stand alone sat nav on phones abroad

g4jnw

We are visiting relatives in Australia in May and we need to buy a new/secondhand phone but will need a sat nav while there.

It seems silly to buy a dedicated sat nav just for use in aussie and we do need to change our phone, iPhones are too expensive but how do phones with built in GPS fair?

Not worried about battery consumption as it will always be plugged in, will only use phone for text but DO NOT want a phone that relies on mobile signal for sat nav use.
1) its too expensive
2) often will be out of range of masts

Any suggestions on phones please?

PhoenixDF

I used to have the Orange San Fransico phone on Android v2.1 (eclair) - it had GPS built-in and used Google Maps. I bought it from Orange on PAYG for £99 but I think it's around £70 now. Though the San Fransico II is out now for £99 from Orange (I can't put links on MSE yet - sorry!)

I liked Android phones for the fact the GPS was free but did use mobile data to update the maps, so may be a problem if you lost connection.

Sorry its not the help you were looking for, but it's a start.

gjchester

g4jnw wrote: »

We are visiting relatives in Australia in May and we need to buy a new/secondhand phone but will need a sat nav while there.

It seems silly to buy a dedicated sat nav just for use in aussie and we do need to change our phone, iPhones are too expensive but how do phones with built in GPS fair?

Not worried about battery consumption as it will always be plugged in, will only use phone for text but DO NOT want a phone that relies on mobile signal for sat nav use.
1) its too expensive
2) often will be out of range of masts

Any suggestions on phones please?

GPS is free but to sue it as a satnav most apps use online map data, so you'll be paying for a data connection.

Some like NavFree so work offline but it depends if there are maps availaalbe for where you are going.

A standalone satnav may not be that expensive if you buy one used on Ebay and then flog it on afterwards, or even ask your relatives to do so for you..

macman

Data roaming in Aus on a UK SIM is going to cost you vastly more than a cheap satnav.
You can probably pick one up for the equivalent of £50 on arrival, or even hire one.
If you buy one here it's unlikely to have Aus maps, and they will cost you more than the satnav.

spondon30

Navfree is a free satnav app that does not require data. It has free downloadable maps of Australia (91 MB). Suggest buying a cheap Android phone and downloading app and maps over wifi before you go.

markdavey

I use NDrive on my Android handset. Very reasonable for Western Europe (around £35 although they do have offers, I paid £19). Offline Maps on the SD Card and I can't really fault the software. I regularly use it for business trips from the UK to Belgium.

Not tried NavFree.

You really DO NOT want to use Google Maps outside of the UK as it relies on the data connection to get the map which is going to cost you BIG TIME in roaming charges.

EDIT: Sorry, thought you were going to Austria. My mistake.

Wh05apk

http://copilotlive.com/uk/store/android.asp

Supposed to be very good, depending on your phone Tomtom may be available (but pricier)

I use an HTC desire, and when needed use Google maps in th uk, the GPS is very good, and provided you are able to mount somewhere within sight (or have a passenger to monitor it) is practically as good as a standalone unit.

pull62

Get a later Nokia smart phone. All the maps are free to download and you dont need to use data whilst using them.

g4jnw

sounds good