Database Develop

Delorme Street Atlas USA

Has anyone used Delorme Street Atlas USA with the Kaiser? It looks like a decent alternative to Tom Tom...

It is currently not compatiable with Kaiser and they are aware of the problem.
When you close the program or tell it to disconnect from GPS it locks up your device.
I can confirm this behavior as I spent the money to buy it. Wasable to convince Best Buy to accept it back. DeLorme offered to refund my purchase price in the event that Best Buy wouldn't allow the return.
Good company that has been doing maps for a long time, I hope they sort the problem out quickly.

I looked at it due to the price and thought that it would be a great buy, but the reviews on Amazon were less than steller. Several reviewers complained the maps were not up to date, but the big thing that sold me away from it was a mention elsewhere that "within the desktop application, you actually select and create a map for a specific circumstance." http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/articles.php?action=expand,56666&start=2
What if I'm already away from home and need to get directions? That won't for for me, sorry. I guess I'll shell out the big bucks for TomTom or similar.

They offer a 30 day mbg. I got my check yesterday. It's a nice program but doesn't play nice with the tilt. It was also missing a feature i like, directions by gps position. You always had to give it a start and end, with Tomtom or WLS you can just tell the program to start where you currently are.

agoyeneche said:
Has anyone used Delorme Street Atlas USA with the Kaiser? It looks like a decent alternative to Tom Tom...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is not, by any means, a decent alternative.
Its user interface is extremely clunky, and it is SLOW. POI Search and routing on-device is essentially useless in SA2006HH and all indications I have seen say that SA2008HH is no better. DeLorme couldn't even get it right with the PN-20.
That said - if you need topographic maps on a PDA, DeLorme is the way to go. I use TomTom for driving, and once SA2008HH gets fixed for the Kaiser I will be upgrading to 2008HH from 2006HH (which worked well with an external BT GPS on my Hermes.) for topo capability.

Here I am playing nice, searching and finding an old topic to resurrect instead of starting a new one...
I have an old (2002) version of Delorme Xmap for pocket PC.
I just loaded it up today on my tilt, I already had prepared maps for the Northwest USA so I added those.
The program started up, I changed the settings to look at port 4 and since I had started my GPS with GPSTest it found the device and located my position very quickly.
Here is the reason I am posting:
I see they have version 2009 out now and it looks pretty good.
However if it causes lockups on the Kaiser then I should not buy it.
Still - for $40 it seems you get a lot.
http://shop.delorme.com/OA_HTML/DELibeCCtdItemDetail.jsp?item=27867&section=10120

I have the 2005 version with both streets and topo maps, it ran just fine on my Hermes (AT&T 8525) with a bluetooth GPS receiver but would never run right on my Kaiser (AT&T TILT). Being an avid outsdoorsman I miss my topo maps but, have found an alturnative, freeware called TGPS, it takes a little more work to setup and install maps but it works great.

I have version 2009 -- it works perfectly fine on the kaiser

burtcom said:
I have version 2009 -- it works perfectly fine on the kaiser
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks Burtcom - just what I needed to hear.
Is it also fast? Or sluggish?

resonably fast -- except when you first zoom out to level 5 or higher. It can take a while to render the map at that level -- then its fast enough for the rest of the session.
It depends on how much info you've saved in the maps, though.
I tree to keep maps exported to the Kaiser about 1 to 2 MB in size, though I do have a 14MB map of much of the Western US, levels 5 to 9 or so, that has decent performance

Dead horse beating: Kaiser vs Visiontac GPS Tomtom review

I went through a few Windows Smartphones before getting my first PPC (a Motorola MPx) just over a year ago. I already had a Bluetooth GPS receiver: Visiontac VGPS 700 I was trying to use it with my Motorola A1200, with no luck. However, with the MPx, and Tomtom, I was able to navigate via GPS with my own GPS system as it were.
That setup quickly (within weeks) gave way to a Cingular 8525 paired to the Visiontac GPS and away I went. I travel a lot for work. From So Cal to (this past year) Mass (Boston), NYC, Kentucky, Ohio, Tenn, Utah, Arizona, NM, and so on. I've used the 8525 in all kinds of areas, from urban areas like San Francisco, NYC, Philly, LA, Cincinnati, Chicago, and so on to areas in the relative middle of nowhere such as the So Cal desert, some areas of Kentucky, PA, and TN I've been to the last year (way, way off the nearest road). Since I've had it, I've put probably driven 20,000-30,000 miles with the Visiontac and Tomtom on. I've got a decent idea of how quick it takes to get a lock when cold, how long to get a lock after getting off a plane in another portion of the country, and how many satellites it shows in Tomtom. I've checked it against hundreds of roadside speed warning signs, and used it to calibrate the speedometers of three Jeeps now.
Then, a last week, I get the ATT Tilt (aka 8925, aka Kaiser). I move my 6gb micro SD across to it, fire up Tomtom (which I've always run off the card- it makes it easier when flashing every other week.) and go. After getting the com port dialed in (COM 4) and the baud rate (started at 4800 like many on here said, now on 57500) I've noticed that the internal GPS of the Kaiser just doesn't compare with the Visiontac bluetooth unit.
I went to San Fran this weekend (from Riverside- about 380 miles) and drove around town up there all weekend using the new phone for directions. I put about 1100 miles on the vehicle, and the navigation on the Kaiser. After losing signal in some areas of the city and having to drive until it found a satellite again and recalculated a route, where I didn't remember losing it before on the old setup, and noting that instead of 5 bars shown for signal as on the Hermes, I see a fluxuating 3-5 bars on the Kaiser.
So, this morning on the way in to work, I fire up both units, side by side to see what the deal is. I was wondering if the Kaiser really was lacking where the Visiontac/Hermes setup didn't seem to be.
Sure enough, the Kaiser running Tomtom 6 shows 3-5 (most often 4) bars on open freeway where the Hermes shows 5 bars. In the GPS configuration settings on Tomtom I find what I believe to be the answer. The Visiontac GPS tracks 12 satellites, the Kaiser, tracks only 8 most of the time, occasionally will track 12.
If that wasn't enough to cause me to lose direction and location, the Visiontac GPS appears more sensitive. The way Tomtom shows how good the signal is, is by the height of a particular satellite's bar on a bar graph. If you were to divide the bar into 5ths, the Visiontac seems to constantly be a fifth higher (20% more sensitive) than the Kaiser's built in GPS.
As for battery usage, I get about 3.5 hours of navigation (along with a few phone calls using the Jawbone headset) with the Kaiser before I get the "charge battery to prevent data loss" warning. On the Hermes, I get about 5.5 hours, with the Visiontac GPS able to run to almost 8 hours before needing a recharge. I expected a loss in battery power, due to the unit also having to power the GPS chip. I'm not sure I expected 2 hours, but I'm not completely bummed over it. My GPS usage is largely in a vehicle, or inside, to find out how far something is, so I can plug it in if needed.
I have also noticed that Tomtom is faster to start on the Kaiser. It is faster to allow you to type in addresses to navigate to, or points of interest to look up, and it calculates the route quicker. Key press response in general are quicker than on the Hermes. I expected a little quicker, thanks to the added RAM, but not this much- they both have 400 mhz chipsets. Granted, it still isn't instant, but it is an improvement.
Phone Specs at time of test said:
Hermes:
Running Starbase64's 6 3.62 WWE/HTC Rom for Hermes
Stock Battery
Kaiser:
Running ATT as-delivered ROM 1.57.502.2 (08/25/07)
Stock Battery
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Overall:
I just wish there was a way to up the sensitivity and/or the number of satellites that the Kaiser's GPS tracked. Compared to the Visiontac VGPS 700, it just can't compete in urban environs or in heavily wooded areas. It looses signal too easily. And, while I haven't tried some of the larger bridges around here yet, I am left wondering how it will do under them. Aside from that, it is great to not have to carry around two items to navigate, I have no more bluetooth receiver falling off my dash when going around a corner, and if I have my phone, I can find a place for dinner, or find my way out of an unfamiliar area with 90 percent confidence. The Kaiser is quicker than the Hermes for navigation, and overall is accurate, however it does leave a little to be desired. Am I happy I went to the Kaiser? Absolutely. Am I going to be selling my Hermes and Visiontac? (the original plan) Probably not for a while.
Hopefully this helps any who are later to the game than I am and/or still sitting on the fence trying to decide whether or not to jump in.

Would adding the external antenna help, for the areas whre it is a pain?
I don't know what it looks like or how painful that would be, but it may be an option.

I'm not completely happy with the GPS performance of my Tytn2. I had a MDA Vario (pre-pre-decessor of the Tytn2) and an external Adapt-700 bt unit. That one worked brilliantly. Even inside a Renault (with the coated windows) it worked flawless. Alway perfect reception. It's different with my Tytn2. In the morning, it takes some time to get a fix. I was used to 10-15 seconds before a fix was there. Now it is sometimes 1 minute.
But...I've notices something. The QuickGPS program makes it work a lot better. I knew that it should improve the performance, but the program is a bit misleading. It says that once you retrieved the data, it's valid for six days. So...you'd be in the clear for the rest of the week so to say. But I noticed that when you do a 'refresh' in the morning (every day), it works much, much better. I can even get a fix where it wouldn't before.
So, my tip would be to run the QuickGPS every day, or every time before a drive.

Over2land
Another question. How well is TomTom performing for you 'quality of mapwise'? I've read a few posts complaining about how old the maps are for Nagigator 6, and especially for the U.S. Also comments about 'no rumored upgrade' for Navigator 6.
I just purchased it, so I got it for whatever it's worth. But just curious about what you are seeing.

ewingr said:
Over2land
Another question. How well is TomTom performing for you 'quality of mapwise'? I've read a few posts complaining about how old the maps are for Nagigator 6, and especially for the U.S. Also comments about 'no rumored upgrade' for Navigator 6.
I just purchased it, so I got it for whatever it's worth. But just curious about what you are seeing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Missed the first question, sorry.
I have no idea if an external wired GPS antenna would help it. I would hazard to say it couldn't hurt. However, with the Hermes, there was evidence put forth that the external antenna (for the radio/GSM) fried the output circuits or some such, rendering it useless as a phone. I'd be worried about that happening here. Also, I've got like 5 vehicles on the road right now I rotate through, or try to rotate through, and a hard-mounted wired antenna wouldn't work for me.
In San Fran, there are issues with Tomtom not knowing where and when I can or can't turn a certain direction which really annoyed me. In So Cal, there are certain areas (understandable with the housing boom) that it just doesn't have on the maps. Areas that are 3 or 4 years old still aren't there. I've also noticed the same thing in NJ, intersections don't exist in the maps and so forth. I guess really there is something I've noted everywhere I've gone. Tomtom always gets me there, often with less fan trouble than if I was one my own, I find it more accurate than Mapquest also.
They really do need map updating.
And, they really need to look at updating quickest routes. Half the time in my local area, I don't follow Tomtom's freeway suggestions due to congestion, which is persistent congestion that should be noted. Areas like the 15/91 interchange, the 10 between the 5 and 405, the 10 where it drops south to hit the 60, and so on.
Then again, I've not used any other map/ turn by turn software so I have nothing to compare it against either.

ewingr said:
Would adding the external antenna help, for the areas whre it is a pain?
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Click to collapse
I still have an external GPS antenna in my car. I didn't have time to hook it up yet, but I'll check if it makes a difference. With my previous GPS receiver, which I kept in my glove compartiment (hence the antenna), it worked well. Not that it was really needed, but I just wanted optimal reception.

This is a great post. I am trying to buy a used kaiser now so I don't need a extra gps receiver. Seems I need to consider it again.

What ROM are you using on your Kaiser? There have been great differences in GPS performance between ROMs. From general advice AGPS should be disabled too for best performance.
Personally I'm very happy with mine, I'm working a lot with different GPS modules, and the performance is as good as the best ones I have. Sat count might be a bit lower (which gives fewer bars in TomTom), but the performance is really similar.
As already noted, an external antenna could help. The typical GPS antenna you'll find in a stand-alone module is a 25x25x4mm ceramic block weighing 30gr, no need to say that it's impossible to fit such a thing in a phone, so obviously the integrated antennas in those are a lot less sensitive.
Of course our uses are different and if you always use the combo in your car it doesn't matter much if you have 2 separate devices. I tend to rather use it walking, running, biking, flying so in lots of different places and with a separate receiver I would of course not have it with me most of the times I'd have needed it. Having the integrated one is great for me, even if there's a little tradeoff in performance.

I am using Romeos 4.2 and have never had a problem with my gps on mt TYTNII. I get a fix indoors which I cannot do with my Garmin Rino no external antenna required.

Recommended Satnav (GPS) program?

Hey, I just upgraded to the official sprint rom and hate their satellite nav program, but anyway, I wanted to know if anyone has any recommended software for use with the phone, my friend recommends Garmin XT but I can't find for sure if it even works with the Mogul. Thanks in advance.

Lilinka said:
Hey, I just upgraded to the official sprint rom and hate their satellite nav program, but anyway, I wanted to know if anyone has any recommended software for use with the phone, my friend recommends Garmin XT but I can't find for sure if it even works with the Mogul. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Garmin XT works perfectly with the mogul. i have it on mines, you dont even need to use the GPS Launcher. it detects it automatically. i also have tomtom 6 navigator on mines as well. it works well too, but you have to use a gps launcher with that one.

A GPS launcher? Forgive the newbishness, but whassat?

Lilinka said:
A GPS launcher? Forgive the newbishness, but whassat?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some GPS programs dont detect the mogul's internal Gps, so the Gps launcher, activates gps as well as the program at the same time.
http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=17072
this is where i read up on it. However the Garmin XT Mobile doesnt require the launcher in order to use the mogul internal gps.

RikoNaz said:
Garmin XT works perfectly with the mogul. i have it on mines, you dont even need to use the GPS Launcher. it detects it automatically. i also have tomtom 6 navigator on mines as well. it works well too, but you have to use a gps launcher with that one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you comment on whether or not Garmin XT has text-to-speech for street names? During my limited experience with TomTom (on a friend's phone), I noticed that TomTom didn't have this feature (or it wasn't turned on by default). Does Garmin XT announce street names?
Thanks.

NO, it does not have this feature or none that I can see. But it does work great, I think I like tom tom for some of the other features like advanced routing and I think the maps tom tom are more accurate. For example I get a lock at my house and it says that I am at 1057 and should be 1017.
But for the most part is works great.

Here is another vote for Garmin XT...
It does not read out the street names but I have found that I don't really need stephen hawkings telling me what the name of the street is as long as it is telling me when to make the turn! LOL
The Garmin also does a better job on streets with two names which is common in rural areas...
I live on a street that is a county road AND a state highway...
In Tom Tom I had to use the county road to enter in addresses but with Garmin it would take either street name and still find it.
There are a few nav proggies that do read names out to you but I don't think any of them have the other features and huge POI database of Garmin or Tom Tom.
I have both of those installed (8GB SD Card) and I have to say I never use the Tom Tom just the Garmin!

Quick question
Asphyx said:
Here is another vote for Garmin XT...
It does not read out the street names but I have found that I don't really need stephen hawkings telling me what the name of the street is as long as it is telling me when to make the turn! LOL
The Garmin also does a better job on streets with two names which is common in rural areas...
I live on a street that is a county road AND a state highway...
In Tom Tom I had to use the county road to enter in addresses but with Garmin it would take either street name and still find it.
There are a few nav proggies that do read names out to you but I don't think any of them have the other features and huge POI database of Garmin or Tom Tom.
I have both of those installed (8GB SD Card) and I have to say I never use the Tom Tom just the Garmin!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
Please bare with me as I am very new to this.
I got my new Mogul last week and I do have unlimited internet and text msg on my plan. Is that sufficient to get me going with GPS? Or will I be billed for using GPS on my Mogul(Sprint)? Pls let me know as I am very much interested in using GPS.
Thx in adv.

pakka008 said:
Is that sufficient to get me going with GPS? Or will I be billed for using GPS on my Mogul(Sprint)? Pls let me know as I am very much interested in using GPS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You really don't need either to use GPS unless you are going to use google maps or ms live. Then you would need internet connection.
Garmin, IGO, Tom Tom and others use the gps receiver in the phone that uses the sats in the sky without the need for monthly fees. So if you only wanted to use the phone and gps (no internet or sms) then you would not need a data plan or sms plan.

pakka008 said:
Hi,
Please bare with me as I am very new to this.
I got my new Mogul last week and I do have unlimited internet and text msg on my plan. Is that sufficient to get me going with GPS? Or will I be billed for using GPS on my Mogul(Sprint)? Pls let me know as I am very much interested in using GPS.
Thx in adv.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have unlimited Data package then you can use pretty much any GPS program you want. No extra charges at all! They don't charge for the use of the GPS and you only need the data connection if you use a program that downloads maps on the fly. (Google or MS). I personally don't like that because if I happen to get to an area where the data service isn't available you won't get a map until you get back into a data service area.
A program like Garmin and Tom Tom will also use data connections if you have them but that is only to download updated traffic data. Both Garmin and TT store the maps on the device. If you have a large SD card (like my 8GB) you can store the entire North America map with all the POI data which takes up about 2GB (a little less) of space. IF you don't have a lot of storage space you will have to download a partial map that covers the area your going to be driving in. May seem like a pain but it makes the operation a lot better to have the maps local and always available.
IF you have good storage space and unlimited Data, then your pretty much set. Make your choice based on the features of the program.
If you want to get a feel for each go to your local electronics store and try out the standalone TomTom and Garmin units. They pretty much run the same software (similar) to what you'll get on the PPC.
Google and MS are free so you can easily try them too if you want.
I personally love my Garmin. I bought the GPS10 and it works great. But don't buy the SD card versions...Get the CD which will allow you to install on the PC any SD card instead. Then you can install to any size SD card you want with plenty of room for other things as well!

Do you guys know of any problems with the install on a Titan 6800? garmin xt

ok i want this is it free or it cost money but if its free where can i download it

bpratt - Absolutely no issues installing GXT on a 6800 but it does require at least a 2GB+ memory card to store the maps and program. With GTX you don't actually install it onto the device it really installs into the memory card. When you put the memory card into the device it then adds the bits it needs to the device and runs. In fact you can use that card in any WM device that Accepts SD memory and it will install and work as long as that device has GPS capability.
Get the CD version of it though. More flexible installation options.
Authentisketch -No Garmin isn't free. At least not legally free. I got it with the Garmin Bluetooth GPS10 unit for $119 on Ebay.

i've been running google maps on mine. It has a tracking option (gps) and it's pretty good. Pretty scary actually. To be honest, not only did it find where i live easy enough, the address, BUT ALSO THE FREAKING APARTMENT UNIT! That last bit bothers me so much. I've never been a "ohhhh tin foil time" but that, how does it know what unit i live in???
google maps for mobile FTW
http://www.google.com/mobile/gmm/stp-js.html

I used Iguidance 3.0 w/ google maps today. It's a darn good combination
if you dont' have a lot of storage space. for my area, VA/DC/MD
program and maps only take up 79 megabytes on my 2 gb storage card.
this setup means i dont' have to store PIO i can look up the latest with google maps,
and copy the address over into iguidance.
The only thing is, when it reads directions, it pauses between words.
in..200..yards...turn... left I hope there is a mod to fix that...
the iguidance cab file is only like 13k.

TomTom discontinuing Navigator ?

Through conversations with a few folks I've learned that TomTom is apparently contemplating ceasing any further development on any products for PDA's. They are apparently no longer supporting Nav6 nor will they provide any further map/poi updates for Nav6. They had apparently begun development of Nav7/8 but have suspended that project until a go/no decision is made.
This decision is apparently being driven primarily by significant bootlegging of maps (their primary source of income with Nav software).
I have gotten this info second-hand, but believe it is reliable. Has anyone else heard anything along these lines?

Interesting...
I had to call them to help me activate my maps on my fourth replacement tilt. In the course of conversation, I asked about new maps. And the answer was there were new maps but not for navigator 6....they were developing navigator 7 and were in the process of determining "viability." When I asked if that meant they were thinking of discontinuing it, he backpedaled and said they just want to make sure that everything works with such a wide variety of devices to support - palm, symbian, windows mobile.
With what you heard, it sounds like it could be a possibilty. Shame. It's a good program...

I agree, it's an excellent program and I get a lot of good use out of it, I hope they continue to upgrade and improve it. The ONLY thing I don't like about TomTom Navigator 6 is that it doesn't have Text to Speech, it would be nice to hear "turn right on Yuba Street then turn right on California Street" instead of just "Turn right then turn right".

freddiemac1 said:
Interesting...
I had to call them to help me activate my maps on my fourth replacement tilt. In the course of conversation, I asked about new maps. And the answer was there were new maps but not for navigator 6....they were developing navigator 7 and were in the process of determining "viability." When I asked if that meant they were thinking of discontinuing it, he backpedaled and said they just want to make sure that everything works with such a wide variety of devices to support - palm, symbian, windows mobile.
With what you heard, it sounds like it could be a possibilty. Shame. It's a good program...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They released new maps this past week for the Nav6 as well as all their other products.
Until you see this on their web site it is just someone's rumor.
http://www.tomtom.com/products/maps/?Lid=4
Bill

Do you know if those truly are new maps? After installing TT on my Kais and downloading the free map for my metro area 5 days ago I've found a large number of outdated things including 1 year old streets not in TT and POI's 1 to 4 years out of date. I'd think that they'd want the map they give you for a trial to get you to purchase from them would be the most up to date.

Can anyone tell what the exact version is of the new maps? From what I can read about them is that they are version 6.75 but they done give the build number. I already have version 6.75.1409. Just wanting to know if they really are newer maps.

So use Google Maps.....
It doesn't have text to speech either but it is FREE! and I suspect the real reason TomTom are no longer going to support the PDA version. Very powerful - search for "KFC" and it will find all the nearest with clickable links to websites, phone numbers, driving directions from current position, from an input address from a contact etc. Everything you could want when you need to top up on Kentucky Fried Chipmunks.....or whatever you need to find.
Of course as it is "live" and downloads maps on the fly you better have an unlimited data plan. But it is cool driving along in Satellite View!
HINT - the CAB is not seperately downloadable. You have to download it direct to your PDA - last time I did it was about 1.5Mb. Though once you have the CAB in memory you can back it up to your PC.

These are not new maps - they are the same as what i downloaded several weeks ago.
This has also been confirmed at the following site
http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=400322#400322
"TomTom have today announced the availability of the v.7.20 maps from the Map Shop as well as the v.8.05 maps for the GOx30 users.
All existing map versions that were previously available from the shop have now been replaced with the new v.720 maps for all PND’s except the GOx30 series. GOx30 owners can now buy new map version v.8.05. Anyone contemplating a map purchase is advised that the maps are device dependent and therefore it is important that you select the exact device model you own to ensure you receive the correct map.
The 7.20 and 8.05 maps are based on TeleAtlas 2008.01 data.
The 6.75 maps will remain available in the Map Shop for NAVIGATOR 6 users and Automotive units (Eclipse, Daihatsu, Toyota) Note: Rider and Rider 2 users can now buy the new v.720 maps (premium maps) from the map shop."

graemesmith said:
It doesn't have text to speech either but it is FREE! and I suspect the real reason TomTom are no longer going to support the PDA version. Very powerful - search for "KFC" and it will find all the nearest with clickable links to websites, phone numbers, driving directions from current position, from an input address from a contact etc. Everything you could want when you need to top up on Kentucky Fried Chipmunks.....or whatever you need to find.
Of course as it is "live" and downloads maps on the fly you better have an unlimited data plan. But it is cool driving along in Satellite View!
HINT - the CAB is not seperately downloadable. You have to download it direct to your PDA - last time I did it was about 1.5Mb. Though once you have the CAB in memory you can back it up to your PC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The one big disadvantage of google maps is that it DOES require that live connection. If you are in a poor reception - or no reception area - it is hard to get those directions. For me, i would rather have it sitting on my device and just be dependent on the satellites....instead of BOTH satellite and cell tower.

I don't think the have stoped developing v7 because the new HTC Daimond comes with v7 intergrated in the rom. This can be found in several artical on XDA.

There is much to like about google maps. As you mentioned, they are constantly updated, fairly accurate, have tons of useful info, allow you to click on POI's for info, to call POI, or link to POI website.
Unfortunately it doesn't have turn-by-turn capabilities (at least that I've ever seen) or allow you to keep maps on your device (besides costly when roaming, I seem to always find areas without cell service). It doesn't determine your direction of travel with an arrow, only shows a dot. These are the biggies. Some of the route planning and other things that TT or Garmin have are also useful but missing from Goog. Google's love of learning anything and everything about people for their own profit is also a bit disconcerting. Them knowing where I've been, where I am, and where I'm going is perhaps too much.
Telenav only works in the US, Garmin is coming out with their own phone to avoid the pirated maps/revenue issue...

Darren Griffin from PocketGPS forum has written the following statement
"In Amsterdam last week I quizzed TomTom on this and whilst their future plans for PocketPC were vague, they did suggest that piracy had been major issue and 'if' any future releases were planned they would most likely only be in partnership with manufacturers. "
www.pocketgpsworld.com
Article is on the home page discussed under "HTC Launch O2 XDA Diamond in Germany with TomTom v7"

Google
Google does not offer voice guidance or turn-by-turn maps. However, Google does offer a traffic overlay which is free (TomTom charges) and does not require updates.
Oddly, it seems to take TomTom about 10 minutes or so to get a GPS lock. Google (with GPS turned on) seems to take less than a minute. I have never understood that

jwbrint said:
Can anyone tell what the exact version is of the new maps? From what I can read about them is that they are version 6.75 but they done give the build number. I already have version 6.75.1409. Just wanting to know if they really are newer maps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I called and the 1409 is the latest version of the map.
Tech support indicates that they have no plans to discontinue the Nav6.
Bill

jdmba said:
Oddly, it seems to take TomTom about 10 minutes or so to get a GPS lock. Google (with GPS turned on) seems to take less than a minute. I have never understood that
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Click to collapse
Mine (Kaiser w/ TT) almost always gets GPS lock within about 30 seconds of starting the TT app. This is in US including MN, CA, NY, and GA.

GGW69 said:
Mine (Kaiser w/ TT) almost always gets GPS lock within about 30 seconds of starting the TT app. This is in US including MN, CA, NY, and GA.
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Yep, same here, TomTom has a lock and is showing my location in at most 60s when I turn it on while driving. If I'm sitting still, it's less than that.
The Tilt does not seem to have much luck getting a signal when shielded from the sky, however.. Even sitting in a restaurant near a window I've found it completely unable to get a signal but it locked on in <15s when outside. I always mount my Tilt on my 'grip' mount on my dashboard so it has a reasonable view of the sky.

khaytsus said:
Yep, same here, TomTom has a lock and is showing my location in at most 60s when I turn it on while driving. If I'm sitting still, it's less than that.
The Tilt does not seem to have much luck getting a signal when shielded from the sky, however.. Even sitting in a restaurant near a window I've found it completely unable to get a signal but it locked on in <15s when outside. I always mount my Tilt on my 'grip' mount on my dashboard so it has a reasonable view of the sky.
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Do you have aGPS enabled? That will enable you to get a lock even inside of buildings, or anywhere that has little or no view of the sky.

I hope they do move to navigator 7 at some point as I like the idea of things like map share that are avaliable on the go 720 tomtom models.

Looks like there will be TomTom 7 for Procket PC.
There is a news item on MoDaCo website.
http://www.modaco.com/content/pocket-pc-professional-news/268462/tomtom-7-coming-to-pocket-pc-soon/

i get a quick lock on tomtom, but poor refresh updates from the GPS chip, so its laggy as.
TOMTOM also dont support the kaiser, TYTN II, or the OEM Branded ones, so getting support is a pain (even though my bloody phone came with tomtom on a CD!)
My GPS Reception jumps all over the place too. very unreliable.

is kaiser's gps suitable for road trips?

thinking about utilizing my kaiser's gps for road trip, i figure i'd ask for advice before jumped in buying gps software (since i don't have a guarantee to be able to load google map at all times). let me hear it if you've done road trips using kaiser as your main gps device & how reliable is it - of course it'll run on car's power plug - does it get overheat or have any issue receiving call when gps software is active etc?
thanks in advance guys.

I use AT&T's Telenav and have made trips with the Tilt running for up to 5-6 hours at a stretch, no problems. I just have it in a Brodit car mount, use a car charger and use my Jabra BT8040 for the street names and voice directions when I need it. Since Telenav is using a data connection, it drops out if a call comes in on an EDGE connection. Keeps going fine if in a 3G area though.

i use kaiser with garmin and adria route maps and everything works fine. no overheating, no problem with calls. you just have to make sure to get the right maps for your needs (up to date, covering your area of interests...)

gps
i use my tilt as my only GPS, and with the tomtom6 software loaded onto it, its taken me hundreds of miles all over the US with no issues. I recommend using this and not buying another GPS, especially since the tomtom software makes it identical to any other tomtom device

It's nice to have google maps, windows live installed to use when you can, but it's hard to beat something like TomTom or iGo8 if you want to splurge..
Definitely recommend getting a car mount (that you can swivel!) and a car charger and your battery gets chewed up QUICK when using GPS...
Enjoy!
-RT

i used it at a last min, with google maps on a trip, of course having gps and edge on at the same time kills the battery, but having it charge in car was fine it worked well, just wish i could have faster then edge connection with us tmo

Tomtom Navigator worked reliably under my TyTN IIs original WM 6.0 firmware (allbeit a little like watching a slideshow at times) but now under HTCs latest 6.1 release, GPS performance is very erratic and it takes ages to get a fix in most cases. HTC needs to come up with a fix to this issue so I suggest you steer clear of the HTC WM 6.1 update until it's been resolved.

It's perfectly suitable for this kind of use.
Don't forget about car charger, I've bought mine off eBay for silly price

Yep, I'll throw in my $.02 too. Great for road navigation, sucks for much else. It's off by 15-20 feet at all times, jumps around randomly, and altitude is always WAY off, but none of that matters with road nav software as they "snap to road".
There *is* the occational time I'll have TomTom suddenly think I'm on a nearby road, like if two are closely parallelling each other (say, interstate and small road beside it) and once or twice I've had it think I'm on a cross street I'm approaching, but rarely is it more than you might see it blip over to the wrong street, start recalculating, then jump back.

reliable
here is my 2 cents having just used it on a 1500 mile week-long roadtrip a week ago. simply, it was as awesome as it can get. i had tomtom 6 with the latest US-Canada map on my 2GB microSD.
before setting sail, i saved all the addresses i wanted to go to as FAVs, and just went off, no problems getting a signal, and the signal was accurate enough for driving.
when i needed to look for a POI that TomTom didn't have, I would just start Google Maps for Mobile and find it. I was also running Mologogo to allow family to know where I was. GPS photos where also nice to have.
as others pointed out, a windshield mount and a car charger are musts.
the only problem I had (couldn't explain, but didn't cause enough problems to research) was that it would heat up really good (of course being exposed to direct sun light helped) that it would start flashing red while being charged, and i had to stop charging to get it back to flashing green. I then found that brining it next to the AC actually helped in keeping it charging.

ya ill 2nd that it does get really hot while using gps and internet while trying to charge it... but i only used it for short times 20-30min and when you have a super long road u dont need it, i dont use it to tell me every direction i was a copilot
i think most gps sucks at accurate position or even giving live directions, thats why i dont use it in such a way, only to see the map and were I am in relation to the directions.

I think the GPS is very accurate. With Google Maps, if I stand at the end of my driveway and zoom into the sat view of my home, it's got me pegged to within a meter or so, easily (even clearly indicating which side of the driveway I'm on, and it's only about 13m wide at that point). And, as soon as I start walking, "my location" starts moving along too.

I use it with Garmin Mobile XT (GMXT) software for road navigation and it works quite well. Must have a car charget as it drains battery a lot. GPS is sometimes slow to lock (even with QuickGPS data), so you can't expect to turn it on and be navigating within 30 seconds everytime. Other than it is perfect - only one device to carry. Good maps, voice directions etc...

My suggestion is to get a entry level Garmin or Tomtom automotive gps cost less than $130 and is designed to be used for extended period of time repeatedly and have maps of entire North America.
In my opinion phones are not designed to be running for so many hours constantly, some inner parts might be aging (pcb boards becomes dark and burned looking) without you knowing it. Especially in the hotter areas where the dashboard temperature could reach 160 degrees easily since it's constantly exposed to the sun. GPS on the phone works as a backup when you are far from your car in a totally strange place. Automotive GPS are designed to be used in such harsh conditions.
Also consider the network coverage of the phones if you are using one of the free services, as when you are out of the internet service, you can't get any map update...... So in the long run an entry level GPS w/maps saves you more money, since they cost about same as a piece of software for your phone that probably does not get updated as often as each company's regular automotive GPS products.
So what I am trying to say is:
Save your delicate Tilt/TyTN II, and get a GPS! You can find discontinued Garmin GPS products on eBay for heck cheap, for example the Garmin C320 that my girlfriend still uses since I bought it years ago, and gave to her when I upgraded to C580, goes for around $60-70 and it's one of the best GPS I've used.

just went to georgia and back with garmin mobile xt + 2009 maps installed, no problems at all.

I have tried it on long journeys using tomtom, route66, garminxt and miomaps.
Works fine using any of this s/w. I found the new Diamond ROMs slowed tomtomt down when getting a satellite fix. It took at least 10 minutes at the best of times. I have gone back to one of Duttys 6.1 ROMS and it is all working fine again.

I use GPS tuner V5.0 for GPS, you can create your own maps, waypoints etc. No tomtom in this part of the world, but Mapking works good too.
Be sure to have a charger nearby though...

Thank you guys for the advice
It's awesome to hear from your experiences in a way that gives me an idea how much should I expect from my Kaiser, well I guess I'll try to use it only when I need directions the most (i.e. within cities) as opposed to "continue on highway XYZ for 80 miles, drive straight ahead, straight ahead, 79 more miles c'mon you can do it, ...."
and thank you guys also to be kind enough providing some info for the GPS software, I'm entirely grateful

If you're taking a long trips over 1 hour DO NOT USE GOOGLE MAPS!!! even if you have a car charger. Google maps requires a constant data connection to update its maps on top of keeping the screen on and powering the internal GPS receiver. The drain is more than the car charger can handle. The phone will get hot with in 30 minutes of google maps usage. If you dont have a car charger Google Maps will kill your fully charged standard battery less than 4 hours if you're on EDGE, less than 3 hours if you're on 3G. Stay away from Google Maps for long trips. The only time I use Google Maps on a long trip is to check for traffic.
A dedicated GPS navigation software like TomTom, iGuidance, Destinator, Garmin mobile work best for long trips. The drain is minimal. The car charger will handle TomTom, iGuidance or Destinator for hours and hours without any problem. The phone doesnt get as hot plus it actually charges the phone. As for its actual useage and practicality, TomTom software is just as good as the dedicated TomTom. The interface is the same. High end TomTom may have more options but that's about it. It gets you from point A to point B. It may not take you on a route that you like but it'll get you there. It automatically reroutes and recalculates if you miss a turn. Like any other GPS device, if you need to change destination or search for POI hand it to the passanger and let them do it.

I'd say you need a better car charger. I use AT&T Nav, which also uses a constant data connection for maps and real time traffic updates. When I've used mine for whole days of constant use (ferrying people around D.C. and greater area one weekend for a work function), my car charger managed to keep it fully charged the whole time (and I made/received quite a few calls and emails those days too, plus did a fair bit of web surfing).
Sure, the back got a little warm, but honestly, I feel the device is not harmed by it - in fact, I'd argue it's designed for such use. just like people who use wifi for long periods or who get tons of push mail daily and so forth. Heck, mine gets pretty warm just using wifi when updating my RSS and podcast feeds every day. Does it have thermal overload protection anyway? I would not be surprised if it did.
The screen LEDs are not likely going to burn out from constant use in the lifetime of the device (which for even the most infrequent user won't be more then several or so years). You figure an LED should be good for at least, say 50,000 hours (?) which is over 10 years if on for 12hrs every single day.
The heat may kill the battery a bit sooner then later, but after one year or two at most of 24/7 use (I never turn my phone off), the battery will be shot anyway.
I say just use the thing - what's the point of such a device if you cannot use it for the things it is supposedly intended for? Anyhow, that's how I use mine, and it's doing just fine.