GPS phones

[jarrad]

I am looking at getting a new phone with GPS. I would like one on Pay As You Go, preferably for less than £150. I have been looking at the Nokia 5230 but the reviews seem to suggest it is not very reliable and I don't like the lack of Wifi.

Can anyone suggest any possibilities?

Also, does it cost anything to use the GPS? ie. data charges.

[aldamaster]

I have the Nokia E71 which has now got the free nokia maps and gps for ever! It is actually really good, i dont know if you could use it for walking in the hills etc, but very good around towns/cities for walking or driving!

I am on contract so get unlimited internet, but it would probably cost to go on the internet if it was pay as you go i think. I have a £20 a month contract with 3, which is 300 minutes, unlimited texts and unlimited internet/e-mails.

[jarrad]

That looks like a good phone, but a bit expensive for me right now.

It does cost to use the internet on PAYG but some things I have read seem to suggest you don't need to use the internet for the GPS to work. This is what I am trying to verify.

[Scots Nick]

I have an MWG Zinc 2. It has sirf 111 gps, wifi, bluetooth, camera and is a pocket pc.

I have it on T Mobile 20 per month unlimited web access UK.

Very good phone, replaced battery after two years, £12.

I have Mem Map france at 1;25k and have put my fugawi 1;50k too.

Info here
http://www.expansys.com/d.aspx?i=161302

[Ian_C]

HTC Hero for me, would not have anything else...

[daveb123]

I am looking at getting a new phone with GPS. I would like one on Pay As You Go, preferably for less than £150. I have been looking at the Nokia 5230 but the reviews seem to suggest it is not very reliable and I don't like the lack of Wifi.

Can anyone suggest any possibilities?

Also, does it cost anything to use the GPS? ie. data charges.

Mine is rather old now but is an unlocked Orange SPV M700 it uses Memory Map OS maps and is great - providing you have enough power - I have extended battery and also take the normal one.

It is a pocket PC and will run TomTom etc too.

Someone else mentions the HTC - this is an HTC inside but dont know the name but is HTC 3600 I think.

It cost me £80 second hand.

Dave

[Mang]

There's a big GPS review in the latest Bushcraft And Survival Skills magazine

[mike142sl]

That looks like a good phone, but a bit expensive for me right now.

It does cost to use the internet on PAYG but some things I have read seem to suggest you don't need to use the internet for the GPS to work. This is what I am trying to verify.

To answer you specific question then phones with GPS do not need a phone signal to work, they operate just like any GPS device and so there is no cost.
There is something called AGPS (assisted GPS) where it can locate your position based on signal strength from local transmitters (so works better in built up areas than rural) plus signal from satellites. This does incur a cost, but if you want to play with things like Google Latitude so that your friends can see where you are, and you them, then this is what you will need to turn on. Frankly it's a bit of a gimmick that doesn't appear to be catching on.

[fmolesey]

I have a Nokia 5800 and it doesn't let me use the GPS without an internet connection.

[Walsallwizard]

I've just got the HTC Legend but I wont be using the GPS, got a TomTom for that but a work colleague has the Sony Ericsson X10 and reckons it the dogs b.. wedding tackle

[Ian_C]

Sony Ericsson X10,, good phone, but I still think that the HTC range are more customizable, I am able to run Google Maps Navigation using VanillaEclair 3.0 ROM, and it works great.

[aldamaster]

I have a Nokia 5800 and it doesn't let me use the GPS without an internet connection.

Ye i have the E71 as mentioned before and when you use the maps/gps it asks if you want to go online, if you dont go online it doesn't work!

I get unlimited tinterweb so it's not a problem but pretty sure you do need an internet connection.

[jarrad]

Thanks for all the comments. I'm not sure about Nokias but it seems that phones using google maps download the maps on the fly, using 3g and therefore costing money. I thought it was possible to download all the maps for Nokia/Ovi maps and so it never cost anything to use but I am still not certain about this.

I am hoping to get to the shop tomorrow, see if they can provide a clearer answer.

I am now looking at the Motorola DEXT and the Samsung S5620 so if anyone knows if they are any good it would be helpful.

Thanks.

[toprow]

I would like to correct fmoseley I have the Nokia 5800 and the GPS does work off-line. You can set it to only connect when you require it, all you need is to be connected to your or in my case the O2 network to work. You only have to have a sim card in the phone and the phone switched on, this does not involve being connected to the internet and you are not paying for any calls either. If you buy the Nokia 5800 you get Nokia Maps Free too so no need to install third party software, the phone comes with WiFi and email installed with many more apps.

[awarner]

Don't forget while GPS is nice on phones it will drain the battery so plan to use it long while away from a power source.
I used to use GPS software many years ago on my phones before GPS became built into the phone, thats when I was heavily into the Windows Mobile scene. Had fun being one of the first out side of TomTom to test their application on non touchscreen smartphones as a beta tester.