Whats the best satnav for the N97?

If you can get past the subscription, which in all honesty is not as bad as it sounds, Ovi Maps is probably now the best Navigation tool for the N97, especially after today's release of the new Beta version 3.03...

http://betalabs.nokia.com/betas/view/ovi-maps

This update really takes Ovi Maps to the next level and then some! Couple that with the excellent web based Maps service that allows you to plan on your PC/Mac and then sync to your device and it really is an excellent offering.

http://maps.ovi.com/services/

As for the subscription model that Nokia choose, it really isn't that unreasonable. The maps themselves are permanently free, unlike any other navigation tool. If TomTom upgrade their maps, you have to pay, so it isn't really just one payment. And with Ovi Maps, if you only want to use it for 30 days, it's just �6. Plus, the added value of things like Lonely Planet Guides and Michelin data more than make up for it 😊

I was a long term TomTom fan until they dropped all Symbian development. Nothing came close to it, not even Maps, until now.

Thanks lovesign

I will give ovi maps another try - a couple of questions

1. can you subscibe on an annual basis ?
2.after hearing all the problems of limited internal memory is it not a little indulgant to use a wacking 7 meg! to the c drive on one app!

Thanks again

Boothy

Yes, you can subscribe on 3 levels...

�1.50 for 1 day

�6.00 for 30 days

�52.99 for 1 year

The new Beta is offering a 7 day licence for free to check it out 😊

As for memory, I'm running it now, with a couple of live widgets running on my homescreen and the Music Player running and I still have 25.6MB free on the C Drive. Not too bad IMHO 😊

thanks again - I will give it a bash over the weekend

Boothy

there are a few i can recomend mate

garmin mobile xt v 5.0.60

navmii sat nav

nokia maps new beta

garmin is my favourite but nokia maps is getting alot better the new beta defo is a step in the right direction and navmii is also quite good with a devoted devlopment team behind it

the only thing with nokia maps is alot of the data is help on their online database it seems , so to use it effectively youll need to be online alot of the time so if on holiday abroad it may be useless if you cant connect to the net

this is why i like garmin and navmii everything is built into the map data so youll never really need to go online to use it , god knows why nokia cant do the same

Thanks buxz777

The garmin seems to be stopping develpment so I do not know if thats the way to go - navii looks ok and is not mega expensive will probably go that route - but before that seeing that I have 90 day licence for ovi\nokia maps - is there any simple way of undertaking postcode search or do I have to search online everytime (last cuple of seraches could not find postcode ) - its seems awfully longwinded ? I really want a simple sat nav for route direction without complicating issue or slowing down user input - the navii software seems much nearer to my previous navicore and looks keen on continuing development.

Thanks again

Boothy

buxz777 wrote:there are a few i can recomend mate

garmin mobile xt v 5.0.60

Where did you download the 5.0.60 version of Garmin Mobile XT?
On their site latest is 5.0.50

boothy wrote:is there any simple way of undertaking postcode search or do I have to search online everytime (last cuple of seraches could not find postcode ) - its seems awfully longwinded ?

If you are not connected online (you can turn this off permanently in the settings) simply typing a UK postcode into the Search bar will bring up your chosen destination by searching offline.

if it cant find the postcode offline then iam afriad you have to go online mate

this is the thing that annoys me the most about nokia maps why an earth do you have to go online to find poi and a postcode its ridiculous the map data is big enough to have the postcodes in

if it wasnt for this i would quite like the program but for a satn nav program to have to go online to find a postcode is just silly , no others use this method , probably because its such a bad way of doing it

navmii is pretty good mate and you get free updates for a year when you buy it you can also get 2 copys for 50 quid , it will still work after the year but you wont be entitiled to free updates after the year , its a good scheme if they release more then one update a year

its still in early days as well but if you go to their website they have a forum in the support section where you can talk to actual developers etc to recomend features and ask why things arent working correctly which is very nice

iam gutted about garmin not supporting symbian anymore was my fave by a long shot

i dont mind using nokia maps now and again as it wors well with google maps ie open google maps find you location save it as a fave , open nokia maps , go to faves , navigate too , this is a great combo for finding remote places like farms i have to deliver too but garmin was my fave for everyday use

navmii will give you a weeks trial code if you ask nicely in their forums

i got to test it for a week and it was ok defo worth a look at the price its at

Thanks again Guys

I think I am with you all of the way buxz777 - The good thing about my previous navicore software was that it was easy and fast - my limited experience with nokia maps is the overall tedium of menu navigation and response - I think I prefer a more `basic car navigation system that is quick to input and respond probably with less bells and whistles.I will have to spend some more time with software.Thanks lovesign I will try in offline mode.I will also see if I can get a trial of navii to test.

Cheers

Boothy

I am using GarminmobileXT with north american 2009 maps working great and happy with it 😃

Just to clarify, you DO NOT have to go online to search. Maps will use the online connection if one is present to assist it getting a more highly detailed result, but it is not necessary.

Hi lovesign

On or offline - the attempt I have tried the post code search is very hit and miss - I have inputed both my home and work postcodes (both addresses in major cities) sometimes maps finds it sometimes it does not - no reason to it -offline or online - I think as a minimum it should find UK city postcodes with some regularity - it seems to help if you reboot app - may be a bug with the beta version - having said that I was still struggling yesterday with previous version.

Boothy

I just tried a whole bunch of postcodes and had no problems. Very strange 😞

That is strange

I will try redownloading software\maps - do you know if the postcode database is based in the maps or ovi software?it is just strange that it finds them sometimes but not others

Thanks
Boothy

boothy wrote:do you know if the postcode database is based in the maps or ovi software?

I'd imagine it's in the map data rather than the application itself, but couldn't say with any certainty.

lovesign wrote:Just to clarify, you DO NOT have to go online to search. Maps will use the online connection if one is present to assist it getting a more highly detailed result, but it is not necessary.

lovesign ever since maps original release you have needed to go online to find detailed results

in other words not all postcodes and map data are downloaded from map loader

there will be many many times when nokia maps cant find the postcode or a point of intrest and you have to search online

its ok in the uk if you have a data allownace but when abroad it could cost youa bomb to use which is a big no no

seriously if you use maps in offline mode all the time its use will be hampered it also likes to do the routing online -- ie if youre not online you can get crazy routes come up

ive used sat nav on the phone since n73 so ive tested lots out and have three on my phone most times

overkill yes but i work in a milk yard and sometimes have to do call outs to places i dont know

over the years its become obvious unless you are online nokia maps is hampered alot as alot of its data etc seems to be stored online

the other user allready said he tryed to search for a postcode and it came up non found search online and it found it straight away

its the same in many situations

its getting better but this is a big issue they should have sorted in the second release of maps

any map data is on the memory card it has nothing to with the sis file

all map data is in the cities folder on the memory card i doubt a re download of thew map data will help its just missing some vital information which you have to go online for its been the same for years now

Hi Both

My problem was that with ovi maps could not find the postcode in either online or offline mode -since moaning about the search issue - like always it seems a little better now!- I will keep trying - I have tried on the road to work this morning and it was not bad.The response speed of software was good - the gps `lag` as already metioned \commented on on other posts is a little confusing especially at roudabouts .The gps location seemed to be off by approx 250 yards(compared to my old system- this may be the lag) I have all types of gps enabled on phone - I may try with just existing external bluetooth gps (navicore sirf III) to see if any better - I do not know if all gps is enabled - whether integrated takes priority over bluetooth.

Speed camera data- did not work in this mornings trial - I have settings set to yes - again I was in offline mode - do you have to be in online mode for this to work ? also (sorry if I am working you hard lovesign) should the network destination be set to internet or wap for best results?- I know none of us should speed (I have not had a fine for over ten years)but when you are in a unfamiliar part of devon driving down a 1 in 3 hill with a camera behind a blind bend a little verbal reminder is really not a bad thing !

Expansys have a friday deal today for the garmin mobile xt software at �35! - but with the lack of future development and the software being stuck to a very mean 512 meg sd card I do not think its for me - I am waiting for a response from Navaii regarding a trial - at this moment I think I am going in that direction -sorting out the speed cam issue in ovi maps may sort me out in the short term.

Regards

Boothy

I am using Sygic Mcguider 7.74 with world mapping, highly recommended. I also signed up for Ovi maps and got 6 months free voice guided mapping. My phone is off line so well worth exploring that option first before purchasing 3rd party software like i did.

Hi again guys

When I load up nokia map uploader its states that my current map version is 0.1.22.103 (reads ame on device)and loader version is 3.0.24.0

are these the latest map versions ?

Still cannot get any speed cam\speed warnings - licence says I still have 89 days left - I must be doing something stupid!

The version 3 map uploader does not have a separate services tab (maps and voice tabs only)as previous versions - is there any where else where I should be downloading speed cam database separately?

Thanks again

Boothy

edit:I might have just realised the `stupid`bit - my 90 day free license is for drive - it appears from nokia site I have to pay extra for traffic safety license ! - I will give that a go!