Google maps 5.0 - Android Software/Hacking General [Developers Only]

As google now have added map cacheing to the maping software, how difficult would it be to download a pack of maps e.g UK, USA or Europe. I have had a look round at some Offline navigation programs and none of the free ones are very good IMHO and the paid for ones are to expensive for what they are, seen as we have a decent mapping and navigation software built in to the phones surely being able to download your own maps to the phone would be an advantage, I am limited by my coding ability but surely theres a dev out there that might have an idea how to do it.

Related

Off Road GPS Software

I know TomTom is good at on road navigation. Is there any Decent GPS software that uses OS maps, maybe 1:50000 or 1:25000 off road for hill walking etc.
I've tried most of them, and I reckon the best for O.S. maps is
http://www.memory-map.co.uk
They have a CD with all of them on it.
If you don't mid georeferencing them yourself, you might also try http://www.gpsdash.com or www.oziexplorer.com.
GPSDash is the only one that lets you georeference on your PocketPC. The others make you reference the maps on the PC and export them.
Ozi Explorer is faster, and re-projects maps from other formats into WGS84 (so you can use lat/long on OS maps instad of easings/northings). if you are using a bluetooth GPS, there is an issue with using Ozi on the XDA2 (see http://216.218.220.254/ozice/faq_ppc2003.html) which you can solve using Bluetooth Tools (see the article).
A free (but basic) alternative is www.locbrowser.com
One other thing to bear in mind is that TomTom 2.7 upwards will have messed up your bluetooth stack (unless you're running WM2003SE), so you need to soft-reset your Pocket PC after using TomTom before any other GPS program will work. It happens because Tomtom doesn't release the com port even after it has shut down.
Hope that's useful!
Thanks for the suggestions, I will have a look at them. What Would be perfect is a moving 1:25000 map with a cursor where I am. With waypoints and route planning in advance, like real GPS units do.
I have not had any issues with TomTom3 however i dont have any other GPS software to test it with. Yet.
Thanks. M8.
I use Memory-Map and it has all that you mention. 1:25000 is limited at present to National Parks etc but more areas are coming. We've full reviews on our site. You also get both PC and PPC clients so can plan on the PC, upload to the PPC and then copy the actual route you took back to the PC afterwards.
MM2004 has many additional features such as 3D bump mapping on the PC to give a virtual 3D respresentation of an area. Both PC and PPC Clients can be used with a GPS.
yes i like the look of this, will download over the weekend and trial it out in the parks 20 mile away.
Possibly a little late but the trial has no GPS functionality. Just in case you were planning to test this!
Doh, thanks for letting me know, i hadnt downloaded it yet.
Whats the point of a trial that doesnt trial the full software. Its just forces people to look elwhere.
To be fair few offer any trial at all so Memory-Map are to be applauded for offering something.
And as you can only 'trial' it with the small sample map they offer which is unlikley to be of your area then its only purpose is to show you the interface etc.
It is however the best in its field for good reason and I can highly reccomend it.
OK, will take a look at their software, and the maps, for the price it does look good value.

Google Map-- Street View

Google Map street view (normal aerial view until you zoom in all the way, then Java-based 3D, scrollable 1st-person view [street view] takes over) is incredible. Google maps for he G1 (HTC Google phone) and iPhone has this street view, but not for WM. Google's website says it's supported for G1, iPhone, and phones supporting Java. Last time i checked, Fuze supports Java; why can't we use this? Anyone checked this out/ tried to hack it onto the Fuze?
Download latest version of Google maps for WM (2.3.0.9), this now includes streetview (as far as available in your region).
I'm running 2.3.0.9 (which I believe is the latest version) for WM phones and it supports Street View.
Keep in mind that it only works in certain areas, just like with the online version of Google Maps.
I just DL the latest one on my pro and it works....just tap and hold on the map and then it will say street view
US only as far as i can see, dont work in the UK
gizmolisa2006 said:
US only as far as i can see, dont work in the UK
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And most of Australia. Should be getting street view of UK in late spring...
Google Maps caching
Anyone have a tweak or hack I can do to get Google Maps to cache tons of maps/ esp. Sat View maps? I have GBs free on my Fuze that I'd love to fill up with cached Sat View Maps, for faster use, and for offline use.

Google Maps Navigation - Now Available in UK

not sure if this is common knowledge:
http://www.v3.co.uk/v3/news/2261749/google-adds-navigation
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=667668
Seriously though ... I had Brut installed too - but its no longer required.
Google have given us full blown SatNav - better in some respects that the TomTom system
- voice is softer (easier on the ear)
- side streets names are shown
Only thing it need was voice search ... I cannot post the link here

GPS Tracker/Plotters?

Looking for something that will track my workouts, hikes and offroading or camping I do in the backwoods. Wondering if any of you have experience with any of these, or others, that you can comment on or recommend:
MobileTracker
BackCountry Navigator
TrackyPro
I realize that there might be two different requirements here, one for charting routes, times and distances for exercise routines and a 2nd utility that I can use for orienteering where I would need topographical maps. I'd prefer a topo map utility that enabled me to store maps on my flash card rather than needing to depend on a data connection that will probably disappear in the back woods.
Hope someone can point me in the right direction.
what about this http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=581474 for free?
I haven't used it yet but it's free. I'm still on the old version of gpstuner, also a good one

[Mini Review] Opinions on GPS Programs for the Evo

Coming over from a Touch Pro 2, the only thing I actually miss is Nav N Go IGO 8. It was honestly the most amazing GPS I think I have ever used. It had so many little features Like the ability to customize the 3 little info spots with any dynamic value(like Current Speed, ETA, Miles Left, ect), and the little little "Next maneuver after the current upcoming maneuver" display. All of these things made that GPS wonderful. I've been spending days looking for a New GPS software to use on the Evo, but haven't found the perfect one yet. I wanted to review the GPS's that I have tried, to give you all an idea of what you can expect from some of the popular GPS's. I'm a Network Engineer who works alot in the Field, so I use GPS's every day. I've been able to log about 50 miles which each GPS so far.
Destinator 9:
This was a GPS that I found highly rated on the Market... Only issue is, it doesn't recognize the maps on the Evo, making it useless. Shame.
Google Navigation:
I've read so much Hype on this.. But I honestly don't see where it's coming from. Google Navigation is Available in many Countries. It's good with routing, but the interface isn't the best looking interface, and the HUD lacks alot of the extra information that other GPS's show. Google Navigation does do traffic, but doesn't auto reroute (Atleast, I dont think it does). One cool feature is the ability to add layers to the map. You can have a satellite overlay, as well as have an overlay for food, gas, reststops, ect. Otherwise, nothing else really makes this stand out from any of the other GPS's. Oh... and one last thing... The voice in this GPS makes me want to kick babies into tree stump grinders.
Sprint Navigation(Aka TeleNav):
SPrint Navigation is actually an OK GPS. Unless your on the Everything Plan with Sprint though, you arn't getting this GPS for free. It runs $10 a month. Sprint Navigation is only available in the USA, but it's Big Sister; Telenav is available outside the USA as well. The interface is OK. It shows all of the needed information in a News ticker type of display. The ticker is on a Yellow background which makes it harder to see sometimes. Routing and Address finding in this GPS is the best out of any GPS i've used.. Including IGO 8. The Traffic feature isn't too good. I'm not sure where it's traffic source comes from, but I've only rarely been alerted to traffic with this program. And when the time comes to click on that magic re-route button, the magic for some odd reason doesn't seem to happen. It reroutes me right back into the traffic. Since I'm on the Everything Plan, I currently use this in conjunction with the next two GPS's.
Waze:
Waze is a great little community Driven(Har har, no pun intended) GPS, with an amazingly responsive development team behind it. It's available in most country's. What sets Waze off from the rest of the GPS's is it's Community aspect... When you use Waze, your linked up to Hundreds of other Waze Users in your area and around the world. This provides real time traffic monitoring from other users, as well as user submitted accident reports, and speed trap reports. You can also view and post "Chit Chat" comments on the route/map as well so you can talk to user Waze Users. Why you would want to do this while driving? Well lets say your stuck in a horrible traffic Jam caused by an accident with a few other Wazers.. Wouldn't it be cool to have a little conversation going with them all while you wait in stand still traffic? You can also see other Waze users near you on the map as well, which is pretty cool. Waze tries to make driving into a game too. Since the Map is generated mostly by user driving around and sending this information from their app to the waze server, Waze automatically puts "cookies" near unexplored area's. If you drive near these area's you get points. With the traffic being user submitted and automatically monitored based on users speed, ect, the traffic reports are really good. Although it's suppose to automatically reroute around traffic, it doesn't work too well, although their are small workarounds posted in the waze forums, that seem to help users. The interface is ok... It's not the best. It could use a 3D map mode instead of the older 2D almost overhead style of map. There are also times where it won't find a certain address. The Map might also be a little incomplete in certain area's... But this might be just because I haven't zoomed in far enough or it's outside my route, but I also suspect it might be because not enough waze users have driven those area's yet. One limitation as well, is the 200 mile routing limit. You can only route a trip thats less then 200 miles, although this might be increased at a later date. Since it's the waze servers that do the processing, I suspect the limit is in place to keep the load on the servers down. A work around to that limit is to just rout to a city thats less then 200 miles away between you and the destination, and then once you get there, route to the next place thats less then 200 miles, and so on. This is a GREAT free gps to use if your just commuting to work and home, and want traffic alerts, but can also work as a stand alone GPS to use on longer trips (Less then 200 miles though).
NDrive:
NDrive is another Paid GPS program very similar to TomTom and IGO 8. I use this as my Offline GPS (It stores maps on the SD card and doesn't use Data). It's the closest to IGO 8 as I could find. It has all offline maps, and can do Predictive Address Typing, which is nice if you don't quite know the spelling of the place your going, or need to find a cross street. The interface is pretty, but I wish there was a way to control the zoom level. Living in NJ, right outside NYC, it's hard merging onto the correct highway when NDrive decides to zoom out when you get near a junction with an entrance to 4 difference highways. This GPS show's alot of information. There is an information pane in the lower left that you can configure to show different values, like ETA, Arrival Time, Miles Left, Speed, ect. The routing on isn't the best. Infact I think it's the worse out of any of the others i've reviewed. I've ran into experiences were it would route me an extra long way to get somewhere (Ever hear the term, 3 rights make a left? Well NDrive has!), and I've also run into issues with Address's being anywhere from a block, to 2 miles off on the road where they are suppose to be. If it wasn't for the routing issues, this GPS would of been my Number 1, and a very very possible replacement for IGO. It's available in most countries. Although the application on the Market is Free, the Maps are not. You get a 7 day free trial with any map though, and you don't need a PC to download the maps. It'll download right over 3g slowly, or if your lucky and have 4g, it'll download over that, or even wifi.
I'm still on the lookout for the perfect Offline GPS Igo Replacement. Anyone know any other GPS programs I should add to this?
I use Google nav all the time, and yes it does auto-rerouting. Just clearing thing up.
Pretty comprehensive list, if you're still looking for alteratives, I'd suggest giving copilot 8 a try, although people have been complaining about the maps
I wish google nav would show routes that have less traffic. Is there a way?
Sprint Nav is nothing like Telenav and they're the same software. It feels like Sprint Nav UI watered down. I think I'll stick to Google. I do however like Waze.
I like the Google Maps Navigation. The voice is horrendous, I will agree, but it's pretty convenient to use.
I have an in-dash navi in my car (Pioneer unit, running iGo 8) and I find the Google app to be a very adequate substitute when I'm in a rental car.
Telenav allows you to go online at my.telenav.com and find your addresses on the computer first. You can find your POI easily.
along the same lines does anyone know of a gps app that I can store the maps on the phone with? I am in data service-less areas a lot of times and it seems like no one has ever thought of this before?
I started using Co Pilot, and it seems to work pretty well. Maps are well priced too. It stores the maps on the SD Card. So no data is needed.
There is also Motonav which is a modified igo and even uses igo map files. Its not as good as igo on wm but its not bad.
Sent from my Evo 4g using Tapatalk
I loved Garmin and iGo on Windows Mobile.... but that was then...
On Android:
I tried Co Pilot: It cut out the audio so I could not play MP3s until I shut it down.
Refunded.
I tried NDrive but the zoom feature sucks and roads disappear way to quickly. Also it seems there is no way to add via point to you route.
Refunded.
I too am waiting for either iGo or Garmin to come out with a good Android app.
In the meantime I am going to have to buy a stand alone nuvi for when I am riding outside reception areas.
-D
Anybody know if any of these work in Baja California, specifically Tijuana area? I suspect the data connection will work, but I don't know what the roaming charge is down there, or how much data GM uses, for that matter.
Just tried Destinator 9 and WAZE
Both have a deal breaker for me that if you zoom out the roads disappear too quickly making it next to impossible to plan off road riding routes.
Baja is a no go on Destinaor

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