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Navigate 7 for PPC - worth it?

 
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tj80
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Joined: Jan 22, 2008
Posts: 18

PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 2:00 pm    Post subject: Navigate 7 for PPC - worth it? Reply with quote

Hi,

I'm looking at Navigate 7 for PPC mainly because of the free traffic updates over GPRS/3G. I have a T-Mobile Vario 2 (HTC TyTn - Windows Mobile 6) on an unlimited data tarrif so it sounds ideal for me. I currently use TomTom 5 and had an old version of CoPilot before (iPaq Navigation System, think it was CoPilot 3 or 4!) so can anyone tell me how R66 compares?

I also have a couple of other specific questions:

- How good is the free traffic update compared to, say, TomTom or RDS-TMC? Is it simply a TMC feed or does the info come from somewhere else? I'm in the UK, by the way.
- How does R66 work if you don't have a route planned and are just driving around? For instance, I know the way to work so don't want to enter a route and listen to instructions - but I still want to be warned of nearby speed cameras and (most importantly) traffic holdups in the area. Will this work?
- I've seen lots of posts about the maps included. Everything on www.66.com still says the maps are Q4 2005, there's no mention of anything newer. However, lots of posts last year were about newer maps being shipped including 7 digit postcodes. Any ideas?

Many thanks in advance!

Tim
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mikealder
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Joined: Jan 14, 2005
Posts: 19638
Location: Blackpool , Lancs

PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 4:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Welcome to the forum Tim, For a start you could read the Route 66 review I wrote some time back, it can be found by clicking Here

As for your specific questions, the TMC is delivered via GPRS so it isn't RDS-TMC, the difference is RDS broadcasts regional information specific to your location, GPRS can cover a wider area, however Route 66 limit the information sent to your device to within a specific radius of present position - in use I find it works quite well, but I don't rely purely on the TMC data to make my mind up as to whether the report is genuine or not.

The speed camera warning system on Route 66 is very good indeed, for a start it will support third party POI files such as the Speed Camera Database from this site, it also supports spoken alerts using ogg audio files (again available from this site). If you have a route planned and a camera is on it then you get a warning, if you have no route set and you approach a camera position you get a warning - this is a far better implementation than say TomTom where you have to select either Warn Only on Route or Not.

A work mate purchased Route 66 last September for his PDA phone and it did indeed come with full postcode support, the version I reviewed only had partial postcode support and this did let it down, it would appear later versions are improved with respect to this issue.

Overall I still like the package, its good at what it does, and the free TMC information is a big plus point, I used it earlier today going to Manchester, I don't use it all the time but it is a reliable navigation package that allows certain customisation in way of POI and related warnings, custom voices are possible with a lot of messing around, this part isn't easy, and is of little benefit IMHO - Mike
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matt1971
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Joined: 27/02/2003 12:27:15
Posts: 79
Location: United Kingdom

PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 4:25 pm    Post subject: Re: Navigate 7 for PPC - worth it? Reply with quote

tj80 wrote:
Hi,

I'm looking at Navigate 7 for PPC mainly because of the free traffic updates over GPRS/3G. I have a T-Mobile Vario 2 (HTC TyTn - Windows Mobile 6) on an unlimited data tarrif so it sounds ideal for me. I currently use TomTom 5 and had an old version of CoPilot before (iPaq Navigation System, think it was CoPilot 3 or 4!) so can anyone tell me how R66 compares?

I also have a couple of other specific questions:

- How good is the free traffic update compared to, say, TomTom or RDS-TMC? Is it simply a TMC feed or does the info come from somewhere else? I'm in the UK, by the way.
- How does R66 work if you don't have a route planned and are just driving around? For instance, I know the way to work so don't want to enter a route and listen to instructions - but I still want to be warned of nearby speed cameras and (most importantly) traffic holdups in the area. Will this work?
- I've seen lots of posts about the maps included. Everything on www.66.com still says the maps are Q4 2005, there's no mention of anything newer. However, lots of posts last year were about newer maps being shipped including 7 digit postcodes. Any ideas?

Many thanks in advance!

Tim


Will try and answer aas much as I can.

I got a little fed up with having to shell out £100 per year for Copilot updates so ditched copilot 6 in the middle of last year.

I looked at Navigator, primarily because the price point was around £40.

The only things i miss from copilot are: the desktop product, tts (Which i could never get to work) and having a reroute button

Now for Navigator - when i purchased it it came with UK maps at Aug 2006 - this i believe is the version that is shipped, and after recent application updates 7 digit postcode search is active, although sometimes you have to know whether there is a space in the middle of the postcode or not ie se178tx or se17 8tx

From the website you can download application updates and a new application that installs to desktop to update the safety camera database. This works really well, and is free. You just activesync your device and run the safety update tool and any camera updates are applied.

Regarding the traffic - i have nothing to compare against, however on my commute (?) from central london out to Slough (About 22miles) this takes in major roads like A4 and M4. These roads will be reported if there is traffic or roadworks or accident etc, however other lesser roads in London are not reported - but perhaps this is the same for all traffic systems. There is a dynamic reroute that based on the traffic alert will reroute, however there is no manual reroute built in the software which is a bit of let down.

With regards to using the software without planning. You can use to follow your route, and it will alert you to safety cameras and poi's - however as no route is planned it will not alert you to traffic.

Only other annoyance for me is memory. Its launch requirement is quite alot, but works fine once loaded. I estimate at least 17mb-18mb program memory available before launch. I have found anything less than this - then the first time the traffic alert is received the application and whole of your ppc can freeze - not what you want when screaming down a motorway.

Hope this helps, I have heard good things about copilot 7 - but I dont think their maps are any newer than august 2006, so to me the additional features are too expensive.

Matt
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tj80
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Joined: Jan 22, 2008
Posts: 18

PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 4:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank you both for your replies (and the welcome! Very Happy ).

Regarding warning of traffic holdups without a route planned - do incidents appear on the moving map? I understand that it may not warn me because it doesn't know where I plan to go, but it would still be useful to be able to glance at the map and see if there are jams in the area.

Interesting note about memory requirements, and a bit concerning. For no appreciable reason, my device seems to use an aweful lot of memory even with nothing loaded - at the moment with just calendar, messaging and active sync loaded I have less than 10mb program memory free! Might have to be careful with that.

One thing I miss from CoPilot was text to speech - this wasn't very good on the old version I had but had potential (if you tuned your ears to it you could just about work out it was saying "turn left onto High Street" instead of just "turn left" for example). I assume R66 doesn't have such a thing?

Finally, I guess there's no easy way of telling whether it will have 7-digit postcode/latest map without looking at it and no way of upgrading? There are a few places selling it (though many seem to be stopping and moving to TomTom) but they all still say Q4 2005 maps.

Thanks again for your help!
Tim
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mikealder
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Joined: Jan 14, 2005
Posts: 19638
Location: Blackpool , Lancs

PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 4:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

From what Matt has said the full postcode search should be active following a device update (something else on the to-do-list for later) as this would be a great addition for me.

TMC incidents are displayed as blocks of text on the screen describing the incident and location, or you can list the TMC data to read through it before setting out.

I too have had memory problems running this on my Artemis, if I have the Pointui interface loaded and running plus Windows Media Player for some music Route 66 refuses to load, turn either the music or the Pointui off and it is fine - WM6 will adjust the memory levels between storage and programs as required, but here is a limit as I have encountered.

Text To Speech is not something within Route 66, you can (at some considerable effort) modify the voice files to create a custom boice but to be honest this isn't worth the effort - Mike
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matt1971
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Joined: 27/02/2003 12:27:15
Posts: 79
Location: United Kingdom

PostPosted: Wed Jan 23, 2008 2:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

mikealder wrote:

TMC incidents are displayed as blocks of text on the screen describing the incident and location, or you can list the TMC data to read through it before setting out.


Just following on from the TMC comment, even without GPS you set your location, and then refresh the traffic alerts, and a 60miles radius of traffic alerts will be downloaded. If you then plan a route, the first 60 miles will be checked for traffic incidents.

Regarding the maps - am pretty sure my R66 box said maps at Q4 2005, which is probably why alot of retailers still state this. Of course I cannot guarantee it, but I would assume they would all ship with Q2 2006 by now.

Matt
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tj80
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Joined: Jan 22, 2008
Posts: 18

PostPosted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 5:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for your help - have just ordered the european version, can't wait for it to turn up! Looking forward to seeing how it compares.

Cheers,
Tim
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patje61
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Joined: May 18, 2008
Posts: 3

PostPosted: Thu May 22, 2008 5:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Laughing dank u Mad
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Chris-K
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Joined: Feb 08, 2008
Posts: 6

PostPosted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 1:41 pm    Post subject: Route66 - Mobile 8 WM or Mobile 7 PPC??? Reply with quote

All

I have been in contact with Route66 by email but they do not give clear pricise answers. Perhaps you guys can help.

I have a Royaltek RTG-2000 which I bought some time ago because of TMC. Since then, I haven't found a suitable product to use.

I DO NOT want to pay GPRS charges, but I do want up to date traffic information. I believe TrafficSam would give me this (but there only seems to be one supplier in the UK - not competitive pricing), and I have been trying to find out if Route 66 would be any good.

They confuse the issue by having two versions, Mobile 8 and 7. I 'think' Mobile 7 supports "Professional Traffic Information", ie pay once and get TrafficMaster updates. Being Mobile 7 I assume it is not as up to date as Mobile 8?
The email below states that both versions support traffic, but it does not state if version 8 supports my TMC receiver and if I can get 'premium' information.
Also, I want full postcode search, which again the email says Route66 has but does not specify if it is on both versions.

Can anybody tell me the differences between the two versions.
I have also included an earlier email in which the map dates were given, not very impressive, but perhaps that has changed ...who knows?

Regards
Chris
________________________________________
From: ROUTE 66 Customer Support support@66.com
Sent: 15 July 2008 19:59
To: Kemp Chris
Subject: RE: support for gbr

Dear Sir,

Please note that the Professional traffic information for Britain (iTMC) is available on our website www.66.com, in the Products section-Accessories-Chicago PND [Accessories].

External GNS TMC receivers like FM9, ROYALTEK combined GNS GPS+TMC receivers like RTG-1001 and RTG-2000 are compatible to the Navigate 7 PPC software.

I kindly inform you that the Traffic information option is available with the ROUTE 66 Mobile 8 S60 V3, as well as with the ROUTE 66 Mobile 8 WMS softwares.

Please note that the full postcode search is available for the UK and the Netherlands only.
When entering a postcode, please use the 'space' character (e.g. ABC 123 or 1234 ABC).

From: ROUTE 66 Customer Support support@66.com
Sent: 08 November 2007 07:40
To: Kemp Chris
Subject: RE: support for gbr

Dear Mr. Kemp,

The geographic database used in "ROUTE 66 Navigate 7" is provided by Navigation Technologies (www.navtech.com) and contains geographic data from Exclamation Q4-2005 or Q1-2006 (depending on the sales version) Exclamation . Please note that for the moment there is no information available about releasing a new version of the software.

-Block removed as not relevant

Please note that the compatible TMC receivers for TMC over RDS are: external GNS TMC receivers like FM9, ROYALTEK combined GNS GPS+TMC receivers like RTG-1001.

Note that in order to receive Professional Traffic information you need to purchase a TMC product key.

Please note that you can order the software package you want, either for all Europe, UK and Ireland only or France only.
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Chris-K
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Joined: Feb 08, 2008
Posts: 6

PostPosted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 6:00 pm    Post subject: The fastest reply from Route66 ever... and it is quite clear Reply with quote

I should have given them a chance, Route66 have been back to me already. Unfortunately, for those wanting to use TMC instead of the expensive GPRS option, the news is not good.
It appears that Mobile 7 is the only option for TMC ...and the maps are well an truely out of date (Q4-2005) with no intention to update, also, no postcode lookup.
Oh well, better check out TrafficSam again...

From: ROUTE 66 Customer Support [mailto:support@66.com]
Sent: 16 July 2008 14:20
To: Kemp Chris
Subject: RE: support for gbr

Dear Mr. Kemp,

Please note that the Traffic Information service provided with Mobile 8 S60 and Mobile 8 WM softwares can be used only on devices on which a GPRS data connection is activated and functioning properly.

Please note that the ROUTE 66 Mobile 8 WM software is our newest software for smartphones running Windows Mobile 5 or higher OS, as compared to the ROUTE 66 Navigate 7 PPC software which was designed for devices running Windows 2003 or higher OS.
The newest versions for maps provided by Navteq (2008Q3)are available with the Mobile 8 WM software. The maps provided with Navigate 7 PPC are NAVTEQ Q4-2005, and currently there are no map updates available for this software.
Please also note that ROUTE 66 Mobile 8 WM offers the possibility to purchase online from the ROUTE 66 Store (via the ROUTE 66 Sync application) more country/region maps, city/town maps as well as other extra-services e.g. Voices, Colour schemes, Weather information and Safety Cameras.

The ROUTE 66 Mobile 7 S60 does not use the full postcode to search for cities. You can enter a part of the postcode as the search string and a list of locations will be shown in the "Locations found" window.

Please note that ROUTE 66 Customer Support can also be contacted by phone as follows:
telephone nr: +44-207 099 5714 (Monday to Friday, 07:30-21:00 CET; Saturday, 10:00-17:00 CET)

Kind regards,

Alina STEFAN

ROUTE 66 Customer support
Alina STEFAN
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