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macbook123

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Feb 11, 2006
1,869
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I plan to purchase a Bluetooth-enabled GPS receiver so I can get mapping information on my wifi-only iPad while on the go, while driving and hiking in remote locations. Of course this only works if there is a decent app that has maps built-in. What apps do people recommend for a) driving, b) hiking?
 
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i (iphone, ipad, itouch) O (operating) S (system)

I know what iOS and GPS is, but wonder what you mean by iOS GPS. Like if I told you "USA EU" you'd have no clue. Are you trying to say that whenever one uses GPS on iOS in any form, it sucks?

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Do you have an iPhone 4 or 4S?

If you do then when you tether your iPhone to your iPad you share the iPhone's GPS.

Is that only if I get a paid tethering plan with the provider?

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Navigon works well and lets you only download the maps you need (while on wifi of course).



Michael

That ***** is expensive!
 
Do you have an iPhone 4 or 4S?

If you do then when you tether your iPhone to your iPad you share the iPhone's GPS.
No it most certainly does not.

If you are referring to the video that idiot made last year he was 100% wrong in his conclusion.




Michael
 
Wirelessly posted

The receiver linked in the first few posts is almost 100 dollars. Why not just spend an extra 30 and get a GPS enabled iPad?

As for maps, I use Navigon. It's a bit expensive but it always has maps for you and works wether you have a cell signal or not. I have it on my iPhone and iPad.
 
I know what iOS and GPS is, but wonder what you mean by iOS GPS. Like if I told you "USA EU" you'd have no clue. Are you trying to say that whenever one uses GPS on iOS in any form, it sucks?

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Is that only if I get a paid tethering plan with the provider?

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That ***** is expensive!
Then why did you ask for a "decent app that has maps built-in?"

The top 3 apps that do that are all priced similarly, with Navigon usually on the low-end.


Michael
 
Wirelessly posted

The receiver linked in the first few posts is almost 100 dollars. Why not just spend an extra 30 and get a GPS enabled iPad?

As for maps, I use Navigon. It's a bit expensive but it always has maps for you and works wether you have a cell signal or not. I have it on my iPhone and iPad.

It's $130 more for the GPS enabled version, not $30 but I agree. All our iPads have the potential to use 3G/4G and GPS. Flexibility is worth the extra $130.
 
This one's got really good reviews and seems a bit more versatile (people claim an advantage over the elf is that you can put it near a window and always have good reception).

http://www.amazon.com/Dual-Electronics-XGPS150-Universal-Smartphones/dp/B004M3BICU

Anyway, back to the original topic: what do you plan to do to get maps on your phone??

Wow, nice find. It's an actual EGNOS and WAAS GPS set. This will be much better than the one built into the 4G version. Let us know how it works. I'm specifically interested in in-flight performance vs AGPS. Also the TTFF info would be nice. I used to use SirfSTAR III chipsets and those took nearly 15 minutes TTFF.
 
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?

I have both and it has always worked just fine.

I don't care what you personally believe but please don't spread that misinformation to others.

Sounds like you are confused over how exactly WiFi location services work; like the guys in the video from last last year. I won't get into it all now but suffice to say you don't need to actually be connected to the Wifi networks around you in order for them to be used for location services--or even be able to see them in the list of available networks. Secured wifi networks are used too (all Wifi networks broadcast their MAC ID out in the open and that is all that is required for the database dip).

Again, a wifi iPad receives nothing in the way of GPS data from simply tethering to an iPhone 4 or 4S.




Michael
 
I don't care what you personally believe but please don't spread that misinformation to others.

Sounds like you are confused over how exactly WiFi location services work; like the guys in the video from last last year. I won't get into it all now but suffice to say you don't need to actually be connected to the Wifi networks around you in order for them to be used for location services--or even be able to see them in the list of available networks. Secured wifi networks are used too (all Wifi networks broadcast their MAC ID out in the open and that is all that is required for the database dip).

Again, a wifi iPad receives nothing in the way of GPS data from simply tethering to an iPhone 4 or 4S.




Michael

That is wrong.

http://gigaom.com/apple/wi-fi-ipad-2-gets-gps-with-iphone-4-connection-sharing/

It displays the exact same info as my iPhone. Even when I'm no where near a router. I'm not sure why you are so angry about this?

I have the devices I can see what it is doing. The iPad just copies the iPhone map location.
 
Wirelessly posted

panzer06 said:
Wirelessly posted

The receiver linked in the first few posts is almost 100 dollars. Why not just spend an extra 30 and get a GPS enabled iPad?

As for maps, I use Navigon. It's a bit expensive but it always has maps for you and works wether you have a cell signal or not. I have it on my iPhone and iPad.

It's $130 more for the GPS enabled version, not $30 but I agree. All our iPads have the potential to use 3G/4G and GPS. Flexibility is worth the extra $130.

Correct. I said 30 because the GPS receivers that were linked to are 100, why not put that 100 plus 30 towards a 4G iPad :p
 
Just a related but ignorant question. I have a bluetooth garmin GPS that I bought years and years ago that worked with my Pocket PC running some old version of mobile Windows (I think version 5?) I had at the time. It came with software I think for the PDA to work with it.

Can I actually use this with my iPad. Basically is there software that will use any bluetooth GPS that is connected. Or maybe if I connect the ipad with the GPS using bluetooth will any software just automatically act like the iPad has a GPS and not differentiate between it being in the iPad vs. connected via blue tooth

Or would I have to find software designed for that particular GPS device to be able to use it (which then, good luck cause I doubt anyone would make software for it at this point)?

(and no, I can't just spend more for the GPS on an iPad, I'm being given the iPad or else I couldn't justify having an iPad. I'm on a tight budget and between my laptop and my iphone there is no way I could justify 500 or more bux for an iPad).
 
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Wirelessly posted

The receiver linked in the first few posts is almost 100 dollars. Why not just spend an extra 30 and get a GPS enabled iPad?.

Because it's actually 130 bucks more, not 30, plus at least $20 per month for the lifetime of my iPad. Assuming that's 5 years, your 30 extra become 1330 extra.
 
Because it's actually 130 bucks more, not 30, plus at least $20 per month for the lifetime of my iPad. Assuming that's 5 years, your 30 extra become 1330 extra.

You do realize you don't have to subscribe to a data plan if you get a 4G ipad right?
 
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