Notices

download the maps from this link...

http://www.hpsblog.com/2009/07/direc...0-without.html

i moved the original folder that the download replaced to memory card in case i ever wanted to go back to original setup.

chri hale,

I thought that you can use Nokias official map downloader. It should support N900 so that you do not have to do any magic (browser those highly demanding different folders :P) by hand.

i was under the impression that the nokia map downloader was not suitable for the maemo version of ovi maps - not at the time when i downloaded it anyway.

I've been using Sygic since version 9. Version 10 wasn't that much of an improvement at the beginning when it just released. It had bugs and was slow, but since the latest update it's up-to-par with version 9.
I recommend Sygic for offline navigation.

@chris hale : Map downloader works for N900

Last time I used the Nokia's map downloader (admittedly this was shortly after it was first released) it was a complete abomination. It was horrendously slow (my guess is that it loads each file individually) and every time you wanted to add a country or something it would clear out all the downloaded data and re-download everything again. And worst of all you needed Windows to run it.

Downloading the maps from the links given in the link given by chris hale is the sane thing to do.

will we ever use the ovi maps in offline mode? i dont have an internet connection always

I see a lot of recommendations for Sygic all the time and I'm tempted to try it but do they have maps for mainland China/Hong Kong? Are they off-set like most others? If they are available and not off-set then I'll try it out but otherwise it's useless to me.

I definitely agree with you, the first experience with ver 10 was terrific and I wrote an email to their support full of complaints.
After the update (done by HAM using Sygic repo) everything is working very well.
Bye.

for me, the availability of maps on the device itself is important. I am very often abroad, and downloading maps is far too expensive. So, ovi maps is good, but is alas without voice guidance. I am using Sygic 10 to my great satisfaction. The maps however are often not detailed enough.
I am keeping an open eye on what is being developed: navit seems to be good, maps can be preloaded, but the app is not yet stable, mappero cs is fun. special mention of QLandkarte M, for geotiff topographical maps. No guidance of course, but the topo maps at hand in the field is great!