AT&T Locks Apple SIM Cards on new iPad Air 2 & iPad mini 3

And it's free unlimited USA calls, to and from that number to landlines?

 

I was assuming a road trip when I made that statement.
If we're at home, WiFi is the best of all worlds.
But, if you're sitting at home, then there's little need for map routing.

 

I was saying that it's hard to beat Google Maps, when you have an Internet
connection.

But, you wont *always* have an Internet connection on the road.

When you have *no Internet*, then the value of Google Maps goes instantly
down, and the value of the offline apps kick in.

 

I tested them a year or two ago on iOS, and I came up with:
1. Google Maps (only when you have data)

When you have no data, then:
2. CoPilot (mainly because of accuracy and POIs and adress lookups)
3. Be-On-Road (a distant third to CoPilot)
4. MapsWithMe (a distant fourth)

I also add (for when I have data):
a. iExit (for finding what is at the next exit)
b. GasBuddy (for finding cheap gas on the road)

That's what's in my MAP folder (along with Apple Maps).

 

Then CoPilot *payware* is likely the best, on both platforms, if you need
it to work offline.

All the rest of the freeware apps use the OSM maps, which are fine for
routing, but, the POIs and address lookups in OSM are still dismal by way
of comparison to the professional POIs & Address Lookups which Google &
CoPilot use.

 

The whole original idea behind SIMs was to let people roam between
phones, pop it in the car phone of the car you're using right now, only
use it in your portable when you're away from your car, etc.

It's a different world today, but ultimately, there's still generally a
1:1 relationship between SIM and phone number, but they're also not
"locked", you can get a new number assigned by calling your carrier and
paying a small fee.

 

Try when you're roaming at $5-$10/MB, and getting far enough off the
beaten path to where there is no signal at all.

Look, I agree with what you're saying, I use online maps exclusively
myself. But offline maps still have a need and a place.

 

If you want it to work across platoforms, *and* you want it to work
offline, *and* you want it to have an accurate street & POI lookup
offline, then your best choice, IMHO, is CoPilot (although they nickle
and dime you to death).

There are more map-routing choices on Android than on iOS (the best being
Navigator and OsmAnd~).

 

the phone number is associated with the sim, regardless of carrier.
that's the point of a sim, so you can swap phones at any time.

sims are sims, and there can be a reason to lock (for the carrier,
anyway). at&t gophone locks sims to phones in some cases and t-mobile
blocks certain device classes on certain plans.

 

it's a cellular modem that plugs into a usb port.

 

I've found it useful for years now, through various incarnations, on my
original iPad and now it's even better on the Air with GPS .

 

I have LESS than no interest in having to listen to and obey spoken
directions when I'm driving. I don't need the distraction and lack of
choice. A nice reliable compass built in to my dashboard would be useful.
If I want step- by-step directions, I'll download them alomg with maps in
advance. I've been a passenger in cars led astray by the talking things
more than once, and I seldom AM a passenger.

 

How so? You can get free maps for an entire continent, then add voice
directions for a one-time fee of $9.95. What other features would most
people need?


Patty

 

You probably know better than I do because I never *paid* for CoPilot.

When I called them, and emailed them, I couldn't get a straight answer
out of them (my question was mostly about the difference between the
Android and iOS CoPilot with respect to voice and what costs what).

I could never get the same answer twice out of them.

So, I'll defer to you, but, it "was" my understanding, after that unhappy
experience trying to get information from them (mostly about the talking
of directions versus streets plus directions) that they charge for a
bunch of stuff that the others don't.

So, with that said, let me ask you.

If I want a map for an entire state, is that part of the 10 dollar fee?
If I then want the map of the entire region, is that also included?
Likewise if I want the map of the USA, is that included?

It was my understanding that they charge for each map, but I might be
wrong. They certainly charge for the voice to work (after the trial
period).

Does paying $10 for the voice (when you already get one state free), also
give you the maps of the entire USA, for example?

 

If you don't want spoken directions (distances, turns, & street names),
then your task of finding suitable freeware doubles or triples, even on
iOS.

I think you're on iOS, so, for you, CoPilot freeware will be great, as
long as you stay within on state (hopefully a big one). If you want more
than one state, then you can fork over the 10 bucks or switch to Be-On-
Road or MapsWithMe, but, be advised, they both use OSM maps.

As I said, the OSM maps, while certainly not as accurate as Google Maps,
are good enough, but the POIs and address lookups are atrocious (but
getting less atrocious every day, since they're a crowd-sourced database).

Given the OSM databases are lacking, for iOS and Android, I'd go with
CoPilot freeware (not only for the map accuracy but mostly for the POI &
address lookup accuracy), unless you need more than one state, if you
didn't need voice.

If you want voice, on Android, then you kind'a need Navigator (but it
doesn't do street names.) On Android, there is also ZANavi, which has
everything, but, it *all* stinks, so, don't let the checkboxes fool you.

 

No, there is no fee. You can get all of the U.S. and Canada for free.
I just checked their website and discovered that I was wrong about
entire continents being free; they have Europe divided into multiple
maps, and the U.S./Canada maps are obviously missing parts of North
America. But they get most of it.

I live in California, but recently a friend and I were in Ontario,
and CoPilot successfully showed us a bunch of dirt roads along the
north edge of Lake Erie.

They charge for each map *after* the first free one--and which one
that is is entirely up to you. Yes, as I mentioned, there is a one-
time fee for voice directions. Turns out it's $9.99, not $9.95.

There is no charge for maps of the entire U.S. unless you have already
downloaded a different region for your free introductory map.


Patty

 

Huh? It gets easier, not harder. She could use CoPilot GPS for free,
since she doesn't need to pay for the voice directions.

Are you saying that the Android version of CoPilot requires you to pay
for each state? Is that why you think the iOS version does? I'm surprised
they'd be that different.


Patty

 

Are you sure we're talking the right maps?

Any map program can give you OSM maps (which includes the all-important
POI's and Address Lookups). This is free.

But, the non-OSM maps (for lack of a better term) are *not* free.
Of all the map companies, Alk CoPilot allows you to have *one* free non-
OSM map.

Looking for the brand of the map at
http://copilotgps.com/us/personal/android.asp

I see the "asterisk" next to the phrase "Detailed street maps of the U.S.
and Canada*", and looking at the asterisk small print, I see "The map of
Canada is available via in-app purchase from the CoPilot Premium USA app".

So, they make it a bit more complicated than they need to.

Then going to the downloads page http://copilotgps.com/us/compare/, it's
still not yet obvious (what I already know to be true) that you get only
*one* free map that is non OSM style.

But, notice that "voice guidance" and "text to speech" are separate items
that require money. What I was trying to find out from ALK in days past
was whether this was a SINGLE $10 fee, or multiple $10 fees (one per
item). I still don't know the answer, as the only way to know is to pay
first and be happy or sad.

I suspect it's a single payment, but, is it?

 

I just checked my Android phone, and had to use a magnifying glass
(literally) to see that Alk Copilot on Android uses NAVTEQ maps for the
one free map.

On the iPad, I could see it easily, in Settings > About CoPilot, near
the bottom.

So, they lock the one free NAVTEQ map, to something. they do have our IMEI
in there, which might mean they lock that one free map to our IMEI (what
else could they use?).

I do now agree with you, that, if you can *fit* it, you can make the
entire USA be your one free NAVTEQ map. For me, even with a 64GB iPad and
Android device, I only have the CTY_ALK.NA-Southwest NAVTEQ map installed.

One caveat/warning, is that, while they *say* you can't switch free maps
(e.g., if you're on a cross-country trip), you actually can. At least, I
did, and it seems to work (but, I guess they can stop that at any time).

 

I found out, by experiment, that I could delete the one free Navteq map,
and, despite what the user interface tells me, I could then download a
*different* one free Navteq map.

So, for free, you get (essentially):
a. One free map (of whatever size you can fit on your device)
b. No Voice direction
c. No Text to Speech

My one question to them (which I never got answered) is whether the $10
for *each* additional Navteq maps allows *both* voice directions and text
to speech.

Specifically, if I add a second Navteq map for $10, do I also get *both*
the "turn left in 100 feet" and the subsequent "turn left in 100 feet
onto main street" voices?