[kirstiemcnabb]

I've had a look at Here
Its quite jumbled to find anything out, could really do with better help
What i like to do is at home plan my route then run a route demo, cannot find that on Here
Why does it always ask about logging into facebook ( I do not use that and do not want it)?
It often asks to login to Here, but works without it, so what is the Here login for?
Live traffic not working, is this not available in UK?

[Mark in Essex]

Quote:

Originally Posted by owenmahamilton

Thanks, I read some reviews that said that Google Maps was not very accurate, I also read a review of Co-pilot Live that said it was the best but also some user reviews who said it wasn't very good at all.

I've got CoPilot Live and although I prefer the layout to Google Maps Google Maps is better for the route it takes and also the exact destination as I've had it a few times where I have entered the postcode on CoPilot and it's taken me as far as a couple of miles away from my destination where I've then had to resort to Google Maps again (I've never had this with Google Maps),

Not sure if anybody had mentioned this, but if you are worried about the data that Google Maps might use you can CACHE large areas of map to use offline. Info here: https://support.google.com/gmm/answer/3273567?hl=en-GB

Also I found when the 1st year of CoPilot live was over you have to resubscribe to the Live part of Copilot (where it monitors traffic and routes you accordingly).

[c4rv]

Was in Oz over xmas. Did a 1,200km road trip with Google maps, a lot of it in rural areas. I have to say aside from one camp site where we had no signal and I forget to pre-cache the map, the rest of the time if was flawless.

Used less than 50mb of 3G data while giving traffic updates. Beat locals on more than one occasion for fastest routes, could enter virtually all destinations by name rather than address and had surprising good coverage for street view. Time estimate was also very good. The only thing missing is a that you can't plan a multi-stop trip which you used to be able to do.

[d123]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kirstiemcnabb

I've had a look at Here
Its quite jumbled to find anything out, could really do with better help
What i like to do is at home plan my route then run a route demo, cannot find that on Here
Why does it always ask about logging into facebook ( I do not use that and do not want it)?
It often asks to login to Here, but works without it, so what is the Here login for?
Live traffic not working, is this not available in UK?

I've never seen reference to Facebook in the Here app, just checked again this morning and see no sign of anyway to sign in to (or via) Facebook at all. I'm not sure what you are doing to get that.

Live traffic needs a data connection to update (it also needs turning on in the settings menu). Settings - General - Traffic - on or press the square icon bottom left and choose traffic.

I don't play with maps so have no idea if making it do a demo can be done, it seems rather pointless, however you can see a route list of instructions once a route is planned.

[Magic Cottage]

I had a look at Here a couple of weeks ago. It didn't even know where my nearest railway station was. It wanted to direct me to a station over 20 miles away!

[d123]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark in Essex

Not sure if anybody had mentioned this, but if you are worried about the data that Google Maps might use you can CACHE large areas of map to use offline. Info here: https://support.google.com/gmm/answer/3273567?hl=en-GB

You would be more accurate to say you can cache small areas for offline use. From your link:

Quote:

The maximum size for the area you can download is 50km x 50km

So, only around 30 miles.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Magic Cottage

I had a look at Here a couple of weeks ago. It didn't even know where my nearest railway station was. It wanted to direct me to a station over 20 miles away!

I really don't understand the people struggling to do basic things with this app. It's pretty basic and I thought quite user friendly in it's simplicity.

In my usage tt has no problem finding railway stations, I've just tried (and I don't think its missed a single station out, all distances appear correct from my current location).

http://s19.postimg.org/8zouyq4ib/image.jpg

[kirstiemcnabb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by d123

I've never seen reference to Facebook in the Here app, just checked again this morning and see no sign of anyway to sign in to (or via) Facebook at all. I'm not sure what you are doing to get that.

Live traffic needs a data connection to update (it also needs turning on in the settings menu). Settings - General - Traffic - on or press the square icon bottom left and choose traffic.

I don't play with maps so have no idea if making it do a demo can be done, it seems rather pointless, however you can see a route list of instructions once a route is planned.

For facebook, just go into the app and then try to sign in, its a big blue bar at top of my Samsung. It then says its old fashioned or something like that not to use it.
I have signed in now as a here user but have to dismiss facebook bit
Can see live updates and downloaded some hifi voices
Really need a manual for this, lots there but the interface is so scattered
wish it had said signing in gives other things
do find the light grey and blue text hard to read too
Anyway thx

Route demo has been on sat nav since year dot. Its great to sit and watch the complete route happen on screen and decide a few things during the route, never really find looking at the text as intuitive as demo

[jonmorris]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Miyagi

my TomTom has IQ routes (analyses routes to determine which is fastest at that particular time of day) and Google Maps doesn't.

Google's Navigation app is still very basic, but I noticed not too long ago that Google Maps (on a desktop) now has rather detailed stats on traffic much like IQ routes. You can now use the traffic layer and not only view real-time, but also see the traffic at any given time based on previous data that is averaged. It's very clever as you can scroll around, and see when certain roads are busy (and exactly where, such as pinch points and junctions that get hit during the school run, rush hour etc).

I'm surprised Google isn't making better use of that data, but a lot of the data it has is yet to be put to the best possible use. In fact, Google seems set to simplify things even more as Material Design kicks in, so I find Google Maps on Android is now quite limited in customisation. And Google Navigation has never let you do much.

I actually use Co-Pilot for navigation, even though I have lots of other apps and a Waze account set up (I found Waze sometimes crashed and exited during a drive, which made it unacceptable. I'm sure it's better now, but I don't trust it. Once bitten twice shy and all that...).

[Mark in Essex]

Quote:

Originally Posted by d123

You would be more accurate to say you can cache small areas for offline use. From your link:



So, only around 30 miles.




I really don't understand the people struggling to do basic things with this app. It's pretty basic and I thought quite user friendly in it's simplicity.

In my usage tt has no problem finding railway stations, I've just tried (and I don't think its missed a single station out, all distances appear correct from my current location).

http://s19.postimg.org/8zouyq4ib/image.jpg

I must admit I don't know if it's changed, but I managed to CACHE the whole of Anglia in around 7/8 sections so would not exactly call that small (unless it's changed)?

Forgot to mention that I'm also impressed with some of the data they have in their maps down to when I booked a Premier Inn a few months back and was arriving it showed the hotel up on the map along with the dates that we were staying there underneath and also my wife noticed when she was passing the dosctors the other day that it was marked on the map with the date of the future appointment that she had booked underneath it (although some people would not like this).

[kirstiemcnabb]

Thought I would play with it
There is no way to actually change to add any avoids within the route option, it gives three routes which are ok, but not always that different
There is a road closed near me and one of the routes sends me down it, but i cannot add an avoid
No speed cameras on Here then? Just the speed option which is just annoying most of the time, as few nav apps I have used are not that good on the correct road speed
Have that live traffic updates on but not seeing any listed, must be a quiet day in UK

[Mark in Essex]

Just had a check and I can still seem to CACHE the same area of data as before (just CACHED the whole of Anglia (inc quite an area west, some of North Kent, London and also to the west of London in less than 10 segments which is where I am most of the time for work).

I must admit it would be nice to be able to CACHE the whole country, but I'm guessing it's a bit different if you are a long distance lorry driver (or a job where you are across the whole country), but how often do you find yourself going miles away from a certain area (unless you are going on holiday if you are not in that kind of work))?

Also I could not seem to get the maps CACHED in the way they gave in the link I supplied (not sure that it may be for an older version on Maps), but I just used my old method of typing OK MAPS into the search bar at the top and then resizing to the maximum area for each segment I wanted.

Also it use to be nice when they showed you which areas you had already CACHED which I could not see now and not so good if they only let you CACHE the section for 30 days like somebody else mentioned (although don't seem to need it since I've been with Three as I always seem to get 3G wherever I am (unlike Vodafone who I was with a couple of years ago).

[c4rv]

Just to clarify, Google maps DOES use traffic information for routing and as long as you have data connection it will re-route during the journey and from my experience its pretty accurate.

The one thing it does get tripped up by is planned road closures which I thought they could integrate into traffic information. TBH, I am not sure any of the routing software deals with planned closures.

Also as mentioned by Mark, the caching areas are big, I think pretty much the whole of London is one location.

[d123]

Quote:

Originally Posted by c4rv

Also as mentioned by Mark, the caching areas are big, I think pretty much the whole of London is one location.

LOL

People in the South East don't seem to get distances, the entire M25 area is only around 30 miles by 30 miles.

In a normal day I might travel an area of 100 miles by 100 miles, the cache area won't even cover a quarter of it, for anyone outside London it covers a tiny proportion of the area that could be needed and needs improvement to make it a viable alternative to the likes of TomTom or any of the other offline satnav apps.

[Magic Cottage]

Quote:

Originally Posted by d123

LOL

People in the South East don't seem to get distances, the entire M25 area is only around 30 miles by 30 miles.

In a normal day I might travel an area of 100 miles by 100 miles, the cache area won't even cover a quarter of it, for anyone outside London it covers a tiny proportion of the area that could be needed and needs improvement to make it a viable alternative to the likes of TomTom or any of the other offline satnav apps.

Absolutely. Of you need to travel in Yorkshire or Lincolnshire you're snookered with 30 miles by 30 miles!!

[artnada]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonmorris

Google's Navigation app is still very basic, but I noticed not too long ago that Google Maps (on a desktop) now has rather detailed stats on traffic much like IQ routes. You can now use the traffic layer and not only view real-time, but also see the traffic at any given time based on previous data that is averaged. It's very clever as you can scroll around, and see when certain roads are busy (and exactly where, such as pinch points and junctions that get hit during the school run, rush hour etc).

I'm surprised Google isn't making better use of that data, but a lot of the data it has is yet to be put to the best possible use. In fact, Google seems set to simplify things even more as Material Design kicks in, so I find Google Maps on Android is now quite limited in customisation. And Google Navigation has never let you do much.

I actually use Co-Pilot for navigation, even though I have lots of other apps and a Waze account set up (I found Waze sometimes crashed and exited during a drive, which made it unacceptable. I'm sure it's better now, but I don't trust it. Once bitten twice shy and all that...).

Exactly the same as the app!!!

I use Google Maps app everyday (taxi), and have for years, and I see everything you pointed out. Believe me, Google maps is far from being "still very basic".

It's one of, if not, the best Satnav apps going.

[jonmorris]

I didn't know you could see historic traffic information on the mobile GMaps app. I stand corrected and apologise, and will now go and look for it!

I always thought it was a simple layer on/off.

(This is Android both smartphone and tablet btw).

[d123]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonmorris

I didn't know you could see historic traffic information on the mobile GMaps app. I stand corrected and apologise, and will now go and look for it!

I always thought it was a simple layer on/off.

I can only find a simple layer traffic option using GMaps on Android phone.

I would also be interested in how to make it offer more info. @artnada, can you explain how to get the extra info showing.

[The Sack]

Quote:

Originally Posted by owenmahamilton

Now there's a problem I hadn't thought of, my Nexus 5 is Pay As You Go.

Download the map data before you go then

[James30]

I bought a TomTom about twelve years ago when a sat nav would cost about £500 to buy. I was using one while other people were still reading maps. I sold it a few years ago as smartphones can handle a internet data connection much better than they used to and I was getting tired of plugging in my TomTom to a laptop to get map updates.

I use Google Maps or Waze. Google Maps is good for a clear laid out map and runs perfectly. If I want more detail on traffic conditions, I use Waze for the driver updates 'on the fly'.

I'm on the Three network, which is good for data coverage and I have unlimited data on my plan, which means I can use my phone as a sat nav as much as I like.

[gillyallan]

I use navfree. It downloads the maps to your phone and needs no data when out. Also the data can be shifted to sd card.

[Tadpole]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tadpole

Here maps is available for most Android handsets running 4.1 or later, offers full offline navigation. Have been trying this, it has a nice user interface but I find it difficult to bookmark locations. Plus it does not route around traffic incidents like Waze or Google maps when used in online mode. Maybe useful for those taking smartphones on holiday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nS-Nvlrljjw

Download/info
https://www.here.com/download/?lang=en-US

An iPhone version is due out this quarter.

It appears an iPhone version of HERE has now launched recently, requires IOS 7
http://360.here.com/2015/03/11/here-for-ios/
Download is via the App Store
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Asn-9BtwIE0

I realise this thread is about sat navs for Android, but the info may be of interest to some people.

[d123]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tadpole

It appears an iPhone version of HERE has now launched recently, requires IOS 7
http://360.here.com/2015/03/11/here-for-ios/
Download is via the App Store
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Asn-9BtwIE0

I realise this thread is about sat navs for Android, but the info may be of interest to some people.

Direct link to the app in the App Store.

https://appsto.re/gb/PYo-4.i