Related
http://code.google.com/android/
incase anyones not familiar with android, check that site out.
im not sure why there isnt more development or developers that are going after this in terms of getting it working on all devices? im currently using it on my vogue and its amazing. definately better UI in terms of EVERYTHING. its open source, so i think developers should be all over this! has so much potential its kind of ridiculous
vogue thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=382265
its working about 80% now thanks to amazing developer martin.
the browser and everything (overall UI) are so much better and smoother than windows mobile! and being that its open source with google ENCOURAGING development of apps and themes and skins and whatnot, i think this is the next best thing to happen to ppc's.
THIS is the actual iphone killer.
just some samples
on a vogue (very smooth)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0z9bWiAT44
just a demo of the browser (mine is actually a little smoother than this)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2FpDDEVWtk
the reason im posting this here is because i was the first one to post in this section with manilla2d (when udk first released it), asking whether we can get this on other devices, and look what happened with that. if we can get the amazing developers from here to work on this like they worked on m2d, then wow this will be amazing!
Yeah, even I'm suprised at the low level of excitement of porting this to all devices. Hoping for some real development . Btw, those videos are pretty impressive.
Akshay
Yeah... I'm a little surprised too.
I have a Vogue now, so I'm OK, but I'd love to see somebody pick this project up for the Touch Pro. It seems to be very similar to the G1, so the porting would be a lot more complete than the porting to the Vogue.
Hopefully somebody with the skills (read: not me) will undertake this.
it'll pick up. i say in 6 months to a year people will snap out of the apple app dev craze. but from a dev point of view, apple is where its at right now. the amount of money you could make is a driver by all means.
htc will also be a key part in this. when they start to release better looking hardware, perhaps something on par with the diamond....you'll see a user increase. and user increase translate into dev interest. so just hang in there....i think you'll get what you want soon.
A ppc that works only on 80 Percent ? And no additional Software, no outlook syncronisation? Thats at the moment somthing for freaks or people with a second device
If there would be a 100 Percent Android i would install it, believe me, because i´m not very happy with windows anymore.
So i think we must wait and hope.
My next Device in half a year will be hopefully the Touch HD with Android rolleyes
because it makes no sense to port androud to a phone that is not 3G with GPS.
the only advantage of the g phone that I saw was the service. 3G and free GPS! i'm like, how much for the puppy in the window?
I honestly think that porting it to my wizard would be senseless.
without the service the gphone is just a phone wothout service.
S.V.I said:
because it makes no sense to port androud to a phone that is not 3G with GPS.
the only advantage of the g phone that I saw was the service. 3G and free GPS! i'm like, how much for the puppy in the window?
I honestly think that porting it to my wizard would be senseless.
without the service the gphone is just a phone wothout service.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course it is always pointless. We do it because we can (and because we don't want to do anything while at work)
(and much like bluemetal, we are all tired of the same old look and functionality in our WM devices). Then again, it can always be worse....
we could all have iphones
Anyways, I am looking forward to someone porting this to the Blue Angel.
The bigest stumbling block for me is lack of Exchange support. GPS isn't really necessary with the cell tower triangulation available. The accuracy is getting better. It will never be as tight as GPS but close is good enough for me. I can do with out 3G (I wish I had it) I don't enjoy the experience with the little screen. It's like looking at the ocean through a porthole. A 5 inch screen with much better resolution would be great. I use it for quick info but surfing is not fun.
I do like the idea of going linux on the phone. It would be that much closer to having a truely mobile desktop. We wouldn't have to install resource hogging shells that ride on top of an already bloated today screen to get better customization.
I think the biggest problem overall though is the hardware needed will put a lot of older equipment like my little wizard out to pasture. I don't have the funds to rush out an purchase a new phone. And yes I think all the bugs will need to be shaken out for a while before I take the plunge. Maybe by the 2nd or third generation of Android things will be a little less "bleeding edge". It all looks great now but I rely on my phone too much to gamble on an untried system.
To be completely honest, I too am suprised by the lack of progress.
This is a complete replacement for Windows Mobile: something we've all only dreamed about up until now. It will have a wicked Dev community around it soon enough.
There were a hell of a lot of efforts to get the Beta running. But now... nothing?
*so confused
The worst part is, it'd be gorgeous on my LG KS20, but I doubt we'll see it anytime soon: no one loves us KS20 owners. Guess you were all just jealous of our drivers.
bluemetalaxe said:
A ppc that works only on 80 Percent ? And no additional Software, no outlook syncronisation? Thats at the moment somthing for freaks or people with a second device
If there would be a 100 Percent Android i would install it, believe me, because i´m not very happy with windows anymore.
So i think we must wait and hope.
My next Device in half a year will be hopefully the Touch HD with Android rolleyes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i don't know if you read my whole post, but i never said "hey everyone lets run something 80% finished on our ppcs."
waiting and hoping isnt going to do anything, thats why i started this thread. to get more attention instead of sitting and waiting for something we arent sure is going to ever happen.
im glad a lot of other people are on the same page as me, wondering why there is barely any development for this. thanks for the support guys
lets get some devs in here to weigh in on this!
Well, there's a number of quite simple reasons...
- Porting Android to another device isn't as simple as "Hey, it's Open Source, you just have to compile and install". First of all, you'd need to find a working cross compiler for ARM in the first place (one using Windows' API, like those used for PPC apps isn't much help). Then you'd need to write drivers for usually undocumented hardware with this cross compiler or in ARM assembler (reusing existing WM drivers, like in cooked ROMs, wouldn't work in Linux). Finally, you need to find a way to flash that system to your PPC (that's a bit more work than a patched/cooked variation of an already existing WM ROM), and so on. That's work for the kind of freaks who would do their taxes binary in mind...
- Writing apps for a system almost nobody own so far isn't that attractive. It's even less attractive if the potential developer doesn't own one - the real experience is always a bit different to an emulator, and usually would like some use for himself, too (what good is an mobile app for you if you'd need a laptop with emulator to use it? ). So far, there's only one official Android device out there, and aside from the fact it's still a bit "first try, for developers only" (no Outlook sync, ugly design, ...), you only get it in very few parts of the world or in overpriced eBay auctions. Inofficial ports with reduced functionality and maybe buggy or slow "beta" drivers aren't that great, too...
- While the Android API is quite close to common Java style, it's still something completely new, which requires some time to get into the framework's basic style, the available functions, the loopholes and small tricks, etc. With WM, the gap to common Windows (desktop) programming is way smaller, and I guess it's similar with the iPhone and Mac programming.
Or, in other words: Give Andoid some time to grow up. IMHO, G1 and the few existing ports are a playground for hackers and early adopters, so they can get startet with fixing (security holes, missing functionality, ...). Then, in some months, more devices with a "hacker improved" Android will be published, and when developers buy those, they also will start writing apps if they are missing something.
you'd think more people would be starting to port.. because god is that g1 terrible, you have to have sharpened pencils for fingers to type on that flush keyboard)
Mort said:
Well, there's a number of quite simple reasons...
- Porting Android to another device isn't as simple as "Hey, it's Open Source, you just have to compile and install". First of all, you'd need to find a working cross compiler for ARM in the first place (one using Windows' API, like those used for PPC apps isn't much help). Then you'd need to write drivers for usually undocumented hardware with this cross compiler or in ARM assembler (reusing existing WM drivers, like in cooked ROMs, wouldn't work in Linux). Finally, you need to find a way to flash that system to your PPC (that's a bit more work than a patched/cooked variation of an already existing WM ROM), and so on. That's work for the kind of freaks who would do their taxes binary in mind...
- Writing apps for a system almost nobody own so far isn't that attractive. It's even less attractive if the potential developer doesn't own one - the real experience is always a bit different to an emulator, and usually would like some use for himself, too (what good is an mobile app for you if you'd need a laptop with emulator to use it? ). So far, there's only one official Android device out there, and aside from the fact it's still a bit "first try, for developers only" (no Outlook sync, ugly design, ...), you only get it in very few parts of the world or in overpriced eBay auctions. Inofficial ports with reduced functionality and maybe buggy or slow "beta" drivers aren't that great, too...
- While the Android API is quite close to common Java style, it's still something completely new, which requires some time to get into the framework's basic style, the available functions, the loopholes and small tricks, etc. With WM, the gap to common Windows (desktop) programming is way smaller, and I guess it's similar with the iPhone and Mac programming.
Or, in other words: Give Andoid some time to grow up. IMHO, G1 and the few existing ports are a playground for hackers and early adopters, so they can get startet with fixing (security holes, missing functionality, ...). Then, in some months, more devices with a "hacker improved" Android will be published, and when developers buy those, they also will start writing apps if they are missing something.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok now these reasons make a lot of sense. im just surprised that not as many people are trying to get it started so they can get started on fixing, like you said. but ok, all of your other reasons make complete sense. im sure the future releases of android will only get better.
android just seems like exactly what many of us have been looking for in wm devices, basically, a complete UI replacement endorsed/created by a large company (other than microsoft lol).
jakub_w said:
im just surprised that not as many people are trying to get it started so they can get started on fixing, like you said.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Who knows? AFAIK, the order numbers aren't that bad, and all those reviewers give some feedback, too. I mean, it's only a week since the G1 is available at all, and, as said, it's not very attractive so far. Not everybody wants to spend hundreds of dollars just to provide Google with requests and code changes and T-Mobile and HTC with money...
android just seems like exactly what many of us have been looking for in wm devices, basically, a complete UI replacement endorsed/created by a large company (other than microsoft lol).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think the UI is the really big thing about Android. You can even replace it completely, and I don't know (yet) where the limits / design guides are for applications. I just hope it doesn't get as confusing as Linux on the desktop, where even a Gnome or KDE desktop can be modified so far that it's almost as hard to switch distros as switching from Windows to MacOS...
The important things about Android are more in the basic technology, imho, like
- A stable, timeless system core (*nix is older than me, so "modern" is not quite correct - that goes for MacOS X, too, btw...)
- Seamless integration of connection management and phone functions (opposed to WM, where it still acts like a makeshift patchwork, and with every update less APIs are working...)
- Portable application framework (Java, lots of system APIs)
- Simple application installation (no "is this EXE a PC setup or the PPC executable?", "How the hell do I install a CAB file?", ...)
However, I still wonder how/if Andoid will support direct PC synchronization (for shared files, contacts, appointments, music, ...) and how fast and memory consumptive the required Java VM is... (Well, at least none of the G1 reviews I read complained about that, so it seems to be faster than .NET on WM...)
i was just playing around with android and in the dev tools or api demos theres a section called opengl es. i have a vogue and i tried these, they ran extremely smoothly. isnt this something that everyone has been saying is impossible? (specifically for getting tf3d to run on the vogue) i think this proves that software driven 3d is more than capable of handling tf3d. just a thought.
jakub_w said:
i was just playing around with android and in the dev tools or api demos theres a section called opengl es. i have a vogue and i tried these, they ran extremely smoothly. isnt this something that everyone has been saying is impossible? (specifically for getting tf3d to run on the vogue) i think this proves that software driven 3d is more than capable of handling tf3d. just a thought.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I definitely agree with you on that. Thing is though is that this is a completely different environment with a different set of drivers (and rules) which makes (for example) modifying their parameters to allow for keys normally used for certain functions in WM to be used for something completely different. Also OpenGL (ES) is all that is used on *nix OSes whether or not they run on full or embedded hardware. All that's needed is the driver for the graphics chip. Microsoft wants you to use their proprietary D3D not OpenGL (ES) hence why it was impossible to have OpenGL (ES) before. Also TF3D uses DirectX and not OpenGL ES AFAIK.
Android is great. Only thing I need is a way to get the SDcard image working and a HTC Touch Pro to port Android, Angstrom and/or OpenMoko to, I'd be set.
why would you develop software for an operating system that isn't even fully ported yet?
joel2009 said:
why would you develop software for an operating system that isn't even fully ported yet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Weeell....
- It's Linux and Open Source (some people wouldn't touch a closed system with a stick...)
- It's nice to be prepared when you get the running system
- There is a device with that OS
- The documentation is way better than Microsoft's
- There's a good chance the API will remain compatible, so it doesn't hurt to start early (opposed to WM, where some basic features can/could only be done with device dependant or inofficial APIs, which were dropped in newer updates...)
Get applications like you can get for the iPhone?
I have just had a 'demo' of a load of free apps for the Iphone on a colleagues Iphone and I must admit I was impressed and very surprised, I had always discounted the Iphone as an option for me due to the many (well documented) short commings for power users. However after seeing such applications as the Tioti TV+ which is so quick and smooth and lets you send remote record requests to a Sky+ box - somehting I have been desperate for. Along with great film and cinema applications and many other very neat applications which aren't available on Windows Mobile, I am begining to wonder if I made the wrong decision in purchassing my touch HD??!
Just thought I would share my thoughts with you all....I am sure I will get a barrage of abuse for this post, but would love to know if we think the future of windows mobile may include some more intuitive and consistently looking applications.
P.S. If anyone knows of a SKY+ remote record app which is designed for Windows Mobile I would love to know!
A related question from a relative novice when it comes to downloading and installing apps... is there anything like the iPhone appstore for Windows mobile apps - where applications are listed with screenshots, descriptions, what phones/resolution they work on, etc? I've seen lots of great home-grown apps, and lots of vendor websites that seem to be pedalling a specific product, but haven't seen anything that attempts to bring it all together?
Thanks,
Dave
davehodgkinson said:
A related question from a relative novice when it comes to downloading and installing apps... is there anything like the iPhone appstore for Windows mobile apps - where applications are listed with screenshots, descriptions, what phones/resolution they work on, etc? I've seen lots of great home-grown apps, and lots of vendor websites that seem to be pedalling a specific product, but haven't seen anything that attempts to bring it all together?
Thanks,
Dave
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
www.handango.com for example....
jrshodges said:
Get applications like you can get for the iPhone?
I have just had a 'demo' of a load of free apps for the Iphone on a colleagues Iphone and I must admit I was impressed and very surprised, I had always discounted the Iphone as an option for me due to the many (well documented) short commings for power users. However after seeing such applications as the Tioti TV+ which is so quick and smooth and lets you send remote record requests to a Sky+ box - somehting I have been desperate for. Along with great film and cinema applications and many other very neat applications which aren't available on Windows Mobile, I am begining to wonder if I made the wrong decision in purchassing my touch HD??!
Just thought I would share my thoughts with you all....I am sure I will get a barrage of abuse for this post, but would love to know if we think the future of windows mobile may include some more intuitive and consistently looking applications.
P.S. If anyone knows of a SKY+ remote record app which is designed for Windows Mobile I would love to know!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't use Sky+ and have no idea on apps for this - but, I understood it is possible to control the Sky+ box remotely just via an SMS ?
Another possible option is a Slingbox ?
Try also pocketgear.com for applications: http://www.pocketgear.com/en_US/html/index.jsp
and, Softpedia: http://handheld.softpedia.com/#categories-soft
A five second search on google / sky produced this:
http://anytime.sky.com/mobile.aspx
And clicking through to the supported handsets only lists a few manufacturers and I don't think there are any WM devices.
I think it's a Java app? It might work (I don't have Sky, so can't test!).
Cheesy Dave said:
A five second search on google / sky produced this:
http://anytime.sky.com/mobile.aspx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Perhaps you should read on as there is no compatible version for Windows Mobile 6.1 (HTC Touch HD)!
Hawk
You need to analyse your own requirements before deciding if iphone or HD is right for you.
For me, the lack of GPS software (google map doesnt qualify), office applications, user swappable spare battery, inability to support stylus, and lack of choices in software keyboard in iphone make it an unacceptable choice.
Another person's need might be different.
jrshodges said:
Get applications like you can get for the iPhone?
I have just had a 'demo' of a load of free apps for the Iphone on a colleagues Iphone and I must admit I was impressed and very surprised, I had always discounted the Iphone as an option for me due to the many (well documented) short commings for power users. However after seeing such applications as the Tioti TV+ which is so quick and smooth and lets you send remote record requests to a Sky+ box - somehting I have been desperate for. Along with great film and cinema applications and many other very neat applications which aren't available on Windows Mobile, I am begining to wonder if I made the wrong decision in purchassing my touch HD??!
Just thought I would share my thoughts with you all....I am sure I will get a barrage of abuse for this post, but would love to know if we think the future of windows mobile may include some more intuitive and consistently looking applications.
P.S. If anyone knows of a SKY+ remote record app which is designed for Windows Mobile I would love to know!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nighthawk2050 said:
Perhaps you should read on as there is no compatible version for Windows Mobile 6.1 (HTC Touch HD)!
Hawk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've installed the JAVA components and they work on Windows Mobile 6.1 - the issue is that the software expects you to have a keyboard (or a keypad) attached to input various details .... so you can't use it on a Touch HD !
Thank you for all your comments and suggestions, however I don't beleive sites like handandgo etc are anything like the Iphone Appstore, the apps cost a lot more and you have no idea of compatability. I don't beleive you can easily browse for apps on your handset, like you can with for example the Iphone.
I am not saying I think the Iphone is the best choice of phone, but they certainly got somehting right with the app store and wondered if Microsoft will listen up and provide developers an easy route to dev similar apps for windows mobile?!
I Have tried all the Java Sky remote apps before and as you have spotted they do not work with a touch screen device if it doesn't have hardware buttons too. Also even if it did work it is not very user freindly - I was using this as a example of a really usefull app, which I am amazed has not been built for Windows Mobile touch devices too....it just seems weird why there are so many great little apps for the Iphone, which are so easy to download and browse though, yet it has only been about a relatively short time in comparison with Windows Mobile....I find this most annoying!
Anyway, thanks again for your input
jrshodges said:
Thank you for all your comments and suggestions, however I don't beleive sites like handandgo etc are anything like the Iphone Appstore, the apps cost a lot more and you have no idea of compatability. I don't beleive you can easily browse for apps on your handset, like you can with for example the Iphone.
I am not saying I think the Iphone is the best choice of phone, but they certainly got somehting right with the app store and wondered if Microsoft will listen up and provide developers an easy route to dev similar apps for windows mobile?!
I Have tried all the Java Sky remote apps before and as you have spotted they do not work with a touch screen device if it doesn't have hardware buttons too. Also even if it did work it is not very user freindly - I was using this as a example of a really usefull app, which I am amazed has not been built for Windows Mobile touch devices too....it just seems weird why there are so many great little apps for the Iphone, which are so easy to download and browse though, yet it has only been about a relatively short time in comparison with Windows Mobile....I find this most annoying!
Anyway, thanks again for your input
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're welcome and good luck with your choice - still an Iphone ?
Yes, the apps in WM are expensive and there is no simple app store. Rumours are around that MS will fix this.
Having said that, the app developers for WM are doing some great work. I have loads of apps on my HD (see other forum posts I've made recently).
I would like a TV guide app that brings in channels from across Europe. That is, one that would allow me to select my favorite channels.
Sorry the Sky+ thing did not work, as I said, I don't have any experience with this. I'm surprised the keyboard SIP did not work when using the java app.
michi123 said:
www.handango.com for example....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you - will take a look around that and the others suggested by people. I suspect my response will be similar to jrshodges - not overly clear on compatibility and quite expensive. But I won't be pessimistic...
Thanks again.
Dave
Cheesy Dave said:
You're welcome and good luck with your choice - still an Iphone ?
Yes, the apps in WM are expensive and there is no simple app store. Rumours are around that MS will fix this.
Having said that, the app developers for WM are doing some great work. I have loads of apps on my HD (see other forum posts I've made recently).
I would like a TV guide app that brings in channels from across Europe. That is, one that would allow me to select my favorite channels.
Sorry the Sky+ thing did not work, as I said, I don't have any experience with this. I'm surprised the keyboard SIP did not work when using the java app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cheers Dave, no - not an Iphone...yet...I am happy to persevere with my WinMo device for the forseeable as I do belive I would miss, like others Sat Nav (which by the way I use TomTom and it looks and works great) ease of Exchange sync etc etc.
I just wanted to rant for a bit about the lack of decent and easily accesable apps for WinMo....in the hopes someone would point me in the direction of a lovely MS App Store (wishful thinking!). I hope you are right and wee do see something from MS soon, although I guess they will wait and in include it in Windows Mobile 6.5 or 7 - although by the sounds of it that won't be anytime soon :-(
And if anyone does ever find a decent TV guide and Sky + App then please remember this thread and post it for us!
Its also worth mentioning that although there are a lot of iPhone apps, and yes they are cheap, most are useless eye candy that have about 2 minutes worth of value in them.
Check out my list of apps here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=3116988#post3116988
Also, of course, the wiki page:
http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=HTC_Software
I don't know much about the Apple apps. But, I can say that some of these WM apps are really serious work and clearly have had lots of effort and thought applied to them.
My latest addition is Pocket Stars - a bit of astronomy fun for me, but a serious app for enthusiasts.
The iphone is for simple folk. The app store is for simple folk. IE it works.
WM is bit more complicated but gives those of you willing to use it a lot more freedom.
I do wish there were more apps and games for the HD.
I have both the Iphone and HD at home (well the Mrs has the iphone) once jailbroken the iphone is truly amazing and I almost wish i had one instead, but them my mrs reminds me why i dont have one, I would get board in no time. I played with hers (iphone that is) for a couple of days over the xmas break then went back to playing around on my HD.
Its still early days for the HD and remember the IPHONE has been around for quite some time now.
Give it a little time and the HD will be up there with the iphone, you already starting to see some really nice app/games coming out.
My only other wish would be some way to get multi-touch to work on HD as it makes games very playable on iphone.
The problem with Microsoft trying to replicate the iPhone App Store is that Apple have 2 different handsets to maintain, which are practically identical except for the GPS/3G.
There are many different versions of WM in use, with many software customisations by handset manufacturers and operators and varying hardware abilities.
I'm not sure how it would be possible to test the full range of devices that a particular application may work with. On top of that, people may or may not have updated the firmware for their device, which can break (or fix) applications.
I'd love to see it, but it's certainly more difficult supporting hundreds of different handsets customised by many operators rather than 1 and a bit
I saw on here that someone is working very hard to make a form of "app store" that will work on phones (credit to them for the effort) its called Gecko...i found the link on the forum. Give it time, I think it will come...
I recently shelved my old and trusty Kaiser and have to say, even tough I was very sceptical about switching I am very please to own the best phone I've ever had!!
However, one thing that is stopping me from putting the Kaiser totally away is the lack of a Turn By Turn satnav program such as tomtom, igo, garmin etc.
Andnav1 and andnav2 are the likely options, but unfortunately andnav1 doesn't fit becuase of the maps issue and it looks like andnav2 is a long way off.
Does anyone know any similar satnav programs that are available for the G1?
Thanks for any help in advance!!!
(oh yes, I have searched the obvious terms but nothing useful came up)
I am in exactly the same situation too!
my g1 comes tomorrow... and bye to kaiser with tomtom - waaahh!
wow
monthly paying model - hell no.
I just don't think Brits would buy into that - (big guess) think that Brits like to own the thing- regardless of size of one off payment!
cheers for info!
wow
monthly paying model - hell no.
I just don't think Brits would buy into that - (big guess) think that Brits like to own the thing- regardless of size of one off payment!
cheers for info!
little_rock said:
wow
monthly paying model - hell no.
I just don't think Brits would buy into that - (big guess) think that Brits like to own the thing- regardless of size of one off payment!
cheers for info!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a fee for the traffic on TomTom. Telenav has traffic updates as well. So it's really a decent alternative in my opinion. But I do perfer TomTom over Telenav anyday.
sure, for thre traffic, i grok the purpose of a sub based model - but not for a non traffic system!
And agree - damned tomtom - once you have used it - everything else seems sh!te
Well one solution you could do which I did until my Kaiser broke is use the Kaiser just as a PDA. I turned off the phone feature in comms and just used it as a PDA when needed. When I went on trips that I needed GPS I just used my Kaiser with Garmin. It did the trick, plus I was able to keep the Kaiser in a car mount while keeping my G1 free to use. Just a thought.
I love it! that wsy I don't have to say gbye to my trusty kaiser... *sniff*
cheers for statign "The Elusive Obvious" as Moshe Feldenkrais said...
I used TeleNav and it's slow and not very accurate (may be related to G1's GPS). My problem is that I don't need traffic updates, POI or any other crap. I just want turn-by-turn directions from point A to point B with real time rerouting. I am OK with storing all of the maps on my SD (hell, my tomtom has 1GB card and does it perfectly, I think I can allocate 1GB for that), I would actually prefer all maps on SD so I don't have to rely on data connection.
Come on now, I can get TomTom One for about $100 new. It will include device itself, car mount, car charger, SD with maps, data cable and, I think, home charger. I already have 5 out 6 (device, cables, mount) so what's stopping them from coming out with a software like that? I would gladly pay $50 for it up front.
Just my 2 cents. I'm sure it was discussed somewhere before but I just need to take out my frustration.
Thank you all for reading
I'm with you on this.. in fact, brand wise, I reckon biz partnering google would be a damn smart move by tom tom... in my map of the world, they kinda fit nicely
I just personally loathe TeleAtlas (Google's map provider). 50% of the time, it has me driving alllllll over to get to the wrong address.
we're screwed then!
Possibly not screwed
The stand-alone TomTom units run on a modified Linux kernel i believe, therefore it shouldn't be too difficult to port to Android.
However if you look at it from TomTom's perspective why would any business invest development time and resources to develope a product for a very new platform that currently only runs on a single device available from one provider. Not exactly good business sense in my opinion.
yeah, that's true too - tho i think longer term, such a relationship would be beneficial! hey ho...
Wow lot of repsonses. Didn;t know the telnav and being a Brit, there is no way in hell I'm paying monthly for it. I'd prefer to pay $100 just for the software and own - I can see why you'd pay for traffic but it doesn't bother me enough to pay for it - I'll just deviate from the congested roads and tomtom would suggest a new route in real time.
I am lugging around my old kaiser at the moment because google maps with directions just doesn't cut it escpecially at 70mph when you can't afford to try squinting at the maps to figure out where the exit is.
Bringing my kaiser defeats the whole point - the G1 has good gps and cell triangulation (it actually finds a fix quicker than my kaiser) so why can;t someone just bring out a ported version of tomtom? I also don't want to have a stand alone unit for the same reasons, not to mention security.
phatphat said:
why can;t someone just bring out a ported version of tomtom?
It would have to be TomTom themselves for it to be legal i think and as I said I unfortunately can't see that happening anytime soon
However there is an open source offshoot - http://www.opentom.org/Main_Page
This potentially could be worked into something usable on Android.
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dude I agree - am doing same with kaiser myself - couldn't agree more with what you've said here...
Bah!
Cmon guys pull your corporate fingers outta ya rect0ids
telnav only works for tmob users as of now, they claim they will release a single version later for other users. i pay for telnav on att but have to use lesser programs till they get it open.
Hope I won't be threadcrapping by throwing in my 2 cents.
Long time Windows Mobile user who just today was told by a G1 user that she HATES her phone. She saw my Touch Cruise and said she'd LOVE to trade. Not knowing much about the G1, I've been doing my research and overall it looks like a solid phone.
The few things I'm concerned about...
1) As mentioned here, the lack of "turn-by turn direction" software. I've used iGuidance for YEARS on my Windows Mobile phones. It's the best I've found and I've used it in Washington (State), Oregon, Nevada, Illinois... it works GREAT! But I would hate to trade my Touch Cruise and have to go without or pay a monthly fee.
2) A2DP - I dont' use it all the time, but I like it for in my car.
Any additional info is appreciated!
I can't answer so much for the navigation... but I use the A2DP on 1.5 for music with my headphone and it works pretty well, even the buttons on the side of the headphones work properly too.
Ok, folks. Having read through this thread (clicky) and others, having learned about the variety of GPS solutions for navigation, I'm still trying to decide on which one is the right for me.
I've been using TomTom since my HX4700 days, migrated to TomTom on my Kaiser and now have been using it on my HD2 with with the 9192_V_Black_noBT cab which works great. The reason I'm asking the question and posting the poll here is that now TomTom has decided to abandon the WM platform, I'm seeking a solution that I can rely on going forward. It's been great, but it's time to move on.
Google maps is NOT an option because I travel in areas where data (and even cell signals in general) are unreliable due to topography. Whatever I choose must be a standalone product that uses the internal GPS hardware, though I completely understand that enhanced features like traffic and weather are data-dependent. The system will be used primarily in the Continental US. No plans to travel overseas, but I can't rule it out, either.
So I'm curious to know what you guys have decided on over time, and why.
If you vote(d) for TomTom, please indicate what your plans are for the future as the company has abandoned the WM platform and the probability of new features and continued usability on our devices becomes less likely due to the unavailability of 3rd party CABs for the system.
Looking forward to seeing your votes and reading your feedback.
I'm currently using Waze. It's free and it works. I'm sure some of the paid programs are better, but if you are looking for a free solution, check out Waze.
BillTheCat said:
The reason I'm asking the question and posting the poll here is that now TomTom has decided to abandon the WM platform, I'm seeking a solution that I can rely on going forward.
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Tomtom is abandoning the WM platform for one good reason - the WM platform itself is being abandoned. So your question doesn't make much sense as we can't talk about durability anyway. So for now continue using the Tomtom you're using now on your HD2. Then, as your next phone most likely won't be a WM6.5 phone anymore, you'll have to make that decision at that point for the new platform you'll choose anyway.
Who said Tomtom have abandoned Windows Mobile?
I Googled it but the only thing I managed to find was another xda thread where someone said : "TOMTOM has officially abandoned the US market for TOMTOM Navigator 7 and above, "Due to difficulties with US Cell Service providers""...
kilrah said:
Tomtom is abandoning the WM platform for one good reason - the WM platform itself is being abandoned.
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First I'm hearing about this. Links and references please? In the meantime, one other way to look at it is to pick a solution from the above based on what other OS platforms they support.
I haven't heard any confirmation of WM being abandoned, but it makes perfect sense, the platform is dying. Developers don't want to develop for a platform which, come the end of the year, will no longer be put on any devices. There is no decent centralised source of apps (marketplace hasn't changed what it offers in the 5 months I've had a HD2) which causes developers concern about who will ever find their app to buy in the first place. Add that to the growing number of consumers ditching WM for iOS4, Android 2.2 and yes eventually WMP7, and you've got yourself a corpse of an operating system on your hands. Now tell me why would you spend time and money developing software for an OS whose market share is dramatically shrinking and in no way guarantees you profit return?
laserviking said:
I haven't heard any confirmation of WM being abandoned, but it makes perfect sense, the platform is dying.
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I've been hearing this sort of 'rumor' about this platform since the days when it was called Windows CE while other OS's and platforms like EPOC for Psion others have fallen by the wayside. Yet here we are, almost two decades later, and there are ample apps on other sites than the Marketplace. So I'll ask everyone to please confine the discussion to the question asked, assume that Windows Mobile will still be around, and respond accordingly not on what might be, but what is for right now.
What are you using the GPS for? cant help you with street navigation but for hiking or 4wding i use Oziexplorer, I too once had a HX4700 for a few years and have been using Oziexplorer. You have to get your own maps and its not a street navigation type software. There are programs available to "rip" google maps and convert to maps usable by Ozi which works great!
BillTheCat rocks, lol!
BillTheCat said:
Ok, folks. Having read through this thread (clicky) and others, having learned about the variety of GPS solutions for navigation, I'm still trying to decide on which one is the right for me.
I've been using TomTom since my HX4700 days, migrated to TomTom on my Kaiser and now have been using it on my HD2 with with the 9192_V_Black_noBT cab which works great. The reason I'm asking the question and posting the poll here is that now TomTom has decided to abandon the WM platform, I'm seeking a solution that I can rely on going forward. It's been great, but it's time to move on.
Google maps is NOT an option because I travel in areas where data (and even cell signals in general) are unreliable due to topography. Whatever I choose must be a standalone product that uses the internal GPS hardware, though I completely understand that enhanced features like traffic and weather are data-dependent. The system will be used primarily in the Continental US. No plans to travel overseas, but I can't rule it out, either.
So I'm curious to know what you guys have decided on over time, and why.
If you vote(d) for TomTom, please indicate what your plans are for the future as the company has abandoned the WM platform and the probability of new features and continued usability on our devices becomes less likely due to the unavailability of 3rd party CABs for the system.
Looking forward to seeing your votes and reading your feedback.
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You do know that the Bing mobile app does have free turn by turn navigation with voice prompts, right?
richo, given the programs in the poll, it's for mobile navigation.
dipalonv, per my original post, it needs to be a standalone solution.
BillTheCat said:
richo, given the programs in the poll, it's for mobile navigation.
dipalonv, per my original post, it needs to be a standalone solution.
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My bad! You may want to look into CoPilot Live 8. I believe it's only $29.99 so not too bad price wise.
BillTheCat said:
I've been hearing this sort of 'rumor' about this platform since the days when it was called Windows CE while other OS's and platforms like EPOC for Psion others have fallen by the wayside. Yet here we are, almost two decades later, and there are ample apps on other sites than the Marketplace. So I'll ask everyone to please confine the discussion to the question asked, assume that Windows Mobile will still be around, and respond accordingly not on what might be, but what is for right now.
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Haven't you followed the WP7 discussions a couple of months ago?
Windows phone 7 series that is due to be out at the end of the year has been announced by Microsoft as being based on a new concept, that makes all existing WM applications incompatible, unlike with all the previous WM revisions you mention where applications were reuseable. So, everything will have to be reprogrammed for the new platform. So not only will you have to wait for it to be out to buy a compatible program, but also no provider of navigation software has so far announced they would make something for it AFAIK. So for that kind of software just like all others, there will most likely be no offering until the platform proves to be profitable and developers have the time to reprogram everything for the new it, just like iPhone users had to wait for more than 2 years before a standalone GPS solution was available.
WM6.5 will be kept in parallel, "for low-end devices". As you have an HD2, I doubt you'll go for a "low-end device" in the future. And developers are abandoning it simply because it won't be the little remaining WM6.5 bit that will earn them money, it's the new WP7S where "all the hype" is. It's the incompatibility that will bury WM6.5, developers won't lose their time writing a second separate app for the old WM6.5.
Sooo... don't count on long-term useability. What you get today will only last you until you change phone, unless you stick to the "lower-end" future phones to stay on WM6.5.
I've just come back from a road trip in the States, i drove 2500 miles, using Co Pilot Live 8, and it worked a treat, no problems at all, and for the price it's a good deal
Hi, tried to use Copilot, paid the license
results: hd2 jammed,sd card (32gb) unreadable, lost of photos and videos, softs no more working, and of course copilot. Each start of the prog brings new damages.
see no one having that....
don't find a solution outside of replacing with my original sd card
greetings
croquemor
kilrah said:
Haven't you followed the WP7 discussions a couple of months ago?
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No, I haven't followed that. Can we all please focus on the question that was asked instead of going off on tangents?
I wonder if anyone can share their experience of using SGS2 as satnav with any of third-party software, which does not depends on mobile connection.
I've used it as a SatNav with Sygic and Navigon. Both works extremely well for me including fast lock time and also fast rerouting when I use other route instead.
So far, I say it is better than TomTom on the iPhone I use to have though it tends to use a little bit more battery than iPhone. With a charger, it will still drain the battery but at a very slow pace.
For the next few days CoPilot live new version is half price via the Android market .
http://blog.copilotlive.com/uk/2011/06/28/from-a-to-better-introducing-copilot-live-premium/
jje
Thanks a lot for the responses. Copilot offer looks interesting.
Is it ok to use a satnav app and listen to some music on teh phone simultaneously? What about answering calls while driving? Does it interrupt navigation?
Lets face it folks, android will never be up to the par of iphone until we get tomtom app. It really is that simple. TomTom is so much better than anything else available at the minute.
You can also use TeleNav for free on the SGS2 by following the instructions in this thread. It functions without cell towers which makes it better than Google Maps in certain situations. (Note: I didn't check international support)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1139482
Dannyboyni said:
Lets face it folks, android will never be up to the par of iphone until we get tomtom app. It really is that simple. TomTom is so much better than anything else available at the minute.
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Matter of opinion really mate , can i ask why you rate tomtom so far ahead of others?? i admit the ui is simple and easy to use but co-pilot for example is a great piece of software .
When i had an iphone4 i went for co-pilot and not tomtom , i just think tomtom is over-priced compared to others
Its good for sure but so are the others avalible . Its all personal preference really but i doubt i would buy tomtom for android
buxz777 said:
Matter of opinion really mate , can i ask why you rate tomtom so far ahead of others?? i admit the ui is simple and easy to use but co-pilot for example is a great piece of software .
When i had an iphone4 i went for co-pilot and not tomtom , i just think tomtom is over-priced compared to others
Its good for sure but so are the others avalible . Its all personal preference really but i doubt i would buy tomtom for android
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For me: IQ Routes. The best route calculation I've ever seen, whereas other apps just don't get it quite right or just come up with horrible routes.
Tremium said:
For me: IQ Routes. The best route calculation I've ever seen, whereas other apps just don't get it quite right or just come up with horrible routes.
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Its is well in front especially if you have the live traffic updates etc .
jje
I just used it for a 900-mile trip from Georgia to Iowa, using CoPilot Live 8, and it worked very well. For the money, CPL is the best navigation solution, at least in North America where the maps are pretty current. Google Navigation is pretty good too, although it's dependent on having a data connection to download maps, which can be an issue if you're driving in less-populated areas.
I downloaded the new CoPilot Premium USA package (CPL9) last night & used it on a short local trip this morning; the new version works at least as well as the old version.
As far as listening to music or handling phone calls while navigating, I didn't get a chance to test that on this trip. On previous trips, I've done both while navigating -- however, that was with CoPilot 8 on a WinMo phone. I suspect the phone's OS has a lot to do with this capability, and I haven't used Android long enough to know if it's up to the task; I suspect it will be, especially once the OS takes multi-cores into account.
If tomtom don't want to program their app for android, given the popularity of the platform, then its their loss TBH.
Going to Cyprus in a month or so and was wondering about SatNav as I'm hiring a car while we're there...
I was going to buy a 'block' of international data roaming that you can buy when on hols for the times when needing Internet access...but are there any cheaper short-term alternatives I shoulkd be thinking of?
Co-Pilot or Google Maps....??
Edit: CoPilot nor GM not coming up with any guidance for Cyprus!! This suprises me with the amount of people that head over to these type of holiday destinations, they could really be missing out on some serious revenue.... :-(
Don't forget that Google Maps is going offline soon!
engadget.com/2011/06/08/google-maps-navigation-to-go-offline-this-summer-garmin-and-tom I CANNOT POST LINKS YET
Quote "Dutch tech site All About Phones claims that Google Maps Navigation will get a true offline mode later this summer. In December the Android app received an update that cached routes and the surrounding areas, but without a data connection you still couldn't enter a new destination. A source inside the Dutch telco industry said that Goog would removing the requirement for coverage -- an obvious next step for the nav tool, especially with Ovi Maps bringing its turn-by-turn prowess to WP7. The move is also bound to be another thorn in the side of standalone GPS makers like Garmin and TomTom. After all, it's tough to compete with free."
Quarn said:
engadget.com/2011/06/08/google-maps-navigation-to-go-offline-this-summer-garmin-and-tom I CANNOT POST LINKS YET
Quote "Dutch tech site All About Phones claims that Google Maps Navigation will get a true offline mode later this summer. In December the Android app received an update that cached routes and the surrounding areas, but without a data connection you still couldn't enter a new destination. A source inside the Dutch telco industry said that Goog would removing the requirement for coverage -- an obvious next step for the nav tool, especially with Ovi Maps bringing its turn-by-turn prowess to WP7. The move is also bound to be another thorn in the side of standalone GPS makers like Garmin and TomTom. After all, it's tough to compete with free."
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Yeh, it coudl put off some people from buying satnav apps or devices. However, I think it is more about functionality and paid apps could provide some more worth paying for.
Wanted to take up this CoPilot offer yesterday evening but was put off by poor reviews. People were complaining about the new version being not as good as the previous, problems with regestering and downloading maps. Still probably buy it over the weekend.
I have been using Sygic Aura for a while now, and the previous version since my Nokia 5800. The Aura version is a real eye-candy, super fast, 3D buildings, but the routing - at least in Brussels - can be a bit weird but it will get you there.
I installed Copilot Live Premium for Europe - the UI is not as nice as Sygic, but the routing seems more normal (for Brussels) - no better or worse than Google Navigation.
I Would like to see Garmin on my S2..
I Am using copilot on my S2 and it works very well....
TomTom - Dont go there!
TA123 said:
Yeh, it coudl put off some people from buying satnav apps or devices. However, I think it is more about functionality and paid apps could provide some more worth paying for.
Wanted to take up this CoPilot offer yesterday evening but was put off by poor reviews. People were complaining about the new version being not as good as the previous, problems with regestering and downloading maps. Still probably buy it over the weekend.
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Got it yesterday, but only because of price reduction (EU 29 £)
The good:
Registration ... no problem
Download 4 GB maps ... no problem
Basic navigation ... no problem
The bad:
Missing integration with Contact (invoke navigation from within Contact Apps) ... embarrassing!
Facebook/Twitter crap ... annoying
POI import impossible (bug) ... annoying Edit: should be corrected http://getsatisfaction.com/copilotlive/topics/can_no_longer_add_pois_with_v9
Streetname text too small ... annoying
Hi must say that I am hoping that TomTom will come to Android. I use Co-Pilot and/or Google Navigation at the moment, and find that sometimes junctions get confusing, because the app doesn't zoom in sufficiently.
When I used to use TomTom on my old Windows Mobile Xperia X1, the program would zoom right in on junctions, making it easier to see where I need to go.
A few times on Co-Pilot/Google Navigation, I have got in a pickle on a Roundabout, meaning I have to around it twice to get the correct exit.
Does anyone else have this problem, and is anyone aware of a SatNav app that is as good as TomTom in this regard?
Cheers
Bcfaigg
TomTom is coming for Android
TomTom's Corrinne Vigreux (MD) says a TomTom app for Android is coming soon.
http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/We-Meet-TomToms-MD-Corinne-Vigreux-Before-Break-Free-Event-8910.php
HOWEVER she may be confusing it with Route66 which is coming for Android soon and is using TomTom maps (aka Tele-Atlas). As everyone knows - this is VERY far from the same thing. So lets hope she is not making such a crucial mistake.