Will Your Next GPS Have Wifi?

If somebody out there thinks WIFI on a GPS will be profitible, it will happen...

I have the new Garmin 295W with wi-fi and it works great and has been very handy for quick emails, checking a website, weather, google search, etc.

That was the main reason I bought this new model and with them selling in the $120-150 range they are very affordable considering all the features plus was very easy to set up the email and wi-fi.

there is a garmin nuvi 295W, it the same as the garmin phone but no phone,
List for $225, seen for under $150

Just have to wonder if they will build on the 295.I like the features but it would be nice to have the traffic and Bluetooth added.

Jim - does your Garminfone use Android? I've never seen one in person and am wondering how nice the phone works as an Android phone.

Yes, the T-Mobile Garminfone, also known as Garmin Nuvifone A50, uses the Android Operating System. The older AT&T Garmin Nuvifone G60 was not Android, however. I point that out because the names are similar enough that there could be confusion. I have both of them and like both of them, but clearly the newer Garminfone is more flexible because of the Android Operating System.

What perfect timing! I just got my 295W 2 days ago and have been playing with it for 2 days straight (the GPSr people, the GPSr!)

I love it. I'm way old school and agree that I'd rather not be continuously connected (for cost as well as no real need), so when I saw this at Buy.com for $118 and free shipping I jumped on it. It's currently $121 w/free shipping, btw. http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=216379921&i=0

Although it doesn't have the ability to add 'apps' like the phones do, I'm way happy I got it. May have to go on a trip just to web surf & get/send emails from somebody's parking lot . I too wish it at least had lane assist (and maybe traffic), but otherwise it's going to strap on my scooter instead of my 765T, I think.

By the time I replace my 1490T, WiFi will probably be built in by default.... I'm not planning to replace it for a few years (VERY happy with it). WiFi chips are now tiny & dirt cheap, so it's a natural to include it in more devices.

The word is that within five years, WiFi will be an entirely different animal...The WiFi signal will be directly from satellites (like XM Radio)...there will no longer be "Hot Spots".

There are even a few towns that are already doing this now (in the Silicon Valley & Kissimmee Florida for example). You can walk down the street surfing the Web anywhere in town.
Only a matter of time.....

One part of me says that's (sat wi-fi) logical, smart, & a great thing.

The other part of me smells big corporations mucking it up and somehow over-cashing in on it.

It's tough being basically for free enterprise but seeing the historical tendency of business to 'overlook' having a real heart for individuals.

The issue for WiFi support will be what will it connect to in the car? The emerging MiFi market is interesting. I have an iPod Touch 3G that is dependent on WiFi for communication so its limitations in a vehicle are the same as what a WiFi enabled GPS would have. I can envision the day when mobile WiFi (MiFi) is a reality where a cellular 3G or 4G link will be either be built into the vehicle or be a little device you place and the dashboard and all WiFi enabled devices in the car will be able to join the cars' WiFi network.

Since cars utilize an on-board network now just to even function, that's got to be already on the drawing board I'd guess. Just need a 'gateway' device to jump on it and do it's thing with other netwok devices..add-on or already there.

Far cry from my start working on 50's era vehicles!

is expected to get 3G in about 20 years. So I prefer to get the built in features

[quote=ddmauThe word is that within five years, WiFi will be an entirely different animal...The WiFi signal will be directly from satellites (like XM Radio)...there will no longer be "Hot Spots".

Jim1348, et all,

I use an Acer Netbook with a DeLorme dongle, so I guess that you could say that I have wi-fi / gps now.

This spring, I did get an unexpected wi-fi signal for many miles (probably from a nearby 18 wheeler) about 9 clicks south of the rural Bufu ghost town of Diablo, AZ. I was traveling on I-40.

Regards, Cactusmitch

Like you, I have a Dell notebook with Verizon wi-fi. We use it while we are driving and use our GPS as a GPS.

I connected to wifi network and sent this response with my Garmin 295W just to show that it can be done without using a computer.

It IS a computer!
(Me too! .. sent with my nuvi ).

These days, everything is a computer!

why not? sounds like the thing to do>

Which way -- will your Wi-Fi have GPS, or will your GPS have Wi-Fi?

I expect to see the two integrated even more than they are now (e.g. smartphones and tablets). Better integration and implementations will continue to reduce the power requirements for GPS, which is more of an issue than the physical space required.

Location awareness is creeping into wireless more all the time -- as an example, the FCC's recent whitespace proposals require position location of certain classes of wireless whitespace devices to within 50 meters, which is most easily met using GPS.

I think soon wifi will find strong competition from "white space" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_spaces_%28radio%29) that the FCC just freed up. Since white space is considererd "WiFi on steriods", I believe most mobile devices (that can roam out of a WiFi range) will transform into a "whitespace device". Or there might be "white space" parent devices like a car that will create its own WiFi cell to grandfather legacy devices.

Wi-Fi would be nice but not a high priority.

Wifi bulit-in is a trend for new gadgets:

gps, cellphone, tivi, bluray player, digital photo frame, camera, amplifier, microwave, refrigrator.....

Futurists think you are right about this. The Internet is undergoing a major paradigm shift. It's changing from a medium to share information between humans to a medium to share information between machines that may let humans access it.

Assuming you equate "access" with "use" .. same thing, different POV.

Unfortunately Garmin goes the other way. There are too many software related problems with all new nuvis. Garmin is taking away features instead of adding the new ones into new models...

This is also my worry. If my Garmin has wifi, it will probably either be like the (useless) FM transmitter on 765T, or just another point of crash.

Some folks want a box with oodles of features (most of which they'll never use, me thinks); others want a few things done well.

I like my swiss army knife -- I've "saved the day" with the corkscrew a few times. But if it's just something that needs a good blade, the Spyderco is my choice.

Same with GPS. Some want oodles of features. I like the balance in the Nuvis, and don't use a lot of those features. And the GPS I rely on, every day is a Trimble Thunderbolt, that doesn't even have a display (it's used for frequency and time reference in a lab).

If the 295 had a bigger screen, at least 4.3" or better still 5", I'd buy it now. However, I doubt Garmin will expand its wi-fi offerings because open, free wi-fi access to data/info interferes with Garmin's ability to monetize/profit from its closed data delivery systems.

I'm hoping someone will make an Android-based competitor to the I-Touch that will include GPS functionality. Of course, a Garmin Android app would be a nice addition.

http://www.slate.com/id/2269268

Hopefully, this proposal will go through, and the (now) unused analog TV frequencies will be opened up. This will allow better signals for WiFi, which would mean longer distances and more reliability (a wall or two won't hinder the signal anymore then it did for regular TV, like it does now for WiFi frequencies).

Something like this could mean whole block, neighborhood, town, city, etc coverage with WiFi, and not just your front porch. I can see the telecoms fighting this tooth and nail or trying to get it restricted as much as possible so they continue to be the sole providers of voice and internet.

So its the waiting game yet again to see what happens in the future.

Seeing that Garmin removed some towns from their database already..... I would think that WiFi might fill the hole that Garmin created when they removed some towns from their database..... in the first place... "If you can't find the town in the database, then check the WiFi database...."

Personally, I'd rather Garmin remove some voices and make room for a more complete--More Accurate list of towns..... but that's me talking, and I'm always for a more accurate product......

I'm happy with the screen size on my 295W so far. It's only slightly smaller (height when horizontal) than my 765T and works just as well in the car.. EXCEPT .. it seems to be clearly designed primarily for pedestrian mode.

-The speaker is too anemic for use in the car, unless you hook it in to the car speakers.
-The touch screen response is HORRIBLE while you are driving. So much so that it can be hazardous. As soon as you slow down though, it goes into pedestrian mode & response is MUCH better. Don't know if that's a designed-in thing, a flaw, or a too weak processor.?

But I LOVE the W-Fi! For $118 at Buy.com, I'm very happy with it.

You use the computer while you are driving? Now that's multi-tasking! lol

I suppose WiFi will come to GPS devices just because they can and it can be used for slick marketing for those that want to feel on the cutting edge of technology. Whether or not it would be useful for a standalone GPS remains to be seen. I only use my standalone GPS on the road for navigation.
Maybe as an easy way to upgrade maps and POI's while away from home could be useful.

Yah, that's exactly what MiFi is. The MiFi gadgets are small, and everyone in your car with a WiFi device can share the single cellular data connection. Pretty cool, actually.

That is the way it should be! Instead of every gadget manufacturer building in their own 3G/4G data access and it's accompanying monthly charges, you only have one that's shared. Ford's Sync product is already allowing you to plug in your own aircard and provide WiFi to your passengers. I like the separate MiFi device concept ever better - you can carry it with you and have WiFi everywhere, not just in the car.

This sounds cool but if the signal is strong enough to go for 10 blocks it probably also means that you can get inference from someone's wireless network 10 blocks away.

Wifi has it benefits and most have been covered. On the flip side many smart phone are using these features to gain traction in their sales. Also FREE wifi is becoming the norm a many more locations across the country and units containing wifi can only benefit the user.

I HAVE 2 AND LIKE MY 660 BEST

I use a Virgin Mobile 3G USB dongle on a CradlePoint WiFi router in the car. On one long trip my spouse and kids were all surfing while I was driving. It can be quite lonely for the driver ...

By the way, with the pre-paid 3G plans from Virgin Mobile (uses the Sprint network) you can pay only for the months you use, and unlimited data (no cap) is $40 for one month. I used to use the $20 rate which had a 300MB cap. Never did manage to exceed that cap.

Everytime i buy the latest gps. BAM they come out with a better one.

Thats my problem.Think you have the latest device and bingo here comes something else.

The rule of electronics is, "If it's on the shelf at the store, it's already obsolete."

I have the Nuvi 1690 which has Google using the 3G network - WIFI does make sense but you need access unless it will be satellite based.

We just ordered another 295W from Amazon yesterday for Under $110 shipped to replace the old streetpilot c550 that Sally uses all the time.

She decided that the wifi features that I had on mine was something she no longer wanted to be without and would be handy when she is traveling. Plus it is more compact and easier to keep in her purse.

Aardvark,
Last summer I was shot-gunning my grand son from AZ to Illinois. I rode many miles with a strong wifi signal coming from the Semi truck within 1/4 mile of us for a couple of hours. I suspect the driver had a cell\data like with wifi.
This is an interesting option that may reduce the need for towers every where. Radio wave proliferation might contribute to global warming...
CM

That would be a nice option.

Garmin wants closed 3G access so they can capture subscription revenue from customer's desire to use Google and other data/info sources. Open access wi-fi cripples that business model, which is why I think they will resist expanding wi-fi to all nuvi lines for as long as possible.

Just seen this on the web http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/10/06/5242076-veri...

Today at the CTIA Enterprise & Applications show in San Francisco, Verizon's president and CEO said that the company's 4G LTE network will launch in 38 major metropolitan areas, covering more than 110 million Americans, by the end of the year.

Verizon's new wireless broadband network claims to offer higher data speeds (initially for laptop users). CEO Lowell McAdam added that in January, the wireless operator will unveil six devices, such as smart phones and tablets, that will work on the network as soon as the first half of 2011.

"Bottom line: this is a significant shift for the industry, something we've talked about for 20 years," McAdam said.

Wouldn't want to pay for it.

I have a dedicated GPS, and a smartphone that gets 'b/ g/ n' wifi. It has a GPS program, Google maps and all the other accoutrements I could want.

These guys are trying to double and triple dip the market on hype. La, whatever!