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This was a great piece of software but doesn't run on WM5. I don't need sat nav, just a map of the city I'm visiting, is there an alternative or is it possible to make it run on WM5?
Those maps are by now so way out of whack that it already hurts.
You can use any navigation program (including TomTom) without a GPS receiver (although it's beyond me why you would want to do that).
If you want something cheap, look at Mapopolis.
Pocket Streets 2005 works well on my Exec and you can download loads of maps from the microsoft website.
Pocket Streets 2006 also works....but it doesn't have voice commands and there are no directions from one point to another
So be wary about that when you think about buying Microsoft Street and Trips 2006 and thinking that you can use it on your Universal to map directions for you.
Also, I've checked the maps based on where I am....and a lot of the restaurants info are all outdated.
if it really is just plain old maps. i have pocket streets 2003 pn the universal, and you can use the 2005 maps. cannot remember where I got it from now. could try searching the web.
however, this isn't enough for me, I will be getting a gps later.
I have searched and can't find a thread asking everyone which they use and which is the best. Would be great, I think, for everyone if there was a poll option on the boards but since there isn't I will just ask.
I have found almost 20 different software packages for WinMo that offer Voice GPS Guidance, who uses which and which does everyone feel is the best?
I just use Live Search. No voice, but it is free and works well enough. And it is cool to be guided on satellite views.
I have Tom Tom 5 installed, but I hate it and every time I try to use it I give up. Plus it is a serious processor/battery hog. I have a Garmin GPS on my motorcycle that is way more user friendly, thus my dislike for the TT5 software.
I thought it was a simple question, guess it wasn't...
I think it's a great question. Personally I find that if I am searching for a person or a retail location that Google Maps works great. Satellite imagery is nice also. There are several features that Google Maps does not have that I use iGuidance for. Certainly everyone knows that iGuidance offers step by step but I also like the fact that I can go into a 3D view which I find easier to view while driving. Also the ability to switch between POV and "North always up" is handy.
I have unlimited data so I don't mind streaming Google Maps but that is something serious to consider. Also iGuidance does not require any signal from the carrier. The program and maps all reside on the sd card so you can use it in backwoods...
I use both those programs extensively and would prefer not to make a choice. But if I did, I'd choose iGuidance since it offers many more features. Google Maps best feature is it's search ability. Thats what I use it for the most. Then I usually cut and past the address into iGuidance for step by step...
Good Luck.
mostly, i use iGo 2006 (outdated - need to upgrade to iGO8)
iGO is flippin fantastic. i have a hott british chick as my voice guidance, insane POI options, automatic route recalculation. awesome. i want to try Garmin, but havent had the time or patience to figure out how to get it to work with internal GPS
I've used almost all of them with the exception of iguidance.... guess I'll have to try that out next. My two favorites for dedicated GPS is Garmin Mobile XT and TomTom 6. There are pluses and minuses to both of them. Garmin has free traffic, weather, etc., where TomTom has it for a month for free then you have to pay.
Graphics on the Garmin are exactly what you would see on a retailed Nuvi - except the page rendering is pretty jerky and not smooth at all. TomTom on the other hand is smooth as silk. As you turn or move forward, the map follows you along quite nicely.
Route calculations are different between the both as well. They both do a decent job in their calculations, but Garmin takes considerably longer - up to a minute in some cases to calculate a route. TomTom on the other hand, usually takes less than 5 seconds. Neither one would be a deal breaker for me, as I usually only look for routes when it is a long drive where a minute's worth of calculations doesn't make that much of a difference...
Hope that helped! I know I'm more confused now!!!
i have used iguidance, garmin xt, tomtom 6 and now tomtom 7. here is my personal opinion:
iguidance has tts(it pronouce the street name), which is a big plus. however, the routing engine is not very good. if you go an interstates trip, i dont recommend it. iguidance also has poor to average 3d views. it has very nice 2d view though. iguidance 2009 ppc with new navteq with "traffic pattern" and 3d lane changing view is coming out in august 2009.
garmin xt has nice 3d view, but the 3d autozoom zooms out way too much, specially on a long drive. if turning off autozoom, you dont get any zoom in when you about to make a turn. the gps lags quite a bit behind for me, perhaps 2 seconds behind real time. all gps navigation software lags a second behind real time, except for tomtom which predict .5 and 1 second ahead. the routing engine of of garmin xt is not so good either. i have entered several know destination of friends and families home and it never gave me an ideal route. i also tried to route from san jose, ca to falling waters, wv and it have me go down to las vegas and through interstate 40. the ideal route would be interstate 80. garmin xt does have traffic, however, from my understanding is that it doesnt update routing base on traffic info during driving. correct me if i'm wrong. garmin xt also has the best POI search engine.
tomtom 6 routing engine is not that much better. it doesnt give me the ideal route to friends and families destinations, but it did route me through i80 instead of through las vegas and i40 when i tried to route from san jose, ca to falling waters, wv. the traffic feature on tomtom6 works really good, but its not free. traffic updates continuously and update your route accordingly. i've seen traffic work again and again for me. tomtom6 also predict gps info .5 and 1 second ahead of time so you get virtually no lag, tomtom is the only software that does this. the 3d display is video smooth like and the 3d autozoom is perfect for me. the menu of tomtom is also very easy to use. you can navigate through tomtom menu with one hand, and entering destination address, it is also the easiest. some other negatives with tomtom6 is that map is outdated. you can not search any POI within a range. you have to search POI within a category and sometime the category that you want to look is not there. also the "next street" name of next turn is small and way at the bottom.
i like tomtom7 the most. most of what said above about tt6 also apply to tomtom7, but tt7 has much improved map and routing engine. it has the best routing engine by far. when entering families and friends destinations in different cities from 50 to 100 miles away, it always give me the most ideal routing. version 7 map also has mapshare which you can get map correction from thousands of other people using the same map. my g/f neighborhood in WV and my cousin address in PA are not in any of the previous navteq(2008) and teleatlas(2007) map, it is now showing up in the latest telelatlas map. in certain big cities, version 720 also offer detail information including side walk and building and house floor plan showing up as 3d shaped that resemble the floor plan of the particular place. it even has my neighbor's swimming pool. the down points of tt7 is that it does not offer text to speech, and like tt6, the POI search sucks.
i highly recommend tt7. i think the most important feature of a gps navigation software is its map and routing engine. you can download tt7 from this forum and buy the version 7.20 north america 2gb map for about 70 bucks, and you are good to go.
sadthai & greymatter...
Great write ups. I have tt6 and now will look at tt7 but I have always wanted good feedback from those who have tried others to compare. I really wanted iguidance just to get the street name working but I need fast rendering....
I have been googling like crazy... where can you buy TomTom7?
The only thing you find on the net is the cracks... and a lot of them
parcou said:
sadthai & greymatter...
Great write ups. I have tt6 and now will look at tt7 but I have always wanted good feedback from those who have tried others to compare. I really wanted iguidance just to get the street name working but I need fast rendering....
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Click to collapse
Yes...tt7 is nice...thx all
I know I am dredging up an old thread here, but do any of these programs offer a "trailing" feature. so that you can turn on and save a line of where you have been? I am looking to map some trails that are not on maps and would like this.
Hi Iam looking for geocaching software for my touch diamond, has anybody experience with programs or can recommend an app ??
Thanks for help !!
I use tracky. www.trackthisout.com
It is a little confusing to use at first, but it uses GPS, downloads maps from google, downloads near caches from geocaching.com and when you click a cache it will load the info in a web page.
Like I say though, its confusing to use at first, but I like it.
try fugawi its a pc app with ppc software built in to sync maps routes etc in the uk it uses ordenance survey maps and has a geocaching feature.
i've not used the geocaching bit but the navigation is great ! you can buy it from amazon uk but make sure you get at least version four as last time i looked they where still selling version two !
Greetings,
Too much has been said about car navigation, yet I am not too sure as to which is the best… Now, which is the best off-road GPS application (I know this is subjective)? I am looking for an application that will track everything, be able to download online map and include guidance (voice ideally) to take me back to my original point. I have tested Run.GPS Trainer, which is cool but it is more orientated at sport. It is interesting to hear how many calories you have burn, but I am looking for all round application. Plus, Run.GPS is very expensive and keeps on reporting “unexpected error” on HD when using the navigation feature.
Any suggestion with some details from people who have used any of these for outdoor activities will be appreciated.
Thank you...
It´s the best.....
Pathaway
Memory Map
Lots of maps, including all the Ordnance Survey 1:50 000, 1:25 000 and aerial photos. Good integration with the desktop app.
I'll second Memory Maps. Bit expensive for OS maps, but very good. If you want to try on the cheap get the V5 European edition. Lets you import scanned maps (tiffs) .
Thanks so far...!
Thank you for all the feedback so, but I am surprised no one has mentioned the likes of GP Tuner that I see on Handango. Are all the above suggestions highly sophisticated pieces of software? Are these applications user-friendly?! I was looking for a solution that meets the original requirements, in addition to ease of use (moving maps, downloadable {Google..}, x to y routing…. I will still check some - I assume they are HD/WVGA compatible!
Thanks
Hi there,
I'm personally using OziExplorer, and have loaded scanned maps into it (you can calibrate any image you want and use it as a map), and the interface is really powerful for route tracking and navigation. However, i think it doesn't support online map downloading, so depending on how important it is for you, it may not fit the bill.
moullas said:
Hi there,
I'm personally using OziExplorer, and have loaded scanned maps into it (you can calibrate any image you want and use it as a map), and the interface is really powerful for route tracking and navigation. However, i think it doesn't support online map downloading, so depending on how important it is for you, it may not fit the bill.
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Click to collapse
Thank you - yes, I wish to be able to download map from wherever I am, so not an option for me. Calibration is another troublesome process for me....the software should do that for me!
i use garmin xt.
that way i have street maps for all european countries with routing and everything AND topographic maps.
For instance for Switzerland i've got a 1:250 000 topographic map with hiking paths and it even shows POI's like mountain shelters (for the offroad stuff) and loads of more common POI's like hotels or restaurants.
You can record tracks, but it's turned off by default.
Only thing you cant do is download maps, so you have to install them before going off
Also, what i really like is, if you have 2 maps of the same area installed, one topographic, one with streets and so on, the street-map is layed on top of the topographic one, so you have a map with great accuracy while still being able to calculate routes.
Overall it serves my needs pretty good (I live in a big city where it helps me find shops or other locations, but my parents live somewhere up in the mountains, so i go hiking quite often), only the interface needed some getting used to.
Also, the maps are quite expensive, and well, having to buy garmin Xt for the phone, MapSource for the pc (to transfer maps) and the maps themselves can add up to a lot
I'd love to see ViewRanger ported from S60 to WM - it's better than the WM solutions that I've seen so far.
Excuse me?!
Magicdead said:
i use garmin xt.
that way i have street maps for all european countries with routing and everything AND topographic maps.
For instance for Switzerland i've got a 1:250 000 topographic map with hiking paths and it even shows POI's like mountain shelters (for the offroad stuff) and loads of more common POI's like hotels or restaurants.
You can record tracks, but it's turned off by default.
Only thing you cant do is download maps, so you have to install them before going off
Also, what i really like is, if you have 2 maps of the same area installed, one topographic, one with streets and so on, the street-map is layed on top of the topographic one, so you have a map with great accuracy while still being able to calculate routes.
Overall it serves my needs pretty good (I live in a big city where it helps me find shops or other locations, but my parents live somewhere up in the mountains, so i go hiking quite often), only the interface needed some getting used to.
Also, the maps are quite expensive, and well, having to buy garmin Xt for the phone, MapSource for the pc (to transfer maps) and the maps themselves can add up to a lot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have always thought of Garmin as Car Navigation program, but this comes a a surprise (two applications in one!). Unfortunately, it does not allow for online map downloading...
My first thread. Hope it's not a report. Credit SD
Free turn-by-turn voice guided navigation for Windows 6.x phones, powered by Bing Maps, for owners with a Windows phones on Sprint, T-Mobile, or AT&T. Bing will calculate your route, and guide you as you drive. You can select the fastest or shortest route, choose to avoid traffic and/or tolls, get a map or a list of directions, and see arrows and hear alerts to know which way to turn next. The navigation feature is compatible with the phones below:
•HTC Fuze
•HTC Pure
•HTC HD2
•HTC Tilt 2
•HTC Touch Diamond 2
•HTC Touch HD
•HTC Touch Pro
•HTC Touch Pro 2
•Motorola Q9c
•Samsung Jack
•Samsung Omnia II
•Samsung Propel
•T-Mobile Dash 3G
How to install it (your phone should have data plan in order to use it):
1.On your phone, open your web browser and go to m.bing.com
2.Click on "Download Bing App" to download and install the app (or download directly fromhttp://mobile.search.live.com/client/download_manual.aspx to install manually)
3.After installing the app, go to Start menu and click on "Bing"
4.Select "Direction"
5.Enter addresses and select "Navigate"
This is an update to the previous Bing cab. It auto updates if you run the old one. Looks like a good update. Similar to Google Maps. Looks like a good update.
I was never really a user of Bing, until yesterday. I never really liked the interface and the usibility of MS apps, they tend to be very utilitarian and clunky. Sort of like 80% apps, they are almost good, but not quite.
That is until I tried this new version of Bing. I don't know about the rest of it, but the maps and the navigation is 100%. Sure its not TomTom or iGo, and you need a data connection (so no wandering the back roads of montana) but it is an excellent FREE altinative especially for city driving.
It loads fast, it looks good, it READS THE STREET NAMES, and it will get you there. So if you are off in an area you are not familliar with, and you are looking for an address, this program will certainly get you there.
You don't have to have nearly 1GB of SD card space taken by maps either. For the power traveler who is always on the go and always navigating, then this may not be for you. But for the other 90% of us, who have to go to Aunt Sally's house, and you have not been there in 20 years... this will do the job, and do it well.
It also pulls addresses from your contacts, it allows you to do voice search and then it will navigate you to the location of your choice. Also, traffic data is on by default (I think, but its there either way). The routing options are a little limited, but they include shortest, fastest, no tolls and account for traffic delays in calculating route (interesting option I have not had the chance to try).
i have the tmo tp2 with energy rom on it and i can't get it to work it is installed and the gps map works but nothing else does??? it says " sorry, we can't complete your search. please check your connection and try again." but i have 3g running and two to three signal bars. what the problem what wrong????
I have the same phone and am running the latest NRG ROM with Cookie (see signature). The update worked in my ROM as does the latest version of Bing... You might try updating to the same version I'm running or reflashing and reapplying the update...
If you want a good, free, turn by turn nav solution the pain of reflashing is worth it I think
nice, i will try this app, never used bing before...
I've played with the nav feature since it was released and... as much as its a great improvement and I will use it from time to time it's still not as good as the google maps navigator for android.... and still couldn't replace something like tomtom. These free programs are going to very soon make gps programs like tomtom pointless though...
I'm gonna have to disagree with you. It can and has replaced TomTom for me. I ran TT7 on my old Tilt for a long time. The bing search is much more powerful and better than TT. TT does some things well but Bing is more well rounded. Plus there's no way I'm shelling out the cash for TT maps when this is free. The voice guidance leaps it in front of WM Google Maps as well. It's probably only just gonna get better as well. It's pretty good right now though.
Aaron McCarthy said:
I've played with the nav feature since it was released and... as much as its a great improvement and I will use it from time to time it's still not as good as the google maps navigator for android.... and still couldn't replace something like tomtom. These free programs are going to very soon make gps programs like tomtom pointless though...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its not as good as hiring a local guide who can come and drive your car for you either. Ultimately that is not the point.
Android (and iPhone) may be good devices, but this program is for windows mobile, so it is only fair to compare it to windows mobile options. If you read my mini review I mentioned that it would be good for light around town navigating. For example, I was traveling a few weeks ago, and I was really craving something other than McDonalds to eat. I decide on Chipoltle, but since they are not as common as McD I needed to search for them. I first loaded google maps and did a search. Found one a few miles away. Due to the confusing roads, and the heavy traffic, I wanted voice navigation rather than just following a line on the screen. So I had to write the address down on a piece of paper, then loaded iGo and keyed the address in and let it guide me to my dinner.
This new version of Bing would have done that all in one step. With the additional possibility to direct you based on traffic volumes (I was in suburban Washington DC, that feature could have been HUGE for me).
Google's flagship software on their OS should be great, and if they had a equivalent program on the WM platform then it would be a fair comparison. Personally this integration of contacts, maps, and directions, along with real time traffic brings the mobile phone to a whole new level of effective. Now if they could work weather into the mix (like radar imagery over the map, all in the same program) it would be perfect. (I live in an area where it could be snowing very heavily 1 mile down the road, and you would never know it or predict it without checking the radar)
My main issue with it... the turn screen comes on over the entire map screen and shows the name of the street you are gonna turn on, and a big arrow indicating the type of turn. It does not seem like it goes away until after the turn. I for one would like the know that info then go back to the map so I can see the route in reference to the other roads around. It has a hide button on the left softkey, but that is kinda annoying to have to do on repeated turns.
edit: All I can say is that my wife's first smart phone, and this easy to use bing software just game me the need to buy a window mount for the phone in her car.
Used it today for the first time. I've been a long time Garmin user and I still like the UI better of garmin but bing gets rid of the lag. It was very accurate where as with garmin I have about a 1 second delay.
Wish garmin would release a newer version fixing the lag issue. overall though I was very impressed with the capability of the free bing app.
Aaron McCarthy said:
I've played with the nav feature since it was released and... as much as its a great improvement and I will use it from time to time it's still not as good as the google maps navigator for android.... and still couldn't replace something like tomtom. These free programs are going to very soon make gps programs like tomtom pointless though...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
boufa said:
Its not as good as hiring a local guide who can come and drive your car for you either. Ultimately that is not the point.
Android (and iPhone) may be good devices, but this program is for windows mobile, so it is only fair to compare it to windows mobile options.
This new version of Bing would have done that all in one step. With the
Google's flagship software on their OS should be great, and if they had a equivalent program on the WM platform then it would be a fair comparison. Personally this integration of contacts, maps, and directions, along with real time traffic brings the mobile phone to a whole new level of effective. Now if they could work weather into the mix (like radar imagery over the map, all in the same program) it would be perfect. (I live in an area where it could be snowing very heavily 1 mile down the road, and you would never know it or predict it without checking the radar).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd really say the only thing I like more about tomtom and other gps programs like it are the 3d views.... That's about it. The UI of tomtom I have always liked best but thats sort of something for each person to decide on their own. This only has a straight up google like map that has the turn directions pop up. Plain yes, handy, definatly... Crazy it took them this long to impliment something like that if you ask me
That said, I wasnt meaning to give a straight up comparision to something not even available for wm (google navigator) but google navigator IS coming to windows mobile and they said that it will more or less look identical accross all platforms (android, WM and Iphone OS) So... comparing them in the light that it will be here... well.... that I dont really think is stepping that far out of line.
For scooting around town for sure this can be a great tool. Especially the fact that you can speak your destination and have it navigate there. Something that tomtom has yet to impliment in there wm aps. Navigon does voice navigation, or at least used to when I used it on my phone years ago, but if I recall correctly you could only speak directions to names of people or places you yourself saved in so for sure points go to bing navigator for that feature. That's why I said aps like this are going to make the stand along gps programs like tomtom and garmin and the sort ancient history! As much of a step up this feature is it's only going to get better. As soon as they add in the 3d map view that tomtom, garmin, google navigator etc I'll be using the program every day!
Aaron McCarthy said:
I'd really say the only thing I like more about tomtom and other gps programs like it are the 3d views.... That's about it. The UI of tomtom I have always liked best but thats sort of something for each person to decide on their own. This only has a straight up google like map that has the turn directions pop up. Plain yes, handy, definatly... Crazy it took them this long to impliment something like that if you ask me
That said, I wasnt meaning to give a straight up comparision to something not even available for wm (google navigator) but google navigator IS coming to windows mobile and they said that it will more or less look identical accross all platforms (android, WM and Iphone OS) So... comparing them in the light that it will be here... well.... that I dont really think is stepping that far out of line.
For scooting around town for sure this can be a great tool. Especially the fact that you can speak your destination and have it navigate there. Something that tomtom has yet to impliment in there wm aps. Navigon does voice navigation, or at least used to when I used it on my phone years ago, but if I recall correctly you could only speak directions to names of people or places you yourself saved in so for sure points go to bing navigator for that feature. That's why I said aps like this are going to make the stand along gps programs like tomtom and garmin and the sort ancient history! As much of a step up this feature is it's only going to get better. As soon as they add in the 3d map view that tomtom, garmin, google navigator etc I'll be using the program every day!
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Click to collapse
Despite my snotty response, I would be thrilled to see Google Navigator come to the WM platform. I like the fact that Google and Microsoft are taking shots at each other in this "maps war" Ultimatly WE all win. If I am not navigating I like google maps. I keep it on and use it just for seeing where I am at the moment and to see traffic. I like the visual look of the google maps better and the road construction information is great too. But the navigating is a whole ton better on the new Bing.
I really want to like Waze. I really tuely do. I like the idea of driving down streets that I can see that no one else has gone down. I like adjusting my route to get one of the prize locations. However, the stability of the program is very poor. I get crashes once in every 2 or 3 uses.
From what I have seen Google Navigator takes the voice navigation and puts it onto the google maps, and for me that would be the perfect solution... IF it lives up to the promise.
Bing is a great step in the right direction. Sure there are features that are missing now BUT the improvement is a night and day difference. Can't wait to get other features (gas prices, etc). Also, an off-line mode would be amazing. Giving users the ability to download map information in advance for those rural trips (we are heading to North Idaho next month) would be a great option. 99% of the time I have a data connection but when I don't ... that's probably the time I need GPS the most
jrey said:
My first thread. Hope it's not a report. Credit SD
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Click to collapse
thanks for posting. people here are generally nice. no need to worry about sucking up to the douchebags at sd...