Using Nexus or Galaxy 7 as Dash GPS

I have a recycled B&N 7" Nook Color tablet running Android Jellybean(4.1), along with a separate TomTom Bluetooth GPS receiver, using CoPilot with maps loaded locally. Whole setup costs less than $100.

Can also run Android apps such as GasBuddy, check my email and surf the web, using a separate Bluetooth keyboard, when I'm connected to mobile data using a 4G hotspot.

Still use my portable Navigon, but maps are also outdated, and not worth the costs to upgrade.

I don't use my Nexus 7 with CoPilot but use my phone with it and it works very well. I doubt I will ever go back to using a dedicated GPS unit again. I'm fine with the smaller screen of the phone since it's much easier to mount and use in a vehicle than a 7 or 10 inch tablet and I really just need the voice prompts while driving anyway. I don't use the phone for trip planning, I do that on my laptop.

I have CoPilot and a couple of other navigation apps installed on my Nexus 7 but I've never attempted to use it to navigate since my phone does the job so well.

Those that say your tablet needs to be connected to wifi in order for the GPS to function don't understand that it depends completely upon which app you use for navigation. If you use Google Maps for navigation then, yes, you need a data connection (it can cache a limited amount of map data but not enough to be useful IMO) but some navigation apps such as Sygic, CoPilot, Navigator, etc... store the map data locally and don't need a data connection to constantly retrieve map data.

deandec wrote:
I can purchase a Garmin 2595, Nexus 7 or Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 at Costco for about $180.

My $800 Garmin 2620 with outdated maps just died.

I have used Sygic on my Vizio Tab as a Dash GPS, but the Tablet is bulky and heavy and my DW likes to play games on it while traveling.

Is anyone using the Nexus or Galaxy as a Dash GPS with Co-pilot or Sygic Apps?

If so, what negatives have you encountered?

Check out the Garming 2797. It gives the 7" screen plus lifetime maps and traffic plus is uses voice command for many functions.
I really like mine (so far).

dan-nickie wrote:
Are either of them with a DATA plan or simply WIFI?

Sygic is a 100% offline GPS solution. My Nexus 7 has WiFi and I use that while underway with a Verizon MiFI adapter for traffic, surfing, etc.

Are either of them with a DATA plan or simply WIFI?

The tablet may have to have to be 'connected' to the wireless network in some fashion.

We do it on my wife's Galaxy Tab, but it pulls WIFI off my smartphone's unlimited data plan.

I use a Nexus 7 with Sygic. Love it!