re: How in the world are Windows 8.1 smartphones so cheap?

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How do you propose you'll have GPS access in the car? Will you be switching SIM cards frequently? Hot spot?

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I will just download offline maps on to the phone for my state. It works without a SIM card. Also the Mix Radio app that comes with the Windows phone allows you to store offline music playlists. The same with the Podcast app. In fact I never plan to put a SIM card in the phone. I plan to use it as my media device in the car. If I pop in a 128 GB microSD card, I can bring all my other music along as well. It is a pretty compelling package for $54.

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I guess I just assumed he would want some sort of real-time location service and not just paper-replacement.

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You can search for destinations and places even without an internet connection with the when you download offline maps on the Windows phones. The GPS still works.

Here is some more info on the Nokia Offline Maps: LINK

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I wanted a plug-and-play navigation solution, and this was its first test. As it turns out, that 1.8GB of information includes more than just roadways. It also includes restaurants, town names, fuel stations and oodles of other points of interest. That means that even without a nearby signal, you'll be able to search for plenty of destinations. In my testing, Drive managed to find pretty much everything I searched for, save for one or two hotels that forced me to go back online in order to search the web.

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