Questions about Android phones, GPS, and limitations when not actiivated.

Quote from nizzy1115 : android 2.2 and 2.3 aren't really "old" and will work with everything. The real thing is that you aren't getting a data connection and it will really limit what you can do.

2.2 is pretty old in terms of android. The experience on hardware this old will be substantially different from a newer device. While most things list 2.2 as a minimum as time goes on you will see that start to creep to 2.3. 2.3 would be good and expected to work for the next few years just fine. 2.3 is by far the largest part of the android ecosystem right now. Another option would be to buy an older device where the manufacture did not update it to 2.3 and install a mod like CyanogenMod 7 that allows you to get to 2.3. This is not possible for all phones so do your research.

Quote from hbarnwheeler : OK, so I'm getting the impression that navigation may not work, but that this is simply because, generally, GPS- enabled phones use a data connection (3G, 4G, etc) to download map data as location changes. It looks as though their are some apps which store map data locally, such as Sygic [google.com]. So, if the data connection is all that stands in the way of functional navigation, a disabled phone should function as a decent GPS device. I know a dedicated GPS device would work better, but I was hoping this might be a cheap alternative with WIFI/media functionality as a bonus. I only have a use for GPS maybe once or twice a year anyways.

Google Maps just announced last week that it is launching an update to allow for offline mode which is exactly what you are looking for. This is what you are looking for. Assuming you know where you are going you will be able to download maps for that area in advance and store them on the device. It should work for navigation well for this, but it is new so you might wait to see what people say.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-...ogle-maps/

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/Googl...15469.html