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Anyone use the iPad like a car GPS map.?

C

clacknut

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 25, 2009
32
0
Hi, thinking of taking an extended road trip.

have a Navman Car GPS, problem is it is only a GPS. (has limited 'find local' facilities, but that does not allow to hook to their web sites, etc, and not to find anything in the next town.)

I am thinking of buying an Ipad, as it could be used to 'surf the net' to find local shops & tourists attractions in the towns I visit (NOT while driving obviously.)

and at night plan my next days and surf locally as well and stay connected to my emails and web home page, etc. (cant find any GPS think for my iBook.?)

any one out there using the iPad like this.

would love to hear hints tips, and what is the best app for this as it looks like there are several.

regards, Sandy
 
I use my 3G iPad as a GPS in my car. It's a great navigation device. I use NAVIGON(universal app) on my iPad and iPhone. It's a good one
 
I use my iPhone as a gps with tomtom and I have my iPad in case the map is outdated or if someone else in the car doesn't want to be bored out of their minds. I think it would be dangerous to have the iPad in your car because it might be in the way of something if you freak out.
 
omicron said:
I think it would be dangerous to have the iPad in your car because it might be in the way of something if you freak out.
Click to expand...
Shouldn't be an issue as long as you don't mount it on the windshield or in front of the gauge cluster.
 
clacknut said:
Hi, thinking of taking an extended road trip.

have a Navman Car GPS, problem is it is only a GPS. (has limited 'find local' facilities, but that does not allow to hook to their web sites, etc, and not to find anything in the next town.)

I am thinking of buying an Ipad, as it could be used to 'surf the net' to find local shops & tourists attractions in the towns I visit (NOT while driving obviously.)

and at night plan my next days and surf locally as well and stay connected to my emails and web home page, etc. (cant find any GPS think for my iBook.?)

any one out there using the iPad like this.

would love to hear hints tips, and what is the best app for this as it looks like there are several.

regards, Sandy
Click to expand...

I've used mine in this way and it works great, with a few caveats...

First. You must have a 3G version of the iPad
second. Seriously think through where you will put the iPad while driving. It's too big for the windshield, and is too large to prop up in most vehicles, and then you have the issue of it falling if you do prop it somewhere when you hit the brakes.

I have found that in our Sienna van, the iPad can be wedged between the dash and the center console and it is pretty secure, and is easily visible. In my truck, my copilot has to hold it.

Also, the DAC in the iPad is not as good as the iPhone, so audio from the 30pin connector is not as clear.

You will also need an iPad rated car charger, as standard cig lighter chargers can't pull enough current to charge the iPad.
 
We used the iPad on a cross country trip and it worked great. I had a case that propped it up at about a 12 degree angle and it was perfect for laying on the center of the dash. The screen is big enough that it's still very easy to read at an angle like that. It's also great for when someone is helping navigate since you both can glance at the gps when needed.
 
Is the GPS maps (say by Navman) going through the Internet or from internal ram.

just wondering if using it like this I will be charged for internet & Data...

or is that only when I use Safari.?

again excuse my nievity in this but just new to this all.

regards, Sandy
 
We used navigon. It really depends on the gps software you pick and I don't know about navman.

Things like navigon and tom-tom have built in maps. Others like AT&T and google maps use a data connection.
 
I use tom-tom, and it has built in maps. Precision location is pretty good, as the iPad is on par with my iP4 and my garmin nuvi.
 
There have been several times where I knew I was going to be turning left and right to find a specific location and wanted a bigger screen rather than my iPhone
 
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