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allnameswereout is offline allnameswereout
2009-01-15 , 01:25
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#21
Originally Posted by overfloat View Post
There appears to be a bit of denial going around this forum - all i have to say is that if you want turn-by-turn driving instructions, dont even think about the tablet as a fully featured GPS unit. Only wayfinder will give you directions (without connecting to the internet) - using well out-of-date POI, you also have to pay a subscription. You are much better off with a cheap tomtom or garmin system

That said, the tablet is probably better for hiking because you can use google maps with terrain etc.
In defense, you can update the POI, and you can grab a cheap subscription via various ways (although primarily for Europe). Look around...

Wayfinder has online an application to convert TomTom POI to other.
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Benson is offline Benson
2009-01-15 , 14:34
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#22
Originally Posted by overfloat View Post
There appears to be a bit of denial going around this forum - all i have to say is that if you want turn-by-turn driving instructions, dont even think about the tablet as a fully featured GPS unit. Only wayfinder will give you directions (without connecting to the internet) - using well out-of-date POI, you also have to pay a subscription. You are much better off with a cheap tomtom or garmin system
Odd how you write it off with that parenthetical -- as though nobody has ubiquitous data connectivity? (Hint: I do.) So maybe I'm in denial, or maybe I validly find it works great, because I'm working under a different set of constraints.
Originally Posted by hordeman View Post
Though, not clear on how it is good for hiking. Since you need a cell phone for the maps, is this still a viable option for hiking? I simply could not download any maps without MM telling me that it needed gobs of gigabytes to store them offline.
How it is good for hiking: It lets you use Google, Microsoft, or Yahoo satellite maps. Does that advantage come with a price, in connectivity or storage? Sure. But I don't know of any other options to use satellite maps without either a live connection or downloading them all in advance, so it seems as good as any option.

And again, why is there the assumption that nobody could have a data connection? Some places are remote enough to not get a signal, but many places are covered adequately to make this a net advantage even without significant local storage. I download maps over wifi, but have twice been caught in places I had no maps for; downloading maps over EDGE is unpleasant, but not unworkable, at vehicle speeds, and as it needs maps proportionately less often at hiking speeds, I don't think it would be an issue.

The world is only getting more covered with data uplinks, so arguments that assume requiring one is a problem in its own right don't work well for me; it's only an issue for the few people who can't/won't afford a mobile with data, or the few places where even GPRS is unavailable. (Or, technically, one can use circuit-switched data out to GSM-only areas, but I'm not sure that it's worth the hassle and cost.)

And unless you were trying to download insanely large areas at fine zoom levels, I'm not sure where gobs of GB comes in. Just to check, I fired up MM and asked for a state-sized chunk (a screenful at level 13) of level 6 maps. Just under one GB estimated, and the estimates are generally long. From the looks of things, you could fit the entire US at level 8, a state at level 6, and smaller regions (where you actually plan to go) down to level 2, all on a 16GB card. (Not sure I'd want to wait for the download, though! )
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2009-01-15 , 14:38
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#23
Originally Posted by hordeman View Post
Since you need a cell phone for the maps, is this still a viable option for hiking?
You do not need a cellphone, you can cache the maps ahead of time.

Originally Posted by hordeman View Post
I simply could not download any maps without MM telling me that it needed gobs of gigabytes to store them offline.
That's because you're doing it wrong.
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2009-01-15 , 23:42
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#24
Originally Posted by allnameswereout View Post

Wayfinder has online an application to convert TomTom POI to other.
here is link + howto, for windows

http://david.hautbois.free.fr/joomla...n800&Itemid=56

probably also works in WINE

theres other tools which convert tomtom poi to generic formats as well... not sure about linux or foss...
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2009-01-16 , 00:12
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#25
Originally Posted by overfloat View Post
There appears to be a bit of denial going around this forum - all i have to say is that if you want turn-by-turn driving instructions, dont even think about the tablet as a fully featured GPS unit. Only wayfinder will give you directions (without connecting to the internet) - using well out-of-date POI, you also have to pay a subscription. You are much better off with a cheap tomtom or garmin system
I don't think this is a fair comment, at all, really. I've been more the "give me back my $100 extra I spent on this POS" and "I'm more carefully weighing my next purchase options" kind of guy. There's a lot of heat on Nokia for the GPS unit in this. I've managed to back-pedal my expectations to where I'm less pissed off about skipping the N800 for the N810.

When I'm goofing around Manhattan, or a crazy trip to Brooklyn, this does ok. I've not had headaches with downloading maps -- and while I wish there was offline trip replotting, accessing trip plotting over my cellphone (EDGE) via bluetooth has been simple (not that I've used it a great deal). I tried Wayfinder, and found it ridiculously priced for what I got, and skipped that for Maemo Mapper. I find "MM" a much better tradeoff.

I'd give the OP the caveat that there is no way in hell I'd use this for managing a ride/drive (I motorcycle as well) between (say) New York and Detroit. I used to use Mapopolis for this, but even then, would augment it with MapQuest and AAA... :-)

That said, the tablet is probably better for hiking because you can use google maps with terrain etc.
I'd think it's good for this. (1) You wouldn't want turn-by-turn hiking (oddly, something you do want for urban hiking) and (2) the pocketability of a N810+external BT would be fine. (You might even find the internal GPS usable without big buildings in the way).

Someone else made some reference to the PITA of downloading maps -- which I have never noticed -- at least not with driving around the NY metro area, and certainly not with a recent trip to upper Michigan this summer....
 

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2009-01-16 , 00:45
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#26
Originally Posted by GeraldKo View Post
Has anybody used the Tablets for GPS in the wilderness (or as a "hiking" or "handheld" gps, like, for example, the Garmin eTrex) as well as on roads as a "dashboard" unit?
I've used the N800, Holux M-1000 BT GPS, and Maemo Mapper quite a bit, including in the wilderness on a multi-day backpack trip. I would keep the N800 in the back pocket of my pants and the BT GPS unit in the tent bag at the top of my backpack.

A very satisfactory experience.

I've posted a few places about this, including photos here and some screenshots here.

I've used the same combo several times as a dashboard GPS; it saved my bacon a couple of times on a recent vacation...

EDIT: I've found the Maemo Mapper to be great for routing, including turn-by-turn directions, because I usually know where I'm going before I set off, so I don't need this "offline routing" thing that everyone keeps talking about. As long as I have 5-10 minutes advance notice before we go somewhere, I can quickly grab a route with Maemo Mapper and download the necessary maps while connected to WiFi, and then I'm good to go.

EDIT2: I've had one funny incident regarding this; I stood outside a public library in a small town in the interior of Washington state so I could use their WiFi to grab some local maps for Maemo Mapper, because I wanted to find the easiest way back on the highway...
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Last edited by qole; 2009-01-16 at 00:54.
 

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