Is GPS free?

[sgt9999]

I'm trying to decide on my choice of phones: Samsung captivate when it arrives or the Sony X10. I know the Captivate has problems with the GPS. So my question is if it is free to use or does Rogers charge $10/month?

So, the main deciding factor for me would be the GPS. If it is free to use or not. If it costs a monthly fee, than i would not care if the GPS has problems or not as i would NOT use it. Thus go with the Captivate. But if the GPS is free to use, than i would care that Captivate has the GPS problem and go with the X10

[nadim]

you can use the google maps version and it would just use data.

[LastEmperor7]

GPS is free to use, there is no monthly charge for it. However, you need a gps mapping navigation program too. If you use Google Maps, it uses data. However, the Captivate may come with it's own mapping program that might not rely on data usage. I bought the Vibrant, and it comes with it's own nav program as well. Not sure if it uses data, haven't tried it, because I have a 6gb plan, so I have no worries about using data.

Rest ***ured though, there is no monthly charge for GPS usage. If you are considering the two, and money is not that big of a deal, there is no way I would get the X10. The hardware in the SGS is seriously out of this world. The screen, the processor, the gpu, and most importantly: the 16 onboard RAM, and 512 ROM mean that it will be upgradeable to Android 3.0. The x10 with it's tiny little 256 ROM, is f****d. In fact, it's still on Android 1.6 with update nowhere in sight.

[sgt9999]

I'm glad there's no monthly charge.....Here's the dilema, GPS uses data....i'm driving from Toronto to New York City....damn, wont Rogers kill me on some sort of U.S. Data roamng charge? It'd be pointless to use it to drive to the U.S.

[pear-i]

I believe there are only a few ways to get GPS free w/o the data charges (read offline GPS w/o AGPS support)

1) Get a Newer Nokia phones that come w/ OVI Maps (Worldwide maps) and voice navigation included Free (I'm using it on the X6 and I'd have to say it's pretty good).

2) Get the Garmin Asus phone.. don't think it's actually out in Canada

3) What the other posts say -- just use google maps, and fork over the data as well as for the Travel package when you're down south

[LeftToaster]

GPS is free and google navigation is free.

However, I can't speak for other Rogers phones, but on my Acer Liquid E, Rogers disabled the google update that provides the turn by turn navigation. The may do the same on other phones, but this is not the end of the world.

But, unless you are in love with the bloatware included on the phone by Rogers and the manufacturer, enabling google navigations is a matter of rooting the phone by installing the community Android 2.1 (or 2.2 if it works) image for that phone. You lose all the rogers urTunes, urFooz, RogersNav, My Account, etc. apps, but personally, I didn't think much of these anyways.

Once you root the phone and install the community Android image, go through the initial setup again then install the google navigation update.

It worked for me. Free turn by turn navigation with voice prompts.

[chiewable]

mapdroyd is free and will give you maps (offline, stored onyour SD card) and your current location based on GPS but no navigation.

it's handy in a pinch if you are roaming outside of canada

[okboyfriend]

Watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRK2stnV3Wg

[flagg]

Can any one comment on anticipated data used with GPS? For example, if you run a GPS app for an hour continuously while driving/walking how much data would you expect to consume?

Thanks