How to get a FREE Navigator for your Touch Pro2. - Page 3

**BooDaddy** · #1 (**permalink**) 04-06-2010, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AB33

I am curious

why the SPRINT people don't use SPRINT NAVIGATION which is FREE and KILLS the 2D to text to speech Gmaps, BING, and any other GPS you have to pay for. Its 3D, talking lady, reroutes, etc. It just seemed interesting that SPRINT users were using Bing and GMaps over the free 3D text to speech app.

Also, Bing was doing the WEAK GPS thing back on the Mogul when it was called Live Search.

This is all IMHO.

Sprint navigation is not free and is quite pricey. Im on SERO, so I no getty the Sprint navi stuff.

tt C6 · #2 (**permalink**) 06-12-2010, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BooDaddy

Sprint navigation is not free and is quite pricey. Im on SERO, so I no getty the Sprint navi stuff.

So, as of June 2010, what is the best FREE turn-by-turn navigator available for the Sprint Touch Pro2 ?????

I thought the TP2 has a built in GPS device. Do we even NEED a data plan to be able to run a free turn-by-turn navigator?

I just realized that Sprint LIED to me and has been charging me $10 every month for Sprint Navigator on TOP of my unlimited plan.

Thanks.

dishe · #3 (**permalink**) 11-16-2009, 12:30 PM

This is an age-old discussion... Google Maps offers driving directions, but it is NOT a navigator... that is, it does not offer turn-by-turn updates, spoken or not.
The reason is rumored to mostly be licensing... Google paid for the right to use map data supplied by third parties, but part of the licensing deal was that they are not allowed to offer a navigation service with it.

The result is that they will show you were to go, and show you a blinking dot that happens to tell you were you are, but the directions do no update as you drive. You have to figure out how far you are from the next turn, etc. on your own. Its basically tantamount to printing the directions out from your PC beforehand and following it while driving. Not the same as having an in-dash GPS as any GPS user will tell you.

In fact, the only advantage to having a GPS function in Google Maps is that you don't have to tell it your starting location.

If you want a Navigator, then yes, you will need one of the apps wraith79 mentioned, that usually includes spoken directions and works exactly like a standalone GPS navigator.

Bing, on the other hand, is a perfectly acceptable alternative that uses your data connection (just like Google Maps). They have licensed maps that allow them to use it for navigation, so navigate it does! I actually find it more accurate and up to date than iGo and some of the other paid apps, since the data is LIVE in the cloud. Microsoft kept the UI pretty simple, but if you pay attention to it, it updates in real time and tells you how much farther until the next turn and when to turn (no voices at all, just beeps and tones).

Now, the real clincher is going to be Google's Navigator... Google's street view project, etc, has enabled them to no longer need to license maps from third parties... they now have enough mapping data of their own to do whatever they want with it. If you've seen the Navigator on the Droid, you know what I'm talking about- spoken TTS as well as speech recognition using the Goog-411 routines (Bing actually has a similar feature to recognize spoken destinations, but still no TTS).
Right now, its only in Android 2.0, but there are rumors it will roll out to other smartphones capable of Gmaps with a GPS as well.
http://www.mopocket.com/2009/10/google-navigation.php

zylograth · #4 (**permalink**) 11-16-2009, 02:11 PM

CoPilot Live 8 is only 34.99, I find it worsk quite well for the price.

newone757 · #5 (**permalink**) 11-16-2009, 05:31 PM

Co Pilot 8 looks NICE. might buy it, but Ive heard their maps are terribly inaccurate, out of date, and never get updated (eventhought the feature is built in), hmmm, i dunno

**chronster** · #6 (**permalink**) 11-17-2009, 03:43 PM

lol he just taught people how to use bing.

I wonder if I could get some thanks out of showing people how to look up restaurants

davidetkin511 · #7 (**permalink**) 11-17-2009, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chronster

lol he just taught people how to use bing.

I wonder if I could get some thanks out of showing people how to look up restaurants

it is a trick in bing that a lot of people dont know you dont have to be rude

**chronster** · #8 (**permalink**) 11-17-2009, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidetkin511

it is a trick in bing that a lot of people dont know you dont have to be rude

Sensitive a bit? That wasn't rudeness. Get over it.

**flyers2114** · #9 (**permalink**) 11-17-2009, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chronster

lol he just taught people how to use bing.

I wonder if I could get some thanks out of showing people how to look up restaurants

lol...been doing this since my Mogul days...it has always been there...

Zoheb318 · #10 (**permalink**) 11-17-2009, 04:18 PM

Well for me the Sprint Navigator is not included in my plan. I pay $2.50 for unlimited internet (not a sero plan) and navigation is another $5/$10 per month.

I used to use Live Search for traffic but Google is 10x better because it shows more side streets. I don't really need a "navigation" unit, just something to tell me where there's less traffic