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Navigation on iPhone 4 without the car kit?

bludragon06

bludragon06

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 27, 2010
154
2
Pittsburg California
I have been looking into getting a navigation app for my new 4 but I have noticed that I would have to use a car kit with it like TomTom or Magellan. I want the TomTom app but I dont want to have to take my phone out of the case every time I use the Navigation App and have to place the phone in the kit. What can I do or do I really need the car kit? Any help would be greatly appreciated!-Dave
 
bludragon06 said:
I have been looking into getting a navigation app for my new 4 but I have noticed that I would have to use a car kit with it like TomTom or Magellan. I want the TomTom app but I dont want to have to take my phone out of the case every time I use the Navigation App and have to place the phone in the kit. What can I do or do I really need the car kit? Any help would be greatly appreciated!-Dave
Click to expand...

With an iPhone 4, you don't really need any car kit, the GPS chip within the iPhone 4 based on my experience is stronger compared to its earlier predecessors. Been using mine with just a regular dashboard mount and never lost any signal (with exception to really rural places or tunnels etc.)
 
Wow my ip4 generally has me about a mile away from where I really am, I wouldn't want to rely on it for navigation purposes. I guess if it's using triangulation it depends how many transmitters your air time provider has up and running.

I'm with O2 here in the UK and someone a mile away has my iPhone?
 
From what I've been hearing the newer generation A-GPS chips in the iPad and the iP4 are much more accurate and calculate your position faster.

My iPhone 3G has recently managed to get my position to a few meters even within a building, and has been flawless on Maps and TomTom.
 
wrkactjob said:
Wow my ip4 generally has me about a mile away from where I really am, I wouldn't want to rely on it for navigation purposes. I guess if it's using triangulation it depends how many transmitters your air time provider has up and running.

I'm with O2 here in the UK and someone a mile away has my iPhone?
Click to expand...
If it's that far off either you GPS is turned off, you are indoors or somewhere where there is no GPS signal from the satellites or you have a hardware problem. You should be accurate to 1 or 2 meters.
 
bludragon06 said:
I have been looking into getting a navigation app for my new 4 but I have noticed that I would have to use a car kit with it like TomTom or Magellan. I want the TomTom app but I dont want to have to take my phone out of the case every time I use the Navigation App and have to place the phone in the kit. What can I do or do I really need the car kit? Any help would be greatly appreciated!-Dave
Click to expand...

I have a Magellan and with my 3G, having the kit made a huge difference. It almost seems unnecessary with my iPhone 4.

I use it with a bumper on but had to remove the rubber grommit around the plug to get it to fit. Another HUGE complaint with the Magellan is that it plays music out of the speaker on the kit even when you use the headphone cable. I hope they make a change to the kit to address both of these, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

Because of these two issues, I would see if you can get by without one, at least until Magellan makes some improvements for the iPhone 4.
 
bludragon06 said:
I have been looking into getting a navigation app for my new 4 but I have noticed that I would have to use a car kit with it like TomTom or Magellan. I want the TomTom app but I dont want to have to take my phone out of the case every time I use the Navigation App and have to place the phone in the kit. What can I do or do I really need the car kit? Any help would be greatly appreciated!-Dave
Click to expand...

Been using TomTom App without a kit for a week or so now on my ip4. Noticed it's more accurate and gets a lock faster than my actual TomTom standalone GPS unit.
 
qckslvrsiete said:
Been using TomTom App without a kit for a week or so now on my ip4. Noticed it's more accurate and gets a lock faster than my actual TomTom standalone GPS unit.
Click to expand...

Really? So you can use the iPhone in just a generic windshield holder like the Arkon clip thing with the tom-tom app on the phone? No need for the kit? This is what I am hoping for! I want to get the app but I don't want the car kit! I don't like that I would have to remove the case every time I wanna use navigation! Can you take a pic of your set up? That would really be appreciated! Thank you in advance!
 
bludragon06 said:
Really? So you can use the iPhone in just a generic windshield holder like the Arkon clip thing with the tom-tom app on the phone? No need for the kit? This is what I am hoping for! I want to get the app but I don't want the car kit! I don't like that I would have to remove the case every time I wanna use navigation! Can you take a pic of your set up? That would really be appreciated! Thank you in advance!
Click to expand...

Here's my proclip setup.

https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/10710232/

I'm wrapping up a week long Yellowstone trip. Used navigon to get there and used an app called "Topo Maps" to navigate within the park. Both worked flawlessly, even while totally off the grid. The topo maps were always accurate to around 15 feet. Best GPS experience in 15 years of fussing around with GPS technology on camping trips.
 
You dont need any kit to make the apps work well with an iP4. In fact on my 3G i never needed a kit, Navigon has always been great for me!
 
The Navigon Mobile Navigator apps are all 50% off right now. It made it easier for me to make the jump. I haven't tried it yet, but it has gotten good reviews.
 
icecrystal23 said:
The Navigon Mobile Navigator apps are all 50% off right now. It made it easier for me to make the jump. I haven't tried it yet, but it has gotten good reviews.
Click to expand...

At 50% off, IMO Navigon is a steal right now! You can get Panorama View3D and Traffic Live too for 50% off!
 
I bought Navigon for western US yesterday beacause it is 50% off till 8/15. I used on the short trip to work with the iPhone 4 and it works great. The good thing about this app is that the maps are stored on your phone, so you don't need a 3G connection to get map data.
 
I give up on driving with the iPhone4 navigation apps. The blue line showing your way often stops, leaving you driving without a visual guide. Trying to get it to work and keeping an eye on it is dangerous. I just bought a dedicated gps with spoken direction and a stronger gps chipset.
 
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