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Help stock or other GPS

escalade6103

Android Enthusiast
Aug 6, 2010
339
17
BFE
I have had quite a few problems with the stock gps. Im not sure if its the program or the gps in the phone. I downloaded the "aura" app for navigation and it worked just didn't like the OS of it. But with that app you have to download the maps so it basically only relies on the phone for the gps signal for location not for the maps. I was wondering if anyone has tried any other navigation apps and if they work better than the stock version?
 
It is completely loaded to your phone. Over a gig it has to download the first time you use it. After that the only time it uses data network is if you have real time traffic info turned on. If it gets info of a jam ahead it warns you so you can either wait or reroute around it.

I like real time traffic, and lane assistance,...shows you what lane to be in so you dont make a wrong turn,...also a semi real looking representation of what the off ramps on highways look like...
 
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does it have updates with the current map info? if you want to go a certain way can you put it in or is it like the stock where it will only let you take certain routes. like if you wanted to go from point a to point b via point c,d,e, etc.?

When you put in the info of where to go, it presents you with up to 3 different routes you can take. You can also forbid certain aspects of the route, like no toll roads, no highways, etc....

One of the few things I dislike is as of right now there is no way to see an itemized route profile. And you can not pick a specific road to avoid on your route.

But it does tell you the weather of your destination for 3 days, restaurants nearby, parking nearby, gas nearby..

I have not had it long enough yet for any updates to the maps
 
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I love the stock gps, google maps works great. I no longer have any use for my garmin.

the gps is one of the main things that drew me to this phone. and now that ive had so much trouble with it is very frustrating. sometimes i have to have it completely still, outside, no clouds, facing north, standing on my head just to get it to come on. and then 1 out of 10 times it will just work rite off the bat. only one time has it completely worked the entire time till my destination. other times it will have my gps location but no maps or directions.:mad::mad::mad:
 
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When you put in the info of where to go, it presents you with up to 3 different routes you can take. You can also forbid certain aspects of the route, like no toll roads, no highways, etc....

One of the few things I dislike is as of right now there is no way to see an itemized route profile. And you can not pick a specific road to avoid on your route.

But it does tell you the weather of your destination for 3 days, restaurants nearby, parking nearby, gas nearby..

I have not had it long enough yet for any updates to the maps


i tried aura and it was about the same as what your saying. it actually had an option to report traffic accidents. my garmin will let me select towns or addresses along the way to my main destination. guess ill keep it a lil longer until they come up with something better for the phones cause sometimes it doesnt give you the best route to take. but with my garmin i can tell it which way i want it to go. the thing with 'aura' is you have to download each states map. better have wifi to do it tho! it will take forever to do it if you dont
 
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I think you may have a problem not related to google, but the gps itself. Have you tried resetting the phone? Mine locks on gps inside my house within 15-20 seconds, outside within 5.


i tried doing a hard reset already. i knew that was going to be on of the first things they would tell me to do. a pain and didnt fix anything!
 
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I like navigation devices, so I downloaded both Navigon and CoPilot Live this week. I find them both to be excellent apps which can stand up to dedicated navigation systems.

Both are very accurate with excellent text-to-speech. I don't think you can go wrong with either one. Here is a quick rundown of some pros and cons I have come across (using Droid X) over the past couple of days of trying them out.

CoPilot Live

Pros:
* Price
* Fast satellite lock. It happens in seconds.
* Super accurate to within a couple of feet.
* Split screen layout (map one side/next action other side)
* Nice visual map layout (colors a little cartoon-like but nice)
* Fast start up. The app opens immediately and locks onto GPS signal in seconds.
* Strong volume. Easily heard at highway speeds.
* Street names spoken and listed on display.
* Text-to-speech speaks in full sentences.
* Acceptable POI library. Displays POIs on screen.
* POI allows you to directly call location from application.
* Itinerary feature allows you to see turn-by-turn list of directions.
* Multiple stops along your route feature.
* Light on the battery.
* CoPilot has an update button. They promise regular updates.

Cons:
* Downloading maps over WIFI directly to phone doesn't work. You need to download via a computer. Even then it is pretty much rocket science. It took me over an hour to get it to work. Very confusing and frustrating. I almost gave up (glad I didn't because the app is very good).
* Voice is a little robotic.
* Didn't find my workplace address even though it has been there for 11 years (direct address input would not accept the address number) yet it found a restaurant next door that has been there for only a couple of years.
* Menu is cumbersome to use. Forget it while driving.
* Doesn't automatically switch between landscape and portrait mode when phone is repositioned. You need to go into the menu to accomplish this task. This is the biggest con of CoPilot for me.
* Live traffic is an extra fee (for the price of CoPilot, this is understandable). I didn't upgrade to live traffic so I cannot comment on how well it works.

Navigon

Pros:
* Very accurate.
* NAVTEQ maps.
* App and maps easily downloaded over WIFI connection directly to phone from the Market in about 25 minutes.
* Fast satellite lock. It happens in seconds.
* I like the "reality view" feature. When on the highway a visual showing sign markers displays with arrows telling you exactly where you should exit.
* Lane assist prepares you for your next turn.
* Direct navigation link for contacts in your phone's address book.
* Smoother text-to-speech, less robotic sounding.
* Text-to-speech talks in complete sentences.
* Google link for POI search works well and really makes finding POIs very easy.
* Speed limit display on screen. Navigon knows the speed limit for each road. Nice when speed limit signs aren't posted.
* Red light camera warnings built-in.
* Live traffic built-in. I haven't been in a situation where it has been needed, so I cannot comment on how well it works.
* Less cartoonish colors. I prefer Navigon's subdued colors.
* Cleaner menu system, however menu limited compared to CoPilot's.

Cons:
* Price.
* Takes longer for application to open. In all fairness it is less than 30 seconds, but CoPilot opens in about 5 seconds.
* 3d view is too "flat".
* No street names listed on screen in 3d view.
* No itinerary feature. Cannot see turn-by-turn listing of route.
* No split screen option (map on one side, next action on the other).
* Text-to-speech volume in Droid X is linked to notification volume. I didn't know this at first and experienced limited volume. It took a while to figure out. Now the volume is loud and clear but this is frustrating. If you forget to max out the notification volume you have to exit Navigon, maximize the notification volume and reopen the app. In CoPilot the volume is easily adjusted in the application and does not appear to be linked to the phone's settings.

Which one would I recommend? Well...

CoPilot is great; for the price it is even better. It provides accurate directions. It did fail to locate an address once. The split screen option is great. The menu system however is cumbersome and downloading the maps was a chore. As stated above, I really dislike that the interface doesn't switch automatically from portrait to landscape.

Navigon is expensive; especially when compared to CoPilot. The lack of street names in 3d view is disappointing. I prefer Navigon's screen colors and the text-to-speech is smoother. Navigon uses Navtech maps (widely consided the preferred mapset for U.S. navigation) and has not failed to find a location yet. The Google search for POIs is great.

Right now, it's a toss up. I have yet to have a call come in while navigating, so I can't comment on how either program will handle this scenario. I will continue to test them and edit this post accordingly.
 
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i tried doing a hard reset already. i knew that was going to be on of the first things they would tell me to do. a pain and didnt fix anything!

Are you sure you have all 3 gps settings checked under location? For quick locks, you need to have aGPS enabled. Or else it could take 10min plus to get a lock. Even then, the first time you use it will take a while, but with subsequent uses you should be able to get GPS lock with 20 secs.

If you're traveling in poor reception area, the only way to avoid maps issue if to download apps that have offline maps.
 
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Are you sure you have all 3 gps settings checked under location? For quick locks, you need to have aGPS enabled. Or else it could take 10min plus to get a lock. Even then, the first time you use it will take a while, but with subsequent uses you should be able to get GPS lock with 20 secs.

If you're traveling in poor reception area, the only way to avoid maps issue if to download apps that have offline maps.
Excellent advice.

If not that, then it is most likely a hardware issue. GPS capabilities is one of the strong points of the Droid X.
 
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CoPilot Live

Cons:
* Downloading maps over WIFI directly to phone doesn't work. You need to download via a computer. Even then it is pretty much rocket science. It took me over an hour to get it to work. Very confusing and frustrating. I almost gave up (glad I didn't because the app is very good).


That's odd. I just installed CoPilot Live USA and the maps for Oregon over WiFi on my phone while I was out of town on vacation, had no problems whatsoever. In fact, just now, I went onto my DX, opened CoPilot and downloaded all of the state of Washington via my WiFi here at home, no problem.
 
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ozzzy3z.

I feel like you have something set wrong with Copilot. Mine toggles fine from landscape to portrait when I reorient my phone. Also, TTS is tied to the engine you have set in android. If you upgrade your android TTS, Copilot will sound better.

Thank you so much. Your post got me digging around in CoPilot. In the menu under "screen orientation" I found a "Use Device's Settings" option. When I select it, my screen automatically orients. Awesome and thanks!
 
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That's odd. I just installed CoPilot Live USA and the maps for Oregon over WiFi on my phone while I was out of town on vacation, had no problems whatsoever. In fact, just now, I went onto my DX, opened CoPilot and downloaded all of the state of Washington via my WiFi here at home, no problem.

Interestng. I downloaded CoPilot Live USA on 2 phones and when I tried to downloaded the entire USA map via WIFI it timed itself out (WIFI at full strength). I tried three times on one phone and twice on the other prior to using the computer option. I was so frustrated, I refunded CoPilot the first time on one of the phones.

I'm glad it worked for you via WIFI. The computer option wasn't very well explained.
 
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Interestng. I downloaded CoPilot Live USA on 2 phones and when I tried to downloaded the entire USA map via WIFI it timed itself out (WIFI at full strength). I tried three times on one phone and twice on the other prior to using the computer option. I was so frustrated, I refunded CoPilot the first time on one of the phones.

I'm glad it worked for you via WIFI. The computer option wasn't very well explained.

Maybe it's because you are downloading the entire country while I was downloading individual states. Like Washington, I think it was 34 MB, while the entire country is 1.7 GB, that's probably why it's timing out. Try individual states and see what happens.
 
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