Beta Testers for CP6

Bazzer · Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2005 12:51 am Post subject: Beta Testers for CP6

Just out of interest, shortly before I binned CP5 in favour of TomTom, I was offered the opportunity by ALK to be a beta tester for the new version of CoPilot. I declined the offer as I was so disatisfied with ALK/CP5 to the extent that they no longer had any credibilty.

However, at the time, I was reliably informed by ALK that the release was scheduled for September (this year Laughing

). Is anyone currently beta testing the new software ? Or was this another wildly inaccurate claim by them ?

Baz

(Sky Pie In - Rearrange to make a well known phrase Smile

)
_________________
Garmin DriveSmart 61 LMT-D
TomTom Go 50 - Going in the BIN
TomTom Go 730 (RIP)
Garmin Montana 650
Garmin Oregon 45oT
Garmin Edge 1000
Tracklogs Digital Mapping

lbendlin · Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2005 1:36 am Post subject:

I am not beta testing but I noticed that when I reloaded CP5 yesterday the splash screen of the map manager already talks about CP6 and the website for it http://www.alk.com/cppc6 . (However the site itself is still not open).

So something seems to be in the making... I need to have a look at the MobilePlanet catalog again, they are good at splurting out secrets ahead of time.
_________________
Lutz

Report Map Errors here:
TomTom/TeleAtlas NAVTEQ

PONDEROUS · Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2005 5:53 pm Post subject:

The above posts prompted me to look up the following.

The Copilot 6 splash to which Lutz refers had been appearing for some weeks and the ALK technical support staff had been saying "Late September" for Copilot 6 when, on 14th June 2005, Dave Burrows intervened on this forum and said that:

alix776 · Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2005 7:59 pm Post subject:

if alk are working on cp6 then it will be either under alpha or beta rest and talking about it would be breaking the cofidentiallity contract ALK have no resonsability to keep users informed of developments of new products unless they were in the beta test program for cp6
_________________
currently using aponia truck navigation on windows phone. Good bye IOS don't let the door hit you on the way out .

Oh the joys of being a courier.
device Lumia 950 xl

PONDEROUS · Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2005 8:28 pm Post subject:

Alix776 seems to miss the point of my post (whether deliberately or accidentally, I won't speculate) which is that ALK have done sweet nothing about Copilot FIVE and made out that they weren't working on Copilot SIX. That's alright then Alix776, then, is it?

Another thing. What is this rubbish about breaching confidentiality. It is THEIR product, so they can give whatever information about it they like.

I really do wonder about the supposed impartiality of this forum!

alix776 · Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2005 8:37 pm Post subject:

PONDEROUS · Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2005 10:36 pm Post subject:

Alix776. I thought you were implying was that ALK have no responsibility for anything, or at least ought not to have any, practically whatever they do - or don't do. If I have misunderstood you, then I apologise.

The problem I have Alix, is that whenever you intervene, you give the impression that you are somewhat blindly supporting ALK. Your contribution to the thread I started regarding CP 5's database deficiencies is the prime example. You may not intend it, but that is the impression. As you are a moderator, I, rightly or wrongly, expect that you will be impartial unless you declare an interest.

In case I too did not make myself clear, ALK said they were working on CP 5. If that was true, where are the results, or at least some information on what they are actually doing and when users can expect some fixes? If they have changed their minds and decided to go for a new version, then they should say so.

GrimBeard · Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2005 10:22 am Post subject:

Crikey, here we go again. Rolling Eyes

PONDEROUS · Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2005 11:01 am Post subject:

... thought you'd be on the scene shortly, Grimbeard ... trust you're well! ... seems it didn't occur to you to address any of the issues, though?

GrimBeard · Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2005 11:42 am Post subject:

I'm fine, thanks.

I've retired from issue addressing......just post the odd spikey comment oocasionally!

GB

Ako · Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2005 7:47 pm Post subject:

Puttimg 2 & 2 together and making 4 I guess ALK are going to release the fixes for CP5 as CP6. Some say Microsoft have been doing this for years with windows. If this is true then ALK should make the upgrades available for download to existing CP5 users as a gesture for loyalty. You never know, my 2 & 2 may make 5 but I guess time will tell.

Dave

HellFire · Regular Visitor Joined: Jul 25, 2004 Posts: 126

I’ve never had a problem with CP5 but I wish they would make the maps look like TomTom as the CP5 maps look so boring its hard to stay awake when your looking at them

Skippy · Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2005 11:07 am Post subject:

It's been an open secret that ALK are working on CoPilot 6 and they are now dangling CP6 splash screen teasers in front of us.

I know that some users here were offered a new version of CP to beta test some time ago. It appears to me the this version will be marketed as CP6. What they call it is fairly irrelevant, the important thing is that they fix the bugs in what could have been a good product and do the right thing by giving all the existing CP5 users a free upgrade.

I notice that the CoPilot forum has gone very quiet these days. From what I can see we are divided in a few fairly distinct groups of people:

1. Use CoPilot, work around the problems and think it works OK, discussion of the problems in this forum have been done to death and are fairly moot now.

2. Pretty much gave up using CoPilot and brought something else but still use it from time to time and would be interested in seeing a fix to it's problems

3. People who have been allowed to beta test the new version of CoPilot (under non-disclosure agreement) so they can't discuss it.

It goes without saying that some of the PocketGPSWorld team are probably CP6 beta testers (as they do with TomTom etc) so therefore any talk of CP6 on this forum would be subject to moderation to avoid breaking their NDA. I don't blame them for not biting the had that feeds them either. I just wish ALK would get their act together and fix their product.
_________________
Gone fishing!

keeps54 · Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2005 11:30 am Post subject:

I had one occasion, shortly after purchasing my Pocket PC and CoPilot, when my Pocket PC hard reset itself and I had to reinstall everything. You may be wondering at this point why I'm putting this on a thread about CP6!

When I did the reinstall of CoPilot I had forgotten to set the date on my Pocket PC so I did that after the install. Immediately I got the CP6 splash screen. I contacted ALK about it and apparently it's something built into the code, a certain period after installing (may be a year) you will automatically start to get the updated splash screen, it's not someting ALK initiate remotely based on any particular event (not least the actual availability of the new product in question). As I'd advanced the date after the install I then got the new screen as it was triggered in the software.

I hope that sheds some light on what's going on.

Cheers
Paul

(Sitting between option 1 and option 2 in Skippy's assessment of where we all are with CoPilot).

Steve101 · Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2005 4:02 pm Post subject:

I've been a user of Copilot 5 since December 2004, and I think the performance has been pretty good so far. Admittedly there are errors with the voice instructions. But if you follow the map which is correct, it is still easier than using a paper map.

I live in southern Ireland and a device like this is a godsend. It's nearly impossible to navigate anywhere without it. (As a lot of streets do not have streetnames up. Some don't even have an actual house number). A lot of the map is missing, but it's better than nothing. I think people in the UK should be happy with the standard that Co-pilot has at the moment, and not whinge about every problem it has.

I was born in England myself, so I know exactly how complex the roads are compared to Ireland. Yes, its very easy to make a mistake whilst driving because you have followed what your GPS has said, but you have got time before your junction or whatever to have a quick glance at the screen. I know the idea is that you shouldn't have to refer to it if the voice commands are correct but that's why its got a screen.

As far as I know, the UK is 100% mapped. I would be doing cartwheels down the road if I could say Ireland was the same!

The only gripe I have is with ALK itself. Considering the amount of complaints, and that people have moved away from Copilot, it would make more sense for ALK to give some information about its new product. Having a preview of its new product would probably help keep existing customers. Rather than not saying anything which infuriates people say the least. As ALK isn't the only company to produce GPS software, they should be worried about the views people have of them.

If everyone bought another GPS package and found they were happy with that, nobody would want to buy Copilot 6 when it does come out. That's not a very good marketing strategy.

	PocketGPS
	Web