The latest version (1.4) will get and configure all the map repositories for you. It's under the Map submenu as Manage Repositories... Just click the big Download... button in the bottom center. You'll have to configure the download folder and view steps for each individual repository. I keep the sliders all the way to the left to give me the maximum number of viewing levels. You should create a Map folder on one of your SD cards (I use the external card) with 5 subfolders for each of the default repositories: gsat, gstreet, vestreet, vesat, vehybrid. Click the Browse... button to select the appropriate folder for each repository. You'll have to do this for all of them:


You can then switch repositories through the Map submenu. Maemo Mapper will download (and cache for later) maps as you view them, which is not particularly useful if you're on the road without a connection. So, to download the maps for a large area that you frequent: 1. Frame the map area that you'd like to download. 2. Go to the Maps submenu and select Manage Maps... 3. Make sure Download Maps and By Area (see tab) are selected (you can also download maps along a route, if you have a route loaded, from here). 4. Switch over to the Zoom tab and check the boxes for levels 0-4 (you may want to do more zoom levels, but 0-4 is good for an average sized city). 5. Click OK:


Maemo Mapper automagically gets the boundaries of your view and downloads the maps for that area. This may take a while.

When you go out to drive (as opposed to browsing around at home), be sure to turn auto-download off so it wont attempt to download maps if you drive out of your area:


I purchased an i-Blue 737 GPS, and would recommend no other. Fast satellite aquisition, holds position well indoors, outdoors, and in-pocket. Long battery life, it uses standard Nokia batteries, so they're easy to come by. More professional reviewers than myself have found it's chipset to be about the most accurate on the consumer bluetooth GPS receiver market (google search will turn up some stuff). Best of all, though, it works flawlessly with Maemo Mapper.

Once you turn on the GPS and get it setup initially (you have to "pair" it under the preferences), you simply select Enabled GPS from the GPS submenu to have it connect. The option under that will show and hide the information sidebar with MPH, time, lat/long, satellites, compass, etc.


The maps that Maemo Mapper downloads map predictable to lat/long positions (else there'd be little point in making GPS software, no? ), so as Maemo Mapper gets GPS data, it can plot your position (and track) onto the map (as can bee seen at the blue dot). Pressing the middle button on the d-pad will change the tracking mode from lat/long to lead, scrolling or tapping will disable tracking (this can also be accessed in the Auto-Center submenu). When tracking is enabled, Maemo Mapper will simple scroll along with your dot as you move and show your track as a red line.


Hopefully this helps you out, as Maemo Mapper is probably the most useful applications on the platform.