GPS for the Windows Mobile 5? 48
billapepper asks: "I recently purchased a Sprint PPC-6700 and was looking to add GPS navigation functionality, however there are quite a few to choose from. I've read about TomTom, Co-Pilot Live, and Garmin Que, but haven't been able to tell which one is worth the $200+ price tag. I was wondering what the Slashdot community felt was the best based on support, functionality, accuracy, map sizes, and ease of use. As a side note, I already purchased Microsoft Pocket Streets 2006 (which came with a GPS receiver), so the ideal option would be a way to hack Pocket Streets to add routing capabilities and, if possible, voice guidance."
Depends on where you use it... (Score:2, Informative)
That being said, I hate the database. I think TOMTOM is much more euro-centric that they would lead you to believe. The online traffic stuff (last time I checked) was England-only. I went on a trip up to northern Wisconsin in the U.S. and it lost track of the major roads about halfway up the state.
Major cities in US seem to be fine, however. Denver, LA, Minneapolis, all tested fine. However, it almost didn't even have Chand
Re:Depends on where you use it... (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:Depends on where you use it... (Score:1)
Re:Depends on where you use it... (Score:3, Informative)
My Mother was visiting me in England recently from Spain and bought herself a TomTom 700 while she was here and was planning to drive a car back. After I showed her how to program in a few routes and find Points Of Interest along the way, she was able to navigate from my front door in Manchester to her door on the Costa Blanca _and_ be taken to couple of hotels along the route to break up the jour
Re:Depends on where you use it... (Score:2)
I use the TomTom mobile version with my Nokia N70 on Symbian. I think it's called "Mobile 5" but that might be wrong. (Their naming is very confusing.) I should probably also point out I'm UK based -- I have the UK version + the European maps.
I actually use the GPS more for skiing - speed, trip, profile &c.. I'd recommend GPSXC [gpsxc.com] for this - it even comes with a fu
Re:Depends on where you use it... (Score:1)
I'm a taxi driver in denver. Their maps don't even show the colorado mills mall. Searching for addresses on streets that span though multiple zipcodes is like pulling teeth. Example:
14500 W Colfax (the colorado mills mall), comes up with the following choices of streets with which to search for 14500 and be denied due to its old database:
W. Colfax (Edgewater)
W. Colfax (Denver)
W. Colfax (Lakewood)
W. Colfax (Golden)
Also, the
iGuidance (Score:2)
iGuidance has been working great for me so far.
Tom Tom (Score:2)
TomTom (Score:3, Interesting)
I've noticed that it's not very helpful getting you to where you have to go unless you already know how to get there! We drove to Orlando, couldn't find the subdivision (existed for 5 years) because it wasn't on the map. On top of that, the only thing that almost none of the Disney hotels showed up on the map.
Avoid Tele-Atlas at all costs (Score:3, Informative)
Both of them have HORRIBLY inaccurate data. POIs will be often off by over a mile, and in some cases will not even be on the correct road. For example, TomTom thinks my local Pizza Hut is on an access road in the middle of a river. In one case I had TomTom route me one mile along a road and then make a U-turn, only to pass my initial starting point. (This road had no turn
Oops, forgot two things. (Score:2)
Recent Garmin street mapping products derive their data from Navtec also, I believe. I know MapSource MetroGuide 5 did, even its non-Navtec predecessor MetroGuide 4 was pretty accurate, although a bit out of date. Not sure about the products that come with their Que packages. Garmin's user interfaces and maps are very good though from past exper
IPAQ 6515 (Score:3, Interesting)
If you can, I'd suggest returning your current device and buying an Ipaq 6515. It has the GPS unit built right in - no attachments. It comes with TomTom and one free map of a city. You can purchase some of the other maps online. It has worked great for me for the east coast. A little flaky at times, but overall very reliable.
I'd add that the device is not perfect, but it does work exceptionally well. A WM5 version came out recently and while it has a little less memory, you can send it away for a memory upgrade. Cingular is packaging it's 6515 for only 500 with a 2 yr contract, but I believe their version is running WM2003.
Re:IPAQ 6515 (Score:2)
That's a bad idea. Why? Because your GPS receiver needs to see the sky. But - you need to see your PDAs screen. Often these two do not mix, for example in your car; you might want to have a GPS receiver horizontally on the dashboard, under the windshield, but the PDA in an upright position. A bluetooth GPS receiver offers more practical configurations to work with, to maximize GPS visibi
Re:IPAQ 6515 (Score:1, Flamebait)
The GPS receiver does not need the sky. It can sit inside my pocket. It can sit inside my car at whatever angle I want it to be at. It has no issues. I currently have it burried in from of the gear box in an area where I can see it well.
Re:IPAQ 6515 (Score:3, Informative)
GPS operates on microwave frequencies. Those signals are highly directional, you need a line of sight. In fact, if they were easily dispersed and bounced off of lots of things (the way AM bounces of the stratosphere itself for example) it would be pretty useless as a navigational tool. Now, I'm sure it operates in your pocket. Pockets don't insulate that well against microwave RF. So your receiver will still see the
Re:IPAQ 6515 (Score:2)
So for advice to ALL READERS of this site, the device works fine and others who have it will totally back me up on this:
http://mobilitytoday.com/f [mobilitytoday.com]
Accuracy (Score:4, Informative)
I have driven around the country (US) using a tablet PC and using a voice addin to Mappoint 2004. It is by a huge measure the most reliable navigation system that is commericially available.
Mappoint 2006 comes with built-in Voice-Prompted Driving Guidance -- but I have not tried it.
Just my 2 cents.
Re:Accuracy (Score:2)
Re:Accuracy (Score:2)
The flip side is that the phone had to be connected at the time, but with that caveat aside, it did a heck of a job.
Directions aside, we did some cool stuff with GeoFencing and other nifty GPS tricks that let employees have no idea the level of which their employers are tracking them. Scary, but cool stuff.
Re:Accuracy (Score:2)
the only disadvantage is the lack of a gyro and a speedometer impulse connector so the software cannot estimate the current position when the gps signal isn't available for some time.
Re:Accuracy (Score:2)
They certainly can. I've got TomTom on a Palm TX, and the accuracy of its instructions is limited only by GPS resolution and map accuracy, not 'limitations of a small device'. Plus, I can use a dash mount to position the screen in my field of view. Try that with a laptop and any vehicle that's not an HGV.
Pharos GPS (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Pharos GPS (Score:2)
Re:Pharos GPS (Score:2)
Sorry about the lack of paragraphs in that.
TomTom. (Score:2)
copilot ... (Score:2, Informative)
I bought copilot 5 - should have stuck to tomtom
Destinator (Score:2)
As to comments over getting PocketPC devices instead of WM5, from my experience, the portable devices are just as good. I have a bluetooth GPS on the dash, so I don't have to either leave a map unit in the car, or remember to bring it when I want - it's always on me as it's
navigon or tomtom i suppose. (Score:5, Informative)
they all have their pros and cons
tomtom is great and quite fast. a nice allrounder with a nice sdk
navigon is actually the best one, but a major memory and cpu hog with a REALLY expensive sdk
fleet navigator is buggy as hell and crash prone. the sdk is primitive. but there is a version of fleet navigator called truck navigator and it is the only pda navigation software (and maps) which is optimized for trucks
destinator is ok, but you can contact them about the sdk as much as you want, they never answer.
idrive navigator has the least features but the best sdk - you can build it completely and seamless in your application.
Re:navigon or tomtom i suppose. (Score:2)
CoPilot [alk.com] by ALK.
They also have non-truck navigation too.
I've used the desktop products, but not the PDA/SmartPhone ones.
Re:navigon or tomtom i suppose. (Score:2)
Specifically does the PocketPC version of CoPilot have an API?
The most useful I've found... (Score:2)
#2 Mapopolis [mapopolis.com]
Re:The most useful I've found... (Score:2)
Links & Slashgeo.org for GPS news and discussi (Score:3, Interesting)
"As a side note, I already purchased Microsoft Pocket Streets 2006"
Stories in other sections, such as web mapping, might also interest you since it includes stories such as Open Source Alternatives to Consumer Map Programs [slashgeo.org]. A part of the story: "Open source tends to be lacking in consumer map programs ala Microsoft Streets and Trips [microsoft.com] and Delorme's Street Atlas [delorme.com]. There are several efforts to repair that situation. GMap [sourceforge.net], Roadster [linuxadvocate.org], and RoadNav [sourceforge.net] are three examples. [...]"
Another option (Score:2)
I've used Street Atlas on the Siemens SX66 (WM 2003) and Qtek 9100 (WM5); it works well on both.
Laptops & Palms (Score:2)
For serious trips, I plug the laptop into our little AC inverter and use the full US Garmin MapPoint / NavPoint database. Without the laptop, I can drag my Garmin Legend around and leave it running so I still get to save my journey / hike track for later without worrying about running down the battery on my PDA. The database is great, my only serious gripe is that it doesn't seem to include subway stations
Mapopolis (Score:2, Interesting)
Mapopolis http://www.mapopolis.com/ [mapopolis.com] runs on Windows Mobile and Palm, and the updates to the actual software are free.
You get a year's worth of free updates to the maps, which are based on NAVTEQ maps (ie, Google Maps, etc).
While it's closed-source, they do have an open beta program they run which lets you try out the latest features and get suggestions put in. It's definitely more of a power-user's app, but with a free demo, yo
TomTom by far (Score:1)
PapaGo (Score:1)
I love the Garmin Que, but can't find Starbucks!!! (Score:2)
gpspassion (Score:2)
TomTom, GPS and WM5 (Score:2, Interesting)
Simple really (Score:1)