Looking for a phone with a standalone gps

knowledge

knowledge

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Long story short: my phone got stolen at the full moon party (lol...surprise surprise). Do any phones exist that have a full keyboard + standalone gps/doesn't need to have wi-fi radio to work?

Quick google search didn't turn up anything useful, other than a list from 2010.

Thanks in advance
 
Actually most phones do have "stand alone gps". Assisted GPS just gets you a lock faster when there's data available, but with a clear ski most decent phones should get you a lock within reasonable time.

What phone were you considering? What gps app do you want to use and on what os?
 
I believe that many of the android phones/tablets allow you to save a large section of a map onto the device with some apps. Then when you're outside you can just use that without a wifi signal for the assisted gps.
Not sure if apple allows this or not but I haven't looked into it in too much detail. But it would be a very useful feature!
 
daught said:
Actually most phones do have "stand alone gps". Assisted GPS just gets you a lock faster when there's data available, but with a clear ski most decent phones should get you a lock within reasonable time.

What phone were you considering? What gps app do you want to use and on what os?
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Thanks for clearing that up. Originally, I thought that aGPS needed to always have data on. I had the bold 9900 and that was listed as an aGPS phone and I couldn't load anything with data off.

I'd actually be happy with another blackberry. I'd love to have an iphone but I can't give up the buttons. So I guess that leaves android. As for apps, I'm not too picky. The only features that I really need are directions and a location identifier. I've been using google maps for the longest time, so I'd imagine that anything would really be an upgrade from that.

It seems that all the best phones are only touch screen and most of the phones with a full keyboard are lower-end Nokias.

mimico_polak said:
I believe that many of the android phones/tablets allow you to save a large section of a map onto the device with some apps. Then when you're outside you can just use that without a wifi signal for the assisted gps.
Not sure if apple allows this or not but I haven't looked into it in too much detail. But it would be a very useful feature!
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Mimico, that's a great suggestion, but my issue with that is that I still won't know where I am until I can find an intersection with english lettering.

Splash said:
All android phones have "standalone" GPS as long as you download the correct GPS app. Look up Sygic Nav. Or you can just use Google Maps and download the maps for offline use.

Here's a 2012 list of Android phones with a QWERTY keyboard

http://www.androidauthority.com/best-keyboard-qwerty-android-phones-2012-55315/

You never said if you are going for an unlock phone or looking for a phone that's available at Bell, Rogers....
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Thanks - making my way through the list right now. It would definitely have to be unlocked; I have to buy it in Thailand. The next stop's Italy and I'd imagine that the same phones would be more expensive there?
 
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Nokia E71 or E71x

It's a couple years old, but supports GarminMobile. Load the maps on an sd card, and all you need is a clear sky. Full keyboard. Similar to a bold 9700. Should be able to find it cheap. I used mine all throw out southeast Asia and Europe. I still keep it in the car as a GPS
 
i think my friend still uses the e71. really nice phone.


you can convert to being buttonless!
 
I stayed with a keyboard for the longest time. Didnt wanna go keyboardless.

Then i switched and im not looking back.

Otherwise you could always wait for that new bberry with keyboard but thats gonna take a lil while
 
So to be clear: I was just doing it wrong with my BB? If I had the right app, I could've been using it as a standalone gps this whole time? Hahaha I'm so bad at this traveling thing. Tempting to wait for BB10, but it would probably be over 1000 bucks here.
nfq said:
Nokia E71 or E71x

It's a couple years old, but supports GarminMobile. Load the maps on an sd card, and all you need is a clear sky. Full keyboard. Similar to a bold 9700. Should be able to find it cheap. I used mine all throw out southeast Asia and Europe. I still keep it in the car as a GPS
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Awesome...gonna keep an eye out for it tomorrow. How'd you find the camera? Good enough for basic memories/pictures?

Also, how much does it cost to download a country map?
 
knowledge said:
So to be clear: I was just doing it wrong with my BB? If I had the right app, I could've been using it as a standalone gps this whole time? Hahaha I'm so bad at this traveling thing. Tempting to wait for BB10, but it would probably be over 1000 bucks here.

Awesome...gonna keep an eye out for it tomorrow. How'd you find the camera? Good enough for basic memories/pictures?

Also, how much does it cost to download a country map?
Click to expand...

The camera on it is a 3.2MP with a flash. More than adequate enough in most situations, can be grainy in low light.

As for maps, the beauty is, it takes any standard Garmin maps, so wherever you may find them, just put them in the proper folder on the sd card.

They can be found online, in a store, from a friend, etc etc. Purchased, of course....
 
I used Symbian garmin for many years. Garmin stopped updating the app a long time ago. It's still nice but it's a bit glitchy. I went to ios because garmin started developing the same app that was on symbian. The app is awesome and it's only getting better. Android has navigon which is almost as good.
 
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eljay said:
nokia N8. crappy phone with AMAZING gps and 12MP camera.
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Been hearing good things about Nokia Lumia 920 and it's GPS/Offline maps features. Their mapping database has a 10 year head start on Google, and offers something ridiculous like 10 times more waypoints, walking guidance, transit in more cities, etc. All offline.
 
I use a Nokia E7, stand alone GPS is fantastic. Prior to that I used a Nokia e72, e71, e61 - you get the idea. All have built-in GPS that can be used without a data plan.
 
nfq said:
The camera on it is a 3.2MP with a flash. More than adequate enough in most situations, can be grainy in low light.

As for maps, the beauty is, it takes any standard Garmin maps, so wherever you may find them, just put them in the proper folder on the sd card.

They can be found online, in a store, from a friend, etc etc. Purchased, of course....
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Cool...is there any reason to shy away from the e73 or something newer?

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It looks like I should keep my eye out for nokia phones while I'm out looking today. Are there any specific specs I should look for as a bare minimum? This is all I know:

- quad band
- gps function
- wi-fi
- unlocked

LOL. I know it gets a bit tricky because some phones will do fine on 256mb of ram while others might need more.

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Everyone says that you get used to a touchscreen, but I'll probably be the very last person to jump ship, IF that time ever comes. Until I can type on a touchscreen without looking, I can't make the switch. With buttons, I know when I hit the wrong key and I'm backspacing without even looking at the screen to see the mistake.
 
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