Smartphone mapping app on sale for Easter

[Garandman]

Many people think you need a cell signal to navigate with a smartphone even though it has a GPS chip. That's not true: it's just that most mapping apps people use rely on a cell connection to download the maps.

Sygic is an app that downloads maps to your phone so you can navigate even if you don't have a cell signal. Normally $40, it's on "Easter Sale" for $20. I'm told it uses the same maps as TomTom but don't have a TomTom so can't confirm it. I've tried it and it works well, though I prefer using Waze due to Boston traffic.

http://www.sygic.com/en

[Point37]

so you can view the maps but without a cell signal it can't locate where you are i take it?...so its like having a road atlas loaded into your phone?

[ZX-12R]

so you can view the maps but without a cell signal it can't locate where you are i take it?...so its like having a road atlas loaded into your phone?

Incorrect. This program downloads the maps locally to your phone's memory. The GPS in your phone works regardless of your cellular status so you can navigate on these maps without cell coverage.

You can locally cache maps using Google Maps but you cannot do any routing unless you have a cell signal because the program phones home to calculate them.

[Point37]

^^^good to know, thanks

[TheIglu]

I use Pocket Earth. It's $.99 in the App Store.

I just fired it up for the first time on my new iPhone and it took 5 minutes to download maps for Tennessee, Georgia, NC, SC, etc. No cell service required.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pock...481679745?mt=8

This is what got us around Italy for a week.

I'm downloading the entire US now. It's 2.2GB.

[jasnmar]

You can also make maps available for "offline" use using google maps. I do think a connection is required for "navigation", however.

[Kurlon]

I've been using Open Scobler for awhile with decent results.

[Point37]

You can also make maps available for "offline" use using google maps. I do think a connection is required for "navigation", however.

yea i just put my phone in airplane mode and the maps still show up and i can pan and zoom and see everything and it still shows the dot for where i am but i can't search for any locations and make any routes...that works enough for me

[SwiftTone]

Can you load custom routes onto it instead of going from point a to point b taking the shortest route?