Help The OFFICIAL Google Navigation Thread

[aiacr]

So i had an enV2 till i got my Droid on friday. I liked VZ Navigator on the enV2 but love Google Maps soooo much better. The only thing im missing with VZ Navigator is the audio turn by turn directions streamed through my blue tooth earpiece. Driving in D.C. you have to be totally hands free and i just hate driving around there anyway, but it was nice to get turn by turn in my ear, now i have to look down at the screen to figure out where im going. Am i missing something??

 

[Nidisa]

Doesn't make sense actually....I have a Jabra SP700, and when I navigate with my Droid the directions come through it just fine.

 

[aiacr]

Hmm. Ive got a Plantronics explorer 390. Worked fine on the enV2 but not for the droid. Calls work, just the turn by turn audio doesnt.

 

[shaggymatt]

Doesn't make sense actually....I have a Jabra SP700, and when I navigate with my Droid the directions come through it just fine.

Just what I wanted to hear... I've been hoping someone would say that, I'm about to order the new Jabra Cruiser (SP710) that recently came out.

 

[aiacr]

Anyone else having this issue??? I got a Motorola Bluetooth today thinking that the audio would come through, seeing how its Motorola to Motorola...but still nothing. Is there a setting for this that ive missed or something???

 

[aiacr]

Not trying to be pushy, its just been bugging me about this navigation audio. Is everyone else just not having this issue at all?? Beyond the Jabra bluetooth mentioned above, what other headsets are you guys using??

 

[jraggio]

On windows mobile I ran Tom Tom and really liked it. I moved to the Droid recently as I wanted to try something different and windows mobile was just a little too clunky. Android still has some growing to do, but I am optimistic. I like the navigation app, but I haven't seen a way to have it display some data that I have used with Tom Tom. For example can it display the ETA for a trip? Can it show the miles remaining. I think all it shows now is the time remaining. Can it show average speed? What other tidbits / tricks can you offer?

Thanks,
John

 

[MotoDroidHelpandInfo]

That app is pretty straightforward. So i doubt that there are many little tricks you won't be able to find easily yourself. Keep in mind though this app is still in beta and isn't widely available.

 

[gtdriver]

keep in mind that it is actually still considered a beta version.. I'm sure they will be adding much more.. I think right now the focus was making it do what other GPS devices can't.. adding details like that I would guess is much easier and will come in time.. thats the beauty of android, it will get updates and continue getting better and better with more functionality..

 

[Nepherim]

I know it displays the ETA, or minutes remaining. Don't remember if it also shows miles.

 

[PittCaleb]

I own 4 different GPS systems, not counting the OnStar built into my primary vehicle. We used the Droid to navigate a medium distance route last weekend for the first time. We knew in general where we were going, but not specifically. The Droid did a great job and those satellite maps are just awesome to look at...

But I missed a "dashboard" option - current speed, miles drive/to go, etc. I'm sure someone will add these in the months to come. The question is overlaying them with the Google Nav app and such.

PittCaleb

 

[jraggio]

I know it displays the ETA, or minutes remaining. Don't remember if it also shows miles.

How do I pull those up? I did not see them, but I was also driving so I didn't want to tinker too much. Wil play some more next time I am a passenger or perhaps while out walking.

Thanks
John

 

[Nepherim]

I thought I saw the time remaining in the bottom left of the screen.

 

[PittCaleb]

I do believe the time and distance remaining is on the screen. Unfortunately, time remaining in trip, not ETA, which had me, on my 1 trip with it, glancing over to the vehicle's clock to see if I was going to be on time or not.

Also, and I found this interesting, we arrived about 10 minutes EARLY. Usually, my Garmin GPS systems ETA is "right on" if I don't hit any traffic or lights. Meaning if I'm on US-22 for 15 miles, it figures that will take me about 15, maybe 17 minutes, cruising at 55 MPH. What the Garmin doesn't realize is that there's a light every mile & a half on this stretch of road. So although the Garmin is 'correct', reality is that's a "best case" scenario.

Navigating with the Droid, it initially told me it would take a half-hour, which just didn't seem correct. We arrived in only 20 minutes. As we drove closer, the time was getting lower and lower. What I wonder is if it's tied into some better knowledge base wrt traffic flow. And an aside, a 5-mile stretch of our route was coded in yellow, meaning heavier than normal traffic.

This is actually good, even if wrong for my recent trip, that you get a better idea of time to arrival. I'm hoping the next trip to Philly, it helps us decide on route vs route B based on TRAFFIC - specifically that it uses the traffic data to route us the best possible way.

On our way home from Welaware the other day, using the Garmins to navigate, we saw traffic ahead. I looked at the Google Maps on the Droid and saw red. We manually routed around the traffic and probably saved 20-30 minutes. Would be nice if this was automagic if I had been using the Droid to navigate home. We jumped on surface streets for one exit and avoided a 7-mile stretch of stopped roadway (accident). I'm sure living in NJ, I'll have more than ample opportunity to see how the Droid handles this in the future once I become comfortable with using it for navigation.

My problem with using the Droid for Nav is power - must find a way to power it in the cradle. Going to order a longer cable from NewEgg this week I believe. No car charger for me, have 110 outlet, BEHIND the front center console. Need a longer cable to reach it and/or medium cable and a cigarette to USB adapter. Leads on NewEgg? Haven't looked myself.

PittCaleb

 

[rawness]

I thought I saw the time remaining in the bottom left of the screen.

It is.

How do I pull those up? I did not see them, but I was also driving so I didn't want to tinker too much. Wil play some more next time I am a passenger or perhaps while out walking.

Thanks
John

Time is on the screen on the bottom left.

If you hit menu>route info, the screen will zoom out to show you the full route, it'll have both time and distance at the top.

 

[jraggio]

It is.



Time is on the screen on the bottom left.

If you hit menu>route info, the screen will zoom out to show you the full route, it'll have both time and distance at the top.

Thanks Raw. I'll give that a try. Does it continue to give you directions while in this screen? I still miss the details on the TomTom software though. I like seeing the ETA right up front. This way I can tell if we were going to be late without having to check another clock, or do math. ;-) Here's hoping a future patch will have this. I agree too about it being nice if the software would route around traffic on the fly. My route home includes two parallel roads, Hutch and I95. I often jump off one to go to the other when there is a traffic and have gotten burned with worse traffic on the second choice. Be great if the nav software could suggest the alternate on the fly if it were optimal.

John

 

[Charlie.Masone]

I just came home from a three day buisness trip, I had the Droid navigate me to seven address' and it only got one right! I took me to the right street but nowhere near the right block 5 times and took me to the street next to the correct street twice!

My Garmin nuvi puts me in front of the correct building 98% of the time and within a few buildings away (on the correct street) 2% of the time. Any time it puts me at the wrong address i was my fault.

I was really planning to retire the Garmin to my wifes car, but I cannot trust this. I havn't carried maps in years.

 

[Jorenm]

Always works for me. Where do you live?

 

[t4bz]

Hmmm...odd. I've used it several times and it hasn't been incorrect yet. In Indianapolis it hadn't caught up with some recent road construction that moved some off ramps, but that was it.

 

[metalmenance]

Been great and spot on for me everytime
people need to remember the maps software is still in beta! and to me if its this good in beta i cant wait to see how badass it is when final

 

[rjoudrey]

I just came home from a three day buisness trip, I had the Droid navigate me to seven address' and it only got one right! I took me to the right street but nowhere near the right block 5 times and took me to the street next to the correct street twice!

My Garmin nuvi puts me in front of the correct building 98% of the time and within a few buildings away (on the correct street) 2% of the time. Any time it puts me at the wrong address i was my fault.

I was really planning to retire the Garmin to my wifes car, but I cannot trust this. I havn't carried maps in years.

Strange works great for me, does it show the correct building on street view?

 

[edthesped]

I just came home from a three day buisness trip, I had the Droid navigate me to seven address' and it only got one right! I took me to the right street but nowhere near the right block 5 times and took me to the street next to the correct street twice!

My Garmin nuvi puts me in front of the correct building 98% of the time and within a few buildings away (on the correct street) 2% of the time. Any time it puts me at the wrong address i was my fault.

I was really planning to retire the Garmin to my wifes car, but I cannot trust this. I havn't carried maps in years.

Feel lucky about your Garmin, my 680 has given me bum information quite a few times and it always seems like it happens when I need it most, i.e. bad neighborhoods or at night. I still carry a back up atlas to help me navigate when I travel. I've only used my droid to navigate to known places and it seems to do OK but I've not put it to the true test yet so I can't comment on it.

 

[y6y6y6]

What were the address it got wrong. I'd like to see how those come up on my phone.

 

[Charlie.Masone]

Strange works great for me, does it show the correct building on street view?

The one time it went to the correct spot it had the exact building. This trip was from Long Island up through Westchester across the Tapan Zee into new Jersey Back across Staten Island and home (It also gets my home correct) The navigation was OK but the destination was off, and the address in my contacts are all correct (I have 450 customers in there)

Today I was driving to a destination and I knew it was not the best route and when I decided to change routes I turned and the ETA went from 58 mins to 32 over a 20 minute differance, and 20 minutes on Long Island can tur into an hour.

Where can I direct this feedback so that it is heard?

 

[Charlie.Masone]

What were the address it got wrong. I'd like to see how those come up on my phone.

99-03 Foster Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11236

198 Saw Mill River Road
Elmsford, NY 10523

Another big mistake it made was to put me on the street behind the address of a private home, even though it was pointing to the correct address, I wont put a private address online.