Thread: How does Tablet GPS compare to Dedicated GPS unit? Good for hiking? Roads?
View Single Post
fattomm's Avatar
fattomm is offline fattomm
2009-01-16 , 00:12
Posts: 109 | Thanked: 37 times | Joined on Oct 2008 @ NYC, NY
#25
Originally Posted by overfloat View Post
There appears to be a bit of denial going around this forum - all i have to say is that if you want turn-by-turn driving instructions, dont even think about the tablet as a fully featured GPS unit. Only wayfinder will give you directions (without connecting to the internet) - using well out-of-date POI, you also have to pay a subscription. You are much better off with a cheap tomtom or garmin system
I don't think this is a fair comment, at all, really. I've been more the "give me back my $100 extra I spent on this POS" and "I'm more carefully weighing my next purchase options" kind of guy. There's a lot of heat on Nokia for the GPS unit in this. I've managed to back-pedal my expectations to where I'm less pissed off about skipping the N800 for the N810.

When I'm goofing around Manhattan, or a crazy trip to Brooklyn, this does ok. I've not had headaches with downloading maps -- and while I wish there was offline trip replotting, accessing trip plotting over my cellphone (EDGE) via bluetooth has been simple (not that I've used it a great deal). I tried Wayfinder, and found it ridiculously priced for what I got, and skipped that for Maemo Mapper. I find "MM" a much better tradeoff.

I'd give the OP the caveat that there is no way in hell I'd use this for managing a ride/drive (I motorcycle as well) between (say) New York and Detroit. I used to use Mapopolis for this, but even then, would augment it with MapQuest and AAA... :-)

That said, the tablet is probably better for hiking because you can use google maps with terrain etc.
I'd think it's good for this. (1) You wouldn't want turn-by-turn hiking (oddly, something you do want for urban hiking) and (2) the pocketability of a N810+external BT would be fine. (You might even find the internal GPS usable without big buildings in the way).

Someone else made some reference to the PITA of downloading maps -- which I have never noticed -- at least not with driving around the NY metro area, and certainly not with a recent trip to upper Michigan this summer....
 

The Following User Says Thank You to fattomm For This Useful Post: