We are going to Paris in May 2010 and would like to rent or buy a cell phone with GPS capability. Could someone please advise if this combo is available?
Thanks!
Posted by
Manchester
497 posts
GPS is a pretty common feature on higher end phones these days.
I know people who have, respectively, a Nokia N96 and an iPhone. The consensus seems to be that they are not as good as a dedicated GPS for driving but are very handy for walking directions or finding the nearest restaurant etc.
One thing to be very careful of is that most GPS phones don't store the maps on the phone and require a network connection to access maps (this is certainly the case with the iPhone.) Downloading map graphics uses up a lot of data traffic, not usually a problem at home as these phone usually come with "free" data in the contract but once you're roaming internationally using the GPS can end up with a very large data bill.
I have a recollection that there are phones that have locally stored maps to avoid this problem. I've also seen 3rd party software which store their maps on the phone, for a price.
Posted by
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
368 posts
iPhone has several dedicated GPS apps now (TomTom, Navigon). They are a fairly legitimate option for navigation now.