Garmin Mobile brings GPS nav to a handful of Sprint phones

Sprint's had a handful of GPS-enabled cellphones on the market for a while now, but for the most part you couldn't use them to replace a proper GPS nav unit. At least not until today, that is. Garmin just introduced Garmin Mobile, a new navigation app based on their StreetPilot c-series software that'll let you get maps, turn-by-turn directions, and point-of-interest info right on your Sanyo MM-5600, MM-7400, or MM-8300 cellphone. Costs $9.99 a month and is available now.

[Thanks, Dave]

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[Keith @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

This is nice as I will be switching from Nextel to Sprint. One question I have is, will this feature also, be available on the Treo 650?

[eskimo @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

no comment

[Lenord @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

I've never really understood this, Maybe I've just been lucky, but I thought that every sprint phone had GPS in it. I routinely turn it off in my friend's phones to save them battery life. Are there two kinds of GPS's in phones, or am I missing something else here?

And also, if the GPS option in my Nokia 6200 isn't a hoax, why can't it use this new service?

[Phil @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

It is available now. I've been using it for the past couple of days - and it works great. The graphic display of the map isn't very pretty, but its accuracy is excellent (better than a couple of off-the-shelf gps products that I know of :).

[BK @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Am I dumb, or am I wrong to think $10 is too much to pay for this service? I use sprint and the phones are OK, the reception is OK, but they charge too much for these additional services. I am hard pressed to find any instance where $120 a year for this service would be worthwhile...

[Hugo @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Because you only get the display/talk software.
The maps that are displayed and the route calculation is done on Sprint/Garmin servers.
You wouldn't be able to put more than 2GB of maps on your phone now would ya ;)
Plus it ensures that you always get the latest maps, no more updates.
Paul please tell us which mapping GPS only costs $120 with maps of the whole US.

[Abs @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Most (or all) cell phones will be required to have GPS feature in them in the near future. Initially, GPS on phones allowed emergency crew and services (police, EMT) to locate your position. Of course this only occurs in areas where available and it doesn't use much battery power. I guess now, they are finally 'opening' up the GPS potential to real world application.

I've been using the Rand McNally Traffic Mapp add-on which doesn't offer turn-by-turn directions. But it does give good enough street detail (when zoomed in) to find places. Personally I don't need directional options, but I think it can be useful for some people. Now if they can just link the two services and have it automatically tell you to turn when it senses traffic up ahead, then it might be worth the $10/month.

[Shane @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

What is pretty funny is that the demo on the site claims to show the way to one of the best bbq places in KC but instead it is the turn by turn directions from the Sprint HQ to the Garmin HQ. If anyone needed to know.

[maokh @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

All Sprint phones sold today have GPS-like abilities for E911, but the MIDP 2.0 GPS API for java apps to access this functionality was only deployed very recently on a select number of Sprint phones.

The handsets use A-GPS, a hybrid between CDMA triangulation and GPS, and works very well in indoor environments.

[Mike @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Tried it on my MM5600. Meh. I'm going to get a gps. I understand the reasoning for subscription charges. It's constantly on Vision downloading something. I wonder if it works if I navigate out of my service area. It needs some sort of status display. It takes time to get a fix, and it's somewhat ornery about being asked to do something without a fix. Of course, you're trying to select your destination and operate the application with no idea whether you're working with proper data, that is, until you get an error message.

I give it two of five stars. Nice effort. Add GPS connection quality display and I might just keep the subscription.

[Hugo @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Paul,

My Streetpilot has 2.2GB and I can put in bigger cards if I want.
The new Quest II has 2.4 I think.
Other car navigation or car/marine/aviation combination GPSes by Garmin have plenty of memory and accept Garmin or standard memory cards.

The Yellow eTrex you linked to does not have maps, it cannot do routing, it doesn't even have a basemap! You would need a PDA with some navigation soft or laptop with nRoute and City Select and the cables to connect the 2 to have a certain kind of routing (it would be a whole lot more than $100), a Geko 201 would be an even better unit IMO, it has a better tracklog and has WAAS.

I know Garmin handhelds are limited in memory, it all depends on use, I have a 60C with only 56MB but I use it for walking or on a bicycle, if I ever get so far ast to walk outside that 56MB region you'll probably see me on the next olympics ;)

The fact remains that Garmin Mobile is a server based navigation, routing and maps are not done or stored on your phone but on Garmin or Sprint servers.

[filipe @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Not to mention that you're paying for CONVENIENCE. Not always will you be carrying around a notebook and/or PDA.

These services are probably aimed more for the mainstream consumer who may use it on occasion.

Kind of like going to a 711 to pay more for the convenience rather than going to a full blown supermarket.

Besides, at the time being, it's pretty neat to bust out your phone to get directions when you're out with friends.

[joseph @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Has ANYone been able to download the app, i have been trying since last night, cant even get to the web home page on my sprint phont?

[David @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Hey, the Sanyo 5600 accepts a miniSD card. Why can't someone program that phone to hold map info on those 1GB miniSD cards I've been seeing? If I had access to information on how to interface with the phone, I could probably make my own programs to GPS the phone, or at least find someone that could.

[Robert @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

I have used it for 2 days and have mixed feeling. For $10 a month it's reasonably priced and pretty much gets you where you want, though some of its routing efficiency is questionable.

If you are looking for a destination in a boro of New York, forget it. There is no Brooklyn, Queens, etc. Every boro falls into the "New York City" umbrella, which is awful, because each boro has similar streets, i.e. "West 9 St." It'll come up with various choices, with different zip codes but if you don't know the zip, you'll be guessing. It's AMAZING that they can't get NY right! It's not exactly a small town!

But, once you choose the right destination, it gets you where you want - sometimes not the best way, but it gets you there. You always have signal, which is a good thing. As far as the speech directions, unless you use an earpiece you will not be able to hear the voice well. If your window is open a bit, or the radio on (even low) you won't hear a thing, even at the highest speaker volume setting.

One last thought. For some reason, MapQuest, which uses NavTeq maps as well, has more efficient routes than Garmin Mobile, or even their Streetpilot series that I've tested in stores. I wonder why this is the case, and why Garmin, and/or other manufacturers, have less impressive maps/routing. I wonder how much worse TomTom Go and their Tele Atlas U.S. maps are, as some have claimed. They'd have to be preety bad if worse than Garmin and Magellan's NavQuest-based maps.

[Jesse @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

I think the software works great. I Have always thought that they should use the gps for something like this, other than just for 911. Also, I get to try and use all the apps and other downloads that I want, I get free downloads with an apployee account. :)

[Neil Speer @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

I have had Garmin Mobile on my Sanyo 8300 with Sprint for a few days.

PRO
Its cool, no doubt about it. Getting nearest data from you current location on searching is great. Seems accurate when tracking. MAPS are in good detail and current with server approach. New feature potential is tremendous (WX radar overlays,real-time traffic). If Garmin is giving Sprint half of the monthly fee, Garmin is getting screwed. I am already paying sprint for the internet access.

CON
Launching APP is awkard especially with disclaimer should be with subscription. You can't use your phone while its running. GPS reception can be quite intermittent in your CAR and lags about 3 seconds. Would like to create my search bookmarks like "Schools" or "Pizza" vs re-type. Would like people search - last/first is easier than typing address with letters/numbers. A zip code lookup reference would be nice. Entering zips is the easiest way to set a general location. Would like to use more memory for caching maps to prevent frequent server updates. Phones Video camera is mostly for criminals and perverts. Usually the routes are no good due to construction on roads and what not. Would like a good way to mount in my steering wheel, like done in airplane yokes. Sprint Vision several times seems to either not work or gives error message-not very reliable. Not sure how it works outside of PCS network. I am sure maps can't update once you lose Vision service.

[dman @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

I have been a long time Sprint user. I with they supported Blackberry better and had mapping available on the blackberry like they do on the Nextel, but that requires a new plan. Right now there are only 3 phones that can do the mapping. Does anyone know a way to download the mapping software and get it to work on other GPS enabled phones? I heard there was a way. By the way $10 a month is cheap when compared to $800 for a real GPS. I mean how long will the $800 one last and have accurate maps. I prefer $10 a month with real time updated maps.

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[Pete @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Is this available on the new Sprint Pocket PC Phone Model PPC 6700SP?

[irzal daulay @ Dec 25th 2005 12:56PM]

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