[Jonny550]

is their such thing of a tablet with wireless turn by turn nav?, like a tomtom or garmin built in?

[mkPOTO]

technically, but they need cell service (ie ipad has the tom tom app but you need service)

[Jonny550]

Originally Posted by mkPOTO

technically, but they need cell service (ie ipad has the tom tom app but you need service)

DAMN, so how the heck do you get in the in the single/double din in dash kits?

[mkPOTO]

Originally Posted by Jon335iFL

DAMN, so how the heck do you get in the in the single/double din in dash kits?

they have a module that basically sends out a signal to a satellite

[KSP]

Originally Posted by Jon335iFL

is their such thing of a tablet with wireless turn by turn nav?, like a tomtom or garmin built in?

Sort of, but you'll need to use a phone too. I have a WiFi only Samsung Galaxy 10.1 Android tab that I use for navigation by wirelessly tethering it to my phone. The phone is acting as a wifi hotspot (Mobile AP is the feature on the phone).

To automate this, I have a program running on the phone called tasker that automatically turns on the MobileAP on my phone when the car enables the bluetooth pairing and disables it when the bluetooth disconnects. The tablet will automatically connect to the MobileAP on the phone.

I've been using this setup for a while now and it works great for Android navigation, Pandora, etc. I think you can also cache directions while you are connected to WiFi and then use the Navigation app while disconnected since it still has GPS, but I'm not sure how well this works. In other words, it will save the part of the map you need for the directions you enter. Unlike garmin and tomtom, the tablet won't have the entire US map set saved to memory.

[Jonny550]

Originally Posted by KSP

Sort of, but you'll need to use a phone too. I have a WiFi only Samsung Galaxy 10.1 Android tab that I use for navigation by wirelessly tethering it to my phone. The phone is acting as a wifi hotspot (Mobile AP is the feature on the phone).

To automate this, I have a program running on the phone called tasker that automatically turns on the MobileAP on my phone when the car enables the bluetooth pairing and disables it when the bluetooth disconnects. The tablet will automatically connect to the MobileAP on the phone.

I've been using this setup for a while now and it works great for Android navigation, Pandora, etc. I think you can also cache directions while you are connected to WiFi and then use the Navigation app while disconnected since it still has GPS, but I'm not sure how well this works. In other words, it will save the part of the map you need for the directions you enter. Unlike garmin and tomtom, the tablet won't have the entire US map set saved to memory.

thanks for the info.

[lazd]

Originally Posted by mkPOTO

they have a module that basically sends out a signal to a satellite

The dash devices OP is referring to usually have maps loaded on them already by means of a hard disk or DVD drive (just like the CIC/CCC in our cars). The only satellite signal involved is the GPS signal, which is received, not sent. As such, the maps become out of date after a while (especially in terms of POIs) and must be updated. Furthermore, these devices must do their own routing, which is actually a computationally expensive problem, and as a result, they're a tad slow on these devices due to a lack of processing power (and even slower due to slow I/O when reading from a DVD).

The reason your average tablet computer must have a data connection when using the built-in maps program because the maps are loaded on the fly from Google (or whomever). The advantage this affords in always up-to-date data and insanely fast route calculation done with Google's servers. Obviously, the disadvantage is when you're in a zone which does not have cell reception, you're on your own with no maps and cannot do a route calculation. If you're a city area, you shouldn't encounter that situation, but you still may have slow map loads and route calculations due to overloaded cell phone networks.

However, you can purchase an app for your tablet that come with a full set of maps and perform their calculations on the device itself (which are fast, since the tablet has fast I/O and a fast CPU). They also receive map updates, offered as an additional purchase. One such example is Navigon North America ($60). Map updates are free each year, otherwise you must either pay $10 for quarterly map updates or pay for their FreshMaps service, which is $20. This software solution looks excellent (see screenshots), but I don't see how you'll easily mount an interact with an iPad while driving, it seems cumbersome. Are there good mounting solutions out there?

[KSP]

Originally Posted by lazd

Are there good mounting solutions out there?

Not really. I ended up using a combination of a KUDA mount, a RAM mount for the galaxy tablet, and the connector part of the OEM Samsung docking station.

http://www.kudausa.com/bmw-3-e90/e91...lack-a960.html

http://www.ram-mount.com/NewProducts...5/Default.aspx

It works, but wasn't exactly easy.

[lazd]

Originally Posted by KSP

Not really. I ended up using a combination of a KUDA mount, a RAM mount for the galaxy tablet, and the connector part of the OEM Samsung docking station.

It works, but wasn't exactly easy.

That looks pretty good, actually. In fact, your whole setup with the radar detector is well done. Does it affect visibility from your angle?

[KSP]

Originally Posted by lazd

Does it affect visibility from your angle?

No. I used to have the detector up to the right of the mirror with standard suction cups, but it would fall every once in a while when the temperature changed enough. I moved it under the mirror with the bigger suction cup mount a couple months ago and haven't had any visibility issues. The tablet is low enough where it really doesn't block anything.