3G iPhone GPS without data

[mhuntoon]

I have two 3G iPhones that I plan to upgrade to iPhone 4s soon. At first, I planned to sell the 3Gs online to recoup some of the cost of the new iPhones, but now I'm wondering if they would be good choices for my mom and daughter.

My daughter is a high school golfer who plays a ton of practice rounds at different courses. I'd like to give her my iPhone so she can use it as an iPod Touch with GPS using apps like Golfshot Pro GPS (which I already have). When she begins driving in a couple of years, I'd like her to be able to use it with the CoPilot app I have on it.

My mom would like an iPod Touch but I'm thinking that the added benefit of GPS would be good for her as well. My wife's iPhone has all the same apps as mine, so mom could use the CoPilot app now as well.

My question is, if I buy the new iPhones and cancel the data plans on the old iPhones, will the GPS work for these purposes for the two of them? If I had an extra $60 to blow every month, I'd just leave the iPhones as iPhones, but I don't.

Thanks.

 

[Rooskibar03]

Without a data plan all she is going to see on Google Maps is a blue dot on a blank screen.

The only way I could see it working is if GolfShot actually installed maps of over course and used the GPS signal to tell where it is.

The app is only 18mb so I would suspect it relies on data from an outside source to draw maps and show terrain.

Unless the course is covered it WiFi all she will have is an iPod.

Edit.

The GolfShot user Guide http://resources.golfshot.com/userguide.pdf

Troubleshooting Page says if you are having issues pulling up the course try turning off 3G then back on.

 

[jutte64]

yes the gps still works but with out data you do have to have something with the maps already loaded on the device. i use my 3g as a gps/ipod now since i got my i4. however i have the tomtom app and it has all the maps loaded on the device with the app. so it works great for driving but wouldnt do anything for golfing.

 

[mhuntoon]

I think that many of the courses on which she plays have wi-fi for their customers using apps/devices like this, but I'm not sure how many have already done that for certain. Regardless, we're able to download the course ahead of time so I just want to be sure that once she starts her round, it would tell her how far she is from the pre-mapped spots (bunkers, center/rear/front of green, etc).

She wouldn't be using Google Maps, it would be CoPilot (and I might purchase the TomTom app now that it is $10 off and far more reasonable than the original $100). Don't these apps have the maps pre-loaded? I'm not arguing, I'm just asking.

 

[mhuntoon]

yes the gps still works but with out data you do have to have something with the maps already loaded on the device. i use my 3g as a gps/ipod now since i got my i4. however i have the tomtom app and it has all the maps loaded on the device with the app. so it works great for driving but wouldnt do anything for golfing.

Good to know that the TomTom works without a data plan. At $39.99, that's a pretty nice GPS.