Ipad vs GPS unit

[BurbanAZ]

I currently only have a handheld garmin gps unit that i originally bought for hiking and backpacking and it worked excellent for that. Weve been using it as our sole gps navigation for overlanding trips and it just doesnt work for long trips with a bunch of waypoints, also with a really small screen its just hard to use in the car, my girlfriends job is basically trying to navigate with it while i drive and me looking at it while driving is out of the question. I need to get something better and id like to get it before our next trip. I have read that an Ipad can be used as a GPS unit without service as long as its the 3g version with a gps chip. Is an Ipad with 3g going to navigate as well as a Garmin unit with a larger screen? One thing i love about the ipad aside form all the other things it could be used for is the screen size and clarity. I dont have a ton to spend probably around 200-300 bucks, so i could probably get a used original Ipad with 64gb and 3g. Im not sure if there are any decent GPS units with larger screens that i could get for that price. Sorry for the long post, but does anyone have any suggestions?

[trail seeker]

IMHO I don't think that you can replace the GPS with the Ipad. The GPS rely's on satellite for info. The Ipad gets it from cell tower, which is fine as long as you have service. Wouldn't it be great if you could port the GPS to the Ipad for viewing.

[ThomD]

IMHO I don't think that you can replace the GPS with the Ipad. The GPS rely's on satellite for info. The Ipad gets it from cell tower, which is fine as long as you have service. Wouldn't it be great if you could port the GPS to the Ipad for viewing.

Not quite correct here. The iPad (as well as most/all smartphones and tablets that have GPS) use Assisted GPS. They have GPS chips, but use the cell tower to give them a hint about where they are as a starting point. They work without cell coverage, but I would not expect them to be as fast to start up as a dedicated GPS unit.

The real question is what is the quality of the navigation software? How good is it if you have no cell signal? For example, google maps rocks, and you can precache location information, but navigation directions require an internet connection.

[jCubed]

We've discussed this in other topics but I use an iPad 2 with 3G and use several different software solutions. It boots up and finds signal almost immediately. It does take several seconds (2-3) to really pinpoint you. But if you are using it for mapping or trail tracking this should be an issue. Just plug it in and leave it on.

I have mine mounted to my Tundra using a Panavise dash mount and a Ram Tab-Tite system. I use this for turn by turn navigation and also for tracking my self off road.

No service is not an issue as you can cache maps with lots of apps. I personally use MotionX Drive & MotionX GPS. Drive is for turn by turn and GPS is good for tracking and just generally knowing your location.

Google Maps is not an option, you can not cache maps like highlighted above. All you can do is it automatically stores some of the maps you've viewed up to a certain amount of space. This is completely unreliable and would take a good amount of time and effort to look at each section of a trail or road you'd go on.

And the other major advantage either iPad is everything else it can do! I use Pandora and stream to my factory stereo that has Bluetooth stereo. Which I'm this case it will attenuate my Pandora when I'm using MotionX and give me the direction through my stereo.

I primarily work from my vehicle. I do residential property management and am driving around a lot. I should have a Prius or something. But it's like I have my office with me at all times. I'm completely paperless with all my documents and keep them in the cloud via Dropbox.

So I vote iPad all day long! Now show me a Garmin that lets you watch a movie once you get to camp!

[ThomD]

Now show me a Garmin that lets you watch a movie once you get to camp!

Since you asked, the Kenwood DNX9140 will playback videos, but a tablet is still a more versatile solution.

[BurbanAZ]

Yea i love the fact that the ipad can be used for a ton of other things, but im worried about accuracy compared to a stand alone GPS unit, also if there are any programs for the ipad that are good enough that hold maps. Like is a Garmin Nuvi like this pretty good? http://tucson.craigslist.org/ele/2899293465.html or something like this http://tucson.craigslist.org/sys/2969634914.html

[thebrassnuckles]

Yea i love the fact that the ipad can be used for a ton of other things, but im worried about accuracy compared to a stand alone GPS unit, also if there are any programs for the ipad that are good enough that hold maps. Like is a Garmin Nuvi like this pretty good? http://tucson.craigslist.org/ele/2899293465.html or something like this http://tucson.craigslist.org/sys/2969634914.html

I have the TOPO maps app for my iPad and iPhone.

It's awesome. Download full resolution usgs topographical maps, mosaic them on the screen, set waypoints, you can select a point and view it in other map programs( if you have service with google maps)

[RobRed]

Here is a quick primer that might help you

http://forum.tlcfaq.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=26

[Jeff@QuadShop]

Yea i love the fact that the ipad can be used for a ton of other things, but im worried about accuracy compared to a stand alone GPS unit, also if there are any programs for the ipad that are good enough that hold maps. Like is a Garmin Nuvi like this pretty good? http://tucson.craigslist.org/ele/2899293465.html or something like this http://tucson.craigslist.org/sys/2969634914.html

It is just as accurate as any sand alone GPS. The Navigon app is actually better than a Nuvi and will hold all of North America. I have sold my stand alone GPS's and now only use the iPhone and iPad, I couldn't be more pleased.

[evldave]

It is just as accurate as any sand alone GPS. The Navigon app is actually better than a Nuvi and will hold all of North America. I have sold my stand alone GPS's and now only use the iPhone and iPad, I couldn't be more pleased.

I can't speak to the software comparisons between Nuvi and Navigon since I haven't used Nuvi, but the Navigon software rocks pretty good!

As for accuracy, it's a common perception that the iPad/iPhone has 'the same' accuracy as a standalone GPS...and while for 80% of navigation, this is true, there are a few areas where almost any phone/tablet will fall short of a dedicated GPS. The most common is in brush/trees/mountains - (newer) standalone GPS units use better dedicated GPS chips (SirfIV or even SirfV that can access GLONAST)...99% of cell phones use an intergrated wifi/GPS chip that can't hold a signal in rough terrain.

I've seen this regularly comparing my Garmin Montana and current Motorola Atrix (but have also tested iPhone 4 & my BB Torch). In most areas, the signal's are just about the same - it's when inside a car (not just on the dash, but like the back seat), in thick brush, or deep canyons/mountains, the Garmin is just...better...so many less lost signal warnings, etc. One area that I find the Garmin far outclasses cell phones is when it's packed close to my body (ie when hiking) - the Garmin isn't as affected by my body blocking the signal.

...and it should be noted, if you are using this exclusively in the car or elsewhere you have 'power' any phone will work for most of what you want...but if you are planning any extended time away from power having a dedicated unit that you can change batteries with makes a huge difference. My experience has been in heavily tree'd areas, or elsewhere the phone loses signal, it really burns the battery. Last time I tested phone v gps (my Garmin against my Atrix and my exe's iPhone 4), the phones were getting run down on battery after maybe 4-5 hrs, whereas the Garmin was still at least 50%...plus I had 3 AA batteries in my pocket

Don't get me wrong, phones/tablets work great as regular GPS units most of the time. I'd certainly say go for it on the tablet! If you find there are signal issues, you can always get an external dedicated GPS unit and BT it with the iPad (would probably require a jailbreak, something that's really easy). If, however, you spend more than 1/2 day away from your truck and want to use a phone/tablet, I'd caution you about battery life as it will likely become an issue.