Using Laptop for Car GPS

[nighthopper]

Is anyone / has anyone used their laptop for street navigation? Any recommendations? Going on once off trip to Europe soon and have no great wish to invest in stand alone GPS system
Thanks

[BEagle]

I had a play with a GPS-augmented version of Autoroute some months ago. It was quite accurate at showing me where I was, but of course doesn't have all the clever things like dynamic re-routing and TMC which the better in-car GPS systems have. But unlike such systems, you can have a route with many waypoints rather than just a database solution.

However:

1. Laptop display too dim by day.
2. Laptop will need a power cable and GPS connection (unless you use Bluetooth).
3. Laptop speaker may be too weak - you'll need an external speaker. It too might need a power cable.

If I could do without the car for a few days, I'd have the current Bose set up removed and a Blaupunkt TravelPilot Rome installed.

[Conan the Librarian]

Yeah, I have done it and I would never, ever do it again. Laptops are unwieldy devices in cars, but never more so than when you are trying to sneak a peripheral glance at where you are going, only to find the problems referred to by his BEagleness.

Battery life, display size and quality, Lappie slithering around the car, having to take same with you at destination, otherwise it will be nicked by some light fingered artisan - the misery goes on and on. I found it a nighmare. Thought of a PDA or even software on your mobile phone? I went for the PDA and as written here before, I found it so good, that I flogged the laptop and have never looked back since.

Conan

[BDiONU]

I have Tom Tom on both my PDA (iPAQ) and my mobile phone (Nokia 6680) and it works really well :-) I have a little mount which fits into the ventilation grille in the middle of the dash and whichever device I'm using sits in it, alternately I have the device in my breast pocket and just listen to the voice commands.
You need the software (obviously) and some form of GPS receiver, there are a lot of bluetooth (http://www.bluetoothgpstips.com/) ones around (I personally use a BT-77). PM me if you need more advice or help with the software.

p.s. If you have one of the latest Symbian OS phones (version 3) like my new one, the Nokia N80, Tom Tom etc. etc. have not yet upgraded the software to work on them, expected soon though.

BD

[seacue]

I used a laptop w/ mapping software and an ordinary GPS some years ago. I built a cardboard sunshade, which helped "some". But it was too big for all but a mega-car. And I thought it very dangerous trying to press the correct keys to zoom, etc.

Unfortunately nice car GPS units cost as much as a laptop PC. Minimal car units cost about half as much. That has put me off since I'd use it so little.

[nighthopper]

Thanks for all the info. Looks like I will need to look at making that investment for a dedicated car unit.

[bigfatsweatysock]

Have a look for second hand TomTom 500 or 700 series on eBay. Nice bit of kit and since the release of the new tomtom go 510/710/910 the older ones are quite affordable-between 150 and 200 quid.

[SLFStuckInTheBack]

I bought a NavMan 510 last year (from Halfords for 400 pounds). The same unit is now on sale from Halfords for 180ish. Its basically a dedicated PDA - and it has been very useful.

I bought it for my 18 year old daughter to use (as she cannot read a road map!!!). My son and I used it to navigate from Oxfordshire to the GlenGoyne distillery near Glascow, and then onto Edinburgh (and Glen Kinchie distillery and to see Concorde) - without ever having to use a road map ourselves.

The price of these units keep dropping, so wait another 3 months and a new unit might only cost 100 pounds!

[Conan the Librarian]

Try here. £184. I got a flyer from them last night and this is a special for this weekend only - apparently. You will need to check that any of these suggestions support your Euro itinerary though.


Conan


http://www.globalpositioningsystems.co.uk/newsletters/mio-c210-offer?cid=3201&[email protected]


PS That lionk looks suspect to me! PM me if you need more details.

[BDiONU]

Try here. £184. I got a flyer from them last night and this is a special for this weekend only - apparently. You will need to check that any of these suggestions support your Euro itinerary though.
How about a Garmin Streetpilot i3-GPS (http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/105973/rb/19712973412) for £129 inc vat?

Or a Gizmondo Mobile Gaming Console With GPS Satellite Navigation for £118.99 inc VAT & delivery from Currys (http://www.currys.co.uk/martprd/product/seo/500207)

Or a Roadcom 300 Satellite Navigation from woolworths (http://www.woolworths.co.uk/ww_p2/product/index.jhtml?pid=50502166) for £169.98

Best deals for Tom Tom can be found here (http://www.find-tomtom-deals.co.uk/) Tom Tom Go 500 £270 at Carphone Warehouse (http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/commerce/servlet/gben-pd-ProductAccessories?S=230&PN=MAIN.COMMERCE.ACCESSORIES.INCAR.SATNAV&modelName=&manId=&modelId=&fullArticleName=MAIN.UK.INTERNET.PRODDISPLAY.PALETTES.CARACC ESSORIES.GLOBAL&subCatFullArticleName=MAIN.UK.INTERNET.PRODDISPLAY.PALETTES. CARACCESSORIES.SATNAV&subCategoryName=Sat%20Nav&categoryName=In-Car%20accessories&parentPalette=MAIN.COMMERCE.ACCESSORIES.INCAR&accessoryid=TOMTOM500&accessoryName=TomTom%20Go%20500%20Satellite%20Navigation&tduid=00121887cbc78b4e2e76c6dbb96a47d6). Or the Tom Tom One at The Link (http://www.thelink.com/martprd/store/lin_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@1513354989.1151762058@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccccaddiejgflfdcflgceggdhhmdgml.0&page=Product&sku=058534&category_oid=-27397&fm=null&sm=null&tm=null) is £215 but use the code PAYGO10 in the Promotion Code box at the checkout and you get £21.50 off taking it down to £193.50 in c delivery.

BD

[P.Pilcher]

Now they tell me - having just been stung for a Tomtom 510 at ful retail price for wife's birthday! Just a note everybody from P.C. daughter who tells me that she is getting a bit fed up of the number of people she meets on her beat complaining that "my new in-car navigator has been nicked". They are so easy to lift and at present command quite a decent price on the black market, so please put 'em out of sight even if you only leave your groundborne transport for a few seonds.

P.P.

[IO540]

I don't think that a dedicated car device is a must (the way that it might be in aviation).

I use a HP4700 PDA with TomTom5. TT5 actually runs properly in the 640x480 (TT3 didn't) display of this PDA. The result is excellent. TT is so good in fact that one could almost drive by the voice prompts alone.

The problem with a dedicated car device is that unless it is a part of the vehicle and not removable, it is certain to get nicked, and the window(s) will be smashed and/or doors damaged to get at it. (Don't I know it).

So one must remove it, and if one is going to carry it about then may as well get something that can be used for something else e.g. checking email, street nav, etc. I have a Audiovox RTM8000 PCMCIA GPRS card in my HP4700 and it works a treat.

If i was doing serious street-level navigation for living e.g. a self employed delivery driver then I would get a 8" tablet like the Motion ls800, with a car mount, and run a nav package on that. That would give a better overall picture.

[BDiONU]

New deal if anyone is still looking for a car GPS, the GARMIN GPS unit StreetPilot C320 Europe is selling here (http://www.pixmania.co.uk/uk/uk/177990/art/garmin/gps-unit-streetpilot-c320.html?srcid=349) for £212.95 (£373 at Amazon!) and if you use the promotion code camerabuyer0606 you get a further £10 off taking it down to £202.95.

http://aka.fotovista.com/dev/7/3/15010037/g_15010037.jpg

BD