Tablets as Satnavs

[nuevoboy]

As a dyed in the wool Luddite (still got a record player ;-) ) I have been thinking of getting a tablet, mostly for nuevogirl to be able to show pics of the grandkids to her friends etc.

However, someone has told me that some tablets can be used as a satnav, which is something else we've never had (just bought 2 new atlases for £6!).

 

So, with a possibility of moving in to the 21st Century, can someone please explain if a tablet can be used as a satnav.

Oh yes, one other point.....our mobile phones are topped up by £10 once a year, so if the tablet does work as a satnav, it would have to be offline (if that is the word). :-S

Ta.

[DuxDeluxe]

Yes, if you have a tablet with GPS then you can download a programme such as Nav Free (or pay for one) and then you can use it on the tablet without data.

 

I've done this on a few occasions with a rented car having forgotten the TomTom - prop up the iPad on top of the dashboard and it works. Not recommended as a permanent feature in a car but would work fine in a van. It is a bit of a power hog, though.

[Frankkia]

Yes you can.

 

There are free apps you can use to turn your "smartphone" or tablet into a sat nav - My favourite is "Mapfactor Navigator" - It is free to use and you can download as many (or as few) maps as you wish - choosing from the free ones or you can buy the Tom Tom ones. I use the free ones and they are superb and are updated regularly.

 

If your tablet has built in GPS rather than Assisted GPS you are off and running in no time. If it has no GPS chip built in all is not lost as you can get a bluetooth GPS receiver (as long as your tablet has bluetooth) - This one is cheap enough and I have tried it out with a tablet and a laptop - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/COPILOT-EMTAC-MINI-S3-BLUETOOTH-GPS-RECEIVER-/221245938907?pt=UK_CE_GPS_Accessories_Software_ET&hash=item3383491cdb

 

One drawback in using a tablet or smartphone as a sat nav is that the sound is usually not man enough in a vehicle so it would be best if you can plug the earphone socket into an aux in on the cab radio.

 

As mentioned above - When in sat nav mode the tablet will use quite a bit of battery so it is best to have it plugged in - you can get a "cig lighter" to USB power converter to do this - look for 1 that has at least a 1 amp output but preferably 2 amp as you can find with a larger tablet that it is using power faster than a standard USB charger can feed it. Also get 1 with a twin USB so it can feed the bluetooth receiver if you don't have GPS built in and you want to go that route.

[Arthur Brown]

Hi

The short answer is YES. However, as mentioned it needs to have built in GPS capability or you will have to buy a GPS module and link via bluetooth. I have a mini I-pad which has built in GPS and I bought IGO mapping from the App shop. It is first class. The mapping is of Western Europe covering the UK , France, Spain and Portugal plus a host of others which I have not yet visited. It is brilliant in those countries mentioned. Cost - £35.00.

The tablet does not require a sim card to be used as a Sat Nav so does not require to be topped up. There is much more info regarding these gismoes but one thing at a time. Do your research to decide what it is you want from a tablet. They are not cheap so you need to make an informed choice before spending money. If you only want sat nav then buy a sat nav. Tablets purchased for use only as a sat nav is an expensive exercise. However, if you can justify to yourself the purchase of a tablet for other things,then yes it will make a good sat nav with the right mapping. Hope this helps.

Art

[nuevoboy]

Well, thanks for the prompt responses.

I think the answer then must be a Yes.

 

Don't understand all this talk of Bluetooth, but I'm off to the dentists on Friday, so could ask there! ;-)