Can I get a sat nav which is incorporated in my mobile phone?
I am looking for one which is voice only, not maps. Do Nokia or anyone do one as part of a standard phone? If so, would it be subscription or a one off fee?
My present phone is a Nokia 6230i.
Thanks for any help.
Don
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Nokia 'smartphones' support Tom Tom Sat Nav. I have a 7610 which came with tom tom and a Bluetooth GPS receiver. It has voice aswell as maps, but is quite usable without looking at the screen. A quick search on ebay revels there are plenty of 2nd hand phones with this on, or vodafone, as i said, offer the package on new contracts.
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I have a nokia N70 and have installed Tom Tom software on it. Its really good, and works just like any other sat nav system - for me the only draw back is that the screen could di with being a little bigger. As regards using voice only this is a little dangerous as I have found a few times when he voice instructions have not been clear i.e. it tells you to take the first exit at a roundabout as the mapping software dosent realise that a new tescos has just been built and the exit you want is now the second!
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You require a "Smartphone" they are usually bigger, cost more and have shorter battery life. Not so smart then!
I've used satnav on both a Nokia 6600 and a 6680. The 6680 has a brighter clearer screen and louder spoken instructions.
I have used both Wayfinder and TomTom.
WF is good because it always gets routes from the internet, so changes are updated fairly quickly. It also has traffic info and a website for planning routes. The spoken instructions are very comprehensive, with instructions 2 miles, 1 mile, 1/2ml, 400, 200, 100, 50 and 25 yards or metres away from the junction. The screen is very simple and uncluttered. You cannot download the whole country as a map, therefore data charges mount up very quickly in map mode. WF only works well when there is a strong mobile phone signal.
TomTom has a lot more menu options, you can download points of interest, speed camera warnings. Maps cost to update, traffic info costs extra, several people report that maps are out of date when brand new! The TT map view is more comprehensive, but TT issues vaigue voice instructions in some circumstances.
TT is my current sat nav of choice, mainly due to the speed camera warnings, points of interest (eg car parks), TT will display the name of the road you are travelling on even when you haven't planned a route. If you reset the phone, TT will remember your last destination and route you there automatically.
On TT routing your way to home is only a couple of presses. All menus can be navigated using cursor keys or number presses.
Older model 6680 and 6600 have bluetooth connection problems and sometimes forget they have a GPS receiver.
You may be able to purchase a used TT on ebay cheaply.
Hope this helps
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Thank you all for those replies.
Could you tell me, how much does the phone cost and how much for the service, please?
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Interesting thought here. Someone using a mobile phone whilst driving and also using it as a satnav device...:-)
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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A new Nokia smart phone is around £100-£700
A used one can be had on ebay for as little as £50 and you can get a new casing. You then need a GPS receiver which are £45 upwards. and the Tom. Tom software which you can get off ebay.
You can also get complete packages from any high street phone shop.
You can also get phones with GPS antenna built-in these days.
The good thing about a phone sat nav, is you can get a bicycle mount, or use it hand held as a pedestrian, or to find your way back to your car if you walk in a strange metropolis or large carpark complex.
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I have a smart phone with satnav through T-Mobile. Works well enough, have cigar lighter adaptor for both the phone and sat receiver, so battery life is not an issue for me. Levae the car, put the receiver away somewhere and use the phone as normal when out of the car. Simple.
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I am using TomTom Navigator 5 with an O2 XDA Mini S and it works great. However I have read on other forums of a few people having a nightmare getting the phone, software and GPS receiver to talk to each other.
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With all these options, I take it that the phone/PDA thingy or whatever has to sit on the dashboard, or do you have a separate aerial?
What are the necessary specifications for the phone to be able to work additionaly as a sat nav device?
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The phone has to be smart phone (symbiosys?)
You need a memory card of a 256MB or higher installed.
A Nokia 6630 is the cheapest I found.
You need a GPS antenna, these are usally the size of a small bar of soap and battery operated, they need to placed where they can pick up a GPS signal, and then they send that to the phone wirelessly via Bluetooth. The bluetooth range is quite a few meters, maybe 15m outdoors.
I have found you need to make sure the GPS reciever is switched on and ready before you open the TomTom software on the phone.
Also, it is best not to add the Bluetooth to the list of bt deviced on the phones, as TomTom should pick up a compatible device automatically.
If you open TomTom first, this doesn't seem to happen for ages if at all. Also, if you add the GPS receiver to the BT devices list on the phone, you can get a message something like "Device already in use"
These things aren't as simple as the dedicated systems of factory fit units, but are more versatile, especially if you are Tech Savvy, I wouldn't recommend one to anyone who struggles with computers, or programming a video.
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drbe I bought myself a cheap setup last year.
What you need it an intelligent mobile phone that acts like a computer, so a 'smart phone'. I have an Orange SPV C500. Battery life is shocking, about 36 hours if i don't use it...
The phone uses bluetooth (a radio wave) to talk to a GPS receiver.
The GPS receiver is a small black box 2"x1"x1" approx. You place it on the dashboard and it picks up the satellites.
The phone talks to the GPS receiver. It's great, and cheap. And my phone goes everywhere with me so I always have it, and the GPS box sits in the car.
My phone has to be plugged in to the power supply full time otherwise it runs straight down. Bluetooth is expensive in battery terms. New technology may be a lot better.
The eBay seller who sold me my GPS box was inter-activeinformation . He was VERY helpful in getting my system set up; cannot recommend him enough (he doesn't seem to have anything up for sale at the moment, though).
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Just yesterday, got a chance to see the Nokia 6680 and Tomtom 3 sat nav - he brought to my home as i wanted a look - I've also seen a Tomtom 300.
I was not impressed as screen size is smaller, but if postioned in cradel at right psosition - VFM - the small black box that is approx 2inches by inch and half an inch deep weighed less than the new 50p piece.
I seen the tomtom 300 in operation - the screen size wins - but the voice, etc, diectios are the same
Btw - it's easier for an oldie like me to navigate a stand alone sat system and Tomtom is the easiet accrding to my family.
with the phone sat navs, you have to be familiar with mibiles - but having said that, it is VFM and easy to use once you've got to grips with it.
The Nave man looks sleek, but family advises not as good as Tomtom for set up, ease of use, picture, etc - but lot cheaper at the lower end.
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Help - as this is a sat nav thread.
Views on the very cheaper end of Garmin - has 2/3D pics and post code search - about 70 on an internet auction site.
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Thank you for all those responses.
One last question if I may.
Emma Chissett? (How much is it?)
How much does the device cost to buy and what is the monthly cost. Is there a charge for each route find, or whatever it is called?
Thanks again.
Don.
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Let's hope third time lucky with an answer to your question!
I'm interested too.
Chris M
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I've got a Nokia 6600 Smart phone for sale with a bluetooth GPS reciever, its boxed and unlocked and is virtually as new condition with all chargers etc. I have Tomtom Mobile latest version installed on a 512MB card with a main roads of europe map and Great Britan + points of interest.
Its all in 100% condition and a complete GPS and mobile package. I also have extra apps on the phoen such as Opera Webbrowser, Camcorder Pro and Photograpoher
I want £175 for this setup and can post by recorded to the UK for peace of mind
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My email address is ggoodall@yahoo.com if anyone is interested
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I'm using TomTom Mobile, originally on an Orange SPV E200 and now on a Nokia 6630. I've had it since it first came out (when I paid £190 vs. £400 for a TomTom Go at the time) and with a free contract phone, so for me at the time it was a real budget solution.
If you go down the cheapest possible route, which should be an SPV E200 from eBay, you will need the phone (~£50), a Bluetooth GPS receiver and software.
tinyurl.com/p8lnt is the full, legitimate package (excluding the phone). eBay sellers might do it for about £50 with copied software and a non-original GPS but I'm not prepared to link to that.
You would also need a memory card and if you wanted all Europe you'd need 1GB on the SPV E200, which is £16.46 from www.amazon.co.uk If you get a 6630 the memory cards are more expensive. The minimum you would need is 128MB for the UK and that might be included with a phone. Note that European maps aren't sold legitimately for TomTom Mobile at a reasonable price, so eBay piracy is about your only option.
Because of the battery life issue (although the 6630 is slightly better) you'd also do well to get a cigarette lighter doubler for £5 - £10 although it's not necessary for short journeys.
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