Should I “update” my Roadmate Magellan GPS

WTP-GC wrote:
I've heard the arguments of using a GPS device in lieu of a cell phone and vice versa. Yes, the cell phone does require a cell signal to work. However, the phones have a built in GPS (at least mine does). It's my understanding that you only need a cell signal to get going, but once underway and "navigating" the GPS function will continue to work without cell service. I've started navigating with my iPhone in a place that had service, but then drove through an area that absolutely doesn't have service, yet it functioned fine throughout.

If what you say is indeed true of how smart phone navigation works, then it sure needs to be explained and talked about way more by smartphone manufacturers and retailers.

That brings up a question - how many of you smartphone navigation users have ever had something like a "no satellite signal" message appear on the screen when trying to navigate out in areas where there also isn't any cell signal available?

A "no satellite signal" message of course should occur in such situations as when a cell phone is inside your RV away from the windows. That message sometimes appears on the screen of my Garmin navigator when it doesn't have line-of-sight satellite access - but I've never seen that kind of message appear on our smartphone ... which makes me doubtful of it uses satellite access for anything accept locating us if we can make a regular cell call for some kind of help.