http://www.theverge.com/2012/6/6/3068113/google-maps-offline...
And of course its a huge data consumer if its throwing map tiles at you constantly. Clearly local storage is so cheap and geo data changes so slowly that it seems ridiculous that the phone doesn't just keep a cache and save you the net charges but that doesn't seem to be in the plans.
EDIT: it is currently a "Labs" feature but it is being officially released soon along with the 3D mapping.
I would like to be using a web browser on a desktop, perform a search, get directions, and then choose to have the entire route's tiles sent to my phone. (Along with hotel, gas, emergency responder, restaurant place information.)
But mom? Yeah, she's not going to struggle with a Garmin or try to get the piece of shit in her car dash to work.
Thank you Google!
Motorcycle GPS? $700 please.
None of Garmin's standalone GPS products are remotely as capable as a free-on-contract Android smartphone, but they cost as much as an unsubsidized high-end handset. And you have to keep paying every year for updated maps.
It's currently $7.99, and I felt like it was worth every penny. That $8 gets you unlimited downloads of USGS map squares, which are saved for offline use. Although the support for GPX "routes" is a little lacking, the support for "waypoints" is fine. My use case was mostly putting all of the AT shelters in as waypoints so I could answer the question "Oh my god how much farther do I have to go today?" when I took breaks. But it works very well for actual navigation too.
Also, the developer responded within a few hours when I was having trouble downloading a particular map square. It turned out to have more to do with my crappy Edge connection at the time, but still, he was quick to help, always a plus.
The big drawback to not having a dedicated device is battery life. I had to ration out use of my phone pretty strictly at times. Going 4 or more days between chargings doesn't actually let you do very much with it. If you only care about day hikes and overnights, it's not such a big deal, just remember to turn it off when not in use!
They do include lifetime maps with many car models these days (look for LMT after the model number for lifetime maps and traffic).
For some reason Garmin do have a perverse business model for the handheld units. I think they are trying to do the whole razor (gps) and blades (maps) model, but instead consumers are routing around this by just not buying their products. What Garmin should be doing is encouraging their customers to be doing as much mapping as possible rather than pricing them out of it.
Just thought it was worth mentioning that. I love my T2i, but most of the time I leave it sidelined simply because it's such a PITA -- relative to a smartphone -- dealing with the photos.
It used to be a) DSLR for events + b) P&S for hiking/casual/video. But now the (b) slot is completely replaced by my iPhone. I haven't replaced the DSLR since 2004 (O.G. rebel + nifty fifty), but will probably replace that before I ever consider getting another P&S camera.
But another generation or two of displays and they'll no longer be an issue. I don't hold out much hope for the friendliness of Google's map display and instructions, but suspect most people won't care, and certainly won't care enough to fork our for a PND.
It is interesting to see how companies are responding. Garmin are now letting their devices cooperate with your phone with SmartLink: http://gpstracklog.com/2012/06/garmin-smartphone-link-review...
Also interesting is the Parrot Asteroid. The concept is great - a head unit running Android - but the implementation is truly awful. http://www.parrot.com/usa/products/bluetooth-hands-free-car-...
"Just killed" is a bit extreme. How about "have been killing for the past three years and are continuing to kill now"? But, yes, the standard GPS is going the way of the standard PnS camera.