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maps / navigation issues (was: Did anyone think about changing to a smartwatch à la Apple Watch or Samsung Galaxy?)

JanH
over 6 years ago

Being frustrated with how much my Garmin Fenix 5 Plus cost and how badly many functions are integrated, I was looking around what else there is. As I would like to have maps (one of the main reasons, I bought the F5+, and it just doesn't work reliably), I guess it would need to be sth like the Apple Watch (horrible design IMHO) or the Samsung Galaxy Watch (looks pretty nice IMHO).

I think one major drawback would be battery life, but ok. I think that there should be a way of getting offline maps on the watches as well, or at least in combination with the smartphone, important for me would be though that it's really offline. What I would loose as well would be training status. It would be a pitty as I like the green bar thingy. But I think strava offers something similar (not for free, but I am fine to pay, I just want sth that conveniently works).

Seeing how much a Galaxy watch cost (about 1/3 of what I payed for my F5+), it seems a good alternative.

Any experiences, opinions?

  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 6 years ago in reply to JanH

    There's a few different providers of OSM data, some show buildings, some dont

    https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/OSM_Map_On_Garmin/Download

    That lists most of the providers. If you do decide to try others, keep the contour lines on your watch as not all of them provide Contour data...

    If i remember correctly, http://www.frikart.no/garmin/velgkart.html is pretty good on not showing tonnes of buildings... The beauty of the OSM maps is that many people format them different ways. You're sure to find the best one for you!

    Happy days!

  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 6 years ago in reply to Former Member

    Before i forget

    http://www.frikart.no/garmin/velgkart.html

    Has overlay maps (i.e keep your existing maps and overlay on top) showing trails etc ;) 

  • 0 over 6 years ago in reply to Former Member

    It does clear up, but only when I am very close. The symbols are POI's of shops... with the buildings in general I'm fine.

  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 6 years ago in reply to JanH

    Ah - yeah, some maps do go a little overboard on POI's... I can't remember if you can hide POI's or not. I'll have a dig around

  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 6 years ago in reply to JanH

    Jan - Try this, My maps don't have many POI's so I'm not sure - anyway

    Watch Settings (Hold Menu button down) then go

    SETTINGS -> MAP -> DETAIL

    Does setting that to low help?

  • 0 over 6 years ago

    I had an Apple Watch 4 w/ Cellular. I liked the convenience that it provides for taking calls and messages but when it really came down to it, battery life and the lack of ABC functionality, etc is why I sold it. 

    I don’t use the Fenix like I could but with what I want, it’s more than suffices for my needs. I actually wear 2 watches, Fenix 6 on one wrist and a Tissot Expert Solar on the other. I use the Fenix as my Fitness tracker (and many toys) and my Tissot as my time/watch.

  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 6 years ago in reply to Odie21

    My issue with the AW? And I'm going to sound really odd here..

    Don't like square watches :)

  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 6 years ago in reply to JanH

    What I did originally was fill up the memory with about 4-5 different OSM map providers, then went to walk the dog in an area I like to run. Then on the mountain top, swapped the different maps around till I found one I liked (for me that Frikart one)..

    As there's plenty of memory on the watch, and I don't do music etc, I didn't mind having a bit of redundancy so I could see which one I preferred while running!

  • 0 over 6 years ago in reply to Former Member

    Yes, I checked that already and put it to low detail... didn't make the shop POI disappear unfortunately.

  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 6 years ago in reply to JanH

    Ah. Perhaps then try the Frikart maps? Some providers do go overboard on the POI's - I suppose in the end it depends on whether it's a pain in the proverbial for you.

    Perhaps do a test walk in an area you would be using it in and see if it is an issue - if so, there's always the option of trying another OSM provider instead....