Nav V, which apps are worth it

[fourteenfour]

15 RT, would be linking to my iPhone. Which apps/services are worth using?

[marcopolo]

Not sure exactly what you mean by Apps. Apps for iPhone, or built-in "Apps" on the GPS itself?

 

Do you know about the Garmin SmartLink App? If you download that to your iPhone (it's free), there are at least three paid services you can add to SmartLink. One is weather (one-time $4.99 purchase), another is traffic (I believe it's $19.99, but I'm not sure if it's a one-time purchase, or not).

 

I find the weather "service" very useful. Obviously, your iPhone has to be paired to your Nav V and you have to have a cell signal. I run the SmartLink App when I'm riding. If you are navigating a route, you can call up weather radar for your route (your entire route will show up (map will be in landscape view). It will also give you weather alerts (an audible ding, if you have a bluetooth intercom connected, and icon(s) on the GPS screen). I believe the weather comes from the closest commercial airport, so that may be some distance from your actual location.

 

SmartLink also has other features too (FourSquare search, your contacts, find parking, photoLive cameras (another paid App for $4.99).

 

Also, in the latest firmware update to the Nav V, Garmin has added -- unannounced -- their Tracker App to the Nav V itself. If you run the SmartLink App on your phone, and then use the Tracker App on the GPS, you can input email addresses and the recipients will receive email updates with a link to your position (they will need to download the free Garmin Tracker App to their Android, or iPhone, so they can see where you are on a map). That said, you can only authorize your position to be visible for a maximum of 24 hours at a time. You can also share your location with riding buddies too, if they also have the Tracker App on their GPS (you input their "Tracker number" on your Nav V, instead of an email address). I don't know how useful this would be, as I haven't tried it out yet, but I have set it up.

[fourteenfour]

That answered my question better than I asked it. thank you

[mickeym3]

Thanks for the post Mark. Sure enough I connected my NAV V and saw the new update and put tracker on my phone. Now just need to bite the bullet and put it on my wife's phone..I guess...maybe. In any case the updates look very helpful, little cumbersome but one way to circumvent having to get an iSpot.