Sat Nav / Tom Tom

Terry98

DragonQ wrote: »

True, abroad it might not be the best option. Last time I hired a car abroad it had a sat nav but the time before that I used Google Maps. It cost £2/day to use my data abroad with O2. Pretty cheap compared to buying a sat nav and/or European maps.

It's probably not the best option for those on PAYG either.

I have just looked how much data Google Maps uses and nobody seems to be able to give a definitive answer.

Downloading the maps you are going to need before you travel will mean data usage will be less as it's only downloading live data on top of the maps you have already downloaded.

prowla

If you've got an iPhone you can gen the TomTom app; saves having to have another gadget, but it does use battery.

On the general discussion; a satnav is a handy guidance, but you still need to use your brain when driving. A free one once took me down a small lane up to a fence at the end of a lake; it swore there was a road right through the lake, but I decided not to believe it! (That evening I bought the TomTom app and I've never regretted it.)

prowla

Incidentally, I use one of these to hold my phone on an air vent:



I bought mine at an Apple Store (it was cheaper there than ebay!).

DragonQ

Terry98 wrote: »

I have just looked how much data Google Maps uses and nobody seems to be able to give a definitive answer.

Downloading the maps you are going to need before you travel will mean data usage will be less as it's only downloading live data on top of the maps you have already downloaded.

It really isn't much, surprisingly. I use mine to and from work every day (despite knowing the route because it has saved me 30 minutes by rerouting in the past) and any weekend trips. Last month it used 200 MiB of data. If you pre-download maps you're looking at less than 10 MiB a day if using it abroad, which is under 50p with most providers' roaming rates.

prowla wrote: »

Incidentally, I use one of these to hold my phone on an air vent:



I bought mine at an Apple Store (it was cheaper there than ebay!).

Same, although I went for a cheap one from Amazon rather than a nice one because I wasn't sure if it'd even work on my car's vents.

coffeehound

I can see some benefits with the vent mount but do you not find it quite a long way to take your eyes away from the view ahead?

DragonQ

coffeehound wrote: »

I can see some benefits with the vent mount but do you not find it quite a long way to take your eyes away from the view ahead?

I put it on the vent just to the left of the wheel (just to the right of the centre media console). Glancing at it is not dissimilar to glancing at your speed.

I used to have it on the windscreen in my old car but that would sometimes block my view of a curb during a left turn for example.

bigjl

AnotherJoe wrote: »

And I think the opposite of that is true

It removes the worry about when to turn and so on, and lets you concentrate on the road and traffic around you without peering for a signpost or a road sign. Like any tool it can be used or abused. Use it well, and it will be an aid.

Following SatNav blindly can create confusion and erratic driving if the SatNav loses satellite coverage.

The driver will lose their spacial awareness.

They are a handy tool, but just that a tool.

The number of Uber drivers changing lanes at the last minute, getting in the wrong lane and driving down streets the wrong way in London is quite unbelievable. They are clearly new to Private Hire and some very likely new to London.