Brushed Metal Streets and Trips 2006 skin

**Softec** · 12-09-2005, 09:11 PM

On the above screens the first four screens show the various direction panes. The Route Text/Next Turn button toggles thru the upper and lower direction panes (a sequence of four possibilities)

The second screen is the mode I normally drive in.

When the GPS in engaged the distance to the next turn is displayed below the turn arrow. The voice instructions does a text to speech of the direction and includes the distance to turn in the voice prompt.

The last screen show a neat Point of Interest radius display that you can customize per the controls shown.

**Hark** · 12-09-2005, 11:51 PM

That's awesome, exactly what I was looking for. Great work. I don't suppose you've been able to get RR to mute/lower the music volume when S&T gives a voice prompt? Are you able to make the street name text larger?

**Softec** · 12-10-2005, 01:18 PM

Haven’t had any luck with the sound mute yet, some settings on the winamp preamp seem to help though. The map text is scalable with a menu setting, five choices from smallest to largest similar to the way internet explorer is.

On the voice. S&T installs a new voice, Microsoft ANA, she has a pleasant voice but a little low in volume. I use the SAM voice, which has a robotic tone, but is reasonably loud.

**ITL** · 12-10-2005, 02:37 PM

thanks for the screenshots, Softec. Unfortunately, I've been too spoiled by MAppoint's integration with RR to want to even begin to mess with small text boxes and route planning from a 7" screen...not what I was hoping for. But thanks for the insight.

:shrug: I guess I'll stick with iGuidance and Mappoint for now. If Mappoint 06 gives rotating maps and a 3D view, I'm definitely going that route as the integration is way too convenient for anything else at this point.

I'll just keep S&T 06 on the laptop.

Is there any hope of an SDK for S&T?

**Mattkins99** · 12-10-2005, 02:49 PM

Originally Posted by ITL

...Is there any hope of an SDK for S&T?

Nope, MS wants you to buy Mappoint for that. S&T is the cheaper canned version. WIth sendkeys it does work pretty well, but ya... text boxes can be a bit of a pain to fill in. Other than that, it's not that bad.

**Hark** · 12-10-2005, 10:41 PM

I guess I'm not up to speed on what Mappoint gives you - will search. I thought Mappoint was just something that integrated with MSOffice for displaying maps and demogragphics information.

**Mattkins99** · 12-12-2005, 01:29 AM

it does by default, but it also has an available SDK so people with coding knowledge (not me) can write their own apps to use it.

Originally Posted by Hark

I guess I'm not up to speed on what Mappoint gives you - will search. I thought Mappoint was just something that integrated with MSOffice for displaying maps and demogragphics information.

**Thrasher** · 12-13-2005, 12:23 AM

Did anybody buy the S&T package deal with the microsoft GPS mouse?

I did. I'm pretty disappointed. The reception is terrible. At its best times, it will follow the road pretty good, but maybe 30 ft from the actual road on the map. Does it have a 'snap to road' function in the software? Most of the past 2 days since i installed, it has gotten absolutely no reception. Sometimes it will track me on and off for 3 or 4 minutes before completely giving up.

I guess it has to do with my hatch being tinted, but it's not tinted that much. Are other GPS locators as affected by tint? If it can work through plastic in a little housing, shouldn't it be able to get signal through tinted glass?

**stuseed** · 12-13-2005, 12:48 AM

Is S&T the same as Autoroute 2006?

**Softec** · 12-13-2005, 01:18 PM

Originally Posted by Thrasher

Did anybody buy the S&T package deal with the microsoft GPS mouse?

I did. I'm pretty disappointed. The reception is terrible. At its best times, it will follow the road pretty good, but maybe 30 ft from the actual road on the map. Does it have a 'snap to road' function in the software? Most of the past 2 days since i installed, it has gotten absolutely no reception. Sometimes it will track me on and off for 3 or 4 minutes before completely giving up.

I guess it has to do with my hatch being tinted, but it's not tinted that much. Are other GPS locators as affected by tint? If it can work through plastic in a little housing, shouldn't it be able to get signal through tinted glass?

I originally purchased the S&T 2005 package with the GPS unit. The maps from 2005 to 2006 seem a little less accurate in terms of alignment. Several times on a recent trip it indicated “off route” when the divided highway separated a little. I not sure if it’s the GPS or the map. Maybe someone that has used another GPS can comment.

In terms of overall reception I have had very few problems syncing up with the satellites. My GPS hangs near the rear view mirror attached with the suction cup on the windshield. I use this same location on rental cars with good reception.