Page 1 of 1
Portable GPS's
Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2024 11:39 am
by YennyTheYak
Does anyone know of a good Portable GPS that allows me to easily set it up in different cars throughout the day that won't wear it down at the same time? I am going to be driving in different trucks throughout the day and week and am afraid of an adhesive or suction based mount wearing out as I move it between cars. I've been using my phone for GPS and have a mount that can easily clip on and stay onto the air vent.
If you don't know of one, what do you suggest I do? The main plan is to be using my smartphone less over time. I recently watched the "I switched to a dumb phone 2-year check in" video and feel driven to do something similar over time.
Re: Portable GPS's
Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2024 3:52 pm
by JINSBEK
I’m in a similar position as you. I’m reliant on my smartphone for GPS, and I’m not able to switch to a dedicated GPS device because the local bike route navigation is subpar at best or nonexistent on those devices. I also need my smartphone for full-day Metro transit passes, which aren’t available physically. If you can’t find a replacement for that function in particular, why don’t you try replacing the other “habits” or apps on your smartphone? I’m getting an old Sony Walkman to play music on the go, and I’m using AppBlock to steadily wean myself off Internet browsing on my phone (you can start off by blocking one app or even one website at a time, for example).
I think where a lot of people stumble is trying to go cold turkey all at once, when that’s very difficult to do and not actually too helpful in helping establish new maintainable routines. It’s best to set an attainable commitment each week, and progress cumulatively. If you progress like this, you can designate your smartphone as your portable GPS, and relegate other functions and potential distractions to dedicated devices, with established habits firmly keeping you away from the nagware.
Re: Portable GPS's
Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2024 11:24 pm
by YennyTheYak
JINSBEK wrote: Wed Nov 27, 2024 3:52 pm
I’m in a similar position as you. I’m reliant on my smartphone for GPS, and I’m not able to switch to a dedicated GPS device because the local bike route navigation is subpar at best or nonexistent on those devices. I also need my smartphone for full-day Metro transit passes, which aren’t available physically. If you can’t find a replacement for that function in particular, why don’t you try replacing the other “habits” or apps on your smartphone? I’m getting an old Sony Walkman to play music on the go, and I’m using AppBlock to steadily wean myself off Internet browsing on my phone (you can start off by blocking one app or even one website at a time, for example).
I think where a lot of people stumble is trying to go cold turkey all at once, when that’s very difficult to do and not actually too helpful in helping establish new maintainable routines. It’s best to set an attainable commitment each week, and progress cumulatively. If you progress like this, you can designate your smartphone as your portable GPS, and relegate other functions and potential distractions to dedicated devices, with established habits firmly keeping you away from the nagware.
I think this is a good idea. for limiting web browsing on my phone, I think I'll just prevent myself from searching certain things as I don't find app blockers effective for myself. It wouldn't exactly be going cold turkey, as if I needed to look something up for one reason or another I still would. Or if a friend I'm chatting with sends me a link to something. But I'll stop using it for things like YouTube (the browser I have comes with an addblocker and I will NOT pay YouTube to fix a problem they caused). Subscription Video apps like netflix are also on the list to go since I don't need to be watching things on my phone really. I'm already looking into an mp3 player
https://www.amazon.com/iRULU-F20-Blueto ... 1264866011, though I'm gonna wait until I have a bit of money saved up so I can spluge a bit on buying albums. Looking forward to getting my first paycheck and slowly de-phone my self over the next year or so.
Re: Portable GPS's
Posted: Thu Nov 28, 2024 1:20 am
by Felid131
When I started driving, I had an old Magellan GPS that does everything locally and only connects to global positioning satellites. As I got familiar with street naming and types of road ways I developed the other method I use which is looking at a map on the computer, planning a route, and taking notes of street names and turns and such. Of course my GPS is always in my car so that's a fail safe if I get lost. Otherwise I can search for a major roadway that I'm more familiar with helped by the compass on the GPS, or even the position of the sun. At this point I can see how a map book would be used for navigating.
Re: Portable GPS's
Posted: Thu Nov 28, 2024 5:36 am
by JINSBEK
YennyTheYak wrote: Wed Nov 27, 2024 11:24 pmI'm already looking into an
mp3 player, though I'm gonna wait until I have a bit of money saved up so I can spluge a bit on buying albums. Looking forward to getting my first paycheck and slowly de-phone my self over the next year or so.
Oooh, that’s a cute chonky audio player. I was considering that model when I was thinking of switching to a dedicated digital audio player, especially as it’s one of the few modern ones that are designed with a physical interface rather than touchscreen glass. I’ve heard good things about
Rockbox working on the Surfans F20, so if you’re looking to get the most out of your HiFi experience, there you go! There are multiple reports that the stock SD card it comes with can be unreliable, though, so it’s best using your own trusted SD card rather than risking your files on the stock one.