Tablets that can use gps with dataplan usage?

Using the Garmin Viago app with my note 8.0 works great anywhere with no data plan or Wi-Fi because it has lifetime maps that are downloaded to the tablet. That gives you the ability to go anywhere and access the maps, search for addresses and POI's without any type of connection.

This link had some additional comments by users that are using it like you want to do.

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/43082

I just today added some additional comments from a trip I took this last weekend using the Viago app on my tablet.

My Samsung Tab 3 8.0 works great. I use Mapfactor and the Open Streets Maps, which are free. You can download only the maps that you need to save memory.

It will route you as required, but a true GPS is still much better and offers more features. If it's simple navigation, this is fine. If you are going on a long trip, get a GPS.

I setup the routing, so my wife can see where we've been, where we're going and a general sense of the lay of the land. If Mapfactor has a different route than my Garmin, it will simply recalculate for her, when I follow the Garmin along a different road.

I no longer have to do strip maps for her using AAA Trip Tic or Streets & Trips.

Smart phones with GPS chips will also work without data or wifi as long as you have installed an app that has the detailed map included.

I configured ASUS Transformer tablet which has GPS, and downloaded Copilot FREE version with entire North America map.
Space is not an issue as the tablet has 32Gbyte memory storage.

I have a Galaxy Tab 2 and it works fine. I use both Avare and Mapfactor Navigator. Both are free. You just need to keep the charts up to date.

You say you are "mainly using for camping", but also say you are looking for something for your car. So I assume you want something for road navigation only (not hiking, hunting, geocaching, etc.). Most tablets wouldn't be ideal for those other types of activities.

If you buy Garmin Viago App $1.99, then pay for the off line maps you phone should work with this off line.
The maps were on sale for $9.99, when not on sale they were $19.99 the last time I looked. Maybe they will go on sale again.

The main thing to do is check the specs to be sure the tablet has the GPS receiver before you buy it. Next decide on a size that is convenient to carry or use for your particular needs. Personally I use a Google Nexus 7. I like the size of the 7" screen, it is easy to transport, it has the GPS receiver and the price was reasonable ($199 for a 16gb to $230 for a 32gb on Amazon right now).
Next look for an app that has offline maps. There are many navigation apps available at a large range of price points including some that can be used for hiking too. Usually the more you pay the better the app is but that's not always the case. There are even a few free ones out there that are quite usable. Another thing to look for on the app is how good it's POI database is. If you are off line you will not be able to do a search if it does not have a good database.
Reading the different threads in this section of POI Factory should point you to an app that can help you.

You don't need a data plan to use GPS on a tablet (or smart phone) with Android. Apple is a slightly different story, I'll touch on that below.

If course, you need a device with a GPS. Many tablets have GPS receivers but is is not always well spelled out in the specs. Before I got my Lenovo I talked to Lenovo tech support and even they couldn't tell if it had a GPS receiver from their data sheets (and they gave me some very bad "technical information"). But it turns out that it is in there, just not well covered in the specs. I also got a Tegra Note 7 and, while the GPS is mentioned in the specs, you would not know that it was there from any of the information in the settings. I had to use a third party control app to turn the GPS receiver on and off. So do your homework and make sure that the tablet has GPS support.

As for Apple, you don't need a data plan but you do need a receiver that supports a data plan! The reason for this is that the Ipads that are wifi only lack the GPS receiver. So if you want to run GPS apps on an Ipad then you need one that has a cell phone data receiver. The receiver does not need to be on a data plan, and if it is you don't need to burn through data to use the GPS, but the wifi only Ipads have no GPS receiver so will not work for GPS applications.

There are a large number of apps for GPS use, both free and paid. Different things for different needs and different people. The best that I have found for Android for myself so far is the free "MapFactor": GPS Navigation" app. The link is
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mapfactor....
It is free (paid version available) and it uses the free Open Street Maps data, so you don't get hit paying for maps or map updates. It covers most of the world, in the USA you download maps by state so you don't waste valuable storage space for states you will never use. Up through JellyBean it can store and access the maps from a removable second memory card if there is one on the tablet, so it doesn't waste primary storage space. More on this below.

One warning worth noting is that with Android KitKat, Google (who doesn't put a 5 cent memory card slot on their own branded Android tablets) has made it much harder to use the external memory card on other tablets. There are different theories on why Google would leave this very desirable feature out of a tablet, including that they want to force their customers to buy more expensive tablets with more internal storage or they want to force the customers to store more things on "the cloud". Their own explanation is (and I've seen the video where their representatives say this) that their customers are too stupid to use the external memory, so they did the customer a service by leaving it out. Now they are making the external memory slot on other tablets much less useful.

Maps tend to be large files and they can take a lot of valuable space, but overall they are a better option than using the data plan with GPS tablets, particularly if you travel to areas without cellular data service.

Unless you root the tablet you can't write to the external memory in the current KitKat release.

I can use my wifi only model iPad for GPS and not need a data plan. I can use it just like a stand alone GPSr. I use a Dual Electronics XGPS150A Universal Bluetooth GPS Receiver for Portable Devices which does not need a data plan to work. I can then just use the GPS app of my choice.

http://amzn.to/1t1xFus

Good point. While I thought that it was important to make clear that Apple Tablets don't include a GPS receiver unless they also include a cell data plan receiver, I forgot to consider that some people might want to connect their WiFi Ipad to an external GPS receiver. But I certainly don't promote that, as it is nearly as expensive as my Lenovo Android Tablet that includes a GPS. And I've seen other tablets with GPS that actually cost less than your link. So as long as you can do the research and be sure that the tablet has a GPS receiver, I would rather buy a tablet with a built in GPS receiver than an external GPS receiver that needs a tablet or similar device to be useful.

By the way, I passed up last year's Hisense Sero 7 Android tablet because I didn't think it had a GPS receiver. I never saw it mentioned in the specs or any of the reviews. After I got my Lenovo I got my hands on a Hisense at WalMart and it turns out it did have GPS. Unfortunately, this years Hisense Sero 8" tablet left out the GPS receiver. Might as well leave it out if you're not going to tell anyone that you have it.

That is not the case, I had no problem with writing to the external memory immediately after the Kit Kat update completed.

I'm running the current Kit Kat release 4.4.2 on my Samsung note 8.0 tablet that is a factory non rooted tablet and have no trouble with any app being able to write to the micro SD card.

All the maps and associated other Viago files all downloaded and installed on the micro SD card with no problems and everything works perfectly and very quick.

This screen grab shows the file structure of the Viago app on the SD card showing it all installed there:

http://home.comcast.net/~rjrsw2012/pwpimages/Viago%20files%2...

That's interesting. I'm not running Kitkat yet myself, but mostly because I've seen so much discussion of this issue. Just Google the words "UV-82" (without the quotes) to see what I'm refering to. I would be very interested to hear if other users here are seeing or not seeing this problem (assuming that they have not rooted their Android devices or have one of the few devices that came "pre-rooted".

Thanks. That was helpful.

The thing that people sometimes forget to consider is how the GPS will be mounted in a vehicle. The answer to that may depend on the type of vehicle, too. For example, if you are driving a Kenworth truck tractor and pulling a 53 foot trailer, have ing a 7 inch screen in the cab might be just dandy. On the other hand, if you have a clasic Pontiac Fiero, a 7 inch screen is over the top.

There are, of course, mounts for smartphones and tablets. In the interest of safety, I think a GPS, smartphone, or tablets securely mounted is a safer choice than something laying on the seat.

Another consideration, too, is what other functions the device(s) will be performing. For example, I tried using a smartphone for work years ago for three things more or less simultaneously:

-Navigation

-Entertainment

-Telephone Calls

If you get very few telephone calls or texts, and you stream audio while navigating, you might get by just fine. However, once you start using the phone, the navigation and entertainment get interrupted.

I can get by better with one of the devices doing two functions at once. If I have an auto GPS keeping me on course, I can use a smartphone to stream audio and take calls. However, once I get a call, that interrupts the music and the passenger sort of gets left out.

Conversely, I have used a GPS and played MP3 files or XM satellite radio through it and the navigation interupts. That might be my preferred method.

Anyway, there are a few considerations to think about when you make a road trip.

I am still thinking that a Garmin with an Android based operating system would be a great choice. I could stream XM Sirius satellite radio via the internet and have "Jill" interrupt with turn by turn directions.

Unless you have an unlimited data plan, that would get expensive real fast.

You can use this on tablet and on cellular.

It free and it work very well.

http://here.com/download/?lang=fr-en