[S_U_N]

^This might be off-topic, but on my Moto Defy with Sygic 11, I surely got more than 3 hours. I did not wait for it to discharge completely, so I don't know how much more it could go on.
IMHO, 50 minutes and 2 hours seem to be a battery issue.
In addition, with Sygic, there is a setting where it operates slower or conserves more battery when it is unplugged. This is ON by default. If your phone has a good CPU (say 1 GHz) then it might be sufficient to give you a good response and yet, not eat up too much battery.
One disadvantage with using mobile instead of a dedicated device is that sometimes the mobile becomes unresponsive while trying to receive a call and sometimes the map application becomes unresponsive or loses the customized route after a call is ended (based on my experience.)
So, a dedicated device is always preferred, but you need to shell out more.

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by S_U_N

^This might be off-topic, but on my Moto Defy with Sygic 11, I surely got more than 3 hours. I did not wait for it to discharge completely, so I don't know how much more it could go on.
IMHO, 50 minutes and 2 hours seem to be a battery issue.
In addition, with Sygic, there is a setting where it operates slower or conserves more battery when it is unplugged. This is ON by default. If your phone has a good CPU (say 1 GHz) then it might be sufficient to give you a good response and yet, not eat up too much battery.
One disadvantage with using mobile instead of a dedicated device is that sometimes the mobile becomes unresponsive while trying to receive a call and sometimes the map application becomes unresponsive or loses the customized route after a call is ended (based on my experience.)
So, a dedicated device is always preferred, but you need to shell out more.

hmmm.
this is for 2 BBs, one x10, one Iphone4 and some nokia thing.
3 hours, all gone!

[kap04]

Originally Posted by Nicky

I had the same dilemma when i bought my car and wanted a GPS unit. As tech geek i decided to work with my Phone only. I had android phone and i got mapmyindia maps working on it. it was really good. i just bought car charger for my phone (200Rs- capdase) and mobile car stand (500Rs - capdase).
I never felt any need of separate big screen GPS unit.
Now i am using Iphone 4 as my GPS unit whenever i need it. Most of the time i use Google maps. I hardly use mapmyindia.

As you said you are not going to use it too much. I think you should not buy a separate unit.

Second that. I too use my Galaxy S , with a charger and a holder I picked from flipkart. Using google brut maps and voice based navigation works perfect. Have been on a couple of long journeys, and this has helped me in locating some places around bangalore as well.

[Me-hul]

Guys,

I have HTC Incredible S. I observed that GPS accuracy its showing is in the range of 800m-1200m. But as of what I know most of the phone GPS have an accuracy of around 3-100 m. Any particular reason of such a low accuracy?

[prabhuferrari]

Originally Posted by Me-hul

Guys,

I have HTC Incredible S. I observed that GPS accuracy its showing is in the range of 800m-1200m. But as of what I know most of the phone GPS have an accuracy of around 3-100 m. Any particular reason of such a low accuracy?

I have the same phone and get better accuracy. Cam you please let me know which app you used to check the accuracy?

[Me-hul]

Originally Posted by prabhuferrari

I have the same phone and get better accuracy. Cam you please let me know which app you used to check the accuracy?

The preloaded 'google maps' app.

[DerAlte]

How did you check accuracy with the Google Maps app???

[vu2pmc]

hi,

I would like to know if any of the built in GPS on phones can ever accept DGPS signals? ( differential GPS ) / compatible? I have never used a built in GPS.

[alto99]

Originally Posted by Me-hul

The preloaded 'google maps' app.

Google maps on moblie (windows) use mobile tower location to locate position if GPS is not switched on or it cannot receive GPS signal. At such times it also shows a message similar to "Seeking GPS satellites"..
This may be true for your mobile too.

Originally Posted by DerAlte

How did you check accuracy with the Google Maps app???

Google maps itself pops up a message "You location within xxx meters".

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by alto99

... Google maps itself pops up a message "You location within xxx meters".

A-ha, but that is not a very accurate measurement of 'position accuracy' - that is only a very dependent accuracy intimation of what Google thinks it has achieved. The dependencies are
- (as you said) whether the internal calculations were based on tower or GPS
- whether there were sufficient recent GPS readings to correct the accumulated error.
This governs the size of the flashing (?) circle that Google draws around the blue dot.

A better method to know accuracy is to confirm with a more accurate conventional system with with it's own GPS receiver.

[Samurai]

Now that my GV has completed 4 years, I want to add a good GPS. Currently I have Garmin 260W with a year MMI map. Previously have have bought satguide maps multiple times for garmin as well as WinMob. Both maps are pathetic to different degrees.

So I am eyeing Garmin 2565LM, I feel the price is decent compared to MMI, which gives cheap Chinese devices with high price tag.

Originally Posted by R2D2

I later found out that letsbuy.com lists it for 15,900. However, this is probably excluding sales tax and other levies because the dealer's pre-tax price was 16K per the invoice. MH Sales Tax is 12.5% and that adds Rs 2K to the price.

Now they have kicked up the price to 16,900/- on Letsbuy. But my main concern is map accuracy outside of cities. I am tired of satguide and MMI, so I want something else.

Originally Posted by R2D2

Don't forget to check out TomTom as they are equally reputed units and popular in Europe. Letsbuy has them on their PND list.

It costs 16490 on Letsbuy. It looks good, but who is their map provider? Hope it is not the usual suspects like MMI/Satguide.

[vu2pmc]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Now that my GV has completed 4 years, I want to add a good GPS. Currently I have Garmin 260W with a year MMI map. Previously have have bought satguide maps multiple times for garmin as well as WinMob. Both maps are pathetic to different degrees.

So I am eyeing Garmin 2565LM, I feel the price is decent compared to MMI, which gives cheap Chinese devices with high price tag.

Now they have kicked up the price to 16,900/- on Letsbuy. But my main concern is map accuracy outside of cities. I am tired of satguide and MMI, so I want something else.

It costs 16490 on Letsbuy. It looks good, but who is their map provider? Hope it is not the usual suspects like MMI/Satguide.

Hi,
1. Regarding Hardware, I would still suggest that you can get a garmin Nuvi series wide screen with capability to accept routes ( this is very important) for less than 200 US$ in Singapore and US. I have friends who have bought it in SG and using it here.
As regards map, currently to the best of my knowledge the map vendors for India are 1. Mapmyindia. 2. City Nav ( from Navteq) and Satguide. All three have maps in garmin format.
Tomtom has just released thier first map for India. Initial feedback is that it is not as good as MMI or City Nav albeit for the moment.

MMI should release thier version 7.0 before the end of the year and I must confess, out of the three maps I have tried, MMI seems to be the best.
City nav is really good inside major cities, but especially when it comes to semiurban/ towns, it is MMI still a notch bit better.

One another map that can stand out as a silver lining is google maps.
Especially the road network is impeccable. POI are great too, however off late there can be quite a few POI which need not be correct as there are lot of user generated content.

I generate a route using google ( driving directions). drag and modify the same to my satisfaction and then generate a script file that shall convert the driving directions to a gpx file..
i then load it in mapsource and to gps as well.

That script file is available at GMapToGPX » Communications From Elsewhere

Use the option "full" in this script and then it shall generate the whole driving directions as a track. ( this would mean, the gps/ mapsource wont recalculate the route with its database.)

[msdivy]

Originally Posted by Samurai

So I am eyeing Garmin 2565LM......I am tired of satguide and MMI, so I want something else.

Garmin comes with City Navigator (2011.30) and as the names says it excellent for cities. Map coverage is more or less same for CN & MMI. But where MMI (v6.0+) score is in POIs and most are spelt correctly, unlike Garmin.

Either of these maps are better than Satguide. Advantage of Garmin unit is you can load CN, MMI, Satguide maps & use them together.

[vu2pmc]

Originally Posted by msdivy

Garmin comes with City Navigator (2011.30) and as the names says it excellent for cities. Map coverage is more or less same for CN & MMI. But where MMI (v6.0+) score is in POIs and most are spelt correctly, unlike Garmin.

Either of these maps are better than Satguide. Advantage of Garmin unit is you can load CN, MMI, Satguide maps & use them together.

Did you mean together or toggle between each maps?

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by vu2pmc

Hi,
1. Regarding Hardware, I would still suggest that you can get a garmin Nuvi series wide screen with capability to accept routes ( this is very important) for less than 200 US$ in Singapore and US. I have friends who have bought it in SG and using it here.
As regards map, currently to the best of my knowledge the map vendors for India are 1. Mapmyindia. 2. City Nav ( from Navteq) and Satguide. All three have maps in garmin format.

If you read my post, I have mentioned that I already have a Garmin Nuvi 260W with MMI maps. Why are you suggesting me the same thing again?

I want to hear feedback on Garmin 2565LM, and the map.