Has anyone downloaded the APP for GPS on their I-Phone for Italy? The maps for the Tom-Tom I have found for Italy are quite expensive, probably more than renting one. The I-Phone APP is not that expensive. Thanks, Valerie from West Chester, PA
Posted by
Portland, Oregon, USA
306 posts
I would suggest not using your iPhone for GPS while in Europe. The big reason is that using your GPS eats up megabytes on your data plan. The GPS uses assisted GPS which requires internet access either through your 3G network or wi-fi. The majority of that will be through 3G. Things will get very expensive very fast if you rely on the iPhone's GPS to find your way.
I used GPS with google maps on my iphone and aside from it eating up my data plan it was quite useless in some places. For instance, in Siena there are so many small alleys and roads that the GPS would easily miss the particular alley I was looking for. And it would often indicate that I was somewhere else then where I actually was. I found that a good map and finding a land mark usually a duomo (they are easy to find) made it a lot easier to find where I was going.
If you are driving between villages and on the open road I imagine the GPS works a lot better.
Posted by
gaston, oregon, usa
842 posts
Val, I just spent $120 updating all of my TomTom's EU maps(one package, for all of the EU) They were a few years old. My TomTom came with Eu maps built in, but I wanted to make sure that I had the latest maps for my upcoming trip.
In retrospect, I should have bought a new GPS, with newer technology, but we love the performance of our TomTom.
Other brands of GPS have SD chips with updated maps. You can buy the maps on EBay, and sell them when you are done.
Sure looks like an easy way to stay updated!
Posted by
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
368 posts
Dedicated GPS apps on the iPhone (like Navigon and Tom Tom) do not use data unless you have traffic turned on. However, while in Europe, you will likely have your data roaming turned off (this is the default setting) so you have no chance of incurring charges as long as you do not mess with the settings.
I use Navigon here in Canada and when roaming in the US without data turned on and it works perfectly well in most situations. Sometimes in large metropolitan down town cores with concrete, steel and glass it has issues resolving a signal from the GPS satellites, but overall it is a great product and has made my trips less stressful and my wife less likely to slap me. :)
Likewise Google GPS maps will not work with the data connections off so this will not work for you.