trip to te UK - Advantage X7500, MDA Ameo General

Hi,
I'm going for a short trip to London (sept 2007) a few day's walking in this beautiful city, and of course the Ameo will joins me to use as guide or take some pictures.
My questions are:
- Are there any recommendations for external power for the Ameo, I mean?
when I’m there you do a lot of things with the device (picture's tom-tom e.t.)
this will use the battery a lot in one day, I’m thinking to buy a spare battery
or an external battery, what is the best option so far?
- Some of you come from the UK self, are there some interest places in London to go to take some pictures?.
Thanks A Lot..

just buy a 2dollar US->UK adaptor and charge it at hotel or wherever.
surely you're not going to walk around with Ameo using it to direct you at every street corner ? i.e. have it on all day.
personally, i'd leave the Ameo at home, take a decent camera instead, and use a free 'tube' map to walk around and see the sights. No they're not 100% geographically accurate, but its hard to get lost using them.
This way, you might see some of London, rather than just the ameo screen

Check out the Millenium wheel, or London eye! Worth the trip, book in advance.
While your down there, St Pauls, Houses of Parliament (Big Ben) and Tate Modern are all nearby...(Try the slide in the Tate!, google it)
By all means go to Oxford street, but that and Totenham Court road are a waste of time now. Nothing but overpriced tourist traps that you would do well to avoid buying things in.
Check out a show in the West End, Visit Harrods in Knightsbridge, walk along Hyde Park and there is the Science Museum in Kensington (Exhibition Road). There are also about 3 other museums around that area. You can see the 10,000 year clock in the Science museum.
Go to Nottinghill Gate on a Sunday Morning and check out the Antiques Market/Street fair.
Above all, get an OYSTER card and pre-pay on it, will save you LOADS of money. Use the bus where you can so you dont miss the sights. London isnt actualy that big and the tube is hot dirty overpriced and you miss everything above ground.
If you wanna share some Ameo software give me a shout, im a London Local.

Don't catch the Tube, you'll see nothing! (It's underground) Plus your Ameo won't pick up a signal down there. London Busses are fantastic! They go everywhere and they're really cheap. It takes some working out, but once you figure out how to read the bus map at most bus stop, then you'll never look back. Best seat is the front of the top deck. If you like roller coasters, catch the No. 23.
I agree, get the Oyster card first.
Also, if you're interested in graffiti. Head to the Brick Lane Markets. There's a stall there selling a guide book to Banksy street art. The book contains a number of walking tours with GPS references for each piece of graffiti! Perfect for your Ameo!

Snipped - double post
Sorry - double post snipped

London Itinerary - Get a bus
tvrman said:
Hi,
- Some of you come from the UK self, are there some interest places in London to go to take some pictures?.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some place are worth pre-booking, London Eye has big queues and you can circumvent at least the ticket buying one by pre-booking (may even be cheaper I can't recall.)
Tate modern slide installation - you need to book timed tickets for that if you wnat to go on a big slide, not my thing and may actually have finished by now. If you do go and artistically inclined there is a neat (and free) modern art gallery carrying a little picasso and dali.
My recommendation would be to get one of the tour buses first (open top for good weather!) Get on one with a live commentary if you can. It will help orient you. They do offer discounted tickets that beat the queues for many big attractions. Bus tickets allow hop on and off at landmarks over a 24 hour period. Then you can go back and visit in detail the things you want to see.
Thinking about what else do you normally like to do, that might help you decide what you like to see in london, parks, museums, landmarks, hard rock cafe etc. How much do you want to pay or not.
One of the places I love in London is the free British library - you can see original manuscripts from many famous people like leonardo da vinci - a real connection with the past.

hi everybody,
Thanks for the info , i'll will take the info for my trip.
The Oyster card is indeed an great tip! i'll certainly buy one.
Should it be a smart decision if I buy a pre-paid card from T-mobile to use it for GPRS?,
my current provider in the Dutch is T-mobile but to use it from other country's it's expensive.
Thanks

Buy an Orange Payg card.
If you get a GPRS data card (not 3g) you can pay £1 gbp for all day GPRS unlimited data.
You can get the card for as little as £1 from some shops, I think orange store itself charges up to £5
Not sure on how T-Mob do payg data.

I dunno about London being a nice place - there are plenty of other 'better' European Cities. But as a tourist, you should enjoy yourself!
London is pretty easy to get around - Id recommend an A-Z on London, or just get hold of a detailed map. Id go with the Oyster Card as well, just saves so much hassle queuing for tickets e.t.c. and its cheaper. The Underground is OK providing you're not travelling at Rush-Hour, but its true, you don't get to see things. Ideal if you need to get to a certain bit of London though.
I wonder if anyone does a USB connected Solar Cell - you could stick it to a backpack and trickle charge your Ameo whilst your walking around. Its something I've thought about.
RE the data connection, see if T-mob do a free/discounted access deal on Wifi access points - there are LOADS of them in London and most allow access from Partners. I've got a BT Openzone agreement, which i've used all over the UK (including T-Mob AP's) and in France.

Digital.Diablo said:
I wonder if anyone does a USB connected Solar Cell - you could stick it to a backpack and trickle charge your Ameo whilst your walking around.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One problem - you need Sun!
Alternative I've seen are "mobile recharging stations" appearing in Easy Internet shops and the like. They have a bunch a small lockers each with a selection of recharging cables. I guess it costs money though.

Digital.Diablo said:
I dunno about London being a nice place - there are plenty of other 'better' European Cities. But as a tourist, you should enjoy yourself!
London is pretty easy to get around - Id recommend an A-Z on London, or just get hold of a detailed map. Id go with the Oyster Card as well, just saves so much hassle queuing for tickets e.t.c. and its cheaper. The Underground is OK providing you're not travelling at Rush-Hour, but its true, you don't get to see things. Ideal if you need to get to a certain bit of London though.
I wonder if anyone does a USB connected Solar Cell - you could stick it to a backpack and trickle charge your Ameo whilst your walking around. Its something I've thought about.
RE the data connection, see if T-mob do a free/discounted access deal on Wifi access points - there are LOADS of them in London and most allow access from Partners. I've got a BT Openzone agreement, which i've used all over the UK (including T-Mob AP's) and in France.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ears prick up "France" did you say.
Where abouts did you go? Im heading to the South of France on a work trip very soon so would be interested in how it was using your phone out there.
When i got my Ameo the nice chap who served me mentioned i could text a number and get a username and password to access Wifi hotspots in Mcdonalds, Starbucks etc
Gonna give it a go tonight. Apparently its what you'd normally pay £10 a month for.
Happy with that!

I only went to Calais for the day, to stock up on supplies
Didn't use the 'phone' part, simply because I'd not got it internationally enabled, but did manage to jump on to several wifi points around Calais, at the terminal e.t.c. without difficult. So Useful to have Tomtom Western Europe Map installed! And quite good standing on the deck on the ferry and tracking where we were in the channel! The ferry does about 21mph don't u know?
I've got a BT Openzone subscription as I'm out and about a lot, but I'm gonna cancel it when my 12months is up.

Related

Hell Yeah ! TomTom 5 out in May !!

TT5 is coming for sure !
Checkout it out here ....
http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/tomtom-mobile-5.php
http://www.pocketgps.co.uk/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=17753
Comes with built-in FULL postcode support = SWEET
Edited:
Missed this: http://www.tomtom.com/products/product.php?ID=75&Language=1
Do they have an online service with daily or at least weekly map updates that doesn't cost a fortune?
If not - why bother.
Which company offers this for Sweden?
Loboman said:
Which company offers this for Sweden?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as I know - no one offers what I am asking for in any market :-(
Before it is available a GPS is just not worth the price compared to a standard map for car navigation. On a boat or in the wilderness - sure, these environments don't change that often.
Navigated from northern Sweden to Barcelona with TomTom3 without ever finding a broken route. It even kept us clear from the autobahn in Germany, because you can't drive a light truck with a light trailer on it on Sundays.. Strange.. Had to re-route manually though, but it sure got us where we wanted and we were back on autobahn about 5 minutes after the ban ended.
I agree that they should offer updates, but once every quarter would be enough, I think.
http://www.pocketgps.co.uk/tomtom-navigator-pda-5.php
Review of Tomtom5 on PPC and PalmOS.
Loboman said:
Navigated from northern Sweden to Barcelona with TomTom3 without ever finding a broken route. It even kept us clear from the autobahn in Germany, because you can't drive a light truck with a light trailer on it on Sundays.. Strange.. Had to re-route manually though, but it sure got us where we wanted and we were back on autobahn about 5 minutes after the ban ended.
I agree that they should offer updates, but once every quarter would be enough, I think.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess you still followed at least b-roads?
To follow b-roads I don't need a GPS, my old map will do just as well as long as I have my wife next to me.
It is when there is a sudden change to the route because of road works or tragic jams I need a GPS to suggest an alternative route. But with maps and traffic information older than ten to fifteen minutes this is of little help.
I think 200sek (£15) is about what one month of constantly updated maps for one country is worth for a private user. And with constant I mean at least every 15 minutes.
B-roads? Hehe, We were directed on roads the Germans themselves didn't know existed But without a doubt, they were really fast when going from one bigger road to another.
I bet you'll not find those 15 minute map updates this decade. Traffic info in one thing (which TomTom offers, although not in Sweden), but changed maps.. I think not..
Ok, you don't need to actually update the entire map every fifteen minutes. But you should at least get an update everytime there has been a change to the real world that affects the map. And it should definitely be updated with accurate speed limits.
If you don't like it don't buy it!
I personally think it's a usefull tool, I'm currently looking to relocate to a new area that I don't know and have found TomTom a fantastic aid when driving around cities you don't know looking for property.
Just put the post code in and drive from door to door
Oh and if you subscribe to the Traffic service you can get Live Traffic information delivered to your device by GPRS........ well you can in the UK anyway
UK and Holland has the traffic info only..
Accurate speed limits would be great. I don't know any program that offers this though. About the map updating, It's TeleAtlas who buys the data from local companies and sells it to the makers of GPS programs. I doubt even the local companies update very often, but I read somewhere that TeleAtlas wants users to tell them about errors in the maps so that they can update and have more accurate maps for the next release.
I think the main problem is the price model. Instead of selling cumulative updates at an affordable subscription cost, whenever ther is a new version of the map you have to buy an entirely new map! This is how it used to work in the old days, when maps had to be printed in books and put on a shelf in a shop.
And why are the maps by country or region? Give me the entire thing and let me pay for what I use! Not until I view or route through a part of the map on the device should I be charged for it.

Want To Purchase TyTN but don't know where to get it.

I want to purchase a TyTN and have been checking around on the Internet. I haven't done business with any of the USA companies that sell them, nor can I find many reviews about companies selling them. I was wondering if any of you might pretty please let me know where you bought yours, and perhaps what you paid....there seems to be a wide margin. Everything from low 700's to high 800's. We are in Florida and there are no companies around that have them so I'll have to get one through the Internet. We currantly have Cingular cell service. Are all sold "Unlocked"? Thanks a lot for any input you can give me either on this list or privately.
[email protected]
Tried http://www.dynamism.com ? They supply a wide range of mobile devices (a lot of them imports, so they get the good stuff early) at what I considered to be fair prices... They supplied a Sony Vaio UX50 (one of the models from Sony's new TINY range of proper PCs which sit in a little dock on your desk or can be carried about!) which was reviewed by JK of jkOnTheRun.com (and he sang Dynamism's praises, so I guess I'd recommend them too)...

I made the jump and I'm in Navigating bliss!

I sat home yesterday trying to decide if I should make the move and pick up a x7501. Compusa had 3 of them in stock in Delaware and the customer service rep I spoke to on the phone said they were priced at $899. Spending that kind if money a couple days before Christmas would definitely get me in trouble. I spent half the day looking at youtube videos of ppl reviewing this ultimate gadget freak toy. I read and re-read threads all over this board some good some bad.
At about 5:00 I decided it was time to go get my fix. Compusa is 45 miles away and I made the trip in traffic in less than 30 minutes. I walked into Compusa $899 in hand (no tax in DE) excited and anxious, weaving through the gift givers with nothing but contempt. GET OUTTA MY WAY I NEED MY FIX! I'm at the cell phone counter looking for a sales rep, cause I know what I want and I want it now. No need to look around no need to browse. All the dealers are busy so I decide to play with the store model until I can get help. I then come out of my tunnel vision to realize that this Compusa is going out of business and the Advantage is marked 30% off. OMG! $899 down to $629. OK no more waiting for a rep I need this thing now! I grab a rep, drop my $629 and I'm out.
My decision (see my other thread) to get the Advantage was based on 2 things. 1: GPS and 2: 3G Internet. I need a GPS unit and I wanted features comparable to the Garmin 760 but did not want to spend that kind of money on a device that did one thing well. Navigating. I use Garmin XT on my Tilt now and the 400mhz can't draw the map fast enough for everyday GPS use, plus the screen is not big enough. With 3G this is the perfect set up for me. I got my corporate email while on the road, VPN access, contacts and calender, virtually unlimited note pad, traffic updates, word, excel, pdf's and while I'm waiting for Verizon to show up to a vendor meet, I got Orb. I'm in gadget bliss right now.
For the price I paid and for what I need, the Advantage ($629) kills the Garmin 760 ($699.99). Thanks guys you helped me alot and I am very very satisfied!
BTW I don't recall anyone saying how crisp and clear the screen looks. This 5" VGA looks amazing while navigating. Now I just need a mount.

Weak 3g signal in my apartment

Every time im home i am stuck on edge network, but once i step outside im hooked up with 3g. Is there anyway i could boost the signal to where i could have 3g in my apartment? Reason being, im currently unemployed so i shut off my cable and Internet. So i use my G1 as a tether through USB since my computer doesn't have wifi. Its the only way i can look for work, and since i only drive to and from interviews i try to conserve as much gas as possible. Its just web browsing on my G1 through edge network does the trick, its just a tad slow for my liking.
i have thought about this lil item
http://www.1800mobiles.com/stick-on-antenna-booster.html
But i dont want to throw away some cash if that dont work. Im open to suggestions, i even moved my whole living room around to where my desk is near a window.
Thanks again
Not even going to bother readin your post, clicked the link. Dumb sticker.
Didn't work on my old school Nokia with the original Snake game.
Won't work for a g1.
It's a scam, It'ls bull****, it's garbage.
Yea those stickers don't do anything, save your money.
I tried to buy one for my old moto and it didn't do anything.
Doesn't anyone have any helpful suggestions?
I was wondering if there's some app that can tell you the direction of the closest 3G cell tower so you can try to get as clear a line to it as poss?
Would it be possible to use one of those parabolic cradboard cutouts coated in tin foil to help direct the signal towards the nearest mast, like the ones you can use for wireless range boosting?
Cheers
Post pics of your tin foil contraption lol, But on the real, there are devices that can boost cellular signals, usually used in large office buildings to provide reception. They cost a few hundred dollars, I don't know how much your willing to spend. I seen them at tigerdirect.com if your interested in looking.
btw, use "cellfinder" from the market to find location of towers
Has anyone worked with something like this?
http://www.daydeal.com/product.php?productid=19478&cat=3682
Figured i could put this by my windows where my desk is, so my g1 could get an amp'ed up signal. I also went to Tmo web site and looked up coverage in my area, and i should have full 3g all around me no worries. I even tested this out by walking out to my patio and voila....3g but once i come back in ......edge
1NfE5T said:
Has anyone worked with something like this?
http://www.daydeal.com/product.php?productid=19478&cat=3682
Figured i could put this by my windows where my desk is, so my g1 could get an amp'ed up signal. I also went to Tmo web site and looked up coverage in my area, and i should have full 3g all around me no worries. I even tested this out by walking out to my patio and voila....3g but once i come back in ......edge
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that looks as promising as the boost sticker...heres the real deal:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1829800&CatId=4977
phatmanxxl said:
that looks as promising as the boost sticker...heres the real deal:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1829800&CatId=4977
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea...about that. As my first post stated...im currently unemployed ATM, and living off of unemployment, side work(im an electrician), and side work building computer's. This item is a bit to much on my limited funds, im looking for a cheaper way or even a DITY type job i can build to boost my signal here at home.
I understand I'm in the same boat but without umemp. Im makin money mowin lawns and appliance repair right now, thank god I have a rich girlfriend lol. I'm just sayin those things look like junk, not to be rude.
You could always get a external usb wifi antenna and hope some one within range has an unsecured router, just an idea. Its worked for me in a number of residential places. Youd be suprised how many people don't secure their routers. That's money better spent than some novelty cell booster.
phatmanxxl said:
I understand I'm in the same boat but without umemp. Im makin money mowin lawns and appliance repair right now, thank god I have a rich girlfriend lol. I'm just sayin those things look like junk, not to be rude.
You could always get a external usb wifi antenna and hope some one within range has an unsecured router, just an idea. Its worked for me in a number of residential places. Youd be suprised how many people don't secure their routers. That's money better spent than some novelty cell booster.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No doubt......im all bout saving some cash...even more now with Xmas around the corner. But in a bit of surprise, after i had drank a beer. I put my phone on top of the empty beer can......i have 3g connection weird as it may seem. I guess if i want a steady 3g signal in my apt....i must drink a brew.
awsome! there's your contraption lol, quick get it patented and then you can sell it as a cell booster among the others and make that $$
Better than the 10cent deposit refund =p
If you still wanna try that sticky antennas get it from ebay - you get it for about a dollar, shipped!
I have 2 on my G1 - not sure if it does any good but at least the number of dropped calls decreased in my apt with weak signals.
srismart said:
If you still wanna try that sticky antennas get it from ebay - you get it for about a dollar, shipped!
I have 2 on my G1 - not sure if it does any good but at least the number of dropped calls decreased in my apt with weak signals.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well i havent had any dropped calls from within my apt, just stuck on edge network. But in all honestly the 16oz beer can trick really works, my g1 sits on my desk connected with the USB with full bars and 3g

Co-Pilot 8 Trial/ Garmin Trial.

I had a ROM with a co-pilot trial on it. Unfortunately the ROM wasn't that good. I switched to NRG ROM which is great but now i want to install the co-pilot trial. There is one on the HTC website but only for HTC TP2 - i have T-mobile US version. Any idea where i can get a trial?
Ant Trials available on the Garmin solution?
just install that one and it should work. The beauty of having wm os is that program can work on different hardware as long as the operating system matches. It's the same as installing an app on a dell machine or hp machine.
I purchased CoPilot during the Thanksgiving weekend when they had it on sale for $19.99. I'm very pleased with it so far on my TP2. I think it's $34.99 or something like that now. Watch their website for specials from time to time.
azzzz said:
just install that one and it should work. The beauty of having wm os is that program can work on different hardware as long as the operating system matches. It's the same as installing an app on a dell machine or hp machine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately to download you need to enter your serial number and it won't accept the serial numbers from Tmobile TP2, only the HTC branded ones. Tmous want's you to sign up for there $10/month service! This is why I'm looking for a cab.
Co-Pilot 8 is on sale - just $19.99. Decided to give it a go. It works great! Sure, Garmin or TomTom may have a couple of extra nice-to-have's, but they are $100. For the basic get me from A to B and help me find places, Co-Pilot can't be beat!
It will all be downhill for TomTom, Garmin and all those other gps companies once Google Releases Google Navigation for Windows mobile like they did for the droid.
TomTom and Garmin's stock fell the month google released google navigation on the droid.
I just bought co pilot.
I am having issues with it. Anyone else?
It tells me to turn as, or after I am turning... (found this out while testing it, thankfully) I have changed the turn warning to the max.. but still no good. This is no good if I am relying on it for directions, I am bound to get lost. Also, the distance to a turn is always way off.. I can be right at a corner where I am supposed to turn, at a stop sign, and the distance to the turn will say 150 feet ahead. and it keeps telling me "Make right turn just ahead" even though I am right there.
Was testing it again today, and it had me go in circles for 10 minutes! No Lie!! It kept saying "Make a right, then another right" I know, I didn't have to... I just wanted to see how long it would stay in that loop.. finally I had to break it by going a direction it did not tell me to go.. then it recalculated the route.
Frustrating!!!
Haven't had this trouble on mine. Have you had Copilot check for all of the updates inside the application?
kmx said:
It will all be downhill for TomTom, Garmin and all those other gps companies once Google Releases Google Navigation for Windows mobile like they did for the droid.
TomTom and Garmin's stock fell the month google released google navigation on the droid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think so, they have one HUGE advantage over Google, they work without cell service. That's pretty important up here where I live (Northwestern California), and in many areas across the west.
Good point. I wasn't thinking about that since I am in Southern California and there is basically service everywhere here.
I guess it depends on where you live.
But that Co-Pilot giving the wrong directions thing scares me. Imagine if you were going to an area you don't know well
kmx said:
Good point. I wasn't thinking about that since I am in Southern California and there is basically service everywhere here.
I guess it depends on where you live.
But that Co-Pilot giving the wrong directions thing scares me. Imagine if you were going to an area you don't know well
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I was born (Riverside) and raised (West Covina. Proud Grad of the Covina HS Class of 1990) in SoCal, and I know they have plenty of dead spots in the mountains and deserts, but in the urban L.A./OC/IE area, you're definitely right.
I have yet to find a program that doesn't make mistakes, especially in remote or very rural areas, or in very new housing developments. I travel extensively across NorCal for work (everything from just north of Santa Rosa to the Oregon Border, and everything from just north of Sacramento to the Oregon Border and northeast to the Nevada Border), everything from Redding at 100,000 to the middle of nowhere, and have had GPS Programs and even dedicated units be off on occasion, sometimes by miles. The thing is, these programs assume an address should be at a certain point on the map, and most times it is, but sometimes it can pinpoint it at the wrong location, and they can be pretty frustating if you're in a remote area with few or no people around to ask. Or a development can be so new that it's not in any map database yet.
@ ryotgz: No I haven't checked from with in the program for an update... that did dawn on me since I just bought it! LOL I will give it a try. I have contacted ALK (the distributors of co pilot) but have yet to hear back from them....
@ Cali-railroader and kmx:
I understand that an occasional wrong direction, especially in rural areas, is going to happen. It is technology afterall, and none of it is perfect. However, these issues have all happened in busy, and old, metro areas in the mid atlantic region.

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