Database Info

The Mapking has no clothes

The only choice of PPC mapping software for Non-Chinese speaking users in Asia is pretty much Mapking. And Mapking exerts a hefty prices for it: HKD 280 for Beijing only, HKD 330 for Hong Kong and so forth. Add some cities and you’ll be talking real money.
However, Mapking is a total dud on both of my Hermes (WM5) and Trnity (GPS, WM6.) Mapking2007 AND Mapking G10 refuse to load on both devices. They give me a splash screen and die. The only thing I get loaded is the obsolete Mapking5, and that has no maps for sale.
If you google "Mapking" and "splash screen," you will see that this phenomenon is widespread. I found lots of complaints and no solution.
However, Mapking does nothing to address the issue.
I have sent [email protected] several emails, from friendly to grumpy, and ALL emails remained unanswered. Mapking is either dead, or they are playing dead. They collect money for product that is unfit for sale. And they ignore their customers.
Google Maps is free and works like a charm in HK. Alas, no Google maps for Beijing. I’m wide open for suggestions.

D810 English rom + Mapking G10 here, from WM5 to WM6, from HK to Taipei to Beijing, worked like a charm, no problem experienced.

No Problems here
PDAViet rom 10
Mapking 2007, Hong kong, Hong Kong Hiking, Shenzen, Manila maps installed. always found it very stable

D810 English rom + Mapking 2007 + Malaysia maps - working fine.
Upon launching Mapking, it will wait between 3-8 mins b4 GPS initiate.
Guess is common as it take time to load the GPS.

mapking - splashscreen - Quits
Dont know if anyone solved the Mapking closes after Splashscreen issue yet but i kinda fixed it.
I installed Pocket Mechanics, Low Level format the Card. Set Cluster size to 4K.
Reinstall mapking 2007 and its working. Still testing it. Unless there is a problem. I wouldnt be posting anything.

serphinox said:
Dont know if anyone solved the Mapking closes after Splashscreen issue yet but i kinda fixed it.
I installed Pocket Mechanics, Low Level format the Card. Set Cluster size to 4K.
Reinstall mapking 2007 and its working. Still testing it. Unless there is a problem. I wouldnt be posting anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi
This is VERY interesting, I have a d810=Trinity and have the same Splash screen problem. Please let me know what version of Pocket Mecahnic you installed and how did you configure it.
By the way when i install the Mapking R12 version everything works OK but there are missing maps like India etc. If someone knows how to convert G10 or 2007 maps to the R12 map format this would be great.

splash screen issue
I had trouble getting Mapking (G10 and below) to work on WM5 too. All I had to do was move a bunch of files off of the card and reinstall then it launched the first time and has worked ever since. It wasn't a card space issue, it seems to have something to do with it scanning the card (for map files?) on first startup. I could move the files back onto the card after that without issues. I just upgraded to WM6 and G10 installed fine, albeit with a half empty 2GB card this time...

I should clarify, I believe the issue was NUMBER of files, not the space used on the card. In any case, try moving as many files off as possible, reinstalling, and see if that works...

robotbrain said:
I had trouble getting Mapking (G10 and below) to work on WM5 too. All I had to do was move a bunch of files off of the card and reinstall then it launched the first time and has worked ever since. It wasn't a card space issue, it seems to have something to do with it scanning the card (for map files?) on first startup. I could move the files back onto the card after that without issues. I just upgraded to WM6 and G10 installed fine, albeit with a half empty 2GB card this time...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which files did you move, from where and where to??

If I remember correctly it was just a ton of assorted files from "My Documents" It didn't seem to me to matter what it was, just to reduce the number of files on the card.

@ausi
According to this http://www.ppcsg.com/lofiversion/index.php/t89755.html you can just change the extension for compatibility between the g10 and 2007. I'd almost bet the same thing applies to r12 since it is supposed to just be a rebranded version of one or the other for OEMs (I think it's closer to g10, maybe minus a few features)

Robotbrain:
I tried it but it didn't work for me.

Hi,
The above problem plague many mapking users, surprising never see a reply from the company that make this excellent navigation software for pocketpc. Well after many sleepless night and different configurations, finally found out the real cause.
The problem lies with the mapking program don't like any directories and files that the characters added up together be more than 128 characters. This is root of all the problems.
a, No problem.
\Storage card\Programs Store\abc.txt
b. Got problem. The below complete file path is more than 128 characters.
\Storage card\Programs Store\1234567890\12345678901234567890\123456789012345678901234567890\1234567890123456789012345678901234567890\abc.txt
Also, Mapking only search for mapfiles on the location that it is being installed. For example, if the mapking is installed in the phone/pocketpc main memory, it will only search for maps there. If mapking is installed in Storage Card, it will therefore only search there.
There are few senerios that will make users complain that mapking cannot work. For example,
1. For 1st start after installing mapking, if there is any directories/files that is more than 128 characters, mapking will exit after displaying the splash screen and will keep doing that.
2. If there is no directories/files that is more than 128 characters, after showing the splash screen, mapking will run and show the default mapfile(hk demo map). It will create a registry key in
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Apps\MapAsia MapKing2007\Init
MainMapFile=\Where is the installed directory\Where is the installed directory\mapfile name.m7a
User can add additional maps on the place where mapking is being installed. In the phone/pocketpc main memory or the Storage Card, and the user will be happy.
3. But down the road, the user unknowingly installed some software or add any file that has a complete path name more than 128 characters, the user will still able to use mapking, but he can't Open Map(search for new map) any more. If he tries to Open map, the hour glass will keep spinning. If the user delete or move the map, the mapking program cannot run after the splash screen, it will says Cannot load map or no map found. The program is the registry key still remains MainMapFile=\Where is the installed directory\Where is the installed directory\mapfile name.m7a so, since the map stated is not there it will create an error and exits.
So long story short, if want to run mapking, don't create or have any directory or file path name that is more than 128 characters in the same memory location(phone/pocketpc main memory or the Storage Card) as mapking.
Regards

PDA Set up for Newbies

There are a lot of great things on this web site, but not much for the real newbie. This submission is to help newbies get up to speed. The concepts and some details here can help almost any newbie with any PDA.
I’ve worked with computers for 30 years since they were driven by “audio cassette” tapes. BUT I’m a PDA newbie! When I got my PDA, a Cingular 8525 (HTC Hermes), I compared it to my last cell phone and was amazed that it had a color screen. I had no clue how I was supposed to get it to do what I wanted it to do. Since I‘m retired, I spent long hours on many days researching, finding free software, and learning and doing things to make it what I wanted. These are the results. I’m not going to go into all the research, just give you the findings and actions. Read your manual or download one from the Internet to learn the very basics of your phone. Try every possible button, menu and program to see what they do. Don‘t be afraid to crash your PDA at this point so long as you know how to do a Hard Reset (HR). I’m not going to give keystrokes on how to find the following data. Just don’t transfer important information to the PDA until later.
First, decide what you need to do versus what you would like it to do. Here’s what I wanted. I travel a lot and wanted a mini computer I could do MS Office work on, access the Internet to take care of business, call home on, find my way in strange locations, and enjoy a little. IOW, do what my desktop does except I wanted to carry it in my pocket.
One thing that will happen while you are doing all the following is that many of the PDA programs will show up as installations in your “Add/Remove Program” program in your Control Panel on your desktop. Since this includes entries going into your registry, it can lead to different problems. I use Norton Ghost back up to totally back up my system drive, let things happen as they will, then restore it back to normal when I’m all done. Then I install only ActiveSync, MyMobiler and Remote Keyboard plus a few others than I want to sync with when I connect occasionally. You should strongly consider doing this yourself.
First, I found out what I had - A full install of WM6 with several programs I really didn’t want and a real problem when I began loading program I wanted - not enough memory. The device says I have 64 Mb of RAM and 128 Mb of Flash memory (this is the “hard disk” storage available). When I looked at memory allocation it said:
Storage Program
Total 44.77 48.77
In Use 10.96 23.55
Free 33.81 25.20
This means out of the 128 Mb of storage 44.77 + 48.77 = 93.54 Mb were available and being used. Where’s the rest? Being taken up by the Extended ROM which holds the installation and system programs you are safer NOT playing with unless you know how to - like RegEdit, Task Manager (not Task), etc. These are system “hidden” files you can play with and really screw up your PDA. With “AdvancedConfiguration” you can set Extended ROM to be read and used. Also, almost ½ of the total available area set aside for Program installation on the hard disk was already used. I tried and found I could NOT delete or move any of the originally loaded files in “Windows” folder. We’re stuck with the bloat.
I haven’t found out for sure but (someone correct me here, please) the Storage seems to be used for a dedicated operating Page File or programs loaded into active operating memory type of work based on how many running programs you have running right now and the Program refers to the actual Flash (hard disk) space set aside for installations. Think of your desktop as having only a 50 Mb hard disk and having to have the operating system, Page File and programs plus storage on it. Doesn’t leave much.
A neat little trick I learned is that when you do a HR and are reinstalling the OS it pauses for 3 seconds with an explanation screen at one point before going on to install other proprietary programs (some of which were junk to me). If you want to know what was different, back up all your personal data and do a HR and let it run fully. Check all the Settings and Programs screens to write down what you have. Do it again but push the Soft Reset (SR) pin in the hole when it gets to that 3 second pause and let it reboot. It will stop the extended installation. When you do this you will find the numbers are now:
Storage Program
Total 44.77 48.77
In Use 5.77 22.85
Free 39.00 25.92
IOW, you cut your Page File use (running programs loaded into memory) by ½ but you didn’t really change what was taking up your Flash memory. That’s because during the install every program is loaded into the “Windows” directory and then installed or not. If not installed, they just sit there and can’t be deleted or moved.
In order to change this memory bloat I had to find a different way. The only way I could find was to “cook” my phone and hope it didn’t turn into a “brick” to throw away or send back to the factory for a fix. I began looking at what was available. Keep in mind that I had written down ALL the programs installed by WM6 full and WM6 Lite (fast SR at 3 second screen). I had decided what I would like to have and what I didn’t need or want. This is important to do before this next step.
I am very experienced at installing lots of OSs over the years from CP/M (really, really old), DOS, Windows XT up to Windows XP (very different from XT) and tweaking the hell out of them. Doing it on the PDA had me a little concerned because it’s so tiny and different (so what, right?). I learned that it really is about the same as my desktop in setup and running. The first time I did it, I was worried and then surprised at how easy and straight forward it was. If you are concerned about this step and have this particular PDA, go to http://www.america.htc.com/support/8525/software-downloads.html , download the most current OS and do an install from your desktop to PDA with it. If your phone bricks send it to the factory, it’s their system. Once you’ve done it, it’s much less worrying. If you have a different phone do a little Google research and/or read more on this forum for your particular phone.
I researched different ROM cooks to see what they had compared to what I wanted. I came up with Shamanix and K-Flex as most likely for me. Their installs went just as easily and safely as the WM6 did. Don’t look at just the pretty colors, look at what programs they have and how they function doing what you want. Do some “WM6 FREE SOFTWARE” Google searches to find out what is available out there and what you can get it to do. Here are the test results with both Full install and Lite install:
Shamanix K-Flex
Full Lite Full Lite
Total 66.18 50.77 66.18 50.77 66.80 44.77 66.80 44.77
In Use 2.66 21.00 2.63 18.77 9.11 28.52 2.78 23.19
Free 63.52 29.77 63.55 31.99 57.69 20.25 64.01 25.70
FIRST - Now 66.18 + 50.77 = 110.95 for Shamanix and 66.80 + 44.77 = 111.57 for K-Flex versus only 93.54 Mb for WM6. Suddenly the OS installation files squeezed out an extra 18 Mb of Flash storage for other things. That’s a LOT when many programs average as little as 200 Kb (fit 90 in that free space). Next, K-Flex used almost as much Flash (hard disk) storage as WM6 but Shamanix only used 18.77 in the Lite install which freed up almost 6 Mb for more programs.
Sounds good, right? Remember, check what each OS provides, how you like the looks and what you want on you PDA. Since camera, media and online gaming usage are not important to me, Shamanix Lite is best for me. It still requires a few additional installs to replace what it doesn’t provide but that’s better than the bloat.
(PLEASE CONTINUE ON NEXT REPLY)

2nd half of first post
(Continued from beginning of thread)
Next, I bought a 2 Gb microSD card. That’s great for storage, but I want to install programs to that location, especially the ones I don’t use very often and can run slow safely (cards are much slower than RAM). Save the Flash storage for anything that needs processing speed like music, video, gaming, etc. Once you have a card installed, every time you want to install a program, it asks where to install. If you have access to ER enabled you can select from Device, Extended ROM or Storage Card. Use Storage Card as 1st, and Device 2nd. I tweak installation folders on my desktop but on the PDA you can’t. If it’s going to the Storage Card it will create the proper folder automatically like most Windows installations do in Program Files. Also, if you already have it loaded, it will tell you it must uninstall the prior one before it can install the new one. Actually, they’ve made PDA pretty idiot proof which is a good thing.
Before I go any further, here are two almost mandatory FREE programs you MUST HAVE!!!! MyMobiler and Remote Keyboard can be found many places. Both will allow you to connect your PDA to your desktop with a USB cable and set your PDA aside while you do everything on your desktop. It gives you a copy of the PDA screen on your monitor you can zoom plus use the normal mouse and keyboard on so long as the mouse is hovering over the PDA screen. Sooooo muchchch eeesieeer!!!!!!! In fact, it should be your first two installs before anything else!
Here’s a helpful hit on installing programs. Many times an installation program will come as a .exe file you run from your desktop. What it usually does is extract and create a folder that will hold a couple of files ending in .CAB. Then it will copy the appropriate .CAB to your mobile device. Then it will run the .CAB for installation. The .CAB is the important part. All the rest essentially sets up your desktop to run the .CAB on your PDA. Many times the installation program will be a .ZIP, .RAR, or other compressed file or even a .CAB file. If it’s a compressed file, uncompress it and look for the .CAB. When looking at .CAB files you will often find several with identical names except for the few letters just before the “.CAB”. These are the same but designed for different types of operating systems. I’m sorry I can’t rediscover the link for the details (maybe someone reading this will give us the link later) but I did learn that those with .ARM, .ARM4, Xscale, or rarely PXA, OMAP, or Samsung S3C24xx are for the newer PDAs running WM5 or WM6. Every PPC2000-2003 and every smartphone on the market (at least that I know of) is an ARM device. The others are for older system. If in doubt, try to run each one. The ones that are incorrect will NOT install. Only the one that IS correct will. From then on you will know which type to copy to your PDA. Once copied to a named folder (I use “Install CABs”) on the Storage Card, they can be simply clicked on at any time and installed. To regain memory or stop using it, use “Remove Programs” in Settings/System to get rid of them. You can reinstall anytime later.
One thing I did was move almost all of the CAB files for the programs I wanted to a designated folder on the Storage Card. One suggestion from others is to rename each CAB with a “#-“ in front of the name with the number corresponding to importance of that CAB to you. That way, when you do a reinstall, or HR, out in the field, your CABs are with you and you can see which ones should be loaded first. This works well if there is some conflict with installs one after another. Personally, I haven’t run into that so I rename them to a shorter name that identifies what it is (e.g. in35prtv33.24.arm4.cab becomes PocketPool.cab). The next thing I do is use the settings or preferences in each program to make a folder on the Storage Card the default folder - like My Documents, Favorites, Downloads, etc. Now they won’t be lost if I have to HR the PDA.
Along with the information in the above paragraphs, I do something else because I’m gone when I’m most using my PDA. On the Storage Card (a copy on each card I have) is the installed programs in the normal “Program” folder which are my operating files and a copy of the “Install CABs” folder which also includes a backup of my Contacts. One additional item is a “Serials” folder in the “Install CABs” folder. This has a .txt file of all the registration codes I need plus copies of all the altered (cracked) files I need if I have to reinstall anything on the road. So long as I can Hard Reset my phone, I can reinstall everything back to normal and continue as I need. Since I have several Storage Cards this is on each card. The balance of the Storage cards will have different eBooks, music, DVDs, etc. that don’t all fit on one card. That way, I have several backups of critical files plus entertainment as needed. I use a small dot of different colored paint on the bottom edge of each card so I can tell which card is in the phone at any time.
With all the above, if my PDA freezes or stops working properly, the universal fix-it is to do a Hard Reset. If that doesn’t work, I’m SOL. If it does I’m in business. All I do is a HR (Lite) and soft reset at the 3 second warning. Then I go back into my Storage Card and reinstall those programs I need to get back to where I can work.
Once you have things loaded and working properly, you can consider tweaking the system. During this process you may have found multiple editions of software you want to use like three different registry editors, five different tweak programs, etc. Go ahead and compare and see which ones you want and delete the rest. On a PDA it’s fairly easy. When everything is said and done, you can do a clean HR and only load those specific versions you want and have a fresh, clean, trim system to backup as your first installation process.
Finally, so you can see the results I came up with in this process, here’s a list of the programs I installed. All are on and working. None of them have to be cleared before I can have room to open another one. These are the final versions of similar programs such that there is minimal overlap but expanded utility when more than one is installed.
Sound Pocket Dictate
Mortgage CALC
WkTASK
Touch Caller
Tao Java
GSFinder+
Pocket Mechanic
Adobe Reader
ActiveX Flash 7
Sompy Media Player
enAlarmPPC
True Term Translator
TT Swedish-English
TT Spanish-English
TT Portugese-English
TT Italian-English
TT German-English
TT French-English
Town Compass US Travel Directory
Town Compass DataViewer
Tagalog for Travelers
SKTools
Paris Guide
Metro
mCity Tours
Google Maps
Flashlight Colors
UniSync
Spb Pocket Plus
tGetFile.dll
MIcrosoft .NET CF 2.0
Maufait Instafind
DinaSoft Tap Text
DinaSoft MemMaid
DinaSoft HandyMenu
CallFirewall
Tab Web Viewer (IE)
Dictionary Manager
Schap's Advanced Config 2.0
Yahtz
Warefare Incorporated
Vision Quest
Trivial Pursuit
Super Wild Wild Words
Space Adventure in Infinite Space
Smart Mahjongg
Dames are Trouble Game
Word Mojo
Ultimate Bowling Fighter
Mazera
Mars Need Cows
Hellfire
Bzzz
Realms
1001 Crossword Puzzle
Xplodus
Xonix
Pocket Spades
Patience
JumpyBall
Hot Death Uno
Advanced Lines
Here are my original results on memory usage.
Storage Program
Total 44.77 48.77
In Use 5.77 22.85
Free 39.00 25.92
Here are the final results
Storage Program
Total 66.18 50.77
In Use 36.55 25.77
Free 29.63 25.00
In other words, by opening and freeing the Extended ROM, Putting as much on the Storage Card as possible and applying a few tweaks for caching and folder locations, I still have almost as much of both Storage and Program Memory as I started with to run almost anything without having to remove and reinstall programs on the fly.
It’s a lot easier than you think and idiot proof in most cases. Don’t fear playing with your PDA and making it what you want. Have fun and ENJOY!
Dr. Ken Rich

OS Maintenance

I have noticed that over certain period the performance of my Kaiser degrades. Considering that it works great even after I install additional software and configure it to sync with exchange 2007, over time it start to act flaky. Could somebody tell me what causes this and how to resolve it?
My guess is it has to do with temporary and cache file used by different applications and os. If so, what should I be getting rid of?
Thanks in advance

rgelfand said:
I have noticed that over certain period the performance of my Kaiser degrades. Considering that it works great even after I install additional software and configure it to sync with exchange 2007, over time it start to act flaky. Could somebody tell me what causes this and how to resolve it?
My guess is it has to do with temporary and cache file used by different applications and os. If so, what should I be getting rid of?
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
u need to use some "cleaning tools" like sktools or memmaid. There are options to clear some files(temp. internet, ...) and to free up your ram. Thats the main problem, your ram memory is decreasing over time and the phone is acting slover. To make it quicker is to make softreset after some time or use this tools and free up your ram.

You also can use some tools (apps) which will automatically and periodically do the soft-reset for you,
e.g. during the night your device is unused etc...

You can use tools, I like Sk Tools as it is the most comprehensive tool period. But there are many things you can do manually as well.
Delete the files in: \Application Data\Volatile, also in: \Windows\Profiles\Guest\Cookies; History; & Temporary Internet Files; as well as files in \temp.

GSLEON3 said:
You can use tools, I like Sk Tools as it is the most comprehensive tool period. But there are many things you can do manually as well.
Delete the files in: \Application Data\Volatile, also in: \Windows\Profiles\Guest\Cookies; History; & Temporary Internet Files; as well as files in \temp.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to agree with GSLEON3. SKtools was by far the best piece of software I have purchased for my kaiser. It allows easy cleaning, sip changes, today changes, registry editor, and nearly any tool or tweak you can think of.
I suggest you check out their trial and see what you think.

google maps cache .dat file hacking

I don't have a data connection, yet I have a GPS-capable device and thus to use mapping software on the fly I need to preload maps beforehand. There are a number of solutions out there that I've tried (MGMaps, Google Navigator, GPS Tuner, etc.), but they all have very limited functionality.
I've found that Google Maps itself is the best piece of GPS mapping software. It stores map data on internal storage in \application data\googlemaps\cache-GLM.dat. I've seen reports that this file has a size cap imposed by the application, but I have yet to notice this--my current cache file's size is 24MB, and it just seems to get bigger as I explore more area (on wifi).
So my question is, can this file be hacked, so that one could in principle preload arbitrary map areas into it? Is it some common format of which I am unaware? Can anyone analyze the file and figure out if there's some way to manipulate it? I tried opening it in like winrar obviously but no success. If this could be figured out it could provide a lot of utility to a lot of people I think, eliminating the need for all the inelegant third-party Google Maps interfacers like MGMaps.
I attached a small example of the cache-GLM.dat file. (It's an overhead of my office. Guess my occupation.)
Thanks!

Did you have any luck with this??? I'm trying to find a solution to this problem myself, but no luck thus far. Keep me posted. Thanks

Reference software for our Polaris?

I open the post so those interested can share which apps work and wich do not work in our Polaris devices (no keyboard, chip kinda old, 240x320, etc), and why these apps are so unique to you. It is not a ranking or a directory intented to list 1.000 apps.
Please refrain from asking for codes, warez, etc. Only links to "official pages". No attachments please. I will update this first post whenever I think it is relevant for the original idea of the post, so here we go:
Desktop
File explorer
Google Tools
- Google - My Maps Editor 1.1.6 : Not working in Froyo
- Google Earth: Not working in Incubus RLS14 neither 1.0 nor 1.1
- Google Sky Map: Working but inverted.
In the cloud
- mspot: upload with your desktop utility and listen the music in the desktop or anywhere with your device with wifi.
GPS related:
- c:geo: Geocaching program linked to your account at geocaching.com, you can download caches at home and work off line (with the gps on, off-course) later.
Connect to PC
- Web Sharing Works great with Incubus RLS14. You can browse your device from a web explorer, play music, videos, download and upload files, etc.
- Dual Mount SD Widget Works great with Incubus RLS14. You can connect your device to USB as a pendrive, both in windows and ubuntu
Games not suitable for Polaris (they require keyboard or another screen resolution)
- Abduction: No keyboard
No solution found so far for:
- Internal Radio
- TMC
- Adb device name ?
Camera, my camera got broken (the glass) so I can not tell a lot:
- Quickmark QR-Code works great
- Barcode Scanner works great
If you like installing many apps, please share your current configuration:
- mine is NAND install with 1G system.img and 2G data.img installed in SD Card. Pros: lots of space CONS: I think it takes longer the first minutes after booting (it gets smooth afterwards) and the system becomes less responsive when I enter the apps mantainance tool and you must be tidy when activating and deactivating the usb mode.