Vote Your Favorite GPS Software

[saqer]

Originally Posted by badfrog

how much memory does TomTom use for the program? and for storage of maps?
I have a 1G storage card now, wondering if I should get a 2g?
and does tomtom need to be installed to device memory? or can it be installed to the storage card?

There are two map versions: Usa and Canada ~ 800+ megs and North America ~1.2 gigs. I use the former one and find it's still very useful for my purposes. Don't know what the larger one has to offer.

Tomtom is automatically installed to main memory and it takes a good deal of space. I saw an OEM floating around here once so I think you can probably include it in the kitchen once it comes out.

Hope this helps.

[AFAngryWarrior]

Originally Posted by badfrog

how much memory does TomTom use for the program? and for storage of maps?
I have a 1G storage card now, wondering if I should get a 2g?
and does tomtom need to be installed to device memory? or can it be installed to the storage card?

The program gets installed on the device but the maps about 2GB get installed into the SD card. I have a 4GB SD card so plenty of room for other stuff. iNav just didnt play nice with my 700wx or my BT GPS, plus it was hard to use while driving, TomTOm has nice big buttons that are easy to see while driving for me. Guess my eyes arent as good as they used to be.

[nsinsinsi]

Originally Posted by thetoothfairy

Have never been able to try out this software at all....

Wow, sorry to hear that. That sucks. Didn't you try it out before buying?

I am running the trial. It is a bit buggy, for sure, but it holds a lot of promise.

[Raging Idiot]

Originally Posted by AFAngryWarrior

The program gets installed on the device but the maps about 2GB get installed into the SD card. I have a 4GB SD card so plenty of room for other stuff. iNav just didnt play nice with my 700wx or my BT GPS, plus it was hard to use while driving, TomTOm has nice big buttons that are easy to see while driving for me. Guess my eyes arent as good as they used to be.

I HATED installing TOMTOM everytime I hardreset my phone, so I played around with it and found that I could just move over the files from the device memory and placed them on the Storage card and it works just fine. I'm lovin' it.

[AFAngryWarrior]

Raging - Are you using v5 or v6 for TomTom? I have v6 and have never tried installing to the SD card for fear of it not working, but it would make things easier.

[JonV]

I quickly threw a vote towards MS Live just because it's served me well lately. Coming from years of using Delorme Street Atlas Handheld, it was like night and day. In particular, having the internet connection do the work real-time rather downloading maps from the PC and doing routes on the PC was a god-send. Having the internet find restaurants and other POIs made me feel like I was all set with Live Search. I could be anywhere and have it all at my finger tips without needing my PC.

When I saw many folk here mention TomTom I had to go see. Actually i didn't know they had a software solution. I had only heard of the hardware units and people seem to love those. However, when I saw the $149 price tag I almost fell over when compared to the $0 price of Live Search.

After seeing the demo at tomtom.com my curiosity is eating at me. I've got a Treo 700wx using a Holux GPSSlim 386 BT receiver. Can I trust that'll work with tomtom 6?

I'm also curious about the DVD with maps. So I'll need to download maps again to my SD card before travelling? Is there live internet involved in either mapping or POI assistance or is it all on the DVD?

For those who have used both products I assume you are sold to spend the $149. Will I be blown away? Thanks!

[saqer]

JonV,

If you are impressed with Live Search then you probably don't need to spend money on TomTom. Though if you are interested in a more GPS oriented app then here's what I have to say since I found TomTom's website hard to navigate and find what I'm looking for.

I'm almost certain that your Holux GPS unit will work with TomTom. Here are some perks you'll get if you buy to TomTom:

1. Automatically turns bluetooth on when you start TomTom and off when you quit
2. Easier Navigation options like POI warning, advanced planning (fastest route, shortest route, walking routes, bicycle routes, limited speed routes), itinerary planning (multiple destinations)
3. An overall better interface and feel and one handed use, large finger friendly keyboard
4. Weather of gps positions, home location, or destination(s)
5. Voice feature (Turn right after.....), but not Text to Speech!
6. Add/modify POI's and Favorite Locations options

That's about it. The difference now is you'll need at least a 1 gig storage card to store maps. If you do plan on buying a GPS program I would also look into iGo/Miomap or wait until December, which is when I heard TomTom will release version 7 of their software.

[Raging Idiot]

Originally Posted by AFAngryWarrior

Raging - Are you using v5 or v6 for TomTom? I have v6 and have never tried installing to the SD card for fear of it not working, but it would make things easier.

Version 5. Installed to SD card and then moved over the files it had placed on the device.
It places some files on the device even if you select "Install to Storage Card", so you have to manually move them over. It was really quite easy.

Also, there are POI that you can find on the internet and place them in the POI directory. Some you will have to first download a program to convert them to TOMTOM format. I downloaded a list of Traffic Light Cameras and set it to warn me with a siren whenever I get within 50 yards of them on route.

I have "Live Search" set as my Left SoftButton and TOMTOM set as my Right SoftButton, so I get the best of both worlds readily available.

[JonV]

Yes, I was impressed with MS Live Search but, as I said, that was compared to Street Atlas. No traffic, no internet, etc. If you've used it you know what I'm talking about. Navigator seems to be another leap from Live. I was impressed with Live but I definitely also see shortcomings and see benefits with Navigator.

One thing I'm unclear on from Tom Tom's site is whether traffic update is included in the Navigator 6 package or is it a monthly fee via "Plus".

Thanks for the tip on the proposed December release of version 7. Does Tom Tom typically give a discount for upgrades and how much? Yes, I would hate it if I paid $149 today then had to pay the same amount in three months for the next version. What's their track record for upgrading?

[mobilejray]

Originally Posted by KoukiFC3S

I've used telenav and Im happy with it

I agree, I'm using the latest version of TeleNav and it's great for accuracy, real-time traffic information, and POIs. The downfall of TeleNav is that they do not give you the option to save map data to the PDA, so if you make a wrong turn, or have to detour and you're not receiving a data connection, you're screwed.

I also use iGuidance v.4.0 and have been very happy with it --EXCEPT-- it's extremely slow on my device when announcing street names, I think it has something to do with the program being stored on the Storage Card. Anyone have ideas about sound skipping when being played off the storage card...?