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Most drivers who own cars with built-in GPS systems use phones for directions

money.cnn.com

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Re: Most drivers who own cars with built-in GPS systems use phones for directions

#261

Post by foobarian »

tdkl wrote: post #104
Someone1234 wrote: post #39

This is why Carplay/Android Auto are so key. They're safer than using your actual phone, they offer legitimate maps apps (Google Maps/Bing Maps/Apple Maps/etc), and are somewhat future proof. Too bad the MirrorLink consortium dropped the ball so epically. MirrorLink arguably does the same thing as Carplay/Android Auto and has been deployed to millions of vehicles, but nobody uses MirrorLink 1.1, why? Because to get y…

Why would I pay hundreds of $currency for a new head unit or thousands for a new car, if I'm already walking around with a device capable doing all that? Android Auto/Car play should just run as a dedicated mode on the phone.

I wonder if phone VR adapters could be useful for driving. With a wider angle camera, and maybe some AR niceties like sticking trip info below the windshield or overlay the nav directions on top of the roadway I could totally get into it. And I would kill for something that solves the solar glare issue.

Re: Most drivers who own cars with built-in GPS systems use phones for directions

#262

Post by eric_h »

briffle wrote: post #214
gutnor wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You also forgot that they are fast with responsive UI. And that's only if you compare the best of the car built-in GPS. If it is not the top of range (which btw is not related to the price of the car), the UI is generally awful. If you are a google/apple map user. Searching for an address is a million type easier: roughly type some part of the address and it will find it. No such luck with car gps. At this stage you…

I really don't understand why they bother with most of the 'fancy' systems they put in.. Its like everything is half-assed. I have a 1 year old truck, that has Satellite audio, Radio, 4G wifi hotspot, etc, and somehow, I have to set the clock manually in the settings, using crappy buttons..

Hahaha, that's amazing. I made a pledge to myself years ago that I would never buy another clock/watch/timekeeping device that didn't set itself.

Somewhere in that car you purchased is a clock that sets itself, it just doesn't cooperate with the rest of the car. Bummer.

Re: Most drivers who own cars with built-in GPS systems use phones for directions

#263

Post by foobarian »

imglorp wrote: post #128
jimwalsh wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed. I got the cheaper model of my car when I custom ordered it to not have the NAV addon because I knew I'd use my phone and didn't want to pay $2500 USD extra for my car.

My car needed the nav feature in order to get the backup camera, which is essential in cars with a poor rear view.

Even with good rear view, I find the backup camera super useful. In fact on my car I wish there was a way to have it running no matter the shifter position; I have a Ford Escape and the car must be going in reverse for the camera to activate. The most useful feature are the guide lines overlaid on the video that bend according to steering wheel position, and crosshairs that let me position my hitch to within half an inch of a trailer coupling.

Luckily the NHTSA is requiring backup cameras on 100% new cars by mid-2018.

Re: Most drivers who own cars with built-in GPS systems use phones for directions

#264

Post by closeparen »

dsfyu404ed wrote: post #69

Semi unrelated question: Am I the only one who wished navigation apps allowed more precise control of route complexity? Just a slider that goes between "minimum number of turns" and "most efficient" would be nice. Optimizing a route for complexity vs efficiency is a very important consideration when planning a route. A way to do that in a navigation app would be really nice. I appreciate the intention but taking four…

I want "I am unwilling to make u-turns." They are illegal by default in the city of Chicago, but if you miss a turn, Google will try to get you to make a dangerous and illegal u-turn. If you ignore that, it'll suggest you another one further down the road. No thanks, I'm not turning around on Michigan Ave at rush hour.

I've looked into this. Apparently you set turn restrictions per-intersection in the maps data editor. No one has the patience to go check "u-turn not permitted" on all the Chicago intersections that don't have it currently, so we're stuck without major architectural changes from Google.

"Avoid u-turns" should be next to "avoid highways."

Re: Most drivers who own cars with built-in GPS systems use phones for directions

#265

Post by bvinc »

I had an interesting experience recently that I think summarizes this whole problem.

I was in another city and rented a car and it came with navigation. I knew I could just use my phone, but I decided to use the navigation that the rental car came with, just for fun.

1. First, I knew the name of my hotel, but not the address. I tried to search the business directory. I had to input the CITY AND STATE, which is painfully slow on the pressure-based touch screen, but I did it and did a search. I couldn't find it.

2. So I took out my phone and found the address and went back to the navigation in my car to type it in.

3. I slowly input the city and state again before it lets me input an address starting with the number.

4. When it came time to pick the street name, it was ambiguous. There's one street name that looks right. There's another with a W in front of it. There's another highway number that could also be it. I pick one and I can tell it's not in the right spot. Now I have to start all over.

5. I start all over, input the city and state and address and I think I have it right. I start to navigate.

6. It can't find a GPS signal. Maybe it's the parking garage I'm in. Maybe it just takes a while. I sit there. I'm about 10 minutes in and I still haven't gotten any navigation instructions.

7. I get nervous because I won't even know what direction to turn when I leave the parking garage. I take out my phone and say "Ok google, navigate to the blah blah Hotel". It says "Ok, sure" and my phone has no problems finding GPS and I have navigation instructions pulled up in about 5 seconds.

Re: Most drivers who own cars with built-in GPS systems use phones for directions

#266

Post by shalmanese »

copperx wrote: post #230
lukaslalinsky wrote: post #195

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cars can generally go much faster than the maximum speed limit, so it wouldn't be the first time the car allows you to do something against the law.

I'm honestly surprised they don't restrict that. Does anybody know why? I know different states have different speed limits, but I think a 85mph speed limit could cover them all. Is it because Canada and Mexico? They have lower speed limits. Is it because the car could be exported to Germany and driven on the Autobahn? or what?

I've always been puzzled as to why cars don't come with speed governing as a (default off) option. I'd love to be able to lend my car to my child with the max speed set to 60mph or govern my speed to 65 on long freeway trips so I don't have to constantly check my speedometer (this is different from cruise control because I could easily slow down below 65, just never go above it).

Re: Most drivers who own cars with built-in GPS systems use phones for directions

#267

Post by jlgaddis »

seanp2k2 wrote: post #125
pwthornton wrote: post #106

Smartphone maps are so superior because they are always up to date, can provide real-time traffic data, can tell you to take an alternative route and can provide other data about places to eat, etc. While a lot of car GPSs have some of this, they are no where near what Google Maps or Apple Maps (or a targeted app like Waze) has. I bought a new car last year, and intentionally didn't get the GPS, even though my car ha…

Yeah, I'm not sure why car companies invested at all in attempting to build their own mapping software. It's a hard thing to do well, and I had been using GPS in the car since Windows 98 + Microsoft Streets + Garmin eMap + serial adapter running NEMA days. PC or smartphone navigation software has always been better than what is available in cars. Additionally, while the upgrade cycle for phones is yearly for some peo…

> ... and good luck ever getting a software upgrade after buying a car.

Nissan wants ~$800 USD for a map upgrade (which is just a microSD card, if I understand correctly) for my 2014 Nissan Altima and Dodge wants a little under $200 for a map upgrade for my 2013 Dodge Ram. Yet I can freely download updates and perform map upgrades myself on my 2014 Harley-Davidson motorcycle in about 10 minutes using just a USB flash drive.

Ironically, the Harley is the only one of these that I would ever actually consider paying for.

On the rare occasion that we find that the maps aren't up to date, either the girlfriend or myself will just whip out our iPhone and open up the Maps apps instead -- just as described in this article.

I'll probably stop paying extra for all of the "upgrades" the next time I buy a vehicle. I typically spring for every feature/option package that's available but they are becoming less and less "worth it" as time goes on.

Re: Most drivers who own cars with built-in GPS systems use phones for directions

#268

Post by sn9 »

tomascot wrote: post #235
copperx wrote: post #230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm honestly surprised they don't restrict that. Does anybody know why? I know different states have different speed limits, but I think a 85mph speed limit could cover them all. Is it because Canada and Mexico? They have lower speed limits. Is it because the car could be exported to Germany and driven on the Autobahn? or what?

There are situations when going above the speed limit could save your life, at least where I live. It could be for passing or to escape from a robbery

I think about natural disasters.

Remember that footage of Japanese drivers fleeing from the tsunami floods? How many more would have died if their cars had been slower? How many more would have survived if their cars could have gone faster?

There are plenty of survival situations (e.g., tsunamis, volcanoes, tornadoes, gas explosions, etc.) in which it's desirable for your car to go a lot faster than one should drive under normal driving conditions.

Re: Most drivers who own cars with built-in GPS systems use phones for directions

#269

Post by dexterdog »

tdkl wrote: post #158
masklinn wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Why would I pay hundreds of $currency for a new head unit or thousands for a new car Larger display and physical buttons are really quite a good idea when you're driving 2 tons of steel at 60mph.

> Larger display and physical buttons GPS units like Garmin use touchscreen instead of physical buttons and are safe, road legal. Tesla ships cars with a huge touchscreen console - safe and road legal. That's a pretty weak excuse. We could also debate that things that hinder concentration while handling "2 tones of steel" are : - listening to the radio, - talking to the passenger(s), - singing.

Looking at billboards

Re: Most drivers who own cars with built-in GPS systems use phones for directions

#270

Post by sn9 »

closeparen wrote: post #264
dsfyu404ed wrote: post #69

Semi unrelated question: Am I the only one who wished navigation apps allowed more precise control of route complexity? Just a slider that goes between "minimum number of turns" and "most efficient" would be nice. Optimizing a route for complexity vs efficiency is a very important consideration when planning a route. A way to do that in a navigation app would be really nice. I appreciate the intention but taking four…

I want "I am unwilling to make u-turns." They are illegal by default in the city of Chicago, but if you miss a turn, Google will try to get you to make a dangerous and illegal u-turn. If you ignore that, it'll suggest you another one further down the road. No thanks, I'm not turning around on Michigan Ave at rush hour. I've looked into this. Apparently you set turn restrictions per-intersection in the maps data edito…

The fact that you can't default to skipping tollways is ridiculous.

I have to manually toggle that every freaking time in a city with tolled roads. And you usually only end up saving a minute or two over free routes.

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