iPad GPS Navigation – Preview
Yes, the iPad 3G (the one with GPS) is out and despite its size there are people considering using it as an in-car navigation system. While we’re just a few days into using the iPad 3G with GPS and few developers have had time to adjust, we can report how some of the various navigation applications function on the iPad. Most of these applications are iPhone apps, running on the iPad.
GPS Performance
First, let’s talk about performance of the GPS chip itself. So far I’ve been very impressed. The GPS in the iPad gets a position fix faster than my iPhone 3G, and doesn’t drop the fix nearly as often. The accuracy looks very good. From what I’ve seen so far the GPS performance in the iPad is better than the iPhone 3G.
What follows are not “reviews” of these apps– we’ve already done that in most cases. Rather just a few short notes about any idiosyncrasies or issues specifically related to running the current iPhone apps on the iPad.
App “Zoom”
Since all of the apps mentioned are not compiled for both iPhone and iPad, they all either run in the tiny window at original resolution, or “2x” zoomed where they show some pixelation. Text looks particularly bad when zoomed, however the graphics on the apps were not horrendous.
TeleNav
I didn’t have any significant issues with the TeleNav app, aka “AT&T Navigator”. Unlike the other apps tested TeleNav doesn’t include on-board mapping so be sure you’re on the unlimited data plan if you go this route as it won’t take many miles of driving to suck down 250MB of data. 
Navigon
The Navigon appalso didn’t experience any significant issues. With on-board maps you won’t chug down a ton of data (things like traffic and Google search excluded will use data).
TomTom
The one app I tried that I did have issues with was the TomTom App. It complained when I launched the app that it wasn’t connected to a GPS, and then continued to flash “Connect to GPS” in the title bar. Ironically, it could track my current position as I drove along, however it would not update my route progress. For example I created a route and it would show the highlighted route, but it wouldn’t show me the distance to the next turn nor provide any voice guidance. All it did was draw the route on the map. In all fairness, these apps were not designed for the iPad but it is interesting that this particular app choked while others didn’t. I imagine this will be addressed.
Magellan
The Magellan iPhone app has on-board maps just like the Navigon and TomTom apps have. The app worked well in my limited test, similar to the Navigon app.
CoPilot
A tiny note that CoPilot does have an “HD” version of their app out specifically designed for the iPad. I haven’t included it here for two reasons. First, because it is designed for the iPad it doesn’t fit in the same class as these apps and should be evaluated separately. Second in my testing of their iPhone app I’ve found their map data to be so bad that it was practically unusable for navigation in the three states I’ve used it in.
Scosche Mount
So how are you going to mount the thing? With the Scosche in-vehicle iPad mount of course!
Tim – The Scosche mounting system is what I envisioned would be the size of mount needed. Yikes! All you need now is a mini-fridge, porta-potti and one can sell the house or give up the apartment and start touring the world! Wait ’til Oprah hears about this!
Yeah, it might not work well in my car since the double din is low and the iPad might interfere with the shifter.
Can you use the 3G model’s GPS WITHOUT subscribing to the monthly data plan or you must subscribe to a data plan in order for the GPS hardware to be utilized?
-Ran
Randy, the short answer is yes, but the long answer is that you might not like the results. Like smartphones, the iPad is designed to use as little power as possible to preserve battery life. With that in mind the GPS in the iPad 3G is “A-GPS” meaning “assisted” GPS. This means that the GPS chip gets “assistance” finding your location by first approximating your location based on nearby wifi signals as well as nearby cellular towers. Since it will typically be getting this assistance the GPS chip itself is of lower power than those found in a dedicated GPS device and thus isn’t quite as good at pulling in weaker GPS signals
I’ve turned off wifi as well as turned off cellular data on my iPad 3G and it can still find and track my location… just not nearly as quickly as it can with “assistance” from wifi and cellular data. So while it does work without the data plan, it might not meet your expectations in how fast it can get a fix, how well it keeps the fix, and how accurately it tracks your location.
I have not subscribed to 3G and my iPad GPS has worked great for GPS Navigation. (I live in a canyon in the mountains).
There’s quite a bit of confusion out there about what A-GPS means. Basically, “assisted” means that the GPS circuit gets additional location information from one or more data sources, other than satellites.
In mobile phones, such supplementary data usually is obtained by distance triangulation to base stations (cell towers).
Another location-data source that is increasingly used by GPS devices relies on databases of recorded locations of WiFi hotspots, for example the databases provided by Skyhook Wireless. The latter, incidentally, is the only source of location data used in the iPad WiFi-only model.
However, the term A-GPS must NOT be understood as implying anything about the sophistication or “power” of the GPS circuit itself. The only fact the term A-GPS expresses with certainty is that we’re dealing with a hybrid positioning system that is using the Global Positioning System as one of its data sources.
A great variety of GPS chips and devices have been on the market that differ in
- the number of satellites they can track simultaneously,
- processing speed (which may influence the speed of acquiring a position lock),
- tolerance to reflected signals and RF interference,
- design (specification) accuracy,
- and more.
I don’t know whether the iPad WiFi+3G model and the iPhone 4 use the same A-GPS circuitry, but they behave differently when in Airplane Mode, i.e. both cellular data and WiFi circuits disabled. In that case, the iPhone provides no location information at all.
The iPad 3G, by contrast, continues to provide accurate position readings. Its GPS works well on the road, even in remote mountain valleys and under a thin tree canopy. But it does not get a position lock inside a one-story home, even when cellular data is turned on again.
In the same spot, a five year old stand-alone Holux GPSlim 236 Bluetooth GPS Receiver has no trouble delivering a position to the Mac. Unfortunately, neither the iPad nor the iPhone support connections to such Bluetooth data sources, though I have read that a more versatile Bluetooth utility is available for jail-broken iPhones.
Nevertheless, the iPhone 4–with Airplane Mode turned off, i.e. cellular data enabled–also displays a strong GPS signal and accurate position in Motion-X GPS inside this same building. That leaves me with the suspicion that the iPad 3G uses a different GPS chip than the iPhone 4. I would have expected the iPad to do at least as well at this location as the iPhone, since the iPad has more space for a potentially better GPS antenna.
On the iPhone, with cellular data turned off, but WiFi enabled, position tracking can be quite jerky when driving, depending on the density of WiFi hotspots. In dense urban areas it may actually be good and more accurate than with GPS alone or on a A-GPS cellphone that uses base-station information along with GPS, but without WiFi hotspot data. But in some suburban and generally in rural areas, WiFi alone is not very useful, except if you’re lost and and are lucky enough to come upon a rare hotspot that ends your anxiety.
One interesting artifact of 3G A-GPS that you may observe when launching some mapping application: As the app acquires the GPS position, the “current position” marker may initially show up for a short moment at the location of the base station of the cell which currently serves your mobile device, before it shifts more or less swiftly to the vicinity of where you actually are. Go and check out that first spot. You’ll probably find a tower or antenna structure there.
I’d love one of these mounts, but it would have to work with the Macally case.
http://www.macally.com/en/product/ArticleShow.asp?ArticleID=317
I’m frequently in remote, mountainous areas, where there are no cell towers, not to mention WiFi hot spots, within dozens to 100+ miles. Do the iPad and/or any of these navigation apps support external GPS receivers connected via USB–or preferably–Bluetooth?
The iPad does not have a USB port and Bluetooth is only for keyboards. There is a possibility of it working with some iPhone external GPS chips through the dock connector (I haven’t tried any) but really– the GPS chip in the iPad works very well without any wifi or cellphone connectivity.
Just returned from the Apple store where the salesman said the 3G iPad would NOT work without wi-fi or 3G connection. So, I didn’t buy. I want to use this with iNavX navigation software on my boat, where I’m usually out of range of both 3G and wi-fi’s.
Can anyone verify that the 3G version’s GPS will work without 3G and/or wi-fi connection?
Thanks
Ron, see thread #2 above. My iPad 3G will get a GPS signal just fine with the wifi radio disabled and the cellular radio disabled (which you can’t do with the iPhone). You can’t use apps that don’t store maps locally, like the included maps app. But all other mapping programs I’ve tried that store maps locally work fine, as mentioned above.
Thanks, Tim. I will try it since the navigation maps will be stored on the iPad. The iNavX program works well on the iPhone, but the screen is too small to be very usable. The iPad should be a good substitute chart plotter.
Thanks,
Ron
I have used the iPad 3G for car navigation and hiking. The GPS in this is far superior to the iPhone gps. I get a lock pretty fast and it holds really well. I used it hiking this weekend with the Gaia GPS app (It can download topo maps for of line use)I started the app, had my notebook style case on my iPad (trip jacket) Once I got a lock I started recording and put the iPad into my water Pack/back pack. I took it out at the top of the mountain and it record the whole way up! (even under trees). For about 5 hours of GPS use the battery went down 50%. The GPS iPad 3G does NOT need a data plan. It takes a little bit more time for it to first acquire with out a data connection (1-2 mins)
well I guess I waited to long to get unlimited plan from ATT , I was looking night of the 8th and the apple site said if I ordered as of the 6th I could have got a unlimited plan for just a few dollars more than 2 gig plan. gees that stinks, snooze you loose I guess, but this interesting about using the Ipad as gps without wifi or a cell connection, Im thinking I kinda like that, alot of times the screen on my regular gps can give me a large enough general area for me to really see where I am at,,,,, so I dont see anything about google maps on here, in case your wondering I have the samsung eternity, google maps comes up really quick, but supposedly ATT has you locked out from hettin a percise fix like on a apple phone, even if you use the 30 dollar data plan, that also stinks cause ATT navigator takes FOREVER to load and work on that phone,,,, so if I could use google maps, full screen , on this I pad and get a good fix that soungs great, hum, wait a minute, I bet I have to be able to log on to internet to get google maps though,,, did not think about that, But I could go for some preloaded maps type program I guess, has anyone tried googlemaps on Ipad yet???
I am \desperate\ for a good iPad 3G car nav GPS and ready to pull the trigger on CoPilot except for your bad mini-review. I have been holding off hoping TomTom or Navigon will release iPad versions but I need to buy within 2 weeks for a big car trip – have you heard any news? I am also concerned that if I buy the TomTom or Navigon that I will have to buy the full HD version when that eventually comes out. Or can you do a full review of CoPilot? I bought MotionX but it’s lack of onboard maps and limited functionality is not working for me. Thanks.
Chris–
I bought the GPS Drive HD app from MotionX (very cheap, but it may have been an introductory offer, or require re-newing to keep the voice–not sure). It works very well. It has all the maps on the pad.
Ron
I bought both the MotionX GPS and the Motion (nav) app. For $3 each they are amazing. However I am trying to plan a trip and one thing I really want is being able to select a location and navigate to it, whether there is an address or not (I am traveling in the mountains and addresses are simply not there – or at least these ones not recognized by Motion X). If I could select the location in Motion like I can in their GPS app, I would be just fine, but I can’t. Also – I am nervous about not having maps onboard for when I am out of cellphone areas, as I would expect to happen in the mountains. Both maps are DEFINITELY worth more than their $3, but I wish I could have this little piece of functionality.
Can I download GPS on my ipad
Does anybody have information about using the IPAD with a real external GPS connected via Bluetooth. I want to use this in my airplane as a navigational aid.
Troy
The required Bluetooth profiles are not on the iPad as far as I know.
I want to do exactly the same thing in my plane. I have the 3G ipad with built-in gps, but he unit does not track well enough unless I hold it by a window or put it on top of the dash, which is impractical. Jailbreaking to get the functionality, but I haven’t been able to confirm if it is possible to switch between internal and external gps after such a modification.
If anyone figures out if this is possible, please let me know..
Does anyone have any experience with iNavX for iPad using electronic charts published by CHS (Canadian Hydrgraphic Service)?
I plan to acquire a marine chartplotter, but they get very expensive once you go to 7\ screens or larger – I want to know if the iPad/iNavX combo is worth considering, and if it works as well as ‘normal’ chartplotters when outside of 3G and WiFi coverage areas.
Yes, the iPad and iNavx work well with the. Canadian charts. I’ve been using them all summer.