I was about to pull the trigger in December. Then I *almost* did it again in May - but It's Christmas again and I really seriously am going to buy a BT GPS + Software...
I read up on all the wonderful stuff before and I really am going to do this...
I'm going to get a 16GB CF card for my Ax and so I can use that for map data if need be, but mainly I'll use it for media... So if I need to get a GPS that requires an SD card (Oncourse) then that's fine also.
From what I understand OnCourse is possibly the best software out there. I've also read good things about iGuidance. The rest all look okay too - and i'll go through and read the latest reviews on those.
My GPS is an Axim X51v.
So as not to sound like a broken record, my question isn't so much what software to get (although I'll take suggestions), but mainly these two:
Which of the software packages natively support VGA (VERY IMPORTANT!)?
OnCourse
iGuidance
TomTom
Garmin
Odyssey
Copilot
Desintator
Which of the software packages lets me easily switch between programs and lets me play mp3 fine (IE doesn't take too much juice so as to make concurrent mp3 playback impossible?)
Which Software + BT Receive (probably from buygpsnow.com) is my best bet for under $150?
I bought a BT receiver, OnCourse GB737 from buygpsnow for about $40.00 on sale without software.
With that, I used MS LiveSearch and GoogleMaps free software. But if you want turn by turn, you need a real GPS software. I bought iGuidance. All the US map data takes about 1.2gb on a storage card.
I play WMP concurrently with iGuidance without problems
__________________
Quote:
"Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost." -- John Quincy Adams
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. and To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. and To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. and To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Define "natively support VGA," please. Are you running one of the VGA hacks?
All of those packages run in VGA just fine except for Odyssey. On some VGA units it will simply not run. There is a three day trial version available, so you can test for yourself. For me, it won't run at all, but some folks have it working on VGA just fine. I have no idea why that is, but I suspect it's something I have installed on my Today screen and I'm not able/willing to take the time to find it just for Odyssey--too many other options available.
I run IG3 on my X51v with a BT receiver and it works very, very well. It's not the best looking software but it's very funtional. For me, the entire USA, without Alaska and Hawaii, uses about 2.1G of my 4G SD card. I got my software, receiver and powered mount for < $200 from BGN. (btw, you really need a windshield mount).
I use Tom Tom Navigator 6 on my 51v and it works great. I did buy a stand alone unit for Christmas for my wifes car because she didn't want the extra work of loading the software on her 50v and pairing up the BT receiver.
I think most of the units being sold now are comparable; whatever bells and whistles that you like; go for it.
Define "natively support VGA," please. Are you running one of the VGA hacks?
All of those packages run in VGA just fine except for Odyssey. On some VGA units it will simply not run. There is a three day trial version available, so you can test for yourself. For me, it won't run at all, but some folks have it working on VGA just fine. I have no idea why that is, but I suspect it's something I have installed on my Today screen and I'm not able/willing to take the time to find it just for Odyssey--too many other options available.
I'm not running any VGA hacks.
By "Native Support" I mean it will support 640x480 resolution out of the box or with little trouble and it actually uses the native resolution - so I get 4x the detail and not just the typical QVGA view blown up twice as large.
I run IG3 on my X51v with a BT receiver and it works very, very well. It's not the best looking software but it's very funtional. For me, the entire USA, without Alaska and Hawaii, uses about 2.1G of my 4G SD card. I got my software, receiver and powered mount for < $200 from BGN. (btw, you really need a windshield mount).
Thanks for the info.
I already have a car mount for my AX so that's not an issue.
I've heard good things about iGuidance and Oncourse and Tom Tom. I think I have it down between iGuidance and Oncourse. Oncourse looks a bit more sleek and sounds a bit more fluid - but I can't find any good comparisons.
Two features I like about iGuidance are: Using contact addresses as destinations and setting a max speed to warn if you go over. Are either of these available on Oncoure? Are there any cool "features" that one has that the other doesn't?
By "Native Support" I mean it will support 640x480 resolution out of the box or with little trouble and it actually uses the native resolution - so I get 4x the detail and not just the typical QVGA view blown up twice as large.
Most of the applications support VGA out of the box. Not sure waht "actually uses" means to you. Whether or not you get twice the detail is subject to some discussion. Given that most of the apps have some sort of zoom function, you can zoom in and out to show as much detail as you want or need. At some point you won't be able to zoom in any more, at which time all the detail you can show will be present. Since the roads don't change, that zoom will typically have the same detail for all software, although the zoom level itself may be different. It's kind of hard to describe, but the maps don't have any more information beyond a certain level no matter what your display may have.
I guess another way to say it is that you don't get 4 times as much information even though the screen has four times as many pixels. A road segment is a road segment is a road segment. When that segment is displayed as 1 inch long, does it really matter how many pixels are in that inch?
Most of the applications support VGA out of the box. Not sure waht "actually uses" means to you. Whether or not you get twice the detail is subject to some discussion. Given that most of the apps have some sort of zoom function, you can zoom in and out to show as much detail as you want or need. At some point you won't be able to zoom in any more, at which time all the detail you can show will be present. Since the roads don't change, that zoom will typically have the same detail for all software, although the zoom level itself may be different. It's kind of hard to describe, but the maps don't have any more information beyond a certain level no matter what your display may have.
I guess another way to say it is that you don't get 4 times as much information even though the screen has four times as many pixels. A road segment is a road segment is a road segment. When that segment is displayed as 1 inch long, does it really matter how many pixels are in that inch?
I gave a bad explanation, sorry. What I meant by native VGA support is that the QVGA is not simply scaled to fit a VGA Screen. So it's like if I set my 19inch LCD (1280x1024 native) to 640x480 and it scales the image.
Basically if I have the SAME zoom level on a QVGA vs a VGA screen, the road name or text is going to be clearer on the VGA Screen?
i use destinator on my 4700 ipaq. i do use the ozvga prog but destinator works without it. the scale is dynamic so at highway speed you are zoomed out at lower speeds the map zooms right in . works quite fine. destinator gives you some setup options so i can set the lables to "big" . i use it with a bluetooth GPS mouse i got from ebay for about $30 to $40 AUD.......
__________________
... here are a few of my favorite things.... Hx4700 WM6.1 , AcerAspire One A150 , Canon 30D DSLR . . . .new GF not necessarily in this order.....
I gave a bad explanation, sorry. What I meant by native VGA support is that the QVGA is not simply scaled to fit a VGA Screen. So it's like if I set my 19inch LCD (1280x1024 native) to 640x480 and it scales the image.
Basically if I have the SAME zoom level on a QVGA vs a VGA screen, the road name or text is going to be clearer on the VGA Screen?
That depends. Some support VGA with that increased clarity (i.e., reduced "jaggies"), some don't. In a practical sense, while driving you don't see the jaggies because you aren't that close to the screen and you aren't really staring at it (or shouldn't be). You tend to glance at it when it speaks the upcoming maneuver, to confirm what it is expecting you to do. The only one I noticed a real change from QVGA to VGA was the old Mapopolis--the roads got half the width and the GPS trail dots got smaller. All that did was leave more empty space between roads, it didn't add clarity. One other factor is that at the highest zoom the roads get blocky anyway, since they all draw a straight line between coordinates. As I showed in GPS201, a curve is made up of short straight line segments that are usually not noticeable until you get into the closest in zoom levels. Again, in practical use you won't notice them.
Bottom line, if it runs in VGA, it'll look pretty good in VGA.
That depends. Some support VGA with that increased clarity (i.e., reduced "jaggies"), some don't. In a practical sense, while driving you don't see the jaggies because you aren't that close to the screen and you aren't really staring at it (or shouldn't be). You tend to glance at it when it speaks the upcoming maneuver, to confirm what it is expecting you to do. The only one I noticed a real change from QVGA to VGA was the old Mapopolis--the roads got half the width and the GPS trail dots got smaller. All that did was leave more empty space between roads, it didn't add clarity. One other factor is that at the highest zoom the roads get blocky anyway, since they all draw a straight line between coordinates. As I showed in GPS201, a curve is made up of short straight line segments that are usually not noticeable until you get into the closest in zoom levels. Again, in practical use you won't notice them.
Bottom line, if it runs in VGA, it'll look pretty good in VGA.
Thanks. Any idea which ones do support VGA with increased clarity? I guess it doesn't really matter all that much.
So now what should I get? I'd like something with good features, easy to use and simple interface. I was originally going to get iGuidance, then i've read OnCourse is one of the best, and I've read good things about TomTom and Destinator. About the only thing i've thrown out is Odyssey.
Edit: I was just reading the iGo 2006 Review (Which I assume is VERY similar to OnCourse) and it discussed how OnCourse "Took Over" the screen and the only way to get out is to go back to the main screen and minimize/exit.
One dealbreaker is not being able to easily switch between that and whatever media player i'm using. Is this the case with OnCourse - will I be able to switch? I thought I read somewhere it was easy to switch and it ran fine in the background.
I just tested on my X50v with the 128Mbyte upgrade from PPCTechs. To minimize it, there is an icon in the upper right corner that looks like a downward facing triangle. That icon, when tapped, minimizes OCN6 (same as iGo) and drops you on the Today screen. That seems easy to me. You can see the icon on the first and third images in this review I wrote a while back.
I just tested on my X50v with the 128Mbyte upgrade from PPCTechs. To minimize it, there is an icon in the upper right corner that looks like a downward facing triangle. That icon, when tapped, minimizes OCN6 (same as iGo) and drops you on the Today screen. That seems easy to me. You can see the icon on the first and third images in this review I wrote a while back.
Thanks - I went back and thoroughly re-read your review. I guess it does keep running in the background.
Have you tried playing mp3's or other tasks with the GPS in the background? I wanted to make sure I could have the voice commands and mp3's playing at the same time?
Follow Us
RSS Feed
Follow on Twitter
Facebook
YouTube
