Re: Can't use smartphone GPS in Australia
Have to correct you on this. It is illegal (at least in Victoria) to touch a smartphone in any way whilst in control of a car (i.e. being in the driver's seat, or having keys in the ignition). That applies even if it's in a proper holder. If it's not in a commercially-provided holder (i.e. not a home-made one) then you can't use it at all. I have had this confirmed by Vicroads. Only last week, there was a report in "The Age" of a Uber driver who was fined $400 because he pressed the "accept" button on the Uber app whilst in his car. (The newspaper was campaigning for a law change to allow Uber drivers to do this). If you've been touching your phone whilst driving and haven't been caught, then you're just lucky.
Regarding probationary drivers, anything that can connect to the mobile network is deemed to be a mobile phone. So your dedicated GPS unit would only be exempt if you could prove that it had no means of connecting to the mobile network (e.g. for updates etc). You'd probably need to take a high-powered lawyer and a technical expert into the courtroom with you to prove that. Good luck trying to explain that to the cop at a roadside stop.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
