ViewRanger's new software supports Nokia's N95 GPS phone

MikeB

ViewRanger is an innovative piece of software displaying the UK Ordnance Survey mapping products on mobile phones. Developed Nokia S60 phones and being accredited with the Symbian Signed status the software takes full advantage of the new GPS enabled phones released by Nokia.

Apart from the "normal" OS map display ViewRanger also has a unique panoramic view, and also has a "Buddy Locator" to transmit your position to friends and family either via other ViewRanger enabled devices, or over the Internet.

The full ViewRanger press release:

diggerhole · Occasional Visitor Joined: Apr 04, 2006 Posts: 6

have used veiwranger since my 6680 a excellent piece tool, use it extensivly when hiking, at £20 odd for a custom map selection of a good chunk of the uk well worth the money

Home it keeps developing

SvenP · Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 7:43 pm Post subject:

I have to say that I think ViewRanger is superb. I have just had a chance to test it out for real; I forgot to pack my map and compass during a recent walk in the Lakes. I found out my mistake after having climbed St Sunday crag. Fortunately I had ViewRanger v2.4.3 (beta) installed on my N95 so I was OK.

AndrewPage · Occasional Visitor Joined: Apr 04, 2006 Posts: 3

I have a fairly new N95. Does this software use the N95's built in GPS receiver?
I am looking for software to use with OS maps and the N95 as a back up to maps for walking etc.

Darren · Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 6:14 pm Post subject: Re: N95 and OS maps

AndrewPage · Occasional Visitor Joined: Apr 04, 2006 Posts: 3

OK I've read the info now and it does use the built in GPS. Fantastic.

As I already have some electronic OS maps can I use them on it or are they a specific file type?

SvenP · Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 7:29 pm Post subject:

The Viewranger maps seem to be in a custom format. For each Viewranger map you have there are three files that have to be on your phone. *.VRC, *.VRH and *.VRM. I had hoped that these would be similar to the Memory Map files, namely *.QCT, *.QED and *.MMI. Unfortunately, just renaming the Memory Map files and trying to use them with Viewranger doesn't work for me.

If you work out a way of doing this it would save me a lot of money, as I am currently looking to buy the Viewranger 25k map of the Lake District although I already own the Memory Map one.

Darren · Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 8:06 pm Post subject:

The maps are in a proprietary format and cannot be converted.
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Darren Griffin

SvenP · Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 9:10 pm Post subject:

Similar topic to the discussion last November with you, Darren on uk.rec.gps. Is it fair that as end users we have to pay twice for the same data?

Darren · Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 9:16 pm Post subject:

It's a huge issue and I understand the grievances but that's how it currently is and isn't just confined to OS mapping. You could argue the same about mapping for TomTom not being compatible or transferable to another manufacturers device.
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Darren Griffin

SvenP · Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 9:39 pm Post subject:

Unfortunately, I doubt that by grousing about these issues we will achieve any change in policy, unfortunately.

I can understand how people feeling ripped off by OSGB could be tempted to go down the various Usenet and P2P routes to get the mapping data without paying for it. This sort of illegal stuff is all over the net and far too easy to come by. But who is cheating who, I wonder?

AndrewPage · Occasional Visitor Joined: Apr 04, 2006 Posts: 3

Thanks for all the info.

Have downloaded the trial version and the UK map and Snowdon.

N95 found me on the UK trial map by holding the phone to the window.

It looks like you can get quite a lot of map for your money at 1:50,000 so probably worth it compared to the price of paper maps.

Thanks again

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