NYCFoodSnob

iOS8 has Apple Maps. The future looks promising, but like many things with Apple, they're still tweaking it.

After much consumer outcry, Google Maps is available for iOS8. Plus, there are several Offline map choices available in Apple's App Store that don't require a data connection.

Robert2533

We've had no problem traveling in Europe using Apple Maps and/or Google Maps on the iPhone with T-Moble. No need to turn anything off since data is unlimited. Both can pinpoint your current location and you can set up a route to follow with either. If you want current traffic conditions, you can use WAZE. it works well in Spain and France.

china_cat

Patrick, one more idea to throw out there...depending on your phone (model, and provider), its gotten relatively easy to get your iphone unlocked and then buy a local sim for it. Then you can have data in Europe without it costing an arm and a leg. We did this in Switzerland last year and spent all of about $25 and had enough to make a few phone calls, websurf, look at maps, and email on our phone.

So may be I can help clear up some of your other questions...GPS is, indeed, different from your cellular connection, so it can work independently of the phone. However, generally in iPads you only get gps in a pad that has cellular capability. so if your mini has no cellular connection, it has no gps.

On the phone, it should be able to load maps in advance, and use the gps. However, I'm not sure the gps will function when you are in "airplane mode", so you might have to turn on the cellular network and then you risk receiving a phone call, or accidentally downloading some data. There's an article here: http://arstechnica.com/apple/2013/02...t-a-data-plan/ that talks about some of your options. There are a number of mapping applications that should work without a data connection, as long as you download the maps in advance.

NYCFoodSnob

<i><font color=#555555>"GPS is, indeed, different from your cellular connection"</font></i>

I forgot to mention, most digital cameras these days have built-in GPS receivers. Geotagging has been popular with photo-journalists for over a decade now. Google Images uses GPS data to show users where a geotagged image was taken on Google Maps.

Apple's iPod has built-in GPS. You don't necessarily need a cell phone to use mapping software. You can use numerous Map Apps on an iPod, including Apple Maps. However, there are some very cool map features that require a cell connection, so they won't work on an iPod.

Built-in GPS receivers get their power from the device's battery. Frequent map users often complain about quick battery drainage. There's no perfect solution yet.

Luhimari

NeoParick: We have a Garmin GPS with Europe maps and have used it extensively in Europe. What I like about taking my own GPS is that I can preload the waypoints of places we plan to visit using my computer, make travel routes and modify accordingly by creating other waypoints. We also take road maps of the areas to be visited (usually Michelin maps) and use them together with the GPS. It has worked fine for us, we usually know where we are, where we are going and if that unpaved road the GPS is telling us to take is the right choice. I make the waypoints part of our trip planning.

bvlenci

I use Google Navigator on my Android phone, and keep it plugged into the car's cigarette lighter so the battery doesn't run down. My Sony Ericsson phone came with a cigarette-lighter charger, but you can buy them anywhere phone accessories are sold.

Google Navigator has turn-by-turn spoken directions, just like a Garmin, but the spoken directions require a data connection. Without a data connection, you can get the maps with turn-by-turn directions marked (assuming you downloaded the maps in advance), but no spoken directions. If you have a human navigator, she can read the directions aloud.

It used to be that Google would allow you to download in advance only the maps for a 40-km radius of your central point, but I believe they've removed that limit.

Google Navigator also responds to voice commands.

jaja

Interesting pronunciations....you should hear Tom Tom pronounce "Nacogdoches" here in Texas.

ParisAmsterdam

>>>So I'm getting the idea for us to buy a Garmin and buy the France card would cost upwards of $200?<<<


Use Craigslist / Kijiji /Ebay to find a used Garmin or TomTom.
I have bought 2 TomToms with European (and N American) maps for under 100 dollars. Both work fine.

NeoPatrick

That sounds pretty good, but I just looked at Ebay. The only ones I see that come with European maps are sold from UK, add $35 or more for shipping to the US and complications if they don't work. My EBay experiences with electronics have NOT been good, to be honest, even using only top rated sellers.

sparkchaser

<i>So I'm getting the idea for us to buy a Garmin and buy the France card would cost upwards of $200?</i>

Not if you don't buy a Garmin.

$127 with free shipping and comes with free lifetime maps for U.S., Canada, mexico, and Europe.

sparkchaser

Duh, forgot the link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...6SDZYNJKLCLDGU

chacha7602

My husband and I have used Gemut.com for rentals in Germany,France,and England and had perfect experiences each time. The cars and GPS have all worked well on all of our European road trips. We were in Germany in early December for the Christmas markets and the GPS took us everywhere with no glitches. We plan on touring Vienna, Prague and Budapest this coming summer and will use them again. We highly recommend.

NeoPatrick

Interesting new development. We have booked our car with AutoEurope (Hertz, in this case). But today I got an email that they are offering a free GPS with rentals. So I called. No worry about not getting one, because they actually mail it (a new Garmin) to my home up to week before departure on the trip and then when we get home we mail it back with a prepaid shipping label in the same box. It costs $40 total handling, insurance, and shipping -- so not exactly "free" as advertised, but still a good deal in my book. So that's what we're doing. I like the idea that we'll have it before we go and can check it out, and also not worry that when we get the car they won't have one.

NYCFoodSnob

You can't beat that deal. Congratulations!

NeoPatrick

Especially pretty good since our car is a grand total of $197 (US) for 8 days including the drop off fee. (Nice to Lyon).

Jean

Neo, I would 'practice' how to set up routes. The default is usually the shortest route by distance which isn't always what you want to do. Even "avoid toll roads, avoid highways" doesn't always give the result you want. Our Tomtom has an option for setting several waypoints to really define the route. I assume the Garmin is the same.

ParisAmsterdam

And don't forget that if a side road or alternate route beckons... take it! Don't be a slave to the device... it will recalculate on the fly and still get you to your destination.

HappyTrvlr

Good news! Patrick, that is how we received our GPS deal from AutoEurope too. Couldn't be easier and you can program the hotel addresses into it before you leave. Some of our hotels were challenging to find but the GPS led us to them. Have a wonderful trip.

scrb11

There are several issues at work here.

Dedicated GPS vs. smart phone/tablet.

I have a Garmin with European maps that I've used in the past but for most recent trips, I rely on my iPhone. Reason is, you can tap in a search for a place, say Carrefour, and you'll get some kind of search results immediately. They may not be completely accurate but you'll have an idea, especially when using Street View.

Do that on a Garmin and it's a painful, sluggish experience.

The Garmin still does better than Google Maps for lane routing when you come to a big exchange.

IN the US at least, you can tell Siri to look for an In N Out burger on the way to your destination and she'll find it in Apple Maps.

So smart phone apps. are more user-friendly, as well as doing local search. You never have to worry about updating maps because you get the latest mapping data, which includes points of interests (POIs).

There are offline and online map apps. Best example of online map apps are Apple Maps and Google Maps. There are offline apps that cost $50-100 (price goes up and down all the time) which are basically a software version of a dedicated Garmin or TomTom. So they're from companies like Garmin, TomTom and some lesser known ones like Sygic, which lets you download an offline map for free use for 7 days. I used that in Corsica to get from the Ajaccio airport to town because I did not have a data connection for my iPhone yet.

I did get data the next day and from then on, I used Google Maps.

As for data, if you have an unlocked iPhone or iPad (with a cell radio), you can buy a prepaid data SIM card with a data bundle. For 28 Euro, you can get an Orange data bundle of only 1 GB, which will be good enough for a month of GPS and some light web use.


As for GPS from a rental car agency, I once tried it in a Volvo from CDG to Chartres. The GPS was built in. It worked but it was really poor experience to enter the destination or address. After a point, I just used it to track my location relative to a map and didn't really rely on it for turn by turn.

After that experience, I just don't bother with GPS, whether the rental agency offers it for free or not.