Why Can't They
 

If they can make Palm OS run on the N810 with Garnet VM and the Garmain IQUE ( Like the IQUE 3600 ) ran Palm OS 5.2.1 and had a built in GPS why can't they make a free map software for the N810 instead of that OVER PRICED WAYFINDER. I love my N810 but I think its a rip off that they expect us to pay for Navicore Wayfinder Software for the price if the software you can purchase a better, faster GPS. But I wanted it built in. But not to get screwed in the end with having to purchase an Over Priced Software package. I hope someone comes up with a solution to this.:mad::mad::mad:

Re: Why Can't They
 

Have you tried Maemo Mapper instead? I use this, and it works well. And free as well.

Re: Why Can't They
 

Maemo Mapper works for some things, but my problem is that its mapping portion is essentially a glorified image viewer. The maps are all tiles of raster images, so cannot be routed (the online service it can link to doesn't really count). Its functionality is similar to Wayfinder without the navigation service, except a bit faster and without the nice searchable POI database. (And a choice of maps, meaning you are bound to find a good one for your area).
Don't get me wrong, I definitely see why some people like Maemo Mapper, since there is more to these things than just routing. It does GPS tracking nicely - super helpful for OpenStreetMap stuff. Lots of other software like GPXView and OpenStreetMap2Go plugs in to it with good results.

However, it does not fill every need under the sun.
Navit uses vectors and can generate routes nicely, and there is hope for a solid version of it on the N810 :)

I think it's pretty low that WayFinder already has all the right maps and things downloaded for free, but you need a subscription fee for access to a feature that happens entirely on the client side. They rely on those subscriptions to pay for the maps downloaded by free users.
I don't know about you, but to me that sounds mighty stupid. Time for a new business model.

Re: Why Can't They
 

Do you have any ideas or alternatives for a business model?

Re: Why Can't They
 

Just buy an old version for nokia 770. I found mine on ebay for 30€ (around 40$) and it works fine :)

Re: Why Can't They
 

Nokia Maps works like this too. Many proprietary applications require a license to work with features which work on the client side. Incidentally, those applications (or parts of applications) are also the easiest to circumvent. Because the online services give the client data, it is easy to authenticate the client to make sure it has a valid license. That is why a game such as WoW is profitable, and why TomTom is profitable. The graphics and maps can be distributed on BitTorrent for all they care. What you describe is how other navigation services work too. Or worse, they don't even offer the maps for free. Officially, Google doesn't provide their maps for free either.

I've seen some compares of other navigation services and as far as I'm concerned I haven't seen an in-depth analysis why Navicore is inherently a badly priced product because for TomTom on S60 you pay about 75 EUR for only the maps, and only for your country, and without voice guided navigation or traffic information. OTOH, I paid far less that the regular price for it.

Now, their customer support sometimes simply ignores people, or don't admit problems. I think I know why: its a tiny customer support team, sponsored by Nokia (outsourced). While I've been helped well these were probably common issues. There is no room for more software development and in-depth Q&A (no second line of defense ;)) only [some] bugfixes and such. On an open source platform, [such] (severe) bugs severely piss customers off. Such as that there is no seemingless transition from one country to another. Required if you almost live on the border between 2 countries and travel a lot between them... *sigh* but, this is a proprietary platform.

Perhaps a better solution is a data plan + Maemo Mapper or one of the other alternatives (Qt Mapper, tangoGPS, etc) or you buy a (HQ) dedicated navigation device or a navigation package for your phone.

Re: Why Can't They
 

Agreed. Maemo Mapper just doesn't do what I need it to do. I don't want to depend on my cell phone --- I want to do offline routing and I want to have state-wide maps stored on my tablet. (The latter just does not work because the maps are HUGE.) Then recently, route downloads stopped working (e.g., "Generic Error"), and I have not been able to fix since. I've sometimes spent 4x the amount of time trying to get somewhere with Maemo Mapper when I could have done the same thing MUCH quicker with a printout from Google Maps. Maemo Mapper is cool when it works, but it just isn't there yet.

Wayfinder, I considered buying into it, but then I found out you have to pay every year. Not worth my money if dedicated units go for much less.

The holy grail is really somebody developing a VERY simple GPS routing app: simple one button menu system to get rid of the complex drop-down menus (e.g., I am here, and push THAT button to get there), offline routing, and downloadable maps for storage on the tablet. Essentially behaving like a dedicated GPS unit.

After all this pain of trying to make the N800 something it isn't ready to do, I finally threw in the towel --- and I bought a dedicated GPS unit.

Re: Why Can't They
 

I think with an old license for nokia 770 you don't have such problems.

Is there a way to check how long my license will be valid? I don't see anything telling me that my license will expire ....

Re: Why Can't They
 

One can also buy it for 3 years.

To see till when your license is valid open Map application. Now, unmaximize it or activate the menu. Then go to About Map -> About Map. It will say among other things your license key and the expire date.

Note, my license was unlimited (Navicore 2007), but its activated for 3 years. Whatever. In 2011 I might be dead anyway.

Re: Why Can't They
 

I believe that if one could get anything free then there is nothing wrong in getting it for free. Considering the crappiness of the gps in the n810 it is okay to crack wayfinder. I dont really understand how wayfinder charges more than 100$ for a yearly service. 100$ gives you a dedicated gps with far better routing, and gps sensing..... so no one is really going to buy that happily. And on top of that if you consider that nokia may replace it with nokia maps... there is no way you would buy the 3 year license.

That is why i have been using the libmac spoof for the gps function. Then it makes my n810 worth for the price...