8Lives
Only new here...
- Joined
- May 21, 2012
- Location
- Berkeley, CA
- Moto(s)
- 2012 Ducati Multi PP, 2009 Monster 1100S, 2003 999
- Name
- Aaron
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Ride planning and navigation apps?
- Thread starter ilikefood
- Start date
8Lives
Only new here...
- Joined
- May 21, 2012
- Location
- Berkeley, CA
- Moto(s)
- 2012 Ducati Multi PP, 2009 Monster 1100S, 2003 999
- Name
- Aaron
ilikefood
Active member
So I tried using Calimoto and it was a mixed bag but overall not great.
Creating a ride route on the phone was OK but the app tries to always go the curvy way even when it makes no sense. Going from SF to Fairfax, it insisted on getting off 101 right after GGB and going through some local streets, so you can’t really control it well. But adding waypoints is fine.
Navigation is functional but buggy - it shows distance to next turn, but when that gets below I think 1 mile it just shows 0 miles for a while. It also doesn’t zoom in like Waze and Google Maps do when you’re close to your turn.
Where it totally fails, is that you can’t resume navigation if you don’t have an internet connection! I paused navigation at Limantour Beach and then couldn’t restart because I had no service! Who the hell makes a navigation app that doesn’t work when there is no cell phone service??? Totally dumb. Later it turned out that the paid version allows you to save offline maps and routes, but they didn’t make this clear at all when I was creating the route. This could have been very annoying if someone is in an unfamiliar area and doesn’t have an offline Google Map downloaded. So that turned me off to Calimoto.
I guess I’ll keep trying some of the other apps you all recommended. As well as exporting routes from GMaps.
Creating a ride route on the phone was OK but the app tries to always go the curvy way even when it makes no sense. Going from SF to Fairfax, it insisted on getting off 101 right after GGB and going through some local streets, so you can’t really control it well. But adding waypoints is fine.
Navigation is functional but buggy - it shows distance to next turn, but when that gets below I think 1 mile it just shows 0 miles for a while. It also doesn’t zoom in like Waze and Google Maps do when you’re close to your turn.
Where it totally fails, is that you can’t resume navigation if you don’t have an internet connection! I paused navigation at Limantour Beach and then couldn’t restart because I had no service! Who the hell makes a navigation app that doesn’t work when there is no cell phone service??? Totally dumb. Later it turned out that the paid version allows you to save offline maps and routes, but they didn’t make this clear at all when I was creating the route. This could have been very annoying if someone is in an unfamiliar area and doesn’t have an offline Google Map downloaded. So that turned me off to Calimoto.
I guess I’ll keep trying some of the other apps you all recommended. As well as exporting routes from GMaps.
ilikefood
Active member
Does Google Maps try to recalculate the route though, like if there is traffic? Does it try to get you to go the “faster” way between the waypoints you selected? Or does it always keep exactly to the route you chose?
ilikefood
Active member
Ha ha fair enough!
ilikefood
Active member
My use case is emphatically NOT for group rides. Those are really not my thing at all. This is just for planning a trip on my own, when I want to ride some roads that look fun on the map, planned ahead of time, without having to stop and check where to turn next.
BillSmith
The Little Twitches Grandpa
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2007
- Moto(s)
- HD 2011 FXDF Dyna Fat Bob
- Name
- Bill
Does Google Maps try to recalculate the route though, like if there is traffic? Does it try to get you to go the “faster” way between the waypoints you selected? Or does it always keep exactly to the route you chose?
There's a way of disabling the reroute attempts. I've never used it. Forgotten the method. Perhaps just turn off traffic assist feature?
You can preload maps of the area traveled as well. Makes adjusting, if you did change your mind, it is possible by GPS alone, no phone signal needed.
If you are out of cell phone service area, you won't get updates and going featureless is not an issue.
One caveat, inadvertent touches of screen can be annoying. Had a VERY large scale oops moment in Illinois. Must have caught the screen and wound up be diverted off I-80. Thought that Google was doing me a favor, routing to a better route.
Nope. Drove through airport in Chicago, made worse by a torrential downpour. At night. Not a fun way to end that day. Lesson learned.
There's a way of disabling the reroute attempts. I've never used it. Forgotten the method. Perhaps just turn off traffic assist feature?
You can preload maps of the area traveled as well. Makes adjusting, if you did change your mind, it is possible by GPS alone, no phone signal needed.
If you are out of cell phone service area, you won't get updates and going featureless is not an issue.
One caveat, inadvertent touches of screen can be annoying. Had a VERY large scale oops moment in Illinois. Must have caught the screen and wound up be diverted off I-80. Thought that Google was doing me a favor, routing to a better route.
Nope. Drove through airport in Chicago, made worse by a torrential downpour. At night. Not a fun way to end that day. Lesson learned.