Thread: GPS Software

Co-pilot do a laptop version.

Have an idea Destinator does too.

Regards
Max P

I've sent the ebay guy some Qs:

Hi Kenneth. I'm very interested in this product. I'm currently using a touchscreen laptop connected to a GPS (nmea input) with Ozi Explorer, but I'm after the navigation features your product offers. Could you please tell me what maps are avaialable for it and whether upgrades are available online once the product has been purchased. Also where about in Melb are you if I wanted to pick up the CD? Thanks, Michael ....

I got a quick reply to this with a phone number to call. The guy on the phone couldn't tell me what maps were used and he "thought" I could load it onto more than one machine. He also didn't have any loaded up to demo if I went to purchase / pickup in person.

Since learning that it's the same as Map Monkey, I did an online search and found http://www.map-monkey.co.uk/ which seems to indicate quite a few bugs with map monkey. But I suppose doing a search of this forum could also indicate a few bugs with Land Rovers .

So I'd like to hear more from those with Map Monkey installed.

In the meantime, I've sent the ebay guy another set of questions. As follows :

Hi Ken. I emailed you a couple of days ago & you sent me Chris' number. I spoke to Chris, but just need some extra info. I'm running a tablet pc (hence no CD drive)in the car and a laptop at home. They share a network, will I be able to load the program onto more than one laptop / tablet? Also, what maps are you supplying? (ie: destinator ....) and are these upgradable on line in the future? and if so, is there a cost for the upgrades? Also is the 24/7 tech support online or phone? If it's online is there a technician on the other end, or is it just a users forum? Thanks again, Michael.

I'll keep you posted on progress, please let's hear from those with Map Monkey.

I have been running map monkey for about 2 years now, and so far the only notable bug is in the destinator software, where if I am stationary at a 90 degree angle to the road, and the software shows this, it will through a route calculation error if you tell it to plan a route. If you drive 50 yards along the road so it has a bearing on which direction you are traveling it works fine, even if you are then stationary.

I am curious as Map Monkey is fine for my needs, works well on my older laptop/in dash custom touch screen in the rangie, but the latest maps I believe you can get are late 2005 or early 2006 - and certainly not 2007. I could be wrong again, but I think I read somewhere on MP3car this is because map monkey emulates destinator 3 which has been retired and maps are no longer available for it - to use later maps you need a newer version of destinator?

I am sure someone will correct me and hopefully show me where I can aquire later maps for mapmonkey

I just got a reply from the guy.

Hello, Yes, can you run this software on both computers. I think this software uses destinator maps. Free updates will be sent to you via mail / mail for free approximately once a year. You can send me emails if you need help.

It sounds good, so I'll probably buy it.

More info still welcome though.

I saw jsp's system (G'day John) in his P38A when I was in Adelaide a few weeks back and it really is a very nice conversion. There are links to pics on the rangerovers.net forum.

Ron

Originally Posted by Michael2

I just got a reply from the guy.

Hello, Yes, can you run this software on both computers. I think this software uses destinator maps. Free updates will be sent to you via mail / mail for free approximately once a year. You can send me emails if you need help.

It sounds good, so I'll probably buy it.

More info still welcome though.

Hmmmmmm thats really sus......for 50 bucks you buy it and they are happy to burn a copy and post you maps free of charge for a year or two? there's nothing in it for them?? The maps are a few hundred meg so I assume they don't mean email.....

I would want to clarify that and hopefully have a decent looking website or something to back it up?

Well I bought the software today. When I got home the DVD/CD drive could not read the disc .

I had gotten a disc of photos from a mate a few days ago and the frive couldn't read that either, so I suspected my DVD drive. I put in a movie - that played OK, I put in a CD-ROM - that played OK. Someone suggested the drive might be a + and the DVD a - or vice versa, and suggested I put the photo DVD on the DVD player (TV one) and the pics played there OK . Next I put the Navelite CD in the DVD player and it was able to read the menu . So at least I know the disc isn't empty. I'll have to get a mate to come over tomorrow with his laptop, log it to my network, and hope the CD plays on his.

I'll continue to keep you posted on updates.

So far it's too early to decide how good it is. There was an error that had to be overcome (through a Google search) to set it up. On one laptop without all the XP updates, it would crash after about a km and have to shut down. On another laptop it seemed to run okay. I tried to download a fix so I could remove manually entered speed camera locations and that froze the program. I deleted it and reloaded, though uninstalling map monkey leaves the Destinator files, so they need to be deleted too.

The maps according to the seller are 2006-2007 updates, but there are several streets around where I live that have been here for 5+ years and don't appear on the map.

It seems to calculate routes super fast, but if you hit the fastest vs shortest route, it doesn't give you another option. It also seems to prefer winding through back streets (Booze Bus aversion mode - I'm guessing).

Overall, having navigable Australia wide maps with route planning for $50 seems a fair price, but I'm sure you can get better products for more $$$$.

Trying to load a Freeware copy of Map Monkey from the web and use the destinator maps came up with a licensing problem, where it couldn't access the maps.

I'll provide further input over the next days - fornight, as I get used to it, as it may turn out to be a lot better when I'm used driving it.