Why Buy A Navigation System For Cars When You Have A Smartphone That Comes With GPS Navigation?
Navigation systems for cars have developed along two lines - a dedicated system or a smartphone system. If you're trying to decide, this article will help you make a decision. We will list what is good and what is not so good about each technology.
Screens And The User Interface In A Navigation System For Cars
The iPhone, Palm, and some Android powered smartphones have very clear displays and utilize touchscreen technology. But these great devices are not visual-friendly when you are trying to drive. The small text and menus are not easily read when they are an arm's length away. It is no easy task to use a smartphone GPS system while driving.
Even though the manufacturers of these smartphone navigation systems for cars have provided the phone with larger text fonts and buttons, they still are smaller and more cumbersome than these same features on a dedicated GPS device. Dedicated navigation products will most likely have a resistive touchscreen display that is larger and can reach 4096 x 4096 DPI resolution.
Devices that are dedicated navigation systems for cars have been optimized for driving conditions in both usability and viewing. The larger screens allow more information like street names, distance to a turn, and time of arrival information to be communicated.
Smartphones are wonderful devices and have many great features. But a 3.5" screen is a huge drawback. Since the screen is the biggest factor to consider when looking into navigation sytems for cars, the dedicated GPS device wins this section of the comparison.
Windshield And Dash Mounting Of Your GPS System
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Most people using their smartphone's navigation system for cars place it in the passenger's seat or just listen to the voice directions. But the turn-by-turn navigation of the smartphone is best used by mounting it on the windshield or dash. You can get a simple one-size for all holder or much more sophisticated mounts. The simpler ones have no features and charger ports. A TomTom car Kit will include a charger, speaker, supplemental GPS chip, and microphone.
Factor in your final decision a $19 to $119 additional cost for a smartphone mounting method. There is no extra cost when you purchase a dedicated navigation system for a car. They all come with windshield mounting and include power port chargers. Manufacturers of GPS devices provide very well built mounts that are both adjustable and very adaptable for various mounting points. Most include a sticky-backed disc for the greatest mounting versatility.
Again the evaluation edge goes to the navigation system for a car that is dedicated to auto usage.
Map Quality And Directions
Maps and points-of-interest databases for a smartphone are downloaded two ways. They're obtained either at the time of purchase or on the fly. Downloading on the fly, per MotionX GPS Drive, insures that your device will have the latest version. The frustrating thing is that if you're in a remote area and out of cell phone range you will be without maps. On-board maps will suit you better if you do a lot of rural driving.
Both manufacturers of GPS devices and smartphones, with their turn-by-turn apps, use the same mapping sources. NavTeq and TeleNav are the mapping leaders and they have a solid reputation for accuracy. TomTom and AT&T are two of the great turn-by-turn apps provided to some of the most well known smartphone brands. Their maps are up to date and accurate. Smartphones not using the top mapping companies products are less accurate and have been known to give wrong directions.
One drawback of dedicated navigation systems for cars is that their on-board mapsets should be updated each year, and that is going to cost somewhere around $80. It is suggested you look into a "lifetime map upgrade" program when you purchase your device.
Connectivity
A huge advantage for smartphones is the cellular network and the Internet to which they are constantly connected. But don't assume that all smartphones take advantage of this connectivity. Make sure you understand what the GPS apps do before buying your smartphone.
Smartphones that take advantage of the connectivity offer such cool things as real time traffic detection and avoidance, gas prices, and nearest gas station.
A dedicated GPS system could have this same type of connectivity but many of them do not. If the dedicated device does offer the cellular and internet connectivity, you will need to sign-up with a company that can provide the necessary access and pay a monthly fee.
Dedicated navigation systems for cars either have no browser or minimal-function ones. Smartphones have great browsers. Connectivity is dominated by a smartphone with GPS system apps.
Cost Of Your Navigation System
A good quality dedicated GPS system is going to cost between $150 and $350. As mentioned, it will cost an extra $80 annually for map updates and the cellular connectivity will cost about $10 per month. A smartphone is going to cost around $200 with about $30 per month for a mandatory data plan. You will need to sign a two year contract with the data and cellular services provider.
The navigation apps for a smartphone are anywhere from $99 to free. And you will not be paying annual update fees for most smartphone navigation turn-by-turn apps. Cost seems to favor the smartphone GPS system. The need to sign a 2 year contract is mainly a feature of the cell phone service and would be incurred whether you had a GPS app or not.
Finally, Many of these dedicated GPS systems use voice recognition. So you don't have to touch the screen or play with anything, you just say what you need, be it a reroute or new location. This makes it much safer than a mobile phone.
Please view our short video on one man's opinion of the best affordable GPS.