Develop Bugs

Recommendation for GPS?

I am a pedestrian, so usually I am a little closer to buildings than is optimal for most GPS receivers. I also have very different needs as a person who doesn't drive in terms of GPS software. Telling me to get on to C-470 for two miles, for example, isn't really very helpful at all.
However telling me what's within an eighth or a quarter mile of my current position would be extremely useful.
Given these somewhat unique conditions (an American without a car!? :shock, does anyone have a good recommendation? I'll be using this on my Wizard, but I'm posting in the more general accessories forum because I'm pretty sure nothing about what I am asking has much to do with my Wizard per se.
I wonder if I could do a little bit of tweaking to get a little serial Bluetooth thing working with my old Magellan SporTrak here. It's a bit bulky, but it tracks three sats inside my apartment, which is quite a feat. That's probably a project suited more for one of the xda-devs hard hat zones.
Thoughts on any of the above welcome! Can't say I've ever played with GPS on a PDA before. Just a bit using my Magellan as a standalone device.

Well, if you're going to be close to or inside buildings you'll want a solution based on the Sirf III chipset, as it has superior performance with weak signals. Sirf III units include the Globalsat BT-338 and the Holux GPSlim 236 -- they're basically identical, but the Globalsat has a larger battery so it'll last longer on a charge.
For software, I'd recommend Route 66 Navigate 7; it has the most recent maps and has a pedestrian mode. www.buygpsnow.com and www.semsons.com are probably the two best US outlets for buying these items -- they both offer bundles that can save you a few bucks.

Is Route66 really much better than eg TomTom? As I said, I have thus far only played with my Magellan. I used a free tool to load some map data on to it and have pretty much just used the device as-is so far. I guess TomTom just has better marketting with those ridiculous commercials, but I have no idea how the packages compare. The pedestrian mode is a big deal--I guess the other question yet to be answered is how nicely does it play with Mobile Speak Pocket, since I usually can't read most fonts on any device you'd be willing to hold up to your ear without it.
The reason I bought a Wizard is because, while it is reasonable to use as a PDA, it is not unreasonable to use also as a phone. Using it also as a GPS would be awesome (though I guess I won't be wardri--er, warwalking?--with it based on some of the comments I've read on WiFi bugs..)

TomTom can also do pedestrian routes.
The TomTom product is waaaay better than those ridiculous commercials would suggest.

Car
What is the best out there for someone who is just going to be in a car. I just got a mda and was looking at getting bluetooth gps. I was not quite sure which is the best around, I had looked at tomtom 5.

For drivers, TomTom and Route 66 both look very nice. Turns out though my best bet is probably Wayfinder, just in terms of likelyhood of getting something that I can use. I'm going to hold off on that purchase for awhile until I hear that it actually is working well for people with MSP.
I think I like Route 66 better if I could actually use it.

TomTom 6 is coming soon in October so you'll probably want to hold off if you are considering TomTom.
I personally use and like iGuidance V3 a lot ~
GPS receiver wise I think any SiRF III unit is good.

I go walking a lot in Derbyshire where I live, and use Memory Map. Don't know about the US, but here I use the Ordnance Survey maps which are detailed to 1:25,000 scale fantastic for walking with.
I hook my MDA compact up to a Copilot bluetooth GPS unit, which is also used for Tomtom 6 when I am driving.
Between the two programs I can get myself to any postcode or national grid reference in the UK

Navigon trial and network connection

Hi
Just downloaded the navigon 30 day trial and I noticed it requires network access to run. I`m going away in a few weeks time to Italy so dont want to use any network data. Any ideas if the full version requires network connection too?
thanks

I was under the impression that it only needs network access to download the maps to your SD card.
Regards,
Dave

Nope, if you disable all network connections it doesnt run, complaining of no network. Once it finds a network then it comes up with the screen to upgrade,trial,etc

Does it work with just WiFi or does it need cellular data connection?
Maybe trial version needs network to decide how long it has been installed.
Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk

paulruk said:
Hi
Just downloaded the navigon 30 day trial and I noticed it requires network access to run. I`m going away in a few weeks time to Italy so dont want to use any network data. Any ideas if the full version requires network connection too?
thanks
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As a user of the full version I can confirm that it is only the trial version that requires a network connection. The full version doesn't.

martuk said:
Does it work with just WiFi or does it need cellular data connection?
Maybe trial version needs network to decide how long it has been installed.
Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk
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Yes, the trial does work with a WiFi connection. As you surmise it is to check that you have not gone beyond the 30 day limit, and also to give you the options to upgrade to the full version.

I'd be interested to know if this is any good? Dont even wanna attempt the trial if it was as bad as the iphone version?

ok thanks for clearing that up, have to test it out before going away and then purchase if its any good.
What was so bad about the iphone version btw?

It sucked, I had virtually all the main gps navigation aids on my 3gs, and I used then with the tom tom gps cradle (enhancer). The problem with nearly all of them was rerouting. This was my main gripe. Lets say you take a wrong turn, by mistake. This is easy with navigon as I found its graphics were the worst in as much as road names were tiny and the colors were pooh. Navigon and copilot would somehow assume that you know where your going and recalculate a completely different route. Now if that means a 20 mile additional journey, who cares. It showed you a way, you didn't take it, so have this 20 mile detour! And you would be none the wiser. Tom tom would get you to do a uturn at the first available point, if it was still the quickest route and straight away you know you've gone wrong.Its routes were generally poor regardless of setting. As were the rest to be fair. But tom tom was the best, followed I believe by sygic, copilot had a great ui, probably the best in fact, but it often failed to find signal, the same as navigon. And that was with the enhanced gps. Copilot took over a month to reply to my email. What i really like about the desire maps is the road in front is accurate, the severity of bends is correct, a little laggy, but the maps are spot on. I didn't see this on navigon, they straighten the roads out, some more than others to save space which can add to confusion as to where you are. Navigon I also found laggy, roughly the same as google navigation.

Dunbad said:
It sucked, I had virtually all the main gps navigation aids on my 3gs, and I used then with the tom tom gps cradle (enhancer). The problem with nearly all of them was rerouting. This was my main gripe. Lets say you take a wrong turn, by mistake. This is easy with navigon as I found its graphics were the worst in as much as road names were tiny and the colors were pooh. Navigon and copilot would somehow assume that you know where your going and recalculate a completely different route. Now if that means a 20 mile additional journey, who cares. It showed you a way, you didn't take it, so have this 20 mile detour! And you would be none the wiser. Tom tom would get you to do a uturn at the first available point, if it was still the quickest route and straight away you know you've gone wrong.Its routes were generally poor regardless of setting. As were the rest to be fair. But tom tom was the best, followed I believe by sygic, copilot had a great ui, probably the best in fact, but it often failed to find signal, the same as navigon. And that was with the enhanced gps. Copilot took over a month to reply to my email. What i really like about the desire maps is the road in front is accurate, the severity of bends is correct, a little laggy, but the maps are spot on. I didn't see this on navigon, they straighten the roads out, some more than others to save space which can add to confusion as to where you are. Navigon I also found laggy, roughly the same as google navigation.
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Thanks. Just tried Navigon today and yeah its a fast but hideous looking interface. Is it me or is there no way of removing all the POI info. It seems really lacking in settings, it also didnt re-route very quickly.
I`ve tried co-pilot, and I liked its features but like you say can take you on some wild detours. Instead of using motorways that were quicker but longer it would try and use A roads that were shorter, but slower. Even adjusting the settings to say not too, it just ignored it. So you really had to check your route before leaving.
I`d like to try sygic but there doesnt seem to be a trial, and at £50 / 59euros i`d rather not have to buy it and find out its not what I want.
I really wish tomtom would bring out an android app.

Yeah X2 on the tom tom. It wasnt great, but it was the best by some way. I could rely on it anyway. If I was you and had co pilot, id stick with it. try navigon and see what you think. It maybe better on android. Near in mind though, when you buy, those roads might straighten out! Would not surprise me! if you dont wanna buy a standalone, copilot once the route is checked with a map,??? and you've gone through the ball ache that is entering the destination on co pilot or navigon, then your good to go. It really is nice to follow. (providing come the day of the races it loads! Lastly, the tome it takes to recalculate the route, I thought was reasonable on all of them. But its HOW it re routes thats vital. And most get it wrong! That all said things might be different on android. As for me, im not even bothering till tom tom comes out.

Well after using Navigon trial for a while at both home and abroad I have decided to purchase , having tried all the other navigation software. Its slightly lacking in features compared to co pilot but what it does do well is navigation. Its fast, good display, accurate and comprehensive speech and the poi`s are pretty good. Probably used it for 300 miles without a hitch.
Thanks for the help

[Q] Blackstone Navigation

Up-to-Speed: I recently obtained a T8282 thinking it was a T8285, I live in the USA and expected to use this on the AT&T Network. I do not have or wish to have a Data Plan, so this might be a blessing.
Now the issue, I want Navigation. I am replacing a Touch Cruise which I was using TomTom 6 on, I was quite pleased with it. Now I have attempted to load it on the HD only to find what many others here have - no luck. There were success stories but I am not one of them - just in case others are reading, my version of TomTom 6 was 6.01. I see that the Touch HD is compatible with TomTom 7, but TomTom lists no usa maps on their site for the States. In contradiction to that there are reports of people using TomTom 7 USA Maps out there. While I prefer staying with TomTom (6 or 7) I would need more information pertaining to the Touch HD. I would also prefer not to have to start and/or stop other programs to get it running (ie changing resolution, which I see here and there). In addition to TomTom 7 being compatible Copilot Live V8 is also a contender. Copilot is less money and has Maps available, but reviews have the maps lacking - but those reviews are dated.
How have others dealt with "Non-Data Plan" Navigation out there? Like I said keeping it simple. Short Lags I can deal with, and not viewing Panoramic Shots, are some of the issues I read about, I can live with that. Not having POIs is less desirable and even less, not reflecting driving on the right road (all of what I have read in these forums. It would seem that if I lived in Europe I'd be better off, but here I am in the ole' USA. Any help/advice would be appreciated - and yes, I have searched for this data but most of it is old, and some is contradictive.

I use iGo 8, very good navigation software imo.

I have seen IGO8 out there, along with Ndrive, Navigon Mobile Navigator 7, Copilot Live V8, TomTom 7, and Garmin Mobile XT all outhere repotedly working on the Blackstone (maybe a few others too). While all of these have been reported to work on the Blackstone, all have negative sides as well (Maps, Lags, inoperative features, etc..). In my case, living in the USA, seems to weed a few of those out (Europe seems to be the center of the Navigation world). I actually attempted to purchase the Copilot product, the download price was hard to resist - but my ISP (Comcast) kept disconnecting before the complete file could be downloaded (it is a huge file), they were quite prompt in refunding the money (a HUGE plus for them!). I will probably go back and buy the Disc if nothing pans out here changing my mind.
What I need is actual feed-back from fellow North Americans (preferably USA) on these (or other) products being used.
Thanks for the feed back. I see that you are in Belgium though, you feed back is good for the product as far as features (a plus for IGO8), but I also need Map feed back.

Up to now I've testet TomTom, IGo, Ndrive, Navigon, Sygic McGuider and Route 66.
In my opinion the most promising software was Ndrive. It is fast, graphics are fluent, there'S just a little map lag and it's cheap

Thaks for the heads up!
Any USA/Canade users of NDrive out there that can vallidate the Map Quality?

Oh, by the way - I see you are from Germany. I just picked my mother-in-law up from the Airport, she was in Munich with family. She came over in the 60's after marrying an US Airforce member, after having experienced the War. Her father was actually in Hitler's SS. Pretty cool.

GPS Voice Navigation

You should check this new app released yesterday. Uses Bing maps, Google maps and MapQuest.

metric supported?

Peew971 said:
You should check this new app released yesterday. Uses Bing maps, Google maps and MapQuest.
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Looks good.
http://www.wp7connect.com/2011/06/03/gps-voice-navigation-new-wp7-app-for-gps-navigation/
dxdy said:
metric supported?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From the pics I'd say yes (check Settings -> Map).

So what is MS's equivalent to Google Navigation?

Peew971 said:
You should check this new app released yesterday. Uses Bing maps, Google maps and MapQuest.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the tip Peew971.
I tried it, unfortunately it does not work in France. Not at all.
Whatever the provider it says "Unable to find the route".
On the contrary Turn-By-Turn Navigation by GPS Tuner works great. Fantastic
But I would be glad if GPS Navigation worked because it uses Google Maps, whereas Turn-By-Turn Navigation uses exclusively the terrible Bing Map.

6 pounds it's qouite expensive.
I tried at least 3 navigations in Poland and none of them was working.

I emailed navigon about having ther ofline system on wp7. I used it when I had the iPhone. Loved it as I do a bit of travelong with work and it kept everything together in one place. Got a rely saying they are testing a version. Will post the email tomorrow when i am at the pc.
Sent from my 7 Mozart T8698 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App

I tested both T-B-T and GPS Voice today. Unfortunately, neither of them are really close to perfect.
Some of the UI elements of GPS Voice are much nicer (such as the larger, clearer turn icons, and the way it retains the previous route on the map as a ghosted image if it needs to reroute), but it did a very poor job of actually routing me, opting for slow residential streets instead of faster, wider roads, even when neither option represented a longer or shorter distance. Also, it seemed to get VERY confused at at least one intersection. I was stopped, waiting to make a turn, and it kept alternating between "turn right now" and "go straight for 1 miles" for the entire time I was waiting (about 2 minutes). It was very annoying. And I am not sure why, but it did not display or speak any partial mile instructions. Everything below 1 mile was directed in feet, such as "turn right in two thousand, six hundred and forty feet", instead of what I would expect, which would be more like "turn right in one half mile".
I'm sure it will improve over time, but right now GPS Voice is not a real choice for me.
T-B-T, while its UI isn't as flashy, did a better job of navigating, although it did miss some obvious chances to find shorter routes than the one it chose. And I'm not sure (I need to do some more tests), but it seemed to eat up my battery like candy. Part of that may be due to me leaving the screen on more than I needed to, but it may also be polling the GPS more than it needs to. On the other hand, it worked flawlessly under the lock screen (unlike GPS Voice), and the timing of its turns was always spot on.
I might purchase T-B-T, if for no other reason than to encourage future development and enhancement.
Neither of these apps can hold a candle to AT&T Navigator right now (POI destinations, 3D view, spoken street names, flawless route planning in the 3 years that I've used it, etc), but then I suppose that is to be expected, considering its $10/month cost. Whether they will catch up only time will tell.

installed it today, crashed my mozart terribly. it turned itself off and i couldn't turn it back on, not until removing the battery

re: Turn By Turn
I've purchased it and have been testing it each drive... Works well and have jumped onto their support page and requested the ability to rename favourites (5 George St to Mum's Place) and they replied within a day to tell me this feature is in their wishlist and will be implemented in an update...
/me = suitably impressed

I gather the lack of a reply means there's simply is no Google Nav equivalent for WP7? *walks to VZW store to exchange this heap for an Android device*

Bing Navigation is coming this Fall with Mango.
Sent from my Omnia 7 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App

Better late than never my reply from Navigon
Thank you for your e-mail.
Regarding your inquiry, for the moment our MobileNavigation software for Windows Phone 7 is in a testing period for certain customers such as Telekom SIM users. However, we can not confirm if this software will be released for other customers also.
We advise that you subscribe to our newsletter on our website to receive the latest information once they will be made available in this matter.
We hope to have been helpful with the information above and we are at your entire disposal for further assistance.
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RoboDad said:
I tested both T-B-T and GPS Voice today. ...
... And I'm not sure (I need to do some more tests), but it seemed to eat up my battery like candy. Part of that may be due to me leaving the screen on more than I needed to, but it may also be polling the GPS more than it needs to. ...
.
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Automotive style GPS apps are not built to save batteries. They assume you are plugged into your car's DC power outlet.
I have been using Turn By Turn, and so far like it. May buy it, but seems silly when Bing Navigation will appear in 4ish months.

Titus_Andronicus said:
Automotive style GPS apps are not built to save batteries. They assume you are plugged into your car's DC power outlet.
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OK, first, I'm not an idiot. I know how GPS navigation apps are designed to work. On a long trip, using a car charger would be an obvious necessity. But it should NOT be a necessity for a cross-town round trip.
And second, my comment was based on comparing the behavior of T-B-T to AT&T Navigator on the same phone. I have used Navigator for trips lasting well over an hour, without using the car charger, with no unusual battery drain. T-B-T, on the other hand, appeared to eat between 10-15% in a 15 minute trip. Again, I need to confirm this, and it may be that some of the drain came from having the display on for the first half of the trip, but it still seemed excessive, even for a GPS app.

Titus_Andronicus said:
Automotive style GPS apps are not built to save batteries. They assume you are plugged into your car's DC power outlet.
I have been using Turn By Turn, and so far like it. May buy it, but seems silly when Bing Navigation will appear in 4ish months.
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I felt the same way, about waiting for Bing maps with navigation, but I think spending $5 for months of turn by turn navigation is a pretty good deal. If Bing navigation is better I won't feel like I wasted money, but if Turn by Turn is continually improved I may just keep using it instead.

Tomtom?

Is there Tomtom navigation software for android that would install to the SGS2?
Also I haven't really tried out the built in google navigation properly yet, but does it do as good a job as tomtom and does it come with traffic camera alerts?
Thanks.

No Tom \Tom never used navigation i dont get lost .
You need to try answer is probably not as good as Tom Tom but free .
jje

Tomtom will release an android version in the future but the date is not known yet.
pocketgpsworld.com/We-Meet-TomToms-MD-Corinne-Vigreux-Before-Break-Free-Event-8910.php

Navigation is very basic, but since it's free you have to expect that. Saying that, it is very good. I've used 4 or 5 different satnav apps over the years (always on mobiles - never dedicated) and I judge them on how well they take me through central London, as it's a bit of a tightly-packed maze if you don't know where you're going. Google Navigation has done that for me many times without fail, so I use it and trust it.
There are downsides, however. It needs a data connection to plan the route. I've read that it doesn't need it again after that, but I'm not convinced. If it doesn't need data then why does it tell me it's lost data connection when I go through a tunnel? Also, I recently had to find my own way around a closed road because Navigation doesn't give you the common option to avoid a part of the calculated route. That was not fun!
Sygic Aura seems to be getting quite a lot of attention, and you get a 25% off code when you purchase it. XDA, being what it is, has a thread where people are posting their codes...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=859223&highlight=sygic+aura
You get 25% off, and then post your code so that the next person gets 25% off. This is sometimes a great community
Hope this helps mate

Thanks guys.
johncmolyneux, I'll give it a try, though I'm not sure what that data connection is about. I did a quick test from in my house the other night and input a route to my mum's house and it came up with the route directions and voice instructions. I've got the old tomtom navigator 6 and navigator 7 with traffic camera alerts on my touch diamond. I think what I'll do is get hold of any old sim card just so I can use that phone as my sat nav, at least, if I find I'm not happy with google nav. And thanks for the link about Sygic Aura!

copilot is very good! works fantastic on sgs2, very cheap to buy as well, a must buy for an alternative for tom tom

vimto25 said:
copilot is very good! works fantastic on sgs2, very cheap to buy as well, a must buy for an alternative for tom tom
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Yeah, I'd be interested to know which is better out of copilot and sygic aura for reliable navigation and traffic cameras.

tomtom is in development for android