Smartphones & Tablets

Just downloaded and activated my subscription to this this weekend when riding with others this weekend. Kind of some neat tech (GPX load in/out, POI via's, telemetry, etc.) - but the best seems to be the ability to create random routing based on some basic criteria - direction, distance/time, and type of ride (highway, main roads, twisty, and super twisty).

If you were going to buy a device today, primarily for running the Google Maps automobile navigation app, what would you choose? Extra points given for devices that have a mount available that is very good quality, like the Garmin mounts.

For as long as I have had a cell phone, I have sort wondered what tower I am connecting to when I am at home. Yesterday, using the Network Signal Info app on my Samsung Galaxy S9, I obtained the GPS coordinates for the site that I was connect to, entered them into my Garmin DriveLuxe 51 and took a drive.

https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2019/03/25/wcco-tv-road-tests...

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — It has been a long, frustrating winter of nightmare commutes for many drivers. Whether it’s snow, a crash or construction back-ups, some apps on the market promise to steer you around all the gridlock.

Version 2.9.7

I'd like to add GPS coordinates to photos taken with my DSLR camera. My camera doesn't have GPS receiver. I'm thinking that if there's an Android app I can use to track my whereabouts at every second, I can get geotags from the app and add it into the photos EXIF manually.

I do not see it mentioned yet, so I will point out that Apple released iOS 12.1.4 some time ago. I installed it on my iPhone 8+ and have seen no issues with it.

Aside from the normal type of bug fixes and small improvements, this update fixes the flaw that lets people listen to what the microphone of your phone is picking up without your knowledge.

- Tom -

You can download the Garmin Drive App for the DriveSmart 55/65 models. It offers subscription free functions that are very impressive. Some of the same functions are available on the DS 51/61 and other models, but they require a paid subscription to use them.

so im sure somewhere this topic has been covered so i apologize for asking it again cause i couldnt find it. I am trying to import the rest area combined csv file into google maps to create a map to use on my galaxy note 8 with google maps. when i impoort it says column names cant be more than 64 characters or contain certain characters.

"He just text me and said after he got home he realized the set up wouldn't work for what he wanted to do so he scrapped the idea. Thanks for all your help and if he changes his mind and wants to try agsin I will let you all know.
Thanks so much,
Mary"

My son is trying to set up an old Nexus 7 (2012) that is old technology so he can use in the dash of his truck.

I just saw a commercial on TV for the WeatherTech CupFone. I have been dragging my feet getting a smartphone holder for our vehicles. Frankly, most of them don't look that good to me. This one looks interesting, though.

If you get bored and want something to do. You can make a security camera on the cheap. Download the Android App Alfred Security Camera app. Pull out one of the many old smartphones you stored away. Install the app. One phone will be the camera and your PC or another Smartphone will be the viewer. It does have some nice features in the settings.

As posted above, I am just wondering if anybody here is using an old smartphone or tablet and just leaving it in a mount on their dash for GPS only purposes? Obviously, I could do that with my current smartphone, but I really like having the ability to see the screen continuously while driving and navigating. If my main phone receives a call, and I answer it, I can no longer see the screen.

As posted above, I am just wondering if anybody here is using a tablet for navigation. If so, do you have a mount for it? If you do, what mount do you have and would you recommend it?

As the title says, iOS 12.1.2 has been released for iPhones (not iPads), BUT there are a lot of comments on the web that it may cause problems.

It is probably prudent to wait for 12.1.3 unless you have a pressing problem with 12.1.1 that you think 12.1.2 may correct.

- Tom -

I keep seeing a prompt on Waze suggesting that I turn on Bluetooth on my smartphone when I travel to the Boston airport, a route which goes thru several tunnels. I had not turned on Bluetooth until last night when I made the trip again. Per the article, posted summer of last year, Waze has installed beacons which permit its app to know your precise location when underground.

Yup, iOS 12.1.1 has been released. Downloaded to my 9.7 inch iPad Pro and to my iPhone 8+ with no noticeable problems.

Even though it is only a .1.1 release, it has one big addition in my eyes - it finally enables the ECG app on my Series 4 Apple Watch.

- Tom -

One of the reasons that I bought an Android tablet years ago was because they were less expensive than iPads and many/most of the wifi Android tablets had GPS in them. That allowed me to use the Android Garmin StreetPilot Onboard app without needing data.

More recently, the Android Garmin StreetPilot Onboard app is gone, but the iOS Garmin StreetPilot Onboard still appears to be available.

Successfully downloaded it. Have yet to try it with my nuvi 3597

Will the Garmin or other smartwatches navigate, without a data plan, on their own, without being tethered to a smartphone? Do most have the means to add a micro SD card for additional memory?