android phone with GPS for maps

dylanwinter

dylanwinter

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www.keepturningleft.co.uk
this last weekend I was in amsterdam and my daughter was using a smartphone map to get around

very good indeed

so I figured it was time I got to it and bought one as a chart plotter for Katie L

and for bike exploring

these people offer gps android phones for less than £50 a pop

but they have a bewildering number of devices on offer

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Mobileskin...7149010&_sid=1216682950&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322

any suggestions....

by all means point me at the expensive ones and tell me how good they are but £50 is my limit because otherwise I will be too sad when I drop it overboard or cycle over it

D
 
I bought a Samsung Galaxy Pocket Neo SIM free at Sainsbury for £50 about 6 months ago, then saw them subsequently at Asda for £40. Small screen, 320x240, but has real GPS, Bluetooth, wifi and everything else. I've just installed MAPS.ME which is a free mapping/routing app that doesn't require a data connection.
 
If you can stretch your budget towards £100 then you could get a Motorola Moto G. Great phone, 4G and a pure Android installation with no additional bloatware, this helps to give a very good battery life.
 
If you go for a moto G, get a generation 2 model. The screen is slightly larger which makes all the difference. Only £100ish new so should be available in budget on eBay.
Tariffs are a minefield. I'm on o2 payg but they keep trying to put me on one where a top up expires after a month. Giffgaff does the same.
I find by only using WiFi and emailing rather than texting very rarely making voice calls, I can make a twenty quid top up last over 3 months. I do have a small 3g allowance but rarely use it.
 
Dylan
Been using a old smart phone ( Samsung S3) for some years now as a hand held chart plotter, Navionics mainly, but others will come along and tell you what works best for them. For me this has been a wonderful tool at sea and on land. Given the way you operate I reckon you'll be amazed you didn't do it earlier.
On land I usually use Google maps but I splashed out for the OS 1:50,000 maps available on Anquet of my local area and they are fabulous too. The main thing is to ensure the maps are held on the Phone so your not reliant on signal for a map. I have a couple of spare batteries for the phone as well just in case I cant charge, they are not expensive, C£10 each.
 
dylanwinter said:
any suggestions....
Click to expand...
Just be aware that some of the cheap ones on that website don't have a GPS which you will obviously want to use it with Google Maps etc.

Also, make sure it is either unlocked or else locked th the network you intend to use.

Hth,

Boo2
 
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nimbusgb said:
The samsung galaxy range is very good.

Just upgrading my S5 to a new S6

One of the older ones will still do the job though
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Don't get a S1, though. I have one, and the GPS is very, very slow to get a fix - typically 10 minutes. It was a lot worse before they upgraded Android 2.2 to 2.3!
 
Had a quick scroll through the pages you linked to. I don't think I've heard of any of them. No mainstream brands listed so far as I could see.
 
I use the Galaxy Young 2 from Tesco at around £67 which can be reduced using their vouchures. It has wifi and can also be configured as a wifi hotspot so can link a Hudl etc to it for net access.

You need to get a sim free card which does not time out on voice calls and cheap as chips on data.

I am on BT at home so with the BT App installed in the Young 2 I use very little data as it connects to the net every time it sniffs out a BT hotspot.
Most BT routers provide this service and at Port Edgar I get a better link from the BT WiFi in the office than the Marina service. :) :)
 
Bilgediver said:
I use the Galaxy Young 2 from Tesco at around £67 which can be reduced using their vouchures. It has wifi and can also be configured as a wifi hotspot so can link a Hudl etc to it for net access.

You need to get a sim free card which does not time out on voice calls and cheap as chips on data.

I am on BT at home so with the BT App installed in the Young 2 I use very little data as it connects to the net every time it sniffs out a BT hotspot.
Most BT routers provide this service and at Port Edgar I get a better link from the BT WiFi in the office than the Marina service. :) :)
Click to expand...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Samsung-G...177?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item4877f7b2c9

£35 from fleabay -

anyone else use one?

D
 
We've now had 3 x THL's in my family, and have been very pleased with them.

I now have a Motorola Moto G, which I bought intending it as a "trade up" - I preferred my THL W200!

My mother has had 2 of their 6" phones - she loves the big screen, really easy to read ebooks on. I think she paid about £180 for one, and £210 for the second.

We bought our first THL from Amazon UK, then subsequently went straight to the seller's own site - http://www.digimaxonlineltd.com

Loads of cheap 5" Android phones available now - it's the perfect screen size for me. I'd now be reluctant to pay more than £100 for one - use it for a year or so, then sell it in the local paper for £50 or £70. Much cheaper TCO than buying a high end phone which is worth naff all in 3 years or so, and you're not upset if you drop it or lose it.

Biggest problem with the cheapies is they're often stuck on an older version of Android - 4.2 or 4.4. Current version is now 5.0. IMO that's the only reason to buy a major brand but, like I say, I think my policy is now to stick to cheapies and trade up as needed. Buying the Moto G was a big disappointment to me after the THLs.

All the cheap Chinese Androids from anon dealers are network unlocked. I've found them less restrictive than name-brand phones - i.e. someone in another forum asked about reverse USB-tethering, it was in Android's menu on my THL but apparently not enabled on name brand phones. Likewise Android ships with SIP - I believe most name-brand phones disable this, because obviously the networks want you to buy your minutes from them.

Do your homework by using Google to search forums for the specific model before buying, use a UK seller so you're covered by Sale of Goods Act.

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=THL+site:xda-developers.com

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=THL+inurl:forum

Also worth searching Amazon and reading the reader reviews there: http://www.amazon.co.uk/s?keywords=thl

There are some cheap 8" and 10" tablets on eBay might make more sense for navigation, but low-resolution at anything close to OP's specified price point.
 
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dylanwinter said:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Samsung-G...177?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item4877f7b2c9

£35 from fleabay -

anyone else use one?
Click to expand...
Single-core CPU and 512MB RAM - that's the same specification as my 2010 HTC Desire.

I think you might find that a bit slow and frustrating, to be honest.

If you stretch your budget to £63 you could get a brand new quadcore: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00PGPGDC8/

Or allegedly "waterproof" for £80: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00PXLW3XI/

DISCLAIMER: I haven't read the reviews of these phones. Do your own diligence before buying.
 
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Strolls said:
Single-core CPU and 512MB RAM - that's the same specification as my 2010 HTC Desire.

If OP stretched his budget to £63 he could get a brand new quadcore: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00PGPGDC8/

Or allegedly "waterproof" for £80: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00PXLW3XI/

DISCLAIMER: I haven't read the reviews of these phones. Do your own diligence before buying.
Click to expand...

There are 2nd user Sony Xperias about at sensible prices. Some locked , others not. My work phone was chosen on it's splash proof ness. Hence the Xperia. It has been on the boat numerous times in some evil weather and worked well. I don't like tiny screens as my eyesight doesn't suit them. Be aware that very few phones are useable in direct sunlight (whatever that is in 2015?)
 
Strolls said:
...Or allegedly "waterproof" for £80: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00PXLW3XI/
...
Click to expand...
pagoda said:
There are 2nd user Sony Xperias about at sensible prices. Some locked , others not. My work phone was chosen on it's splash proof ness. Hence the Xperia. It has been on the boat numerous times in some evil weather and worked well....
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My understanding is that the waterproofness of some mobile phones and tablets is only fresh waterproofness, salt water still kills them.

Boo2
 
It may be worth considering a cheap contract.
For £7.50/month you get given a pretty decent phone (in my case, a Galaxy S3) plus 250min, 5000txt, and 500mb data, which is plenty for me.
It's a 2yr contract so you are committing to about £180 in all- but the phone is worth about £80 of that, so you're paying £50/yr for all your calls, email, xcweather, etc etc.
Works for me.
 
Boo2 said:
My understanding is that the waterproofness of some mobile phones and tablets is only fresh waterproofness, salt water still kills them.

Boo2
Click to expand...
My Xperia Z has coped well with all thrown at it so far. It cost a couple of hundred s/h a few years ago, so used ones could be within budget now. Big screen & waterproofing are excellent assets.
 
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