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iPod touch Help with using iPod Touch w/ Google Maps while traveling in Europe

W

Welches

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 2, 2008
7
0
I am an American who will be backpacking in Europe for about 2 months. I am considering buying the new 32gb iPod Touch to use for music and movies, but also to use for accessing maps while on the road.

Accessing maps at WiFi hotspots is very important when considering this purchase before my trip. I have briefly looked up Google maps for Europe while playing with the iPod Touch at an Apple store. The results didn't blow me away so I'm wondering if there is something i am missing.

Can anyone help shed some light on the capabilities/possibilities? Maybe I could pre-map my route to access at a later time while not connected to the internet?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
 
I can't help you, but I was about to ask the same thing. Is there a way to map a route and store it somehow? If I could store a local area for later use that would help me immensely.
 
Google Maps has a wide variety of locations mapped on the internet and when connected to a wifi can be obtained very simply. When the iTouch connects to the internet and uses map.app it will do just what Maps does on the internet and temporarily store places it has seen, but not all the time and not all of it completely. Picture a map where most of the places are filled, but some places are greyed because map.app can't remember what was there.

If you input directions into map.app, and then go offline, map.app will remember everything it needs to know for those directions. You could turn off your ipod, turn it on, and open the directions you had last and it will make directions. If you try to book mark a place today, and then tomorow are somewhere else and try to go to the place that you book marked using the directions tool, you may not be able to get directions because map.app doesn't know what all is in between...unless you are connected to the internet.

Locate Me ONLY works when connected wifi.
 
PS -- if you want a general idea of what it remembers..basically if you looked at that area of the screen, it remembers it for a little while. So for the Euro example, I would expect if you are in England, for instance, and had maps open and zoomed in at that same way (to perhaps show a general overview of England) then map.app would remember the view you were at. If you zoom in, it won't show in detail, just "zoomed", like a ****** jpeg. If you zoom out, same thing.
 
ok...

So then, answer me this if you can...

Is it possible to be in say, italy, find a wifi spot, get on google maps, and get down to the nitty gritty area of italy, maps, streets, etc etc?

so for instance if i plug in an address will it go to it? I dont necessarily mean it has to have the wifi locator on it to find my position, just to look stuff up on a map, or streets etc etc...

thanks...in advance.

I want to make this a great travel tool as well, but i want to make sure it will do some things before i drop 5 bills on it.

cheers!
 
toober1 said:
Is it possible to be in say, italy, find a wifi spot, get on google maps, and get down to the nitty gritty area of italy, maps, streets, etc etc?

so for instance if i plug in an address will it go to it? I dont necessarily mean it has to have the wifi locator on it to find my position, just to look stuff up on a map, or streets etc etc...
Click to expand...

According to skyhook's website, in Rome and Firenze you can get full wi-fi "locate me" functionality, so by this you can use that to find where you are.

But yes, if I sit here and am connected to a wi-fi network in the USA and put in two valid addresses in Italy, it will do the directions. The problem is, if I am not connected to a wifi, I can't get the nitty gritty, whether it's here or Italy. But Italy is clearled mapped by Google, so you would still be able to see it, if you were connected by wi-fi.
 
The iPod finds the directions pretty clearly when I am connected to wi-fi.

Now, when i turn it off (sleep it), come away from a wi-fi connection and try it, it can't find the directions anymore. So I guess if you are in Rome and you do it, you could write it down and keep it somewhere, haha.
 
WiFi

You might want to check on whether the WiFi standards are the same in Europe as they are here in the U.S. If they're not, your WiFi feature probably won't work there. I know phone standards are different.

Just because you can get European maps on your Google Maps doesn't necessarily mean you can pull up maps there.
 
The WiFi will work just fine, as will Googlemaps and the likes.

The only issue you'll have is finding free WiFi spots. They are very rare in Europe, not many free spots where you can connect to, or just sit and surf. There are a few, but not many.
 
Markleshark said:
The WiFi will work just fine, as will Googlemaps and the likes.

The only issue you'll have is finding free WiFi spots. They are very rare in Europe, not many free spots where you can connect to, or just sit and surf. There are a few, but not many.
Click to expand...

Good point. I found very hard times in England and Paris. And Rome doesn't sound like a place that would have many.
 
hmmm. so there is no way to screencapture or anything like that? that would be a ghetto way of saving a map but would at least be an option.
 
Welches said:
hmmm. so there is no way to screencapture or anything like that? that would be a ghetto way of saving a map but would at least be an option.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately not. I think the best bet is to get the directions in a free wi-fi spot and print them via pen and paper =)

Or, print them using maps.google.com...
 
anyone see any future software programs or something to allow storing of some map info for use without wifi? I have used my laptop a few times to store a city and some zoomed in areas on google maps for use when away from the internet and it works well. It can't be more than a few MB's of data and I mean I have several gigs of hard drive space on the touch.
 
tuneman07 said:
anyone see any future software programs or something to allow storing of some map info for use without wifi? I have used my laptop a few times to store a city and some zoomed in areas on google maps for use when away from the internet and it works well. It can't be more than a few MB's of data and I mean I have several gigs of hard drive space on the touch.
Click to expand...

We have mused around there that the SDK could include downloadable "map packs" from Google Maps so you can store your favorite cities or states on your device.
 
thank you...

just wnated to say thank you..

i went out, purchased, and think it will work great for now or at least i hope so.

none the less a solid investment!!!!

i love it!
 
Another Solution

As I've seen posted here before, you could also look up the maps you want on your pc/laptop first -> print to PDF -> email to self (with subject stating location)

A real hack, but then you could open mail and view the PDF attachments whenever.
 
I've mentioned this in another post, but I'll repeat it here. You my want to also consider going to a decent bookstore and purchasing some of those laminated, fold-out maps of the areas in which you will be traveling. They hold up to just about anything, they are easily pocketable, if they get stolen, you aren't out much money, and they are very accurate.

I'm not saying that the iPod Touch won't be useful, it's just that sometimes, low-tech solutions may be more appropriate than high-tech ones, and they are often overlooked.
 
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