Develop Bugs

GPS?

Hi Guys,
Was wondering - which is a good free GPS app to use for the Desire? I want to use the built in GPS chip - not the google maps over the network thing?
Thanks.

I'm loving google navigation at the moment. Not any good for you?
Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk

I can understand why someone in Europe doesn't want to use Google nav when he/she is abroad: the roaming costs will kill you !

I am not in Europe. I am in South Africa.
Does Google Navigation work in SA ?

siliconaddict said:
I can understand why someone in Europe doesn't want to use Google nav when he/she is abroad: the roaming costs will kill you !
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I second that!
I don't know if it exists: free offline navigation. You'll always have to buy the maps to store on your SD card.
There are apps like MapDroyd that can download maps to your SD card beforehand. However, I don't think the navigation is as good as Tomtom or Garmin software.

Okay thanks guys. I think I will just buy the Copilot App, actually.

Waze perhaps, user generated content that grows everyday the more people use it.

Hi there.
This is my first post
I'm also in south Africa. Let's just say that the mobile data charges are insane here.
I tested Google navigator. It definitely works. It just chows data.
Are there any voice aided navigators around besides copilot?
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App

Guys, I am also in South Africa and know your pain.
I ran Garmin XT on my other HTC's and it worked 100%.
I ordered the Desire yesterday and should have it next week.
So as soon as I get it, I will be doing alot of testing and playing.
Hopefully we can find something that works here by us.

Ok, well I tried a few options and so far Ndrive seems to work pretty well.
The maps, accuracy and voice are very decent in my opinion.
Only 1 issue I seem to have is if I go off the route it tells me to go on, it crashes.

NoOb questions about GPS on HTC Desire...

1) I don't use a data plan on my card. Can the GPS work without a data plan on Google Maps?
2) I've seen a few offline maps apps. If I use one of those, will GPS work independent of internet/data access on my phone? (same Q as the first but about offline maps apps)
3) Is there any offline maps app providing turn-by-turn navigation? (m sure it'd be paid! )

1. No as Google Maps aren't stored on the SD card, they're downloaded as you go
2 & 3. Yes, if you have an offline navigation client it should work. E.g. CoPilot

So it uses data only to download map data, right? GPS "Positioning" or "navigation" is not charged for data/subscription?

thehrushi said:
So it uses data only to download map data, right? GPS "Positioning" or "navigation" is not charged for data/subscription?
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It is like you use the gps for cars, your phine receives the data from sattelites so it doesn't use the 3g or anything else "data plan".
Obviously, the use of gps sattelites is free but you need an offline map to be able to see where you are on Earth ^^.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App

Imho:
Navigon and iGo are currently the best navigation apps for android.
I chose iGo for better maps coverage where I live (central europe).
For offline google maps, search google or this forum for brut maps. Or something like that. I forgot the exact name, sorry. But once you try navigating with one of the above apps, you'll forget it too ;-)

Actually lots of reviews sites such as this one say that Sygic or Copilot is best application:
http://mobile.jack-frost.co.uk/android_sat_nav_apps.php

Thanks a lot for your help! I'd definitely try those apps out!

spile said:
Actually lots of reviews sites such as this one say that Sygic or Copilot is best application:
http://mobile.jack-frost.co.uk/android_sat_nav_apps.php
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I have tried them all (but Copilot), and I still think what I have written above.
I don't understand how iGo gets a lower rating than, say, Sygic... ;o)

You can use Google map's brut mod for offline navigation.
You have to explicity enable maps caching after u install the app and then have to load map once. Next time it will be loaded from cache.
Google Turn by Turn navigation works fine but u need data connection to get directions for the first time.
check my blogpost on it.
http://levelx.me/technology/google-maps-android-worldwide-navigation/

[Q] Navigation / Maps / Data

Hi all,
I'm going on holiday to South Africa and would like to use my DHD for navigation whilst I'm there however I don't want to incur any data charges if I need to download the maps. I've read on some places that you can pre download the maps somehow, how do I do this ?
Thanks,

Firstly, remember that you have to pay for navigation...
What you do is load Locations, then press "Show on Map" at the top.
Then press the menu button and select "Upgrade"
Then move to the Navigation tab (2nd one) and select South Africa and pay for however long you need it for. It should then download the map and everything it needs in advance.

You can download them from the phone, but there is a charge. IIRC around $6.99 for 3 month usage.

dazultra2000 said:
Firstly, remember that you have to pay for navigation...
What you do is load Locations, then press "Show on Map" at the top.
Then press the menu button and select "Upgrade"
Then move to the Navigation tab (2nd one) and select South Africa and pay for however long you need it for. It should then download the map and everything it needs in advance.
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Thanks for all this information. I think I might be confusing myself, you have mentioned "Locations", I thought this was an app to find restaurants etc. however I've opened it now and noticed that you can navigate using it, what is the difference between this navigation software and the Google Maps Navigation software. I was under the impression the Google Maps Navigation software was free or am I getting them mixed up.
When I load "Locations" I see "Powered by Route 66" everywhere ?

Google maps is free, but downloads the maps as you go - therefore, data costs would be incurred.
Locations is HTC's own navigation app, which pre-loads your maps but you have to pay for the navigation (though regular maps are free).

dazultra2000 said:
Google maps is free, but downloads the maps as you go - therefore, data costs would be incurred.
Locations is HTC's own navigation app, which pre-loads your maps but you have to pay for the navigation (though regular maps are free).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have to pay for voice navigation, although you could download the maps before you leave and get a short term subscription eg one month for cheap.
You can get directions without voice free though. Just gotta download the maps.
Sent from my Desire HD

dr.m0x said:
You can get directions without voice free though. Just gotta download the maps.
Sent from my Desire HD
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Click to collapse
Directions, yes, but not turn by turn navigation. Might as well print directions off from full Google maps...
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App

dazultra2000 said:
Directions, yes, but not turn by turn navigation. Might as well print directions off from full Google maps...
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
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Click to collapse
Except if you do that you wont get a real time updating display showing your current location, and the directions won't update themselves when you make a wrong turn.

So can not we use any navigation apps in a different country to guide us as free with Android liek TomTom or IGO My Way (as I am using free in Iphone and only drains GPS data no romaing)?

eozen81 said:
So can not we use any navigation apps in a different country to guide us as free with Android liek TomTom or IGO My Way (as I am using free in Iphone and only drains GPS data no romaing)?
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As I understand it, the gps navigation works fine without data connection. You just should download the maps for the location your going to beforehand (or at a free wifi) so you don't get data charges. The part you pay for in the navigation app is the voice guide, wich IMO is pretty useless.

eozen81 said:
So can not we use any navigation apps in a different country to guide us as free with Android liek TomTom or IGO My Way (as I am using free in Iphone and only drains GPS data no romaing)?
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That is exactly what I wanted to know. When I get to South Africa I'm going to want to pull my sim card out of my phone to avoid been charged for any accidental data that might be downloaded as when I'm roaming in South Africa T-Mobile charges £7.50 a MB !!!!!! Question is will the navigation work without the sim card, I would like to think that it will only require GPS.
I'm going to do some testing here before I go, I will download the maps then pull the sim card out and see if it works.

MarkieSA, let us know the test results for Locations.

Wil-j said:
As I understand it, the gps navigation works fine without data connection. You just should download the maps for the location your going to beforehand (or at a free wifi) so you don't get data charges. The part you pay for in the navigation app is the voice guide, wich IMO is pretty useless.
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Isn't that the whole point of satnav? You're not just paying for the voice...you're paying for the turn by turn navigation. Without it you're just looking at a map. There's no directions (other than the list, which is hard (and illegal) to read when driving).
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App

I'm not in your league gents but using your build on HD2. I tried out this new Locations app and noticed it can build a route but the current location did not move along with my drive. I havent bought/paid for anything yet. I'm assuming once I do then the recalculation and the pointer will move with current location. Need to know cause DHD is arriving in the next few days
I'd leave your SIM installed and use a widget to disable the APN. I use Curvefish widgets.

For what it's worth, I recently took my car on the ferry from the UK to Ireland, so decided to use the pre-loaded Ireland maps to navigate my way to my destination.
I found that Locations worked ok, once it had a GPS lock, but found it difficult to find the perfect zoom level to look ahead to upcoming turns, while still seeing where I was. Basically I was looking down on myself on a map, whilst trying to follow the route drawn out on the map. It was nowhere near as using Google navigation with data, but it was adequate. I would have found it a lot easier if I had someone else in the car yelling out directions, as I was concentrating enough driving in the dark with the rain lashing down!
P.S. You don't need to worry about data charges while you're away, just make sure data roaming isn't selected in your Wireless and Network settings.

eozen81 said:
MarkieSA, let us know the test results for Locations.
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Click to collapse
Right then I'm back from my holiday and this is what happened. Before I went on holiday I pre downloaded the South African maps using HTC locations and bought navigation for 30 days in South Africa.
When I got to South Africa I took out my T-Mobile sim card and inserted a local operators sim card with no data plan, when I fired up HTC locations and went to navigation it said to me that my maps were not up to date and it had to download the latest maps As I had a sim card in that had no data plans it did not work. After a few days I was in a WiFi hotspot and thought I would try and get this working again, I downloaded all the updated map data etc however after that the phone struggled to pin point my location. I tried again a few times after this then gave up.

using gps lock on without service

I am thinking of purchasing a Motorola droid with a car mount/media station for cheap (probably around 100$) and i was wondering if i could use it as a gps without cell phone service?

i wouldn't see why not... gps is simply a signal just like wifi(if its free of course) it would be just like buying a tomtom i would imagine... try putting ur phone into airplane mode and testing the gps

Of course, do keep in mind that both Google Maps and Sprint Nav need a data connection at least initially to download the route information. The new GMaps is supposed to be able to work offline once it does the initial route, though you may need a connection if you veer off course.
There is at least one app that works off maps on the SD card, but I can't recall its name right now.

Visionikz03 said:
i wouldn't see why not... gps is simply a signal just like wifi(if its free of course) it would be just like buying a tomtom i would imagine... try putting ur phone into airplane mode and testing the gps
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I will tomorrow.
bkrodgers said:
Of course, do keep in mind that both Google Maps and Sprint Nav need a data connection at least initially to download the route information. The new GMaps is supposed to be able to work offline once it does the initial route, though you may need a connection if you veer off course.
There is at least one app that works off maps on the SD card, but I can't recall its name right now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you think of it, please let me know!

CoPilot Live lets you store the maps on your SD, or so they claim. The reviews on the market aren't too great though.
http://www.alk.com/copilot/android/
There are others as well, a quick search yields:
http://www.mapdroyd.com/
http://www.ndriveweb.com/products/product/96/
http://www.sygic.com/index.php/en/how-to-buy.html
Perhaps others too. But I can't vouch for any of these. I'm fine using GMaps even with the data connection requirements. Especially now that you don't need a data connection all the time -- only when generating a new route. I'm not sure whether it can handle simple missed turns without a connection or if it doesn't cache anything outside the route. I haven't tested that yet.

I've never found a maps or navigation program that I like other than Google, and I've tried pretty much all of them. They're a hassle to get maps for. The new GMaps does cache tiles, though I haven't tested it extensively, and I don't know that it caches maps in the Navigation program (which I use all the time as well).
GPS will lock even with no cell service. But unless you find a good offline map app, you'll just have your nice little blue arrow showing you exactly where you are on a plain gray featureless map.

Use of offline Google Navigation possible?

Hey guys,
I was wondering if it's possible to download the Maps from Google for some countries to use the Google Navigation without the need of a data connection. I'm driving down to Italy from Germany in a couple of weeks and would love to use Google Navigation but I don't want to pay for data roaming in Germany, Austria and Italy.
Alternatively I also have Navigon on my phone, but it seems like Navigon isn't compatible to HTC Car which I'd like to use as I am going to listen to music through my phone as well. Also tried https://play.google.com/store/apps/...CwidHcua2Vuc2hpbm4uaHRjY2FsZW5kYXJmaWx0ZXIiXQ..

PCServe said:
Hey guys,
I was wondering if it's possible to download the Maps from Google for some countries to use the Google Navigation without the need of a data connection. I'm driving down to Italy from Germany in a couple of weeks and would love to use Google Navigation but I don't want to pay for data roaming in Germany, Austria and Italy.
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Click to collapse
You can hit the sub-menu menu (3 dot) button in google maps open and select "Make available offline". Then you simply drag the rectangle over the area you want to cache, click done and it will download what you have selected.
Not sure if there is a size limit to what you can cache, but I believe in the settings you can specify some cache options.

I tried that, but it can only cache the size of London which is like 60 MB, if I try to select a whole country it always says "Selected area too large. Please zoom in."
I remember from my old Windows Mobile phone about 4 years ago, that it was possible to download all the maps I wanted, even whole countries.

Try Sygic. Offline navigation tool, 7 day free use.
Sent from my HTC One X using Xparent Blue Tapatalk 2

You can save a country, but it will be saved in sections limited to a size similar to the one you mentioned.
Sent from my htc_jewel using xda premium

You can cache maps for offline viewing, but unfortunately Google navigation still appears to require a data connection to work. I've tried many times to navigate in airplane mode, but doesn't work. A quick Google search revealed that many others are experiencing the same issue .

I think there would be some potential risk by using google maps offline.

PhoenixFx said:
You can cache maps for offline viewing, but unfortunately Google navigation still appears to require a data connection to work. I've tried many times to navigate in airplane mode, but doesn't work. A quick Google search revealed that many others are experiencing the same issue .
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Wouldn't airplane mode turn off the gps radio?

fridgie said:
Wouldn't airplane mode turn off the gps radio?
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Click to collapse
No.

I don't know why Google just doesn't give us proper offline navigation already. Its probably to protect the other developers. After trying all the others I think it's still the nicest nav software in form and function. When you enter a destination it does seem to cache the route but if you deviate or exit the program you are screwed. Not sure if they improved that in the latest versions though.
Sent from my GT-I9000 running CM9

Unless they charge the existing sat nav companies will be a bit pissed if Google did that...

Alright, so Google Navigation won't work for me then.
Any ideas on how to get Navigon integrated into the Car Mode?

On venom rom u can can choose whci nav prog to us with htc car. May b there is a tweak or addon available that will let u do the sme
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

thanks

Just type "+" in car mode and add the Navigon application...