To GPS or not to GPS?

I bought two more GPSes. This is getting ridiculous - but I felt it was necessary.

When I say GPS, in other parts of the world this is called a satnav, meaning "dedicated GPS" or "satellite navigation," meaning a navigation device that looks similar to a phone but cannot receive calls or texts. All the map data is preloaded on one of these things either internally or using a memory card, and its one job is navigation. One of these things works by use of its internal GPS antenna to get its position literally from space, then use that in combination with the map data to tell you where you are and give you directions.

It still amazes me to this day that most people don't realize that GPS does not require any sort of paid subscription whatsoever. You have already paid for it. The GPS satellite grid in space? Paid for by taxpayer dollars. There are no fees to use it. The only thing you used to have to pay for are map data upgrades, but both Garmin and TomTom have been offering that for free for years. The only time you actually pay for a map upgrade is on really old GPSes, but with Garmin you can opt to use OpenStreetMap map data instead for a 100% totally free maps update. I wrote a whole book on how to do this. As long as your Garmin was made in 2008 or later, yes you can absolutely load free map data on it.

I tried using the phone. It didn't work.

To be more accurate, I should say it didn't work well enough for my needs.

I use an Android phone and tried the following apps for navigation:

Google Maps
Waze
HERE We Go
OsmAnd
MAPS.ME
Magic Earth
TomTom GO

All of these work, but the only app that actually displays everything I want to see on a single screen is HERE We Go.

When navigating, HERE We Go will display:

The map (obviously)
Current speed
Posted speed limit of road you're on
The current road you're on
The next turn you need to take
Estimated arrival time
Distance to destination

Out of all navigation apps, HERE We Go displays the most useful stuff all on one screen...

...but it's still not as good as a Garmin DriveSmart, hence the reason I just bought two of them used.

In addition to everything I just mentioned, a Garmin DriveSmart will also optionally display a list of upcoming turns on the same screen. Up to 4 turns are listed, and the list auto-updates with each turn taken. Garmin calls this turn list a Map Tool simply titled Turns.

The map display, colors, arrows and pretty much everything is far, far better than the HERE We Go interface.

Phones are good for traffic and walking, but terrible for car navigation

For city traffic reporting, you can't beat Waze. For city walking navigation, you can't beat Google Maps. If you have a phone with an unlimited data plan, the combination of Waze for traffic and Google Maps for walking would serve you well.

But for car navigation, it's still true that you can't beat a Garmin, and that's why I went back to using one. It has the best interface for driving, gives me all the info I need on one screen, and doesn't need a data connection to work.

Yes, I have to manually update the maps twice a year. I'm okay with that minor inconvenience.

While true I could connect my Garmin DriveSmart via Bluetooth to my phone for call and text alerts, I don't. My GPS acts just like another gauge on my car, which is how I prefer it. The last thing I need is a screen flashing call and text alerts at me when I'm navigating somewhere.

Will phones ever get better at car navigation?

Here are my thoughts on that...

Phone navigation for the car will not get truly good until data is free

The biggest problem with using the phone for car navigation isn't the phone but rather the network itself.

All phone plans should offer unlimited data across the board for no extra charge, and it should be cheap.

In the USA, T-Mobile does offer this. But it's not cheap. Their basic Essentials plan does offer unlimited talk and text along with unlimited 4G LTE data "on our network" (that's the way they put it) for $60 a month + taxes and fees on a single line.

If I assume $70/mo after taxes and fees, that's an $840/yr financial commitment just to get unlimited data. Too much. Way too much.

Unlimited data for the moment is expensive. Eventually, it won't be. But for now it is.

Phone navigation works best when it uses data. Yes, there are apps like HERE We Go and even Google Maps itself where you can preload map data and use it offline, but where they work best is when data is fully enabled. You get all the features, much better location searching, faster route calculations and more when that data is turned on. But oh, are you going to pay for it.

Where car navigation solutions are concerned, using a Garmin GPS is still the best deal.

Can you imagine running out of data while navigating somewhere? That's a real thing that happens right now, and a very stupid problem to have. That never happens when using a Garmin GPS. Ever.

When unlimited data is free...

...then concentration can be placed on getting the map interface redesigned so it can be used for driving properly.

If I were still using the phone for navigation, I would use HERE We Go because a) it can be used 100% offline, and b) gives me almost all the info I want on one screen. But again, Garmin has the better interface and the on-map turn list feature is really, really nice.

And what's this Turns list that I'm gushing about so much?

I'll show you.

This is what I'm talking about concerning the Turns list on the Garmin DriveSmart

This works in portrait or landscape mode on a DriveSmart.

First, start a route.

Second, tap the little wrench icon and then tap Turns (if this isn't visible, it can be added to this menu as it is configurable).

The map then gets a little smaller and a turns list appears.

There is no navigation app for the phone shows this. To view the map with directional arrow and the next 2 to 3 turns and the speed limit and current road being traveled on and current speed and time to destination all at once, you need a Garmin DriveSmart.

That Turns list in particular, while seemingly insignificant, is actually very significant. It comes in handy more than just a little - especially in places where turns are really close together.

In unfamiliar territory, the Turns list is a godsend. Whether it's in the city, a residential neighborhood or even a highway ramp, oh yeah, it's nice to have. And on the DriveSmart you can enable Turns at whim any time you want it.

If I had any say in the matter, I would tell all navigation app developers to outright make navigation apps act like a Garmin DriveSmart, because it's still the best interface there is for car navigation. Perfect? No. But nobody to date has done it better.

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Published 2020 Jul 7