Anyone using iPhone or Smart Phone as sat nav?

[STV4SYT]

Have a read of this !!!!!

http://digihub.theage.com.au/node/1106

Point I wish to raise as I saw the column wrote in SMH that they are phasing out navigational devices such as navman and tomtom as the smart phones now can do the functions just as well.

On the 25th of March 2009, I was fined $250 and taken 4 demerit points because my iPhone was on the dash and I was looking at it as a satellite navigation! I explained to the officer at the time that I was using it as a sat navigation system and I showed him theres no records of calls or txt msgs on my phone but he said the following in a very sarcastic tone of voice

"go get yourself a proper device like navman, iphone is a phone and using it will incur you driving offences"

I was very upset but did not respond to his comment. I later wrote a reconsideration letter with phone statement that I did not make any phone call at the time to the authority which I got the notice that I have to proceed with the payment or else waiting for the call from the court.

What do you guys think? I am thinking about taking this issue further in the authority but I dont know who to talk to? I would be glad to hear what you have to say about this and any suggestions?

What do you guys think? there are heaps of comments below the article if you click the link.


Personally i have been using my N95 with a windscreen mount for well over a year as a sat nav.

It would be a pretty picky cop that pulls someone over for just that IMO.

S

[Swallowtail]

Man that would suck. You can even buy proper turn-by-turn nav software now for iPhone so it's a proper sat nav system... no different from using a tomtom if you ask me.

[AusScare]

A windscreen mount would be better than just having it sitting on the dash.

My iPhone's satnav is harder to use and less accurate than even the cheapest Tomtom, so it's easier to get a dedicated satnav for those turn by turn directions.

For just the odd left/right/left directions locally then a phone might do.