Thread: Garmin Mobile PC Nav software dies, no replacement planned

If GMPC uses the same map format as their portable units then surely you could get map updates on an SD card to copy onto your PC to keep the maps up-to-date atleast ?
Has anyone researched this ?

Wow, it seems like the CAR PC hobby is being pushed into a corner as far as NAV solutions is concerned. Here is what I don't understand. Why don't the front ends create their own NAV engine? I know the development time is long, but in the end you don't have to rely on whether or not the NAV will be discontinued at some point. Didn't Street Deck have its own NAV engine?

Originally Posted by HiJackZX1

Wow, it seems like the CAR PC hobby is being pushed into a corner as far as NAV solutions is concerned. Here is what I don't understand. Why don't the front ends create their own NAV engine? I know the development time is long, but in the end you don't have to rely on whether or not the NAV will be discontinued at some point. Didn't Street Deck have its own NAV engine?

no it used Mappoint and rendered the graphics to look like a nav engine. In the end front ends cant pay for the licensing costs involved in creating an engine with quality maps. Open street maps is out there but is still in its infancy

Originally Posted by Sonicxtacy02

no it used Mappoint and rendered the graphics to look like a nav engine. In the end front ends cant pay for the licensing costs involved in creating an engine with quality maps. Open street maps is out there but is still in its infancy

So cant the FE companies do that instead? I never played with SD, but everyone swore it had an awesome NAV solution. What would be awesome is if someone reverse engineered GMPC. That way it can be updated....

Originally Posted by PhilG

For me, (I just bought it a few months ago), I would like to continue to use it but I am fearful that the plugins won't get updated for CF3.5 but I guess we will see.

Sorry PhilG. I guess it was because of my recommendation on your worklog that you purchased GMPC in the first place.
I am not 100% certain but I believe the same map updates for the dedicated devices work with GMPC. All I had to do to get my 2011 updates was copy the DVD to my Garmin folder.
I hope that still works . We'll see in the last quarter of 2011. For now I'll just continue to use and hope for the best.
I will be testing out other options out there as well.
It's only a matter of time before the map files no longer work.

I'm new to the CarPC scene and in the planning/information gathering stage. I currently use a Garmin standalone and while the interface is somewhat annoying I have great confidence in the Garmin routing engine. Would it be a good idea to pick up a copy of this package (while it's still in stock) for future use in my CarPC project?

Originally Posted by snad

I'm new to the CarPC scene and in the planning/information gathering stage. I currently use a Garmin standalone and while the interface is somewhat annoying I have great confidence in the Garmin routing engine. Would it be a good idea to pick up a copy of this package (while it's still in stock) for future use in my CarPC project?

I wouldnt consider this a future product, especially if you live in an area with constant change. The maps will be out of date fast. I am interested in CoPilot Live 8, but I am hearing rumors that Centrafuse will have Destinator 9, but its a rumor that hasnt been confirmed yet.

Yes map updates still work....at least for a few more years until they stop making the current format but thats a ways off

I emailed Garmin a few days back to see what this meant for current users and this was their reply.

Originally Posted by Garmin

Dear Travis,

Thank you for contacting Garmin International.


Unfortunately you are correct, Garmin Mobile PC has been discontinued and will no longer be produced. I apologize if this causes any inconvenience.

However your ability to update the maps will depend on which version of Garmin Mobile PC you purchased.

If you purchased the Software Only version of this program it is not possible to update your maps. Since this version is just a standalone DVD it is not possible to update the mapping. In the past the way to update the mapping for this version of the product would be through just purchasing a new version of Software Only Garmin Mobile PC that included the newer maps on the disk. However since these will no longer be produced this will not be possible.

If you purchased a Deluxe version of Garmin Mobile PC that included its own GPS antenna (GPS 20x or 10x) it will be possible to purchase map updates, as this product is compatible with our NuMaps Onetime and Lifetime products. Information on these purchasable updates can be found at http://www8.garmin.com/updatemaps/

If you need further assistance please reply to this email or contact us at 1-800-800-1020 Mon-Thu 8am-6pm Fri 8am-5pm Central.

Basically, if you use their GPS dongle, you can still get updates through the lifetime update or one time purchase. If you dont use their dongle, the product is no good