Related
I have been using dutty's rom with cube for the tilt and maybe I just don't get it by why is anyone putting it on their kaiser?
Don't get me wrong, I can see the point of it on the touch but why with the kaiser?
Yes, it is kinda cool to show it off to other people but it is such a waste to use. For example, slide finger over and over till you find the internet button and hit that OR just one quick hit for the internet button on the front of the phone.
Use the same cube moves to get to contacts or just one quick click on the front of the htc rom.
Using the cube is MUCH more time consuming then just using the phone as it was meant to be. Is everyone just so caught up with the "wow factor" of the touch cube or am I missing something?
Wow factor... It's rather retarded IMO
I agree with argo. At some point you still have to whip out the stylus to input information, doesn't matter if you used the cube to get you to contacts or if you used the hardware key to get to contacts. I've installed some of the finger friendly add-ons (not the cube) and it helps with simple taks, but if I'm opening an app, I usually still do it from the stylus. Old habits die hard...
yup, eye candy.
Mostly Eye Candy...
..but also for me, it's an attempt to have a fully functional device with one hand/one finger---without any need for the stylus.
With THE CUBE, FTOUCHFLO, Home Plugin, FFF, OtO, TekSoft FingerTouch and a few others, I don't remember the last time I actually had to whip out the stylus...
...oh WAIT! It was earlier today!!!
Oh well!!
TEC
I am using Touch-Commander simply to multiply the number of contacts I can speed-dial while driving without scrolling down an endless list. I also like the fact that I can SMS my faves as well as call them from their icon.
I was playing with the HTC Photo Album, but it is just not as efficient at finding the pics you want as is the Resco app.
Of all of the "touchy-feely" apps that have come along recently, FFF is, IMHO the one really fantastic one.
dgduris said:
Of all of the "touchy-feely" apps that have come along recently, FFF is, IMHO the one really fantastic one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also agree that the Cube, and the obsession around it, is kinda overkill. Functionally, I don't see the sube as an advancement. Yes, the other parts of TouchFLO are valuable to me, and the recent creations to make the phone more finger-friendly otherwise like FFF are also useful to me. But the cube? I could do without.
I almost think the general obsession with the cube became more of a Mt Everest type of "we have to climb that mountain" quest more than anything else. Yes, its eye candy, but to be honest, its not even that great of eye candy. The iPhone "eye candy-wise" has it topped by far, and believe me, I'm not an Apple fanboy in any way shape or form. So, congrats to those who were able to scale the mountain. I envy your skill and your determination. Really, I do.
As for the recent programs that I like and think are functionally great, and to be honest minimize to very large degree the need for me to use my stylus are:
- FFF (easily the greatest, little, free, simple programs ever IMO)
- HTC Home
- S2U2 (much better at locking and yes its pretty also )
- PCM Keyboard (not the contacts prog, but the keyboard)
- Opera Mini 4
- Google Maps and Live Search
- PocketPlayer 3.5
Just my 2 cents. Honestly, since I installed these apps, I go days without even touching my stylus...Only when I do something non-routine, would I need to do so.
i think it would serve alot more purpose if we were able to customize it, maybe we can, but i know i have no idea how to. half the apps in it i never use. bout all i use it for is for the fav. people side. just a quick flick of the finger and i can free up some space on home screen
I seldom used the cube...on my old device, herald p4350
But I cooked roms, and ofcourse the cube was something ppl would say "wow" to, and then tell me how impressed they are..blahblah.
Some ppl drive stick, some automatic.....a matter of taste I guess.
Well, I think the cube is a cool invention, but the consept has a long road ahead before I will implement it again in my own rom.
But im sure HTC has a plan, and im sure they have many cool apps waiting, or in development that will make our devices more and more independent of the stylus.
HTC is spitting out cool devices faster then my granpa changed underwear....And im pretty sure all the new future features will be quite available for us all as they come.
I heard a rumor they are developing a touch type calendar, operated "similar" to htc album and some part the random access, but dont ask how that will operate, cant picture it exactly, but im sure its fun
Another rumor I heard is that htc are making a new innovative web browser, witch can operate over wifi/bluetooth against activesync/mobile center, zooming like htc album, flicking your finger left-right gestures to move forward and back..there was something about support for streaming many types of fileformats directly in the browser...
But...its just rumors I heard, I have not seen any proof of this anywhere...
Hoping someone has heard similar rumors????
And this is the one thing I like about the iPhone. Is I think it was sort of a wake up call for software developers to think of new programs and new ways to interact with existing functionality. So I thank them for spawning alot of disucssion and ideas about how to make a convergence device better and more practical/usable!
Now, if we can just get HTC to implement a screen as nice and sensitive as the one on that other thing...
I installed the cube successfully and gave it up twice. The main reason is that when I touch a small fav photo on the dialer of the HTC Home pluggin, the call goes out immediately to the ONE phone (mobile or home or whatever) of the person that I have assigned it to. With the cube, it just goes to the contact, and then I have to press the specific phone of the two or three assigned to the contact to make the call. Overall (one stroke to turn on the cube, another to get to the fav icons of the dialer, another to get to the right phone choice) it takes three keystrokes to make a call versus just one in the HTC Home plugin. Cube is nice, but not convenient.
cube
well I think everyone is correct it is eye candy it is mt everest and can be (or is now less effective) the cube is kinda a waste of memory ill agree. but the kaiser has only been out for 10-11 weeks that's it. the cube now is trying to catch up to what the elf is. with the elf the cube and the on screen keyboard is very effective. I've played with it. right now the elfs cube is a touch snapier (probaly because of the bugs still in there). but lets take that contacts situation from before htc home is 2 moves and 3 on the cube now. but what if u edited the registry so it dials mr jones mobile instead of mr jones subscreen (its been done already look in the elf thread). then u set the cube to always launch the contacts page (not done yet but the cube gods are discussing it). when the cubes final it will probaly behave better and quicker. so half a swipe up and the cubes launched and u land your finger on your contact. now your action took one quick fluent movement and it looks cool. not only that the original htc cube is three faces not too exciting but what if they make it a real cube with 6 sides. along with some original apps as previously discussed we might be very close to being without a stylus
In my opinion, the cube has some advantages. For example somtimes I wanna write my girlfiend an SMS, somtimes I want to call her, so for me the Contact Menu ist no disadvantage. Another example is, that the move with my thumb to open the cube is much more easier, than klick the smaller icons on the home screen. And the Cube opens on the Side it was closed. So in my case, I only need one thumb move to get to my contacts.
The Cube is 2008. No cube is oldsk00l
Now but I just like the design of it. I personaly only use the first screen and sometimes the contact screen. But IE, Comm, E-mail etc I never use cause i have keys that open those things.
Hmmmm....I do find it weird that there are people complaining about the cube on the Tytn II simply because last time I checked...it didn't ship with the cube
If you don't like, you don't have to go through the hassle of putting it on your device. Simple as that. Some people like it for the "wow" factor...good for them. Sometimes when you pay a lot of money for something, you may want to show of a bit (I know I do lol)
Personally, I use Dutty's rom with built in cube and I use the cube quite a lot for media such as my photo's (as it directs me to HTC Album which I like a lot), Video (which directs me to TCMP player) and my Music (Audio manager)
Anything that makes you feel good about owning something, even if it's purely aesthetic, can't be a bad thing.
Which is why I'll never get an i-Phone. I played with my mates one the other day and although its very seductive, its too limited fot me and I quickly got bored.
Personalisation is the key!
kireol said:
yup, eye candy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, I still don't have a Tytn II, I have a HTC Touch, I never use the cube, I only show it to people.
its all 4 show..
cube off = the way to roll.
Yeah, I stay away from roms with the cube
I like the cube!!
Is interesting to see the comments, because I actually like the cube for a few reasons...
But before that a little side comment. The cube (at the moment) is still probably aesthetics over functionality but you have to wonder if this is such a bad thing...look at the iphone - the ultimate example of style over true substance. It had my wife's total attention for 20 minutes in the O2 shop the other day - something my PPC had never done. Now that might be a comment on my wife but the sales figures would suggest otherwise
I'm using slither's cube and what it has done for me is allowed me to clean up my today screen of all those icons I used just enough to want to have close but not every 5 minutes.
The end result is my whole device runs faster for a few thumbswipes worth of effort.
As the cube develops it will get better and functionality and aesthetics will improve because you can bet the iphone wont stand still and we musn't either because I CANT STAND APPLE and the tripe they pour out.
Rant over. I'll get my coat now
Whats the best software you can buy for the pocket pc especially for the fuze / touch pro / diamond.
Freeware is awesome there is a ton of cool stuff out there but unfortunately not many people talk about the things you have to pay for.
Any advice? Price is not an issue, quality is the importance. I am more interested in things that take advantage of the built in gsensor and light sensor but in general I am just wondering what you spend your money on as far as PPC applications go to spruce up your phone.
FlexMail, BeeLineGPS, WMWifiRouter, AEButton Plus, abcTaskMan.
Very good thread to start btw.
I like pretty much everything that has come out of SPB Softwarehouse.
I am very impressed with PocketArtist. Oh and how could we forget CorePlayer?
Coreplayer is very good. Also a lot of people talk about Tom Tom (GPS Software) One of the few programs where you can store the maps on your storage card instead of downloading while you go.
thumbs up for thumbcal! i recommend it...
Thanks for the recommendations I might add one or two of my own:
TomTom 7 is a great program
iGO8 is fantastic with a very sleak GUI
Resco Bubbles is a good game that takes advantage of the g-sensor.
Wifirouter for those times I need to uhm.. Not Tether to my Notebook?
Coreplayer is one of the best fully released media players for PPC.
phoneAlarm - it controls how the phone behaves (profiles), gives you a weather panel, quick launcher, photo dialer and more (top half of screen shot) - all finger friendly
SBSH Pocket Breeze and Pocket weather - because they fit well together (see the bottom half of the screen shot below) - again - finger friendly
Core Player
Pocket Informant - use it as my agenda and contacts application
TouchPal keyboard
List Pro
eWallet
I have always used Pocket Informant
They always update and support their product
Is it safe to assume that some of these programs you all are listing here don't work with the TF3D interface? Or will they work with TF3D?
Since that's basically the point of having the Diamond or the TP/Fuze, etc., then I wouldn't want to give up TF3D. lol
mark72501 said:
Is it safe to assume that some of these programs you all are listing here don't work with the TF3D interface? Or will they work with TF3D?
Since that's basically the point of having the Diamond or the TP/Fuze, etc., then I wouldn't want to give up TF3D. lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
PI can incorporate with the calendar from the home tab to replace the built in calendar,
mark72501 said:
Is it safe to assume that some of these programs you all are listing here don't work with the TF3D interface? Or will they work with TF3D?
Since that's basically the point of having the Diamond or the TP/Fuze, etc., then I wouldn't want to give up TF3D. lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use secondtoday, TF3D on one today screen and whatever you want on the other.
http://www.chi-tai.info/cs_wm_tools_im_cs.htm
software that I've paid for and use on a regular basis -
Pocketshield
spb mobile shell
slingplayer mobile
kinomi play
resco media suite
aebutton plus
tomtom
spb backup
flexwallet
I like memmaid/sktools, tomtom 7, slingbox, and or anything spb. All worth the $ in my opinion.
dschoenike
BabyMonitor
I'm using the trail version for burglar alarm, and it rocks!
http://www.babymonitor-mobile.com/index.htm
BabyMonitor for Windows Mobile is a software, which allows you to use your smartphone like a burglar alarm. This way, you’ll receive a call if there is a noise in the guarded object.
BabyMonitor comes with noise suppression technology, that can ignore environmental sounds and focuses on the defined noises . This software also silences the phone’s ringer, in order to avoid detecting the smartphone when you get a phone call. Once sound are made, the handset will call a preset number.
Key features of BabyMonitor burglar alarm
1.
Mobility, cheapness, reliability
2.
Unlimited radius of action
3.
Radio noise insensibility
Example
When we leave home for holidays we usually feel nervous about abandoned property. Just place your smartphone in the car or house and if unwanted sounds are detected the handset will call a preset number and you’ll be able to hear what is happening in the guarded object. Remember to turn on power supply to your smartphone when you leave home for a long time.
Sounds interesting but my phone NEVER leaves my side.
Anyone else have a list of programs that you've purchased and rely on to get through your day that have good synergy with the Fuze/Touch Pro. Keep 'em coming it's good to know what programs are good to buy.
b
My list...
WMWiFiRouter...best money ever spent on PPC software
SOTI Pocket Controller...I tried MyMobiler, but this just seems to work better. When in my office, it's nice to be able to access my phone right from my PC
Salling Clicker...kind of a remote control of my laptop from my Fuze...works great when presenting a PowerPoint as I can use my Fuze to step through slides...
SPB Offerings...with the Fuze, I'm using SPB Imageer, Insight (RSSHub is comparable but needs link to download images for offline viewing), Backup and Time (like the snooze on the alarm)...some are better suited for non-TF3D, so considering SecondToday as I miss the standard Mobile screen sometimes...Weather, SPBPocketPlus, etc...all their stuff seems great.
acbTaskManager, SKTools...for diagnostics/troubleshooting, just in case
My best are SKTools, Pocket Breeze & SPB Backup...
Greetz
Boris
xhypnotik said:
BabyMonitor
I'm using the trail version for burglar alarm, and it rocks!
http://www.babymonitor-mobile.com/index.htm
BabyMonitor for Windows Mobile is a software, which allows you to use your smartphone like a burglar alarm. This way, you’ll receive a call if there is a noise in the guarded object.
BabyMonitor comes with noise suppression technology, that can ignore environmental sounds and focuses on the defined noises . This software also silences the phone’s ringer, in order to avoid detecting the smartphone when you get a phone call. Once sound are made, the handset will call a preset number.
Key features of BabyMonitor burglar alarm
1.
Mobility, cheapness, reliability
2.
Unlimited radius of action
3.
Radio noise insensibility
Example
When we leave home for holidays we usually feel nervous about abandoned property. Just place your smartphone in the car or house and if unwanted sounds are detected the handset will call a preset number and you’ll be able to hear what is happening in the guarded object. Remember to turn on power supply to your smartphone when you leave home for a long time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what??? sounds like a good idea, but i don't want my baby to be exposed to harmful radio waves at such a young age. but using it as a housealarm is a good idea, but who wants to leave their phone at home... maybe a spare set i suppose...
Could you guys give brief descriptions of the apps and if possible, links to a reputable seller? Thanks!
Hello. I have been searching the internet, without any luck though of finding the programs i want.
First, i want a program, like ShopSavvy is for the Android, where i can use it on my touch pro to scan barcodes of products and find the best price.
Second, i am wondering if there is a way to have Google Street View on the touch pro. I have already seen KDKobes Google Maps Street View 2.3.1, from our forum. I was wondering though if there is an "official" or "fully working" program, as in KDJobes program unfortunately, location-data support and GPS integration aren’t working with this version of Google Maps.
Third, i want a program, like I-phone has, for Drinks (bartender?), same cool skins and graphics environment maybe?
Fourth, again like I-phone has a program where you record a song on the phone and then it goes through the internet and finds you possible matches.
Please, bare with me, as i a m new and maybe i didn't have enough luck or "easiness" finding these type of programs i want. Yes maybe i saw some "looking like them but weren't afterwards the programs i wanted, cause their functionality wasn't after all what i was searching for and was mislead by their Title Name.
So if you please know any "freeware/ or have to buy" programs that are exaclty as the one's i have described please feel free to post and tell me.
Thank you very much in advance,
Chris
let's see
1. barcode readers:
i-nigma barcode reader
QuickMark 3.3
Aura - but donno if this still works.....
2. Street view is officially supported by the latest Google Maps
http://www.google.com/mobile/default/maps.html
3. didn't heard of such a program for wm
4. i know a program it's called Music ID
hope that helps try to search harder next time
search diamond beer for a drink app that turns your phone into a glass of alcohol , if you mean a bartender then just do more searching also the site Fuzemobility.com is now your best friend go there all the time look at everything there . if you still haven changed ROMS on your phone i suggest you go get NRG's new winmo6.5 build 3.0 ROM . it has alot of improvements over the stock ROM , anymore questions just ask me
Is there an app that uses the GPS to track how much you've cycled and your speed etc? I think such apps exist for the iPhone but I'm looking for something for windows mobile.
gotta love fuzemobility lol
slick69 said:
Is there an app that uses the GPS to track how much you've cycled and your speed etc? I think such apps exist for the iPhone but I'm looking for something for windows mobile.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
theres an app called track my run floating somewhere between here and fuzemobility.com
Just giving you a heads up don't go looking for everything that the Iphone has for your phone. Most of the time it will not be there. on to you questions
Shop savvy is a great program. Our closest thing is "Barcoroma"
Google street view. I use google maps from NRG'z Rom and I can get street view on it.
Drinks IDK your on you own for this one
Song recognition. Well try out Music ID works great for me.
Repository
Where does everyone go to get there the PPC software?
I go to http://www.pocketpcfreewares.com/en/index.php, although its not complete list and new releaase of an application can take a couple of days to make it to thier site. I find the site easy to navigate and search. The catagories and rating system help for filtering.
about the drink mix
i suggest watching this topic http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=496880&highlight=drinks
perhaps something will be done.
Hello all,
I recently started a course here at Purdue University on Mobile Software development (Windows Mobile).
I need some ideas for programs I should write. Please reply to this thread or PM me if you'd like.
I have experience with C#, VB, C++, and C, among other languages.
Thanks
Jason Flittner
how about a dedicated xda forum app?
How about a sports ticker. I'm still surprised there isn't one yet.
BTW, I think I saw a xda app when I was poking around the other night.
I'm trying to think of ideas but my minds drawing a blank...
Here's the XDApp
Gonna expose my nerdiness here, but you asked...
How about an app that accesses the D&D Insider online compendium of rules and data? Not sure what would be involved, but I'm betting that there's no API available, so it'll probably never happen.
OTOH, it would be nice to see a really high quality dice-rolling app that takes full advantage of the g-sensor and the hardware accelerated graphics...something that looks like dice inside a tumbler, you know? Maybe start with a really slick Yahtzee-style game, and build up to polyhedral dice for us game-geeks?
I'd be happy to provide you with some guidelines for building. I'm sure we could find you a suitably good graphics guy, too, if you're not up to that part (I could do that, in a pinch).
I want my phone to do this:
But until then, I would like to see an ap like Skype, but for mobile that will easily switch you from cellular network to VOIP.
I have two ideas:
#1 - I don't know if this is even possible, but an application that turns on WIFI and/or Bluetooth in a receive only mode briefly every few seconds and listens for user selected devices in range and then performs user selected actions.
The idea is that the it would use less power than leaving WIFI and/or Bluetooth on all the time, but when I get in range of my wifi router at home, it turn WIFI fully on and sync my phone. Or when I'm in range of the WiFi at work, it could turn my ringer to vibrate. Or when I get into the car, it detect my Bluetooth stero, connects to it, and opens the music player.
#2 - Probably simpler than #1, a program that turns WiFi and/or Bluetooth on automatically when the phone is plugged into a charger and then performs specific user defined actions, similar to idea #1.
I don't know if programs like this already exist, but I haven't found them.
Dylan
I like these ideas, please keep them coming. I am not sure what the requirements will be as far as our programming projects are concerned but from what I understand I have alot of freedom in project choices!
I am in another robotics programming class working with the iRobot Creates and I was thinking it would be really sweet to program something that could allow the 2 to interact in some way/shape/form!
I am also very excited about GPS technology I wouldn't mind programming something that would utilize the GPS or triangulation!
Thanks for the contributions all, please keep them coming!
~JFlitt
With all that programing skill you could create some pretty neat apps.
Ive always liked the windows desktop interface.
How about a windows xp-like launcher?
Complete with movable desktop icons, windows, etc.
I am aware that wisbar advance desktop allows you to do this, but alot of those skins are a hassle, and they are not very complete. Plus they dont exactly take advantage of any 3d graphic drivers..
But anyways back to the point, with a windows xp desktop like interface it would be easier to use the phone.
I would not have to stretch my thumb all the way to the top left of the phone.
Oh and you could possibly utilize the touch pros capacitive touch panel for controlling the mouse.
You could also get google android working with more functionality. I am aware that there is work being done on it, but someone with so much programing knowledge could really speed up the project.(Im android crazy)
Or, if all that is too much to complete in limited time, then how about an application that will allow multi touch using the touch panel?
And also, resistive touch screens are supposedly multi touch capable.
I hope i gave you enough ideas.
Good luck.
madfatter said:
how about a dedicated xda forum app?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ye s a facebook like app
But would love to see a app recreate the zoombar
on my tp
VOIP
Hi,
I have an idea and it is possible.
how about having an app on your phone to configure your SIP provider settings in it ( 5 different proxy ) and then when you want to dial a number, you can right click on it and chose " voip dial ".
Skype already gives you a the menu for skype calls when u right click on your contact .
if you can add a menu to TF3D settings->communication->VOIP and we can add 5 different proxy in it and we can activate more than one proxy at the same time in order to RECEIVE AND DIAL voip calls from our phone it would be awesome since microsoft is not allowing this kind of apps on marketplace .
Tnx
Thunder
a good "made for raphael" nes or snes emulator would be great since all the other ones out there are out dated and seem to work grat on old phones but are horribly laggy on the touch pro...wierd... the only good one ive found is a jap build of nester (nesterj4u) built for an hp phone or pda im not sure but the keyboard slides out to the right so landscape mode is upside down when i want to use the keyboard >_<
a good streaming media app thats a bit easyer to use than the one that comes with the phone would be great with some tv links on it like surfthechannel or tvdome would be great.
a youporn app to copliment the youtube app would be awsome
hmmm a good compass that simply points north (true or magnetic) with degrees would be awsome for when i drop mine on the roof trying to point my sat.
a simple freeware level would also be awsome since ive only found trialware levels so far
an hourglass would be a fun pointless app for when i get bored of pouring digital beer.
a goofy clip art picture editor could be fun just to mess with. maybe with some fish eye lens and carnival mirror opptions would be fun.
a free streaming radio app would be cool too....
sorry for the long list cant sleep ... figured the more ideas the better
ps. im not sure if any of these already exist havent checked lately so if anyone know if they do feal free to point me in the right direction it would be greatly appreciated
ok, I'm gonna try to have this make sense, but no guarantees. how about a simple titanium plugin framework? something that **doesn't** use mortscript? as mscript is good for certain things, it's not for others. this way there is an easier way for developers to make new plugins for it without having to use a slow scripting language. does that make any sense?
How about a talking GPS
I was out on my mountain bike today. I have a Garmin unit on the handle bars for navigation and listening to music from my Touch Pro in my pocket.
I was riding a fast downhill section through the some trees when I realized I was taking my eyes off the trail to make sure I was still on course.
I've used this http://www.basicgps.co.uk/ for Geocaching but it can only take you to one waypoint at a time. You can't use it to follow a route.
How about making an application which can steer you along a route using voice commands.
(Tomtom and others can only do this on roads, not off-road)
mixture of gps and accelerometer
well can u create an app the tells u ur speed while u are travelling like there is one app which does it in i phone it uses motion sensing and gps there are apis for both you can code it in c# with .net fw 3.5 and if u require help i am available i too know c# .
sound control
What about an app. that would control all of the sound feature such as the ear speaker,speaker phone speaker,and possibily microphone independitly,like bass,trebl,vol. That way a person could tailor the phone to sound the way they want it to sound when they are talking on it or whatever.
Just a thought.
Programing Ideas
A project that I have been toying with is a "Now" button for the calendar. Those of us in consulting need a simple and quick way to insert the current time in the Start Time and End Time field, which ever is selected. I've not been successful so far.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HARDWARE: AT&T HTC FUZE (Raphael)
Hard-SPL: AT&T
ROM: AT&T
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How about that app the iPhone has where you can transfer contacts by putting the phones next to each other and shaking it to transfer or sliding it across to the other phone.
All for now will think of more
*edit* Forget this its kind of pointless when we can send contacts via sms/IR beam
How about the ability to use our Fuze's as remote controls like you could with PDA's, open your garage door, turn on your 360 or TV, forgot to turn your laptop off, send it a signal to shut down from anywhere
There're some cool applications on Android. One application changes the ringtone based on GPS location. It sets ringtone to loud at home, lower the volume in office and automatically sets the phone to vibration when you are in a theater.
Another application is about setting alarm based on location. You can set an alarm about buying some stuff in a store, next time when you pass by the store, alarm goes off.
So since moving to Android I have been trying to find "the perfect satnav" - but so far I've not had much luck and I find myself chopping and changing between the several that are available.
I'm used to TomTom Navigator 7 on Windows Mobile, which although was very basic, worked very well and did most things I needed. Unfortunately I can't seem to find the right balance on Android.
In researching this, I thought it would be useful to write up a quick post on the pros and cons I have found with each - and maybe others can throw in their 2 cents and other ideas - as well as hopefully suggestions on how I can get the most out of it.
So lets get started!
1. Google Maps Navigation
This is my joint favourite at the moment. The very best feature is that I can google search for an address, postcode or even place name and it will find it and get me there (though sometimes it's not too accurate!). I also like that once you arrive at the destination it will load up a StreetView picture of what I am supposed to be looking for - which is a really neat feature.
Obviously the disadvantages are that it gobbles up data, and that it's not exactly the most advanced in terms of features. Basic SatNav stuff like Points of Interest, Favourites and Speed Cameras are missing - which makes me somewhat sad. Also the UI, while very clean and functional, is missing some key items I have come to expect.
2. HTC Locations
This had a lot of potential, but it's unfortunately completely ruined by a couple of issues. Better start with the Pros. Obvious one is cached maps. Also the compass support, ease of access to maps and the ability to use google search are big plusses. However, it's seriously hampered by the lack of Postcode Lookup. Such a basic and well-used feature lacking from a SatNav product is just plain unacceptable. Also the "Footprints" system of favourites is pretty horrible to use and I can't see why having a basic faves system that actually works isn't implemented.
The "online store" for obtaining new maps and features is flaky at best. I don't know if I have done it wrong, but traffic information is non-existent, speed cameras didn't seem to load properly and because of this I am reluctant to spend any more cash on it due to the risk that it might not work!
3. Sygic Aura
A relative newcomer, I quite like the menus and the road display. Has all the sort of support I would expect, with speed cameras and the like available if required. Postcode Lookup and an interesting POI system exist too.
However, the biggest issue I have with this is the fruity routes it tries to take me down. Again I don't know if I've done it wrong, but on a trip from Birmingham to Poole, it completely avoided the motorways and I could not find a way to get it to use them. Bit of a let down as this could have been a good one.
4. Navigon
I don't give this enough credit, and I think it's probably because of the UI. In reality this is a very capable SatNav solution. It has good points of interest, good favourites, contact search, built-in google search. It also has a very nice routing engine and offers you up to 3 choices for your route, along with a recommendation. The safety camera support, however, is pretty poor (and doesn't support popular 3rd party databases like a lot of others do). The UI, like I say, is the biggest issue though. A questionable black and orange scheme with randomly low resolution icons. The main navigation display is very bare and seems to only be able to display one piece of information at once, so to switch between speed and arrival time, you need to touch the screen, which is not good at all.
5. CoPilot
This is my other joint favourite. CoPilot has a pretty comprehensive UI, support for POI, favourites, postcode lookup and also web search (not sure what engine it uses though). It also does support external safety camera databases (though importing them is a bit of a headache - due to a bug in CoPilot it seems). The routing is average, and does tend to sometimes send me along a strange route. The navigation display is quite good, and is the closest to what I would like from a SatNav on Android, but still not perfect. In fact, it's a little too advanced. There seems to be a bit of clutter and the menus appear as overlays rather than whole screens which means things are a bit more fiddly to press. Again, you can really only display 2 pieces of information at once, which is better than most but still a bit annoying.
I have had it lock up on me a few times as well, which is horrible in busy city centres when you are taking lots of turns.
One other thing worth mentioning is that the keyboard entry is buggy, and does not support holding down on letters to get numbers (detects it as 2 presses of that letter instead) with the Sense keyboard.
Any comments, tips, amendments, ideas or suggestions are welcome!
news from htc
Hi, I've had the same issue, trying to find a sat nav app... if it weren't for the fact that it gobbled data I would use google nav!
I've been using HTC locations which is nice apart from the fact that it won't let me use a postcode, becoming rather frustrated I fired off a grumpy email to HTC only to get a friendly reply advising me that postcode lookup is a feature that will be added in a future update.
Once we get this update I'll pay the full fee as it integrates so well with the phone when receiving calls etc.
Hope that helps
Thank your for your guide!
I am currently testing CoPilot Live 8.2, Navigon 3.5.3 and Sygic 2.0 (don't have the latest version unfortunately). Here are my initial views:
CoPilot Live 8
My impression of CoPilot is not that good. The user interface is way too advanced and complicated. Navigating through the menus takes a long time to learn (compared to the others at least), and is not very intuitive. There are several ways to reach the same settings, and it makes the configuration very complex. It has very annoying voice guidance in Norwegian. The voice starts almost every sentence with "Just ahead". Navigation interface is ok, but the information bar icons in landscape mode are too small. The deal breaker for me however is that, out of the three, it does the worst job in guiding you. I was unable to configure CoPilot to choose the optimal route from home to work. No matter which settings I tried I was always directed through downtown instead of using the ringways (No motorways allowed?). It also seems that the maps are a little imprecise. When driving home I arrived at my destination 500 meteres before I was home. (Navigon in this test was spot on, giving me notice as I'm driving into the garage.) On the plus side it has the best POI functionality of all apps I have tested!
Navigon
Navigon may lack some features, but it works, and even though the interface is simple, it is my preferred solution as of today. I like that it gives me a choice of which route to take before starting. Navigation seems reliable and instructions are given in good time so you don't miss your exit. Navigon is well integrated with contacts, so choosing a contact and navigation to him/her is easy. POI functionality is OK, but integration in navigation mode is not the best. It does however have good search functionality, which includes Google Search, and it gets positive remarks for reality scanner. Navigation interface is a little boring and there is no full screen view (status bars on top and bottom make the navigation window smaller than Sygic's full screen) Voice directions language is not configurable, it just uses system language, which is bad for me since I'm using English. It’s just to annoying to hear an english voice guide me thorugh Norwegian street names.
Sygic Aura
Sygic Aura has, by far, the best graphical interface in navigation mode. Menus are simple but functional, unfortunately it also has some issues with selecting the optimal route, but it does a better job than CoPilot. I don't like that I have to choose default route calculation in settings (Fastest, shortest or most economical), not for each trip, as it sometimes gives questionable route suggestions, and navigation through the city proved to be unreliable as it tried to guide me the wrong direction in a one-way street! Very good lane assistant, and information bar shows everything you need. Tunnel simulation is also very good. Voice guidance is the best of the three. Nice POI features, but slightly inferior to CoPilot. All in all it would have been my preferred solution, if it didn’t fail in route selection. (My hopes are that Sygic will solve navigation issues and add the possibility to choose optimum route before starting your journey) Please note that I used version 2.0 in this test. Latest version is 2.1.2.
Google Navigation is not available in Norway, besides, I don't have an unlimited data plan, so I am dependant on an offline navigation solution.
I have not tested extensively, so I cannot comment on how well these solution recalculates routes, integrates with phone features if you receive a call or performs over time. However, the short tests are done as similar as possible between the three, with the same routes, time of day, and with the same planned detours.
Conclusion
For now I will stick to Navigon, but I will not uninstall Sygic, as updates may fix the problems I experienced. The best from both would have been a perfect solution!
P.S. NDrive 10 was also briefly tested, first impressions was not good: User- and navigation interface was bad, even worse than Navigon in my opinion. Route calculation was similar to CoPilot, so not the best there either. I didn't like it at all, so I uninstalled after a short test drive.
P.P.S Heres is my other thread about SatNav software. No reviews here, but a nice poll
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=874988
Hello,
Why did nobody talk about iGo myWay?
For me the most important is map quality. I mean, lack of secondary roads or small streets.
I have tested Locations, iGo, Sygic and copilot. In Switzerland and France, copilot has very bad maps, a lot of streets missing. Locations has also incomplete maps. Sygic has good maps and iGo the most complete.
Second quality is the ease of reading :
Sygic Aura is the best (a little like TomTom on windows) . Important informations on one glance.
igo has a very big keyboard. it can be useful.
Betelgeuse74, I have Sigic Aura 2.1 and a lot of bugs has been corrected. You can program a very complicated itinerary. the problem is how to save it if you want to use it later : you have to use a file manager and save a file called "itinerar.dat" which is destroyed each time you create a new itinerary (I spoke about it in the other thread : here
it is very useful for me as biker. I never take highways. I organize complicated itineraries including beautiful sceneries.
I'm sure it must be possible to do the same with iGo, as I have not yet investigated the subject.
Thanks for your input.
iGo is unfortunately not available in Android Market in Norway, so I have not been able to test.
I'd like to try it too, but I can't see it in Market either...
I have tried Sygic Aura which I think has too low resolution in menus. The bad integration with contacts is pretty bad as well. Navigate to picture seamed nice, but didn’t work.
Navigon is what I’m using right now. Good contact integration is the best feature.
But I don’t like the low resolution, blurred maps and that I cant pinch-to-zoom.
(3.5.2 seems ti fix a few low resolution icons.)
CoPilot looks really nice and has nice UI. The minus here is that I cant change UI colour. RED/BLUE doesn’t feel right. Id like a black or a more "designish" colour. Seems
Used Sygic as a test today on my way to work, and decided to drive the route it suggested.
I have configured it to use the quickest route, but I ended up using double the time compared to the route Navigon recommends.
Sygic gets me where I want to go, and in the end that is what's important. Hopefully future releases will improve route calculation, because this is my only real complaint with Sygic.
Navigon is still my favourite, because in spite of lacking a few features, it is very solid and easy to use, and I agree with contact integration. Also I just love the Google Search integration. Yesterday I searched for a store I was going to, and it lead me right there, with no detours on the way (yeah, I knew where I was going )
So far it's seeming like Aura would be everyone's top choice if it wasn't for it's utterly obscure route-planning!
Hopefully someone from Sygic is paying attention and they can get it sorted!
dazultra2000 said:
So far it's seeming like Aura would be everyone's top choice if it wasn't for it's utterly obscure route-planning
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
...and the delay to choose contacts . about 45 sec. for 900 contacts... (it is instant with Google Maps!)
...and some small streets missing (comparting with iGo maps)...
Anyone tried the new Sygic 3.0? Did it improve on route calculation?
Thanks.
mbernstein said:
Anyone tried the new Sygic 3.0? Did it improve on route calculation?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sygic doesn't work anymore with Gingerbread update on DHD! it's a shame
On my Desire Z (Android 2.2, Froyo) it runs well. Actually, it runs better then ever.
But I haven't been able to use the navigation to Contacts, but that's because I have a lot of contacts, and I'm not patient enough to wait each to until the list is filled with the contacts.
In my point of view, Sygic lacks a few features:
- import/export POI (for instance kml, csv or ov2 file)
- choose the types of road (on a holiday I prefer to avoid all highways, so explore the countryside). Indeed, with the new version it's quite easy to avoid 1 highway, but in some cases it will guide you to another highway.
- faster contact browsing
- maybe add a feature to allow "touristic" driving, so only secundary roads (no highways) are selected.
- maybe propose several calculated routes to choose from (like google maps on the PC does).
Patrick
cubitusclaudius said:
Sygic doesn't work anymore with Gingerbread update on DHD! it's a shame
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The trial for 3.0 runs on my DHD with all the details in my Sig...
Route planning is better, but still not right. Still does some funny things for no raisin
Sent from my HTC Desire HD using XDA App
dazultra2000 said:
The trial for 3.0 runs on my DHD with all the details in my Sig...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A little information to avoid confusion:
RCMix uses a different framework since it is based on a Kingdom ROM Port.
ROMs build on the official release for Desire HD, like Android Revolution and LeeDrOiD (to name the ones that I have tested) does not work.
According to Sygic this is a known issue, and they are working on a new update that will fix this issue.
(Information can be found on Sygic's website.)
tried PAPAGO X5? not bad for android phones.
Just my opinion... I have a lot of experience in Navi on win CE (PNA) and thought of dumping my good old moov for Desire HD but it seems Android is missing good navigation software....
Copilot can't "get through" only on the 1st impression. I just installed it, played 5 minutes and it went to trash. Oh my god, whoever designed such ugly and impractical interface. It is even worse than Garmin and TomTom. It can have best maps and routing in the world, but no sane person would stand that awful interface.
iGo which has best maps (because you can combine your own, depending on what you need) is really awful on Android. It is even more simple than iGo Amigo on WinCE. And it is really slow. Not to mention that the interface sux, it doesn't follow Android conventions, and is not in the "spirit" of Android. You can tell it was PORTED from other platform. I keep it just because I know maps are good and routing is excellent, but really dislike using it.
NDrive is same story. While the interface was OK on WinCE, it sux on droid. Not to mention that it doesn't know how to scale properly to DHD's resolution so the texts and button texts are so small that no one can read it unless you put the phone 10cm in front of your face.
Navigon I didn't try. It is pain to install, but this might be my last option.
Finaly, the only one which looks like something is Sygic. Really good interface, blazingly fast, really cool... only in my case not worth much since maps for balkans are main roads only, but if you don't need these countries, it might work for you.
Waiting for iGo Primo on Android....
Sorry but out of all the sat navs, co pilot is easily the best, all you have to do is set up your routing profiles and your set, their customer service is the only thing which is lacking, although they do answer you they always ask you to reply in the same email and they just don't call you, can be annoying.
Google maps is 2nd and anything else beyond that is simply a headache.
Paid 25 quid for co pilot and all the updates they've made have been spot on, if you can't use this app then you certainly shouldn't be driving because you must be a dunce, easy and intuitive, just set up the route profiles and your golden.
Locus online/offline map viewer
You may want to also look at [APP] Locus online/offline map viewer:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=907430
Early review written by TheRomMistress and published on XDA-Developers.com.
http://www.xda-developers.com/android/locus-map-viewer-for-online-and-offline-use/
Locus is worth keeping an eye on as there is lots of development including offline vector maps.
Also note “Download map area” added to Labs in Google Maps for Android.
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/download-map-area-added-to-labs-in.html?m=1
Question: by chance does anyone know if by any miracle will my expensive Tom Tom Windows Mobile maps work with Sygic Navigation on Android (HTC HD2 running Desire ROM) ?
Cheers
Tom