Database Users

Google navigator

Hi,
Have anybody tried google navigator on the HD. I heard it's supposed to work with the hd. Anybody know if a dataconnection is needed, or can we download the maps and use it "offline" with the built in GPS reciever ??
anybody know where we can find a trial ?

oldings said:
Hi,
Have anybody tried google navigator on the HD. I heard it's supposed to work with the hd. Anybody know if a dataconnection is needed, or can we download the maps and use it "offline" with the built in GPS reciever ??
anybody know where we can find a trial ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Attached Google.
This is freeware

thx for reply. But isn't this the same that came pre-installed with the HD.
I tried Google Maps but that uses the data connection. I heard on google navigation you can save maps on storage and the use it "offline", so no need of data-connection, only GPS reciever.

Sorry, I should have read your thread properly, been a long day.
Google Navigator attached
I haven't used this application to be honest, but just installed it and a data connection appears to be required. I'll play with it and let you know if this can be disabled.

I have also downloaded the trial from http://www.pdafun.net/
and first time I started it I saw it downloded dato. I then used HD tweak to stop all data connection, and went in to Google navigator and changed som settings.
I can still start the prorgam wihtout any problems and activated GPS. It find my postition(still noe data connection used, yet). But don't know how to get a map. I only see a "world" map.
SO would be nice to know how we can download offlien maps so we can use with GPS and not need to use dataconnection, since it says it's possible

Without sounding flipant, the CAB is 1.73Mbs so I would expect it does not contain map data, bearing in mind that TomTom Maps are in the region of 1Gbs.
Maybe you have to download from somewhere else though.

<double post>

The map are downloaded using Data connection, they are download on demand by the software.

Google Navigator
the meaning of offline Navigation in this Software is that you can specify an interested area and tell the program to download the related topo, road maps, etc to the device over a data connection at a a given Zoom level. (wifi or gsm)
once the download is complete you can switch off the data connection or remove the sim and use the application to locate/Navigate your self in the downloaded area. The purpose is to enable you to use the phone to navigate yourself in a area without network coverage and/or to cutdown on the data download cost over GSM.
FYI
Google Navigator works fine on the HD except for the 3D view. it creates some areas of the map to disappear. I wrote to the developers on this bug and they said they will correct that error in their 4.9V but till the latest version the problem is still there.

is it just me or is the trial version of this completely useless? what is the point in disabling the only features that actually make this different to google maps? surely a time-limited version rather than feature-limitedwould make more sense?
I for one will certainly not be shelling out for this unless I know it works (and on my phone too).
this is most unlike google, who's software (until now)I have always been most impressed with. google maps is simply phenomenal, but does lack the turn-by-turn voice commands necessary to operate it whilst driving.
the data, for me (and many who own this type of device - why on earth would you have a device this capable without some data included?!) is not an issue. but i need to see it in action before I can abandon Tomtom properly...
is this software actually from google or just based on google maps? I still can't work out why I have to pay for this when everything else google is free (and this looks decidedly shoddier)?!
kindregards
dr_nick

Apparently Google Navigator has nothing to do with Google. The developers are just using the name "Google" because it taps into the Maps database. Caveat emptor.

Google Navigator is one of the worst PDA Apps I've ever seen.
Not only do they #1 -- Use the FREE google maps service, and charge you for their crappy front end, but #2 -- Put the name "Google" in the title of their product, so you think it's actually from a reputable source.
Google really needs to put a stop to this company because they are basically ripping people off.

Offline GPS navigation

I'm willing to get a Hero, I never use 3G and I'm not willing, besides I think it won't be supported in my country.
Well, I want to know which decent app allows you to have just the maps you need on memory to use the GPS in offline mode. I don't need voice navigation, just a dot which tells you exactly where you are. I used to do this very easily on a Nokia phone and with just 100MB for maps stored, yes just a few cities but enough.
And yes... I want Android but this is the main buy or not buy feature I'm looking for.
Is there such app? What about Android 2? Any chance on a Google maps mod?

CoPilot is a (pay) app and the only way for offline GPS.
Smartphone without internet access is useless, imho. Get a dumbphone and a proper GPS, and you'll be much happier until they implement mobile internet access in your neck of the woods ;-)

I know what you mean
i am with you on this one, i have ported over from Windows Mobile where i used Memory Map which was FanBloodyTastic........but unfortunatly its not on android, i have asked them by email and they say not yet....but i am sure something will come out soon for this as a lot of people are asking for this type of app.

I downloaded Maverick from the market and it works fabulously well. Google mpas, Bing maps, and others, and all will be stored on the SD car, but you obviously need first to download the pieces that you need with WiFi.

RMaps works well too but doesnt store maps on SD card, only uses a cache of 4MB.
If i were you i would check out this maverick thing, coz thats what im about to do!

giovanni645 said:
RMaps works well too but doesnt store maps on SD card, only uses a cache of 4MB.
If i were you i would check out this maverick thing, coz thats what im about to do!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
RMaps does not store maps but you can download the maps using Trekking Buddy and use them with RMaps. I use RMaps to view Google Maps offline and it works great. The only problem is, of course, you can't search for an address.

Volker1 said:
CoPilot is a (pay) app and the only way for offline GPS.
Smartphone without internet access is useless, imho. Get a dumbphone and a proper GPS, and you'll be much happier until they implement mobile internet access in your neck of the woods ;-)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Offline GPS seems to be the only way to get GPS abroad for me. Data roaming is just too expensive.

I use NDrive and it is absolutely fantastic... you should check it out

CoPilot is cheap, easy to use, and fast.
NDrive is very similar to TomTom (there's no TomTom GPS apps for Androids btw) in that it requires you to go through lots of sub-menus just to do a simple task. Its slow, buggy, and not worth the extra money.
Offline GPS is far superior to any online version (doesn't require nearby cellphone towers), just a clear line of sight of the sky. The whole GoogleNavigator is very gimmicky. While its nice that you can see a picture of the actual destination, its nav software is far from accurate.
Here's a list of the Offline GPS software available (that I know of):
Co-Pilot Live 8
NDRIVE SatNav
Motonav - iGO
Papago X5
Sygic Mobile Map 9

I use IGO 8 and love it better than tom tom or google maps
PM me for links to IGO 8 with world maps best navigation app with latest maps

Mapdroyd will let you download and store maps. It then gives you your position on the map. No navigation though.....
Sent from my X10i using XDA App

On the road

On the X1 I had a panel called "On the road" panel that could track the movements i made. Is this or a similar app available.

I am not sure what 'On the road' doe, but Google Tracks is superb at tracking your travelling via GPS and then uploading the results to Google Maps.

Mod edit: not (yet) t&a related, moved to general

If you want an "offline" app (in case you don't have a data plan) use GPS Logger.
If you want an online app, try My Tracks or Open GPS Tracker.
I personally use GPS Logger.
Will save a GPX file which can be imported after in different apps, maps, etc.

"Full featured" GPS?

Are there any full-featured GPS programs available? Some do maps, most do diraections, some do "breadcrumbs". I am looking for something that will do at least MOST of the features of a dedicated GPS...Maps, directions, breadcrumbs, ETA, speed, etc. I really don't care if it's free or paid, but I'm just surprised that I haven't been able to find one (if it exists)

whats wrong with Google Navigation, its arguably the the best full featured GPS Navigation software out and its free.

ghostrida said:
whats wrong with Google Navigation, its arguably the the best full featured GPS Navigation software out and its free.
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Click to collapse
does it do breadcrumbs, he said he needed that, i have never seen it but would be cool if its there.
i have a mygig RER 30gb hd w/ navigation in my jeep, i use my incredible for navigation now cause the maps are always up to date (and for free) and i can search a much larger database of points of interest plus better voice search! android FTW!

nothing is wrong with google nav. its great. but, it requires constant internet. i too would like to know of a good offline navigation app.

Standalone
They don't seem to make them ... iGo MyWay looked good but it doesn't seem to be for sale.

One BIG problem with Google Maps is that it sucks up battery juice like crazy (I'm guessing a combination of GPS power and constant internet). I love it for quick and dirty navigation, but just wish that there was something more robust. On WM I had iGuidance, Delorme, etc. Just surprised that there's nothing to compete with them on android.

I use Co-Pilot

OruxMaps has an offline mode and can accept maps for offline use in several formats, including KML, which you can download from google maps or google earth.
It can also load your maps in everytrail.com or mapmytracks.com
I haven't played with it a lot yet, but so far it seems to have everything you mentioned.

Garmin would be nice
I use Garmin MobileXT on my TP2 but would like it on my DINC. I wonder if someone could port the Garmin APK from the NuviFone that T-mobile just released ??

I'll be looking at OruxMaps for now, thanks for the tip.
(Sorry about the bump)

Copilot vs Google Nav

It puzzles me why some ROMs have better GPS performance than others. I was on JPJPA earlier and had usable GPS navigation experiences in town, I flash JP8 and all hell breaks lose So to me, this ruled out that my phone has a hardware problem.
You can say that I live in a densely populated area in Boston, and after going through a lot of forum literature , today I carried out a little experiment.
I made a round trip to some place here in Boston, selected Copilot on my way to go, and Google Nav on my way back and here are the results:
Google Nav with "Use Wireless Networks" under location settings:
HERE
Google Nav without "Use Wireless Networks":
HERE
CoPilot:
HERE
In both trips, I took Beacon St and Longwood Ave (notice the difference).
Now while CoPilot is not exactly perfect, it performs way better than Google Nav! It didn't have to reroute or recalculate. (The circle you see in the beginning is me stopping by a gas station, yes, it was that accurate, it messes up only at the rail intersection of st paul & beacon)
I noticed a difference in the lock pattern and speed when using different programs. For example, GPS Status seems to take the longest to get a lock from a Cold Start, but once it locks, programs like CoPilot lock quickly using a Hot Start (reusing data from GPS Status)
Google Navigation, and several other programs however, seem to be using something entirely different. It seems Google Nav (and Maps btw) take the same amount of time to get initial lock whether (a) I used GPS Status prior or (b) did not use it at all.
I can only speculate at this point, but I think that Android provides more than one API to obtain GPS accuracy. I suspect that CoPilot and GPS Status (among others) use their own calculations to determine GPS position using raw satellite data, whereas Google Nav uses some built-in APIs in Android that give positioning data that are false. I believe that Google Maps uses some AGPS settings regardless of what you set in "Location and settings", and that, messes everything up. (You can see in my tracks above how google maps have bigger arcs when I made a u-turn, instead of showing a sharp turn).
A nice test would be to disable radio completely; that way Google Nav can't access AGPS data. But of course you run into the problem that Google can't operate without a valid data connection.
I just wanted to share my observations, if you guys have more ideas, lets share

Google Navigator is overrated. Co-Pilot, Navigon, NDrive are far better applications. If Trapster became an integrated layer in Google Nav, I'd use it.
Well written article btw.

Billus said:
Google Navigator is overrated. Co-Pilot, Navigon, NDrive are far better applications. If Trapster became an integrated layer in Google Nav, I'd use it.
Well written article btw.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks,
thing is, Google Nav did work fine in JPJPA. I'd like to use it instead because it has the latest listings and some pretty accurate traffic conditions. If we can find the problem, or find out what data or files Google Nav accesses, then we could possibly fix this problem on multiple ROMs.

Gmaps is perfect for finding and typing locations to go to, co-pilot more for the actual navigating, .. while you're driving; gmaps is way easier to use then co-pilot. But yea, less inaccuracy probs with co-pilot besides having a slower fix.

madmack said:
I suspect that CoPilot and GPS Status (among others) use their own calculations to determine GPS position using raw satellite data, whereas Google Nav uses some built-in APIs in Android that give positioning data that are false. I believe that Google Maps uses some AGPS settings regardless of what you set in "Location and settings", and that, messes everything up. (You can see in my tracks above how google maps have bigger arcs when I made a u-turn, instead of showing a sharp turn).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
coPilot and other nav apps force lock on roads besides real position until they can't do it.
Google Maps doesn't do it
And no, they can't access raw gps data, the only way is through google api

Oletros said:
coPilot and other nav apps force lock on roads besides real position until they can't do it.
Google Maps doesn't do it
And no, they can't access raw gps data, the only way is through google api
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
see above tracks. While GoogNav might "lock" you on a road, I'm posting the actual GPS coordinates that were received. It may have looked like I was on a road on my screen, but you can see the google nav tracks above that show the points the program received. The pointer hovers all over the place.

madmack said:
see above tracks. While GoogNav might "lock" you on a road, I'm posting the actual GPS coordinates that were received. It may have looked like I was on a road on my screen, but you can see the google nav tracks above that show the points the program received. The pointer hovers all over the place.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All the tracks where recorded with the same program?

Oletros said:
All the tracks where recorded with the same program?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup. my tracks

madmack said:
Yup. my tracks
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Click to collapse
So, all the GPS data has nothing to do with the program used (Google Navigation, coPilot), it's collected from the same source, Android GPS API

Oletros said:
So, all the GPS data has nothing to do with the program used (Google Navigation, coPilot), it's collected from the same source, Android GPS API
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude, my tracks *listens* to whatever the GPS is receiving when other programs are using it.
So the main program that was running was either CoPilot or Google Nav. They're the ones invoking the GPS location commands (we know that because my two tracks are so different than each others).
My Tracks, in both cases, sits in the back seats and writes notes.

madmack said:
Dude, my tracks *listens* to whatever the GPS is receiving when other programs are using it.
So the main program that was running was either CoPilot or Google Nav. They're the ones invoking the GPS location commands (we know that because my two tracks are so different than each others).
My Tracks, in both cases, sits in the back seats and writes notes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What? My tracks uses GPS API to collect data, it doesn't sniff anything from other programs

Oletros said:
What? My tracks uses GPS API to collect data, it doesn't sniff anything from other programs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might be right, but then how do you explain the two different tracks posted above ?

regardless of who is right or who is wrong, using any dedicated offline GPS software is way better than google maps/nav
of all the fews currently available for Android, i find Copilot to be the most accurate one, it shows the speed/stops exactly as when a police have a speed gun tracking me.
It is always in the correct lane of the road.
using the other GPS software have some sort of lags, or performance is poor, or the display is lousy, etc.

I agree with using Copilot
On my AT&T Captivate, my gps lock is hit or miss. I was having some major issues getting a gps lock using Google Nav but when I closed Google and opened Copilot the gps locked in after about 8 seconds and held. Google Nav kept kicking on and off. Google Maps had me doing a U-Turn on my way home taking me away from my destination, Copilot was right on track.