GPS App for the Destination-less

[dsvogel]

(This review is for an iOS/Apple GPS app that I do not believe exists for Android devices. I am not affiliated with the app or the developer.)

I ride with at least one to three other people most weekends and am often the leader. While we sometimes have a specific destination that is easy to plug into most any GPS device or GPS app, I frequently do rides in which we go off in some random direction to see what new roads, towns, and BBQ joints we can discover. This kind of riding is not easy to do with a typical GPS for the following reasons:

• They generally zoom IN too far, and you can't see regional traffic/construction that you might want to avoid. And many apps don't provide traffic, or not without a fee.
• Zoom OUT too far, and secondary roads become hard to see or more often disappear, and you miss out on potentially awesome riding roads.
• Fiddling with your GPS zooming in and out and trying to get it to re-center on your location is less than ideal for a number of reasons.

I was using my Plus-sized iPhone with Google Maps for GPS which does an okay job, but forced me to stay on obvious main arteries. Last year I got a cheap refurbished iPad mini from GameStop.com and an EZ-Roll'r Ram Mount that holds the iPad mini between my handlebars. That has worked out much better, allowing me to see more real estate of Google Maps. But I still found myself doing the tap, tap-slide to zoom in and out which would sometimes cause Google Maps to stop following me on the map, requiring another tap to re-center the map, which would then automatically zoom in too far.

I've tried just about every other GPS app, including the motorcycle-specific ones, but they just didn't work for my "who-knows-where-we-will-end-up" needs. A recent search brought up the generically-named "Traffic Maps" by Little Mouse Software, which uses Google Maps in a split-screen concept. It is free and has an ad banner at the bottom of the screen, or the Pro version removes the banner. Using this app has pretty much solved ALL my issues with destination-less riding! You can click the link I've included to see all the details, but the highlights for me are:

• It uses the well-supported Google Maps, which includes free live traffic
• The split screens allow you to have a regional view along with a very local/zoomed-in view of your position. The zoom levels are customizable to your liking
• Both views auto-center to your location even if you move the maps around with your finger
• The split screen divider can be moved to make one side larger than the other, as needed
• The app will remember your custom zoom levels on each side

The only Cons might be:

• You can't enter a destination and get directions (but that's what your other Apps/GPS are for)
• If you move one of the maps around with your finger, it will force you back to your current position before you lift your finger.

I realize this is app is for a specific platform and for a specific need many won't have. I just wanted to make others aware of this simple, intuitive GPS app that's proven invaluable to me and might help others that like to ride ... aimlessly! Hope this was helpful!


(Cross-posting with AdvRider.com)

[Jarred]

Thanks for that info. I’m not a fan of Genius Maps. Also, I just read that Google Maps will be releasing a motorcycle version. They r testing it in Asia (and few other places) right now. I love google maps for my car, traffic reporting is great.
‘Thanks again, I’ll look for that app.

[sidecarrick]

I use Sygic on my Ipad mini With a GPS dongle. Seems to work fine for my aimless traveling.