GPS on Verizon Touch

DrRoger · #1 (**permalink**) 04-20-2008, 10:36 AM

Hello,

So far so good with the VZ Touch. All my Palm programs (I had to install the WM versions of course) work on it so I've effectively combined my Palm T3 with my cellphone. But...VZ Navigator on my LG 8300, won't run on the Touch. I've heard that within a couple of months they'll have it running. VZ is now dead set on providing VZ Nav to ALL its phones.

In the meantime, I bought Delorme Street Atlas 2009+ with a BT-20 GPS puck for $100. http://shop.delorme.com/OA_HTML/DELi...&section=10048 So far I've not succeeded, after 4 hours work, in downloading a single map on to the Touch. Some kind of ActiveSync problem. The BT puck alone is worth $50 so I guess I'll just wait and see. I don't have a data connection, (pay $130 a month already for home and office Internet!) or I could use Microsoft's Live Search so I have to keep working with Delorme to get the issue resolved. The Plus comes with 150 million phone #s on your desktop! Handy, though whitepages.com and yellowpages.com provide that info.

Over at buygpsnow.com they have reviews by people who bought various software GPS programs, and that's very useful. Anyone know how to download a google map of my preferred city on to my mobile using ActiveSync, (again, I don't have a data connection, seldom need it) and then use the BP puck to navigate? I'm not desperate, as I have a car GPS..this is in case I travel. The BT-20 works fine because I downloaded a trial version of Odyssey Mobile and it worked OK. In fact they're probably the most economical of the map programs and it does not need a data connection on the phone. The screen interface was a bit primitive, but it wasn't bad at all, really. See http://www.infogation.com/ If you have a GPS puck with your Touch, its worth a free try.

Thanks!
Roger

storino03 · #2 (**permalink**) 04-20-2008, 01:02 PM

Go to Google.com on your phone and download Google Maps.

--James

**No1ustad** · #3 (**permalink**) 04-20-2008, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by storino03

Go to Google.com on your phone and download Google Maps.

--James

that won't solve your problem, you still need a data connectionwhen you download google maps...

res22fbz · #4 (**permalink**) 04-20-2008, 05:14 PM

You would just need a large microsd card to load up the maps so a data connection wont be needed

DrRoger · #5 (**permalink**) 04-21-2008, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by storino03

Go to Google.com on your phone and download Google Maps.

--James

I've put a data lock on my phone as I'm paying $130 a month for office and home Internet...!! Would you know a way to download a Google map say of Washington DC, and also the viewer, by ActiveSync? Thanks!

DrRoger · #6 (**permalink**) 04-21-2008, 07:22 AM

As I mentioned above, I bought this program Street Atlas 2009+ with a BT-20 GPS receiver. The receiver's overall dimensions are about 80% that of a credit card, but its a bit fat at about half an inch. I believe there are units out there half that thickness now. It is reasonably fast. After you exit the program it sometimes struggles to get a connection but eventually does.

Street Atlas maps can be downloaded on to the handheld. Greater Washington DC took about 30 MB and its sloooow on the handheld. Just press on a zoom button and you'll wait two minutes for the program to redraw. But you can select the amount of detail and cut the file size so I need to experiment. As to the actual functioning of the software in the handheld, it is pathetic. I could not even enter an address for me to get to. It did have lots and lots of local businesses, but would only show the rough location and I could not map a route to the business, not in an easy intuitive way. This could have been the world's best GPS program for the money, and has instead turned out to be awful.

Roger

VW · #7 (**permalink**) 04-21-2008, 08:35 AM

If you connect via activesync you can download through your phone via activesync.

Take back that delorme crap and get iGuidance for $80-100 and a puck for $40, and have great GPS software.

**clockcycle** · #8 (**permalink**) 04-21-2008, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by storino03

Go to Google.com on your phone and download Google Maps.

--James

personally I love this on my mogul, can't wait to have it on my touch as well.

it's kinda entertaining to be on the train watching yourself (voyeurism?) with satellite and traffic on and watching the buildings and traffic from the sky as the train rolls by..

its rather quick even on 1x connecting retrieving the map data updates from google. nice job I think and free.. (best thing about free, is it doesn't cost you much)

-CC