For those of us gageteers who'd love to add a GPS unit to our holdings, but find we already have too much stuff, can't afford it now, et al, will be pleased to hear the news: You can turn many cellphones into a GPS unit with Fugawi Touratel. Sounds a lot like some kind of sushi, but its actually internet-based software that can play on a lot of different cell phones.For a $3 a month fee, Northport Software will let you "tune" your internet accessing cell phone to its site. Your phone doesn't need Bluetooth to work. When you bring up the Fugawi Touratel site, you can "tap into" maps that will show your location on high resolution US Geological Survey maps, street maps, air photos, and more. You can use the software to find nearby locations and maybe get yourself out of trouble without pulling into a gas station.
Right now the software is compatible with cell phone models by LG Electronics, Motorola, Samsung, and Sanyo, from carriers that include Alltel, Boost Mobile, and Sprint . Northport plans to add support for additional carriers and cell phones in the near future. That'd be a blessing for us Verizon users! You will need to have internet access via your cell phone, so beware, if you get into a spotty coverage area you'd best keep those old style paper maps handy. For more information, check out this website.
Forget the GPS! We have Verizon internet for $60/month and it's fantastic. Punch up Google maps and get directions.
ReplyDeleteWe keep our laptop on a stand with the cup holders plugged into a little converter that's plugged into the cig lighter.
I have a map for every destination that I can read while going down the road...try that on a cell phone!
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ReplyDeleteI use a gps in my 17 inch laptop in the motorhome that is correlated with the Good Sam Campsite Directory on CD and this combination is unbeatable.
ReplyDeleteBebop
While I like the idea of having GPS capabilities on my phone (and I do), I often run into problems where the phone GPS lags or doesn't pick up the satellites, so I'll be sticking with my Garmin GPS until they come out with better versions.
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