a map😃 I have a Spanish map with a main road marked on it that is an unpaved footpath. |
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Post by annabellespapa on Nov 11, 2023 10:42:47 GMT 1
Interesting post, A! I went to update our old TomTom this week, only to receive a terse message telling me that (supposedly 'for life') updates are no longer available. The subliminal message being 'you're a dinosaur and you ought to have a newer car with integral GPS'. Well sod that! I do have a smartphone and have used Google Maps in the past, which incidentally is much, much more comprehensive and accurate than the TomTom, but boy does it eat into my very limited monthly data allowance. I'm sure that there must be some way of programming it to work 'offline', but not figured it out yet Meanwhile, I still use the old TT for radar detection purposes and Dog knows there are plenty of them to detect in the Dordogne! Same here, when I saw your post I thought I would update my Tom Tom Via 135 with maps for life bought in 2016, I have had it on charge overnight and still can't get it to find a GPS signal, my account is still there but nothing I have tried will get it to update, so it is going in the bin. Google maps is the way forward, maybe install it on a tablet so you have a bigger screen. |
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Post by jeliecrack on Nov 11, 2023 12:19:36 GMT 1
People look at us in wonder , when we say that we don't have a GPS . If we need to travel I look up where I need to go online and note the places that are en-route and then drive there. Works every time,....well nearly. Me too, it is still a part of the trip to sort out the route, I like doing it as well. |
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Post by cernunnos on Nov 11, 2023 12:36:10 GMT 1
People look at us in wonder , when we say that we don't have a GPS . If we need to travel I look up where I need to go online and note the places that are en-route and then drive there. Works every time,....well nearly. Me too, it is still a part of the trip to sort out the route, I like doing it as well. and we always come back via a different route , makes things more interesting ( not being told what to do by a machine neither!  ) |
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Post by lurcher on Nov 11, 2023 13:41:04 GMT 1
After two unsuccessful attempts at finding the company that emptys our fosse (because all other communications were down) I thought its about time to ditch our old TomTom gps. Clearly we need one that can keep itself up to date with changes of roads, junctions, and maybe even be better at finding satellites. So silly me goes to Google thinking I should start by finding a review site and then go shopping with a short list of models. Pretty much all the search results bring up gps trackers and gps watches and Apps for smartphones. The nearest I can find is handheld devices for backpackers, etc. Don't they make a simple GPS to use in a car these days, or are we all expected to have them factory fitted in our cars already? They can be found on ebay, etc. but there is no way to get detailed info about features, coverage, updates, etc. Obviously the manufacturers websites would have us believe theirs is the best on the market and that the latest model (most expensive) knocks spots of all the previous models. We can only assume they were crap. Even if we won the lottery this week we wouldn't be buying one of the newfangled computers on wheels so I would still need to find a GPS that plugs into the car fag lighter socket. Back to Aardvark’s original question after loads of good advice and wide ranging opinions, I think the best route (sorry) to follow is to buy a simple, cheap, well known satnav, probably for less than £100. I am sure you will not regret it; in fact you will enjoy putting it to work and have fun with the strange questions posed by the “voice”. In the middle of France she asked me if I was going to Angela’s house which we visited once in Hampshire. There are hilarious pronounciations (?sp) of French place names which we try to decipher. I still check my journeys on my map book and, more likely, Google maps or Mappy. If I am on tour it is a certainty that I would browse paper and screen maps using all the search facilities and other helpful online information links. Once the journey has been selected I just add all the relevant places to my TomTom satnav ready for the proposed trip. My satnav person does make mistakes and I turn her off and work it out myself. Generally she is superb at getting through big towns, cities and autoroute interchanges. BUY ONE NOW |
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Post by annabellespapa on Nov 11, 2023 15:35:56 GMT 1
After two unsuccessful attempts at finding the company that emptys our fosse (because all other communications were down) I thought its about time to ditch our old TomTom gps. Clearly we need one that can keep itself up to date with changes of roads, junctions, and maybe even be better at finding satellites. So silly me goes to Google thinking I should start by finding a review site and then go shopping with a short list of models. Pretty much all the search results bring up gps trackers and gps watches and Apps for smartphones. The nearest I can find is handheld devices for backpackers, etc. Don't they make a simple GPS to use in a car these days, or are we all expected to have them factory fitted in our cars already? They can be found on ebay, etc. but there is no way to get detailed info about features, coverage, updates, etc. Obviously the manufacturers websites would have us believe theirs is the best on the market and that the latest model (most expensive) knocks spots of all the previous models. We can only assume they were crap. Even if we won the lottery this week we wouldn't be buying one of the newfangled computers on wheels so I would still need to find a GPS that plugs into the car fag lighter socket. Back to Aardvark’s original question after loads of good advice and wide ranging opinions, I think the best route (sorry) to follow is to buy a simple, cheap, well known satnav, probably for less than £100. I am sure you will not regret it; in fact you will enjoy putting it to work and have fun with the strange questions posed by the “voice”. In the middle of France she asked me if I was going to Angela’s house which we visited once in Hampshire. There are hilarious pronounciations (?sp) of French place names which we try to decipher. I still check my journeys on my map book and, more likely, Google maps or Mappy. If I am on tour it is a certainty that I would browse paper and screen maps using all the search facilities and other helpful online information links. Once the journey has been selected I just add all the relevant places to my TomTom satnav ready for the proposed trip. My satnav person does make mistakes and I turn her off and work it out myself. Generally she is superb at getting through big towns, cities and autoroute interchanges. BUY ONE NOW But don't get a Tom Tom as maps for life doesn't mean for your life but their opinion of the life of their machines, mine a 2016 model could still be used as a hands free phone kit in the car but I have that already along with the Volvo sat nav. |
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