any good offline gps apps?

[skwatch]

A little off the point of the OP, but there is a good conversation about cheap mobile 3G hotspots over on the thread "What do I think about the SGP5? Well let's see..." Given the price of some of these offline navigation Apps and the other advantages of having a connection, these can be a pretty good deal. With a connection Google Nav works well, is free, and doesn't use much of the data capacity that you pay for on these hotspots.

[CrowdAds]

[deredversken]

I`ve used and now bought Sygic, and for UK thus far it does appear to be very good! However I`ve been trying to follow the link given by Sygic to move the program or more particularly the maps onto the SD card- without success so far,..................Can anyone help?.....Ken

[deredversken]

I`ve now Discovered the way to transfer files onto SD card.Go to `My Files`copy the Aura Folder ( which contains the various associated files) by using `menu key`, then paste using `menu key`, after highlighting external card, this will take a few minutes to complete. Check that the Aura file has indeed been transferred over to SD card, then delete aura file in `my files` using `Menu Key`. It would appear that subsequent map downloads then get directed to the external SD card.......Ken

[AugustusG]

NavFree has been reliable or me so far. It has saved me on a trip which connects VA with WV and one which connects VA with MD. This little SGP4 has been supremely handy for me.

In contrast, directions I've printed out from Google Maps have sent me 8 unnecessary miles down gravel roads on one particular trip.

[Daniel644]

Originally Posted by skwatch

A little off the point of the OP, but there is a good conversation about cheap mobile 3G hotspots over on the thread "What do I think about the SGP5? Well let's see..." Given the price of some of these offline navigation Apps and the other advantages of having a connection, these can be a pretty good deal. With a connection Google Nav works well, is free, and doesn't use much of the data capacity that you pay for on these hotspots.

not far off topic, i saw what you where talking about, and love the idea as I could also use my laptop with it in a pinch, the big problem is the affordable ones (30 and under a month) run off the Sprint network, which has the absolute worst coverage of the continental US, hell there's one state they don't even have towers in.

Believe me if Sprints coverage was any good I would have the Boost android phone and "cheat" with a USB tether to get unlimited internet anywhere.

[Codename_Falcon]

Alright so after reading through this thread I have come to the conclusion that the big 5 to try are:
NavDroyd
NavFree
CoPilot
Navigon
Sygic

Has anyone here tried all of these?

[Blackdog]

Those seem to be the main options.
I have not tried any.
I've read the app reviews on most of them and for various reasons, none of them seem a clear winner. Anyone considering these should spend some time reading reviews on the Market.

Google Maps with Navigation is awesome and will work when off wifi. If you get your directions first, when on wifi, it caches your entire route and keeps voice-assist turn-by-turn navigation running (along with the live low-level view of your road and blinking gps location arrow). It is true that it seems impossible to return to your original start point once you've reached your destination. But overall, it works pretty well. If you reboot your device or something odd happens during your trip, you will need to find wifi again and reload. It WILL, however, realize when you've detoured from the selected route and keep trying to get you on course again...when you go too far off course, it abandons it's attempts to convince you to get back on route...but then as you near the route again later, it realizes that you're close and starts to offer instructions to hit your preselected route again. Very handy when you know you need to take a different course or where traffic or construction detours force you off the route.

Google made a vague announcement recently that Maps would be available off-line. Technically, of course, they are now via what I've described above and also via caching (up to ten) specific map grids. (still part of "Labs" right now) They stay on your device for 30 days then vaporize.

Maybe they are just making an announcement about what already exists. Maybe Google is planning some wider concept where whole states or areas could be downloaded permanently onto devices, but they have not been specific at all and we'll have to see what they end up doing. That would be great. Personally I'd pay more than a few bucks for maps of major segments of US that I could dl to my device. But Google doesn't work that way. Too bad because it seems from reading reviews of other apps/maps that they have the most accurate and up to date maps. Some of the apps rely on public-domain/shareware map databases and are only as accurate as volunteers or users are updating and refining.

[Daniel644]

Originally Posted by Blackdog

Those seem to be the main options.
I have not tried any.
I've read the app reviews on most of them and for various reasons, none of them seem a clear winner. Anyone considering these should spend some time reading reviews on the Market.

Google Maps with Navigation is awesome and will work when off wifi. If you get your directions first, when on wifi, it caches your entire route and keeps voice-assist turn-by-turn navigation running (along with the live low-level view of your road and blinking gps location arrow). It is true that it seems impossible to return to your original start point once you've reached your destination. But overall, it works pretty well. If you reboot your device or something odd happens during your trip, you will need to find wifi again and reload. It WILL, however, realize when you've detoured from the selected route and keep trying to get you on course again...when you go too far off course, it abandons it's attempts to convince you to get back on route...but then as you near the route again later, it realizes that you're close and starts to offer instructions to hit your preselected route again. Very handy when you know you need to take a different course or where traffic or construction detours force you off the route.

Google made a vague announcement recently that Maps would be available off-line. Technically, of course, they are now via what I've described above and also via caching (up to ten) specific map grids. (still part of "Labs" right now) They stay on your device for 30 days then vaporize.

Maybe they are just making an announcement about what already exists. Maybe Google is planning some wider concept where whole states or areas could be downloaded permanently onto devices, but they have not been specific at all and we'll have to see what they end up doing. That would be great. Personally I'd pay more than a few bucks for maps of major segments of US that I could dl to my device. But Google doesn't work that way. Too bad because it seems from reading reviews of other apps/maps that they have the most accurate and up to date maps. Some of the apps rely on public-domain/shareware map databases and are only as accurate as volunteers or users are updating and refining.

It will be far better then what we have now, you will be able to download more detailed maps for larger areas, the question waiting to be answered is if a connection will still be required to initiate the directions or if it will be a true offline app.

[Blackdog]

Google's whole business model runs contrary to "off-line".
They want you on-line and gather the info that your activities produce.
I'd love to just be able to pay 29.95 for the entire USA but that's not going to happen.

[markr041]

"I'd love to just be able to pay 29.95 for the entire USA but that's not going to happen."

How about $19.95 (with free traffic) for the whole US? CopilotLive is quite good, and here you go:


http://www.copilotlive.com/us/store/android.asp

[Daniel644]

Originally Posted by markr041

"I'd love to just be able to pay 29.95 for the entire USA but that's not going to happen."

How about $19.95 (with free traffic) for the whole US? CopilotLive is quite good, and here you go:


http://www.copilotlive.com/us/store/android.asp

Google and Mapquest (as of there recent updates) are the only maps even relatively accurate in my area.

[Blackdog]

Originally Posted by markr041

"I'd love to just be able to pay 29.95 for the entire USA but that's not going to happen."

How about $19.95 (with free traffic) for the whole US? CopilotLive is quite good, and here you go:


http://www.copilotlive.com/us/store/android.asp

Thanks. Yes, I've checked out the reviews and it just seems that CoPilot maps and routes are clearly below the standard that GM has established. It would be fun to play with and see what CP is like in my area. Not too interested in risking my $20 if I only have a 15 minute refund window,

[glassman]

I've been using CoPilot Live Premium USA for approximately 2 months and have had no problems up to this point. Comparing it to my wife's TomTom which we have used for the past 2 years CoPilot has so far been as good or better. The TomTom has been 99% reliable, but it has had hiccups occasionally. I understand I'm comparing 2 months to 2 years so only time will tell how reliable CoPilot will be. But so far I have no complaints.

[zeitfliesst]

Navfree is one of the best I've tried so far (although the UI needs some improvement), and FREE at the same time. Only thing that would really complement this well would be a nice offline map that I could download. I hope Google gives us something in the near future.

[1776]

Originally Posted by zeitfliesst

Navfree is one of the best I've tried so far (although the UI needs some improvement), and FREE at the same time. Only thing that would really complement this well would be a nice offline map that I could download. I hope Google gives us something in the near future.

Navfree has no way to move the map to the external SD card and the map files are large. It is OK for local trips with one or two state maps but that is about it. Plus there is no way to access the map files for Navfree so that you could copy them off to the SD card yourself and then reinstall them when you need them.

[Blackdog]

Apple just ditched Google Maps for ios devices.
Anyone know what their system is now?

You'd think Google might make maps available because there are a lot of outdoor enthusiasts, emergency, rescue, park rangers and so forth who work in areas that are not completely covered by cell towers. Even though you can cache map areas for 30 days on the device, you're not going to be able to cache the whole of Grand Canyon National Park, or the Shenandoah National Park or western Maine logging acreage.

I've offered to pay them at least $20 for USA but so far that has not been enough to get them moving.

[zacp2]

Originally Posted by Blackdog

Apple just ditched Google Maps for ios devices.
Anyone know what their system is now?

You'd think Google might make maps available because there are a lot of outdoor enthusiasts, emergency, rescue, park rangers and so forth who work in areas that are not completely covered by cell towers. Even though you can cache map areas for 30 days on the device, you're not going to be able to cache the whole of Grand Canyon National Park, or the Shenandoah National Park or western Maine logging acreage.

I've offered to pay them at least $20 for USA but so far that has not been enough to get them moving.

Don't worry google will offer offline maps soon for android devices (not caching but full maps):
http://mashable.com/2012/06/06/google-maps-offline/

[Blackdog]

Originally Posted by zacp2

Don't worry google will offer offline maps soon for android devices (not caching but full maps):
http://mashable.com/2012/06/06/google-maps-offline/

If you read the article, Google does not give any detail whatsoever. As they say, it's been available as best/labs for quite a while. Now it will be official. You know how google maps downloading maps works, right? You get a 10 mile x 10 mile quadrant. You get to cache up to ten of those. They stay resident on your device for 30 days and then are deleted. That means you can get the greater Boston area, more or less, covered. Not even the east cost of Massachusetts. And you still cannot get Navigation to work unless you initiate it offline. if you lose navigation, you need to get wifi again.

I'm not knocking it for free; it's a good system that works even for wifi devices. It's just that if there's some improvement to be made, there's room for a lot of improvement and there's no detail of what that might be, if anything.

The "press release" gives no details of what, if anything, beyond those basics will become available. It may simply mean they are not making official what was previously beta.

[tcat]

Map files are in Android\data\com.navfree.android.OSM.USA\files\Use rData\maps\$com.MAP.OSM.UTX\map_osm_6.0.0.110\utx

You can copy the map folder and move to SD (as a back-up, won't work from there). I only have Texas, but I would think you could download other states and move those to SD for future use. Maps are smaller than Sygic maps (and cheaper), free! Hopefully GM will allow state downloads someday.

Originally Posted by 1776

Navfree has no way to move the map to the external SD card and the map files are large. It is OK for local trips with one or two state maps but that is about it. Plus there is no way to access the map files for Navfree so that you could copy them off to the SD card yourself and then reinstall them when you need them.

[zacp2]

Originally Posted by Blackdog

If you read the article, Google does not give any detail whatsoever. As they say, it's been available as best/labs for quite a while. Now it will be official. You know how google maps downloading maps works, right? You get a 10 mile x 10 mile quadrant. You get to cache up to ten of those. They stay resident on your device for 30 days and then are deleted. That means you can get the greater Boston area, more or less, covered. Not even the east cost of Massachusetts. And you still cannot get Navigation to work unless you initiate it offline. if you lose navigation, you need to get wifi again.

I'm not knocking it for free; it's a good system that works even for wifi devices. It's just that if there's some improvement to be made, there's room for a lot of improvement and there's no detail of what that might be, if anything.

The "press release" gives no details of what, if anything, beyond those basics will become available. It may simply mean they are not making official what was previously beta.

It will not be only caching for 30 days. As this article below says, it will be a download of full given areas. I don't know if navigation will work though

http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/06/g...fline-support/

or more details on google's blog:

http://google-latlong.blogspot.ca/20...rfect-map.html