GPS vs. Smartpphone revisited b/c of new MD cell phone law
 11 years
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Effective 10/1/13, Maryland drivers may be stopped for using a handheld cellphone (while driving), as a primary offense. I rarely talk on the phone while driving, keeping the phone handy in the cup holder in case a call does come in. I'll answer it quickly, briefly, and hang up. I know how distracting it is.
In another thread, I posted that I prefer a dedicated GPS unit that I wouldn't feel uneasy about leaving in the vehicle, over using my smartphone, using data, etc.
But with the new MD law, I wouldn't want to risk a ticket and decided I'll have to put my phone on a holder and use speakerphone. If that's the case, I might as well use the phone's navigation capability.
So I've set out to compare using Waze on my smartphone (HTC One on AT&T) as well as my Garmin 2595LMT. It will take more than one or two long trips to get a good feel for which I prefer, but my initial reaction, now that I'm bored with all the foibles I've encountered with the Garmin, I really like seeing all the up to date reports of incidents, hazards and law enforcement personnel along the roadway provided by Wazers.
After a couple of hour plus trips, my smartphone data usage was very minimal, a lot less than expected. One thing I miss on Waze is the speed limit posted for the road I'm on. I couldn't find a setting for that in Waze. It's very handy on the 2595.
Perhaps after a month or two I can report back which I prefer; smartphone or GPS.
After a couple of days
Been running both my 2595 and Waze on my smartphone as I travel around my home area. A few things I noticed.
At an intersection where red light cameras are set up for both directions (as well as left turns), the 2595 beeped while approaching the light in both directions. Waze gave me a verbal warning in one direction but not the other. Since a user has the opportunity to tell Waze that something is "not there", any Wazer could easily defeat the warning of the RLC.
Waze warned me of an accident ahead in plenty of time to take another route. The 2595 LMT did not warn me about the backup.
Searching for a store is infinitely faster on Waze than on the 2595.
Waze remembers the routes I prefer, and a second trip through the same area, Waze will route me the way I drove the first time. The 2595 constantly tells me to go the way it thinks I should go. There is a tedious method to force the 2595 to direct me the way I prefer by blocking certain roads, but every time the map is updated, all those blocks are lost.
Waze has roads and driveways shown inside the parking area of large shopping centers. With Garmin, the map shows a blank.
While the 2595 shows the posted speed and my current speed next to it, Waze will only show my current speed. There are many threads on the Waze forum talking about showing the posted speed limit, but Waze has failed to implement that benefit.
However, it is becoming quickly apparent, IMHO, that Waze, in most respects, is far superior to my Garmin 2595LMT.
A month later
Garmin is gone. Smartphone is superior. Only feature I miss is the posted speed limit on the screen. Waze also is aware of the issue regarding user reporting red light cameras, most warnings are there.
Just my take on a comparison of Waze on a smartphone vs. the Garmin 2595LMT. YMMV
There are other apps out there...
And now that Google owns Waze... Waze data is making its way into Google Maps for what its worth...
*Keith* MacBook Pro *wifi iPad(2012) w/BadElf GPS & iPhone6 + Navigon*
My 2 cents
I prefer to keep my GPS separate, I don't even like the built navigation systems of most cars today.
I use Bluetooth in the car for the phone and any incoming text messages are WAY DOWN on my priority list, so they can wait until I have time to look at them.
Only time I've ever used the navigation app on my phone is when I was strolling around an unfamiliar city last summer and forgot to bring my Nuvi with me and needed a quick reference on a route back to the hotel.
I never get lost, but I do explore new territory every now and then.
A Month Later
I have used Waze but It doesn't keep track of my mileage or hours driven like my Garmin does. I also haven't found away to download custom poi files to Waze. In addition, there are many trick you can do with a stand alone gps that you can't do as easily with a smartphone app.
Finally I like to use my smartphone for streaming while I drive and this makes Waze almost useless to me.
Oldrivers http://www.oldrivers.blogspot.com
WAZE on a Long Trip
After leaving my GPS home, I was using WAZE on a trip from Atlanta to Miami. Going thru the Everglades I lost the navigation - it simply did not know where I was. Switched to Google maps and my naviagtion started to work. worked. My conclusion is the WAZE app or servers had an "issue"