Smartphone GPS navigation has rapidly grown into a robust product category with lots of alternatives for customers. Ought to you invest in a smartphone navigation package, or go for a dedicated GPS device from a top manufacturer, such as Garmin or TomTom? Right here, we list the pros and cons for every technologies, and offer you with choice-creating guidance.
1. Screens and User Interface
Smartphones such as the iPhone, Palm, or different Android operating-program-powered models have sharp, clear displays with capacitive touchscreens. They are excellent for palm-of-the-hand operation. Nevertheless, their tiny fonts and menu systems are difficult to use at arm’s length, as when mounted on a windshield or dash mount. It can be tough to see and operate smartphone GPS while driving. Most GPS turn-by-turn navigation applications for smartphones are somewhat adapted to this sort of use with larger fonts and buttons, but these are nonetheless smaller sized than these found on a common devoted GPS device.
Committed GPS personal navigation devices (PND) have resistive touchscreens that are larger all round, typically four.three inches diagonally, compared to 3.5 inches for a standard smartphone. And larger screen (five-plus inches) PNDs are becoming much more frequent. In addition, PND menu systems, touchscreen keyboards, display letters and numerals, have been optimized for arms-length viewing, and have been tuned for usability although driving. Also, PND displays have space to include a lot more information about distance to upcoming turns, upcoming street names, speed limit data, time-of-arrival data and far more.
Whilst elegance and a light touch make smartphones’ capacitive touchscreens a pleasure to use, 3.five-inch smartphone screens are at ideal a compromise for in-automobile navigation. The simplicity, durability, and larger size of the committed GPS PND resistive touchscreen wins out in this comparison, and this is a single of the largest variables to contemplate in the smartphone vs. PND comparison.
two. Excellent Car Coverage Windshield and Dash Mounting
Several use their smartphone’s turn-by-turn navigation although the telephone rests on the passenger seat or some other flat area (or they simply listen to the directions), but there is no doubt that a windshield or dash mount provides optimal viewing for turn-by-turn in-auto directions. Smartphone windshield mounts variety from easy, a single-size-fits all holders that have no charger ports or any additional functions, to sophisticated units such as the TomTom Vehicle Kit, which consists of a charger, speaker, supplemental GPS chip, microphone, and much more. You are going to spend anyplace amongst $ 19 and $ 119 for a smartphone windshield mount, so issue that into your selection, and make sure the mount includes a charger, or that you have an accessory energy port charger for your smartphone.
Committed PNDs, by contrast, all come with windshield mounts and power port chargers included. Mounts from the main producers are effectively-constructed, really adjustable, and adaptable to a variety of mounting points with the use of an incorporated sticky-backed disk.
Even though there are good smartphone windshield mounts on the industry, obtaining a single takes some time, work, and funds on your element. By contrast, mounts are no-brainers and come in the box with PNDs, so PNDs have the edge in mounting, also.
three. Quality of Maps and Directions
Smartphone map and points-of-interest databases are either downloaded initially with acquire of the app, per TomTom for iPhone, or are downloaded on the fly, per MotionX GPS Drive. When you download maps on the fly, you are going to usually have the latest version. The downside is that you may possibly be without maps in remote places out of cell phone tower variety. If you do a lot of rural driving out of 3G range, stay with on-board maps.
Smartphone turn-by-turn apps usually use the identical high-good quality maps and databases offered by mapping giants Perfect Automobile Coverage TeleNav and NavTeq, as do the PND makers. Google has gone its personal way with Google Maps Navigation. I’ve usually had very good experiences and accurate directions from name-brand smartphone turn-by-turn apps such as those provided by TomTom and AT&T. Nevertheless, smartphone apps not using NavTeq or TeleNav mapsets, like Google Maps Navigation, are known for much less accuracy, and some wrong-way directions.
PNDs maintain mapsets on board, and these ought to be updated (for a price of about $ 70 – $ 90) each year.
four. Connectivity
Smartphones have the huge advantage of constantly being connected to the cellular network and the World wide web. Some smartphone GPS navigation apps take advantage of this connectivity with sophisticated search, actual-time site visitors detection and avoidance, and solutions such as gas rates, whilst other people make scant use of the World wide web. Verify out what the app does with connectivity before you buy. Dedicated PNDs may or might not contain cellular network/Net connectivity. Verify the specifications, and note that you’ll need to have to spend a monthly charge to preserve connectivity in a PND. Smartphones usually have outstanding Web browsers, although PNDs have minimal-function browsers, or no browsers. Smartphones have the edge in the use of connectivity.
five. Expenses
Very good-quality PNDs are obtainable for $ 120 to $ 350 and up. You will spend extra for annual map updates (about $ 70 – $ 90) and optional cellular network connectivity (generally $ 9.95 per month).
Smartphones generally price about $ 199 with a two-year contract, plus a $ 30 per month mandatory information plan, plus fundamental cell service charges. Smartphone turn-by-turn navigation apps range in value from totally free to $ 99. Smartphone navigation apps normally do not carry map update charges.
There’s a lot to take into account in the smartphone navigation vs. PND debate, but these details must aid you decide.
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