With Garmin now pimping their Mobile XT MicroSD card based GPS software isn't it about time for a proper comparative test to see which one really is the best for the E90 (and other V3 devices) ?
The testing candidates I can think of are
Nokia Maps/Smart2Go
Garmin Mobile XT
Navigon
Navicore
Route66
TomTom (assuming it TomTom have actually got round to releasing a version that works properly on an V3 device)
Wayfinder
Plus maybe freeware solutions like
Nav4All
and
amAze
Yes, great idea, but manpower is the problem here, in that all solutions require extensive testing in order to do the job properly. Are you volunteering your services? If anyone's seriously able to help with this, I'm sure I can arrange that you don't need to pay for any of the commercial fees etc. Most companies are more than happy to supply review codes/binaries to genuine reviewers.
I've done various lesser comparisons in the past, and I recently looked at the free solutions for AAS, but you've suggested a proper commercial shootout etc.
Steve
matchstick wrote:With Garmin now pimping their Mobile XT MicroSD card based GPS software isn't it about time for a proper comparative test to see which one really is the best for the E90 (and other V3 devices) ?The testing candidates I can think of are
Nokia Maps/Smart2Go
Garmin Mobile XT
Navigon
Navicore
Route66
TomTom (assuming it TomTom have actually got round to releasing a version that works properly on an V3 device)
WayfinderPlus maybe freeware solutions like
Nav4All
and
amAze
To answer the implied question re TomTom, although they don't claim to support it, I am running TomTom on my E90 (with an external GPS receiver - it doesn't support the built-in one). I used the relevant SD adapters to copy all the files from the mini-SD card to my own (4Gb) micro-SD card using a PC, and took it from there.
I've previously used TomTom on Windoze Mobile, and also a TomTom One standalone device, and I'm generally impressed with the way they've implemented the UI for the S60 / non-touch numeric phone keyboard platform.
There ARE some places where improvements could be made - mostly in speed of response to the keyboard in some areas of data entry that involve searching / filtering.
Julie
The fact that TT still haven't released a version with internal GPS support or announced anything about this years upgrade program leads me to the conclusion that TT are scaling down their PDA/Smartphone support and putting almost all their effort behing their own devices.
Personally I think that's a mistake and that "digital convergance" (I promise not to use any more buzzwords) means that the stand alone SatNav won't be with us for too long. But they have made an awful lot more money out od SatNav that I ever have so perhaps they know what they are doing 😉
Anyway back at the plot, I'd be very happy to help test out SatNavs for AAS though I don't drive or travel in cars that much so I'm not the best person for judging things the quality of routing etc.
Ah yes, being a driver is a bit of a requisite for reviewing sat-nav solutions 8-)
juwlz, don't suppose you fancy the job? Living so close, we could do some collaborating on this, perhaps?
Steve
I couldn't spot THAT one coming! 😉
You're right Steve, that would probably be a good way to go for it.
I have a couple of longish trips coming up during November - including one where I can be (or at least will HAVE) a passenger! - and access to an E90, E70 and my partner's 5500, plus a TomTom ONE, so we could get a selection running on the 3 smartphones to compare the routing etc. against TomTom's (I'm naively assuming that TomTom ONE and TomTom on the phone will use much the same routing, so the standalone can be used as a comparison - I can always check that too of course). And of course there's always the work run for those of us with day jobs, and the usual regular journeys.
What I don't have is any UIQ devices with which to compare UI implementation on that platform.
I have previously used - and dismissed for serious use 😉 - the Nokia Maps routing, although I think there's been an update since, so I hope it's improved since I tried it.
Julie
If you'd like some more smartphone variety I have a spare E61 that could be added into the mix, if you'd like/
juwlz wrote:
I have previously used - and dismissed for serious use 😉 - the Nokia Maps routing, although I think there's been an update since, so I hope it's improved since I tried it.Julie
Agree. I have tried the latest (non beta) version of Nokia Maps on my E61i, and it is completely useless for navigation. The routing is laughable, it sends you through super-small roads making the trip longer in both time and distance without any apparent reason. In fact, I haven't even started yet this application on my new E90. And by the way, GPS navigation without traffic and speed cameras is like walking with just one leg nowadays.
I use Wayfinder instead. The interface is not as glamourous as Nokia Maps, but the routing is perfect, absolutely unquestionable.