Good Offline Navigation app? (Android)

[Mitsu3000gt]

I'm going to Florida next month and my good ol' Magellan GPS is looking pretty ancient and the signal acquisition is average at best.

Does anyone know what the best offline turn-by-turn navigation app for Android is? I don't mind paying if the best ones aren't free, I'd rather pay for something I will always have rather than a data package anyway. Seems like it would be a good thing to have regardless.

The other option is buying a USA roaming package and using Google NAV as usual - they are pretty cheap ($8 for each 50MB) but I have no clue how much I will use.

Anyone have an app to recommend? NavFree looks OK.

Thanks!

[jwslam]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt
The other option is buying a USA roaming package and using Google NAV as usual - they are pretty cheap ($8 for each 50MB) but I have no clue how much I will use.
You're probably better off signing up for the wind $15 unlimited data/talk/text in USA plan. If you sign up for the $39 for 1 month + $25 for the SIM, probably better idea than being scared of going over 400mb (8x$8=39+25), plus you can call/text.

I tried to use navfree in Houston and it was SOOOOO slow. Actually I think I gave up before it actually loaded any address I was looking for.

[G-ZUS]

Originally posted by jwslam

You're probably better off signing up for the wind $15 unlimited data/talk/text in USA plan. If you sign up for the $39 for 1 month + $25 for the SIM, probably better idea than being scared of going over 400mb (8x$8=39+25), plus you can call/text.

I tried to use navfree in Houston and it was SOOOOO slow. Actually I think I gave up before it actually loaded any address I was looking for.

Navfree is very slow and not too accurate, tried using it in Edmonton last weekend - tried taking me to the wrong place :facepalm:

[seer_claw]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt
I'm going to Florida next month and my good ol' Magellan GPS is looking pretty ancient and the signal acquisition is average at best.

Does anyone know what the best offline turn-by-turn navigation app for Android is? I don't mind paying if the best ones aren't free, I'd rather pay for something I will always have rather than a data package anyway. Seems like it would be a good thing to have regardless.

The other option is buying a USA roaming package and using Google NAV as usual - they are pretty cheap ($8 for each 50MB) but I have no clue how much I will use.

Anyone have an app to recommend? NavFree looks OK.

Thanks!

I've got a car GPS with the states on it. If you want to borrow it, I can lend it to you. With the statement that if you break it you buy a new one for me. I believe its a 5" screen Garmin, I haven't used it in a while but I can update it and you are welcome to borrow it.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Good to know that NavFree sucks, thanks.

As for a carrier based plan, I'm with Fido, and they simply charge you $7.99/50MB of USA data, you don't even have to notify them. If I go that route, I think that's pretty reasonable.

I don't really care about texting, since I use WhatsApp for most texting, which is all data based anyway. I won't be making any phone calls either, so that's a non-issue.

If there are no good apps, I might just use data at $$8/50MB which seems pretty good. My monthly data usage is usually around 200MB and I'm only going for 8 days.

I'm not that worried about it, if there are no excellent offline NAV apps, I'll just use the data haha.

This is the fineprint, so I actually think it may not be as good as I originally thought...:

"Upon your first byte of usage you will be charged $7.99. This will provide you with 50MB that is available to use for 24 hours. If usage exceeds 50MB within a 24 hour period, an additional charge of $7.99 will apply for access to another 50MB during the same 24 hour period. Additional charges of $7.99 will not extend that 24 hour period."

How do you guys read that? Is it going to be $7.99/day? I'll try call Fido later this aft.

EDIT: I chatted with a Fido rep and it's $8/day, so not as good of a deal as I thought.


Originally posted by seer_claw


I've got a car GPS with the states on it. If you want to borrow it, I can lend it to you. With the statement that if you break it you buy a new one for me. I believe its a 5" screen Garmin, I haven't used it in a while but I can update it and you are welcome to borrow it.

That is a generous offer, I appreciate it, but since data seems to be pretty cheap in the USA I will probably just use my phone. I have a Magellan NAV with the USA on it as well, and *IF* you can get it to acquire a satellite signal, it works well, but last time I was in Florida it took 20-30 min to grab a signal, which is why I was hoping to get away with my phone.

[Strider]

Depending how long you're down there, the T-mobile $30 unlimited web prepaid SIM is pretty good. Google Maps beats offline programs or devices anyday, just for POIs and reviews, etc.

http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-plans
It's about 2/3 of the way down on the left


You have to find it at Walmart though.

[Mitsu3000gt]

$30 unlimited SIM's seem pretty reasonable, we're just there for 8 nights - I am just wanting Nav for to/from airports, outlets, parks, and restaurants. There is a Wal-Mart around the corner from where we're staying, however I will be needing GPS to get from the airport to our hotel in the dark haha.
Map Factor looks pretty good, except for I can't seem to get it to install at all for some reason. Nothing beats Google Maps/Nav though, that's for sure.

[rage2]

You're going to burn through 50MB in 10 seconds. :rofl:

Since I travel a lot, and thanks to benyl's suggestion, I picked up one of these:

http://www.t-mobile.com/internet-devices/samsung-lte-mobile-hotspot-pro.html

Activate it before I head down, $20 gets me a couple gigs for 7 days. Phone connects to it on wifi and basically have full data while I'm down there. I don't even bother with a US sim card anymore, this is way more convenient.

[Mitsu3000gt]

^^ That looks awesome but doesn't seem like a good one-time solution, since I don't go to the USA very often. If I could buy a US SIM up here before I went, that would be ideal haha, but I don't think I can.

And yeah, if maps use lots of data, I will probably burn through it quicker than expected.

This looks not bad too:

http://www.roammobility.com/data-only

[ExtraSlow]

Just buy a garmin GPS and forget the cell data?

[ajooo]

Originally posted by rage2
You're going to burn through 50MB in 10 seconds. :rofl:

Since I travel a lot, and thanks to benyl's suggestion, I picked up one of these:

http://www.t-mobile.com/internet-devices/samsung-lte-mobile-hotspot-pro.html

Activate it before I head down, $20 gets me a couple gigs for 7 days. Phone connects to it on wifi and basically have full data while I'm down there. I don't even bother with a US sim card anymore, this is way more convenient.

wow, never realized t-mobile had something like this. i've been using a t-mobile sim card and use their pay-per-day $3 plan or whatever

OP, not sure if navigation works still if you do this, but im pretty sure you can download city data from the google maps app and make it available for offline use

[slick2404]

What about Roam Mobility? I haven't used it myself but a few coworkers have and said it worked out for them pretty well.

http://www.roammobility.com/

300MB/3 days

$7.95

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
Just buy a garmin GPS and forget the cell data?

I have one already, it's slow to type in and slow to acquire satellites. My phone is literally instant and Google Nav is the best I've used. It's also much more convenient to travel with. I don't want to buy another $100+ GPS unit for one trip.

I probably won't need it too often, I doubt the Disney parks are that hard to find haha. I might get away with a offline NAV app, even if it's slow.

This one seems to be well reviewed:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sygic.aura

And this:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.osmand


At the end of the day I'm really not THAT worried about it. If I desperately need a map, and Fido charges me $8, I don't really care haha.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by slick2404
What about Roam Mobility? I haven't used it myself but a few coworkers have and said it worked out for them pretty well.

http://www.roammobility.com/

300MB/3 days

$7.95

I literally just stumbled across that as well haha. Looks like they have 7 days for $15.

[benyl]

The problem with Roam is that you have to take out your Canadian SIM. That means you will miss calls and texts that are free to receive (not the calls, but at least you can see who called).

Signup for google voice when in the US (or use a proxy) and then you can return the call using Google voice. Until May 15th, you can also return texts using Talkatone. I am hoping that Hangouts will be updated to allow texting. Right now it only allows calls.

With the mobile hotspot, you can have 10 people use the same data plan. As long as you all stay together, you don't have to try and "tether" with a roam mobility sim card in one person's phone.

When signing up for GVoice, you will need a US phone number. You can get a burner app that allows 5 free minutes and setup a temp US number through that. It doesn't matter where it is, as long as it is in the US.

On our last trip to NY, we had two hotspots going and it was like we were in Canada using LTE. iMessage, Facebook chat, Facebook, instagram, beyond.ca always on everywhere we went. It works in Hawaii too.

So worth the price, even if you only travel to the US once or twice a year.

[idriveabox]

I use roam and it works great. As mentioned you do miss calls and texts to the Canadian number. If you activate the plan every year you can keep the US number though.

[jwslam]

Whatever happened to paper maps? The adventure is in the folding :rofl:

[nobb]

You can pre-cache Google maps for use offline.

[jwslam]

Originally posted by nobb
You can pre-cache Google maps for use offline.
Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt
Does anyone know what the best offline turn-by-turn navigation app for Android is?
Fail.

[taemo]

I've had my small Garmin GPS for over 5 years now that I use for work and travelling in the US, it's so old now though that I haven't been able to update the map the past 2 years because of file size.

since you're renting a car, why not rent a GPS as well?
or maybe upgrade your current GPS

edit:

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt

I have one already, it's slow to type in and slow to acquire satellites. My phone is literally instant and Google Nav is the best I've used. It's also much more convenient to travel with. I don't want to buy another $100+ GPS unit for one trip.

when you first arrive in Florida from Canada sure the satellite will be slow but afterwards, when i turn on the car, it turns on the GPS and in 1-2min the GPS is up, unless I'm in an underground parkade.
Typing can be slow because my GPS is the old school touchscreen and not QWERTY but what ever, 1-2 minutes to type in the address is not a big deal, you can also have your GF type in the address for you while driving.
what I like to do too sometimes is while at a restaurant or in the hotel, is I like to type in all the addresses i want to go to so that it's on my recent search

[benyl]

You'll want a data hotspot to check line wait times at Disney. Disneyland didn't have Wifi. I suspect WDW won't either.

[taemo]

^EK had wifi, we were on facetime with fiance's sister during the fireworks.
don't recall if the other parks had wifi though

[rage2]

Originally posted by benyl
You'll want a data hotspot to check line wait times at Disney. Disneyland didn't have Wifi. I suspect WDW won't either.
Oh you're going to Disney? Yea, you'll WANT data haha. It makes optimizing ride order, fastpasses, and other perks way easier. There is no wifi at all at either Disneyland or WDW.

Make sure you grab all the apps too. Shows not only wait times, but rides that are down, and other alerts so you don't have to waste tons of walking time figuring things out 1990's style.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by taemo
when you first arrive in Florida from Canada sure the satellite will be slow but afterwards, when i turn on the car, it turns on the GPS and in 1-2min the GPS is up, unless I'm in an underground parkade.
h

I will probably toss it in my suitcase just in case.

I got the Map Factor app working as well which seems to be highly rated.



Originally posted by benyl
You'll want a data hotspot to check line wait times at Disney. Disneyland didn't have Wifi. I suspect WDW won't either.


Hmm, this changes things haha. I had no idea there were all kinds of apps to optimize the Disney park visits! I will definitely want data on my phone regardless by the sounds of things.

If I don't care about talk/text, just data, is the best solution still the hot spot? Or one of those unlimited data SIMs?

I also have ~$180 "Fido Dollars" which I can use to buy roaming packages. I'll never use it to buy hardware, so there is not much else I can spend it on, maybe I should just buy an overpriced roaming package with it.

[benyl]

Hotspot is nice because you can share it with the people you are traveling with. All depends on how much you value having your canadian number available. If it doesn't matter and you are travelling alone, get a SIM. one less thing to charge and carry.

I usually travel with people and I want my canadian number available. There are cheaper T mobile hotspots available other than the one that rage2 linked to. The reason to get the more expensive one is battery life.

[rage2]

The hotspot makes your phone last WAY longer too, plus everyone around you can use it. Wifi uses way less power than 3G/LTE.

[Mitsu3000gt]

It will just be me and the GF, and the rest of my chat is done on WhatsApp (I think that still uses my phone number though). So, I don't really care about not having my phone number for a week. I can always pop in my other SIM when I'm back on Hotel WiFi and catch up then if there is something important. Maybe an unlimited SIM will be the way to go since I don't think we need more than 1 phone between the two of us if we're always doing the same thing.

I will have my work issued iPhone as well, which has a roaming plan, however I am not supposed to use crazy amounts of non-work related data while on vacation haha.

Any recommendations on Disney apps? There seems to be a ton that claim to show you ride wait times, but they all seem to be user updated.

[benyl]

I used Touring plans, but you have to pay $8 per year.

I think there are other free ones.

[rage2]

I used Walkee, I believe that was free. Can't remember what the official free Disney app shows, can't even test it because it only works when you're IN the park.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by benyl
I used Touring plans, but you have to pay $8 per year.

I think there are other free ones.

That one looks good. To unlock all the rides it's $12.99 on android for a year which is worth it if it saves me from waiting in even a single lineup haha.

[benyl]

The great thing about touring plans is that it will tell you when to get a fastpass and wait in another line. It also has historical crowd data to give you an idea of what day to actually go to the park.

The price has gone up. I paid $8 last year. $13 bucks now!

EDIT: nevermind, $8 is for Disneyland only. WDW is more expensive.

[rage2]

You'd want to spend time reading up on the "how to get onto the most rides" strategy guides online as well before you go. Took me a day to really get used to the strategy and we ended up with minimal wait times. Maybe 3 or 4 rides total where there was a 30 minute wait over the course of a week.

Of course, there's the new Fastpass Plus or some shit now which throws everything I've learnt out the window!

Next year though, I'm going with ballers and doing the VIP tour haha. $500/hour or some shit. Go straight to the front of any ride with zero wait (even faster than fastpass), and transportation from ride to ride with a tour guide.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by benyl
The great thing about touring plans is that it will tell you when to get a fastpass and wait in another line. It also has historical crowd data to give you an idea of what day to actually go to the park.

The price has gone up. I paid $8 last year. $13 bucks now!

EDIT: nevermind, $8 is for Disneyland only. WDW is more expensive.

The app looks great so far. It is a bit more expensive for WDW but it also includes Universal Studios, which is perfect since I am told Harry Potter World is basically the purpose of this vacation :rofl: .



Originally posted by rage2
You'd want to spend time reading up on the "how to get onto the most rides" strategy guides online as well before you go. Took me a day to really get used to the strategy and we ended up with minimal wait times. Maybe 3 or 4 rides total where there was a 30 minute wait over the course of a week.

Of course, there's the new Fastpass Plus or some shit now which throws everything I've learnt out the window!

Next year though, I'm going with ballers and doing the VIP tour haha. $500/hour or some shit.

I have been reading quite a bit, but there is a lot to go over haha. Hopefully I can get a good handle on things in the next few weeks.

Thanks guys, that is all very helpful.

Any suggestions on a specific SIM card to get down there? I don't care about my phone number for 8 days. Quickly looking at some T-Mobile plans, it seems cheaper to buy down there than to use Roam Mobility.

[Stealth22]

Originally posted by rage2

Oh you're going to Disney? Yea, you'll WANT data haha. It makes optimizing ride order, fastpasses, and other perks way easier. There is no wifi at all at either Disneyland or WDW.

Make sure you grab all the apps too. Shows not only wait times, but rides that are down, and other alerts so you don't have to waste tons of walking time figuring things out 1990's style.

I was just at WDW in Florida back in December. They had wifi in the parks.

http://www.insidethemagic.net/2012/08/walt-disney-world-rolls-out-free-wi-fi-internet-at-magic-kingdom-theme-park-enabling-further-nextgen-fastpass-testing/


UPDATE: Walt Disney World spokesperson Laura Spencer let me know that Disney plans to provide free Wi-Fi in all four theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom) as well as Downtown Disney by early 2013.

[Stealth22]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt
Any suggestions on a specific SIM card to get down there? I don't care about my phone number for 8 days. Quickly looking at some T-Mobile plans, it seems cheaper to buy down there than to use Roam Mobility.

I used to use AT&T, but their SIM cards expire (I assume T-Mobile is the same) after 90 days of inactivity. The next time you go to the States, you have to spend money on another new SIM card.

The Roam Mobility plans cost a little bit more, but the SIM is valid for a year, and you can activate a one-day plan for $2 and renew it for another year. Not a problem for me because I go to the States at least once or twice a year.

The Roam plans also include unlimited calling to Canada, which AT&T didn't before I switched. Don't know if it changed now.

We have 3 Roam SIMs now, and we use them whenever we head down. :)

[idriveabox]

Originally posted by Stealth22


I used to use AT&T, but their SIM cards expire (I assume T-Mobile is the same) after 90 days of inactivity. The next time you go to the States, you have to spend money on another new SIM card.

The Roam Mobility plans cost a little bit more, but the SIM is valid for a year, and you can activate a one-day plan for $2 and renew it for another year. Not a problem for me because I go to the States at least once or twice a year.

The Roam plans also include unlimited calling to Canada, which AT&T didn't before I switched. Don't know if it changed now.

We have 3 Roam SIMs now, and we use them whenever we head down. :)

word, get the roam SIM and take advantage of the free calling home. It's super cheap and easy.

[Strider]

Originally posted by rage2
You're going to burn through 50MB in 10 seconds. :rofl:

Since I travel a lot, and thanks to benyl's suggestion, I picked up one of these:

http://www.t-mobile.com/internet-devices/samsung-lte-mobile-hotspot-pro.html

Activate it before I head down, $20 gets me a couple gigs for 7 days. Phone connects to it on wifi and basically have full data while I'm down there. I don't even bother with a US sim card anymore, this is way more convenient.

IIRC T-mobile SIMs expire after 60 days without use... Is there some workaround? or did you just grab a handful of them?

[Mitsu3000gt]

I almost for sure won't be back in the USA in the next year, so I don't really care about the expiry on these plans. I just need 7-8 days of data. If I need to call home or text/email I have my work phone for the odd call/message, or I will have WiFi and a phone in my hotel room. All I need is data when I'm not at the hotel, everything else can wait until the end of the day. If there is an emergency, then I don't care about cost, or I'll use my work phone.

A 30 or 60 day expiry would be totally fine for me. I don't want to pay for a longer expiry when I definitely won't be using it. All I need is a reasonable amount of data for 7-8 days.

[Strider]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt
I almost for sure won't be back in the USA in the next year, so I don't really care about the expiry on these plans. I just need 7-8 days of data. If I need to call home or text/email I have my work phone for the odd call/message, or I will have WiFi and a phone in my hotel room. All I need is data when I'm not at the hotel, everything else can wait until the end of the day. If there is an emergency, then I don't care about cost, or I'll use my work phone.

A 30 or 60 day expiry would be totally fine for me. I don't want to pay for a longer expiry when I definitely won't be using it. All I need is a reasonable amount of data for 7-8 days.

I would've offered you my T-mo prepaid SIM to refill and use data, but apparently it's expired. Didn't know if Rage2 has a way around that for the mobile hotspot.

[benyl]

The way around that is to put $100 on the account. That puts you in "Gold Status" and the SIM doesn't expire for 1 year. After that year, you only need to add $5 / year to maintain "Gold status."