Best WinXP GPS Software for the US??

dano · 01-13-2005, 05:21 PM

I'm planning on installing a CarPC and would like to have GPS navigation functionality. Any thoughts on the best GPS navigation software for WinXP?

In my research, it seems like the mainstream applications (e.g., Streets and Trips, Delorme, etc.) don't cut it in the car, while the better ones all seem to be PDA-based. Destinator3 might be the way to go, but folks say that their US maps are not very complete.

My goal is to duplicate a "real" navigation system like an OEM nav system (i.e., up-to-date, complete maps and voice prompts). Does such a solution exist for the US?

xBrady · 01-13-2005, 05:23 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by dano

My goal is to duplicate a "real" navigation system like an OEM nav system (i.e., up-to-date, complete maps and voice prompts). Does such a solution exist for the US?

There are plenty of nav programs that will do this if you read through the forum and 99% work in the US.

viguera · 01-13-2005, 05:28 PM

"Best" is subjective... it depends on what you really want and what you can live with. Like you said, things like MS Streets are really bad for in-car use (by the driver anyway

) because they were never designed for that. AutoTouch makes good use of MapPoint, but that's expensive. Ninja Monkey's D3 is free, but you need to procure the maps, and those might not be as complete as others.

So it all boils down to what you want in your car. If touchscreen is a MUST, then your choices are limited. If things like highway construction info or a huge POI database are what you're really into, then you get a few more choices, etc.

VanMan69 · 01-13-2005, 05:30 PM

Routis is a good basic package, and only $80 (what I use). CoPilot seems to be popular (haven't used it myself yet), and have more features and POIs than Routis.

god_of_cpu · 01-13-2005, 05:32 PM

I like mine:

To be available within a couple months:
http://www.digitalwheelz.com/UbiquityV_About.htm

dano · 01-13-2005, 05:48 PM

Thanks for the quick replies!

Some more info on my dream WinXP-based GPS navigation system. Touchscreen is a must, "Starbucks locator" is a must (by this I mean some sort of yellow pages application with good data), turn-by-turn navigation is a must, and voice prompts are a must. I really don't care about traffic or construction information.

Routis seems to be discontinued, and I'd buy Mappoint if it allowed me to do the above.

bry21317 · 01-13-2005, 05:53 PM

Hey God of CPU,
When will that be ready? That looks really awesome, read all about it on your site.

Hope to check that one out sometime soon.

god_of_cpu · 01-13-2005, 05:59 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by bry21317

Hey God of CPU,
When will that be ready? That looks really awesome, read all about it on your site.

All the major features are done but BETA testings probably gonna drag on for another couple months. I'm expecting a May release.

Craig W · 01-13-2005, 06:15 PM

god of cpu,

any support for Canada? any estimated price?

mick-uk · 01-13-2005, 06:19 PM

god of cpu, that looks absolutly amazing!

will maps for the uk be available when released?

god_of_cpu · 01-13-2005, 06:39 PM

Canada yes, UK definilty not with the initial release, but probably within a couple months after that. There will be 2 different versions and only 2 versions. Final price is yet to be determined but fully loaded NAV enabled version will be <$300, everthing else but NAV <$100.

You will definitly need a 3D card to run it, embedded GeForce4 MX runs it quite nicelyat 60 fps. The faster the card the better though.

viguera · 01-13-2005, 08:22 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by dano

Thanks for the quick replies!

Some more info on my dream WinXP-based GPS navigation system. Touchscreen is a must, "Starbucks locator" is a must (by this I mean some sort of yellow pages application with good data), turn-by-turn navigation is a must, and voice prompts are a must. I really don't care about traffic or construction information.

So you basically want everything...

I'm not sure if there's something that will do everything and still be easy to use. MS Streets and Street Atlas are definitely out, since they're not TS-friendly. AutoTouch uses an ActiveX control to talk to MapPoint, but I haven't played with it to tell you that it (MapPoint) is any good. At $300, it's also an expensive experiment to find out that it doesn't...

MS Streets doesn't have voice prompts or VR for navigation, but Street Atlas does. Not that it matters since they're out because they don't meet your "touchscreen" requirement. However, just about any other software that you find on the "supporting software" section will do one or both of those. Sprinkle some NaviVoice in there and you should be good to go.

The Ninja Monkey Destinator business is good... but depending on which way you go, the maps can be pricey. Some people have acquired them through... "different" methods, but AFAIK the "Starbucks Locator" function is MIA. There is some POI functionality in it, but I'd imagine that if you want to do something like telling it to "find the closest Chinese restaurant", it's not gonna work out of the box. The best part about the software is that there's an SDK though... and the latest beta has some interesting plug-ins, so it's certainly do-able with some work. Whether or not you wanna go that route is up to you.

I haven't played with Routis or iGuidance to tell you that they would be any better. Someone else might chip in and let you know. What I'd suggest is that you get a hold of that demo that comes with the maps for like $15 and try Ninja Monkey's version and see. You can try the interface using that Florence map that it comes with anyway -- even if you're not in Florence, at least you can mess with the GUI and see how you like it.

Camryputer · 01-13-2005, 08:53 PM

I use Street Atlas 2005 (Delorme.com). I got the s/w and gps receiver for ~$100 on ebay. It works fine - touch and all. Some of the tab navigation is a little messy, but you can't beat the price.http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/newr...te=1&p=352857#
Smilie

viguera · 01-13-2005, 11:11 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Camryputer

I use Street Atlas 2005 (Delorme.com). I got the s/w and gps receiver for ~$100 on ebay. It works fine - touch and all. Some of the tab navigation is a little messy, but you can't beat the price.
Smilie

Well I have 2k4, so maybe they improved on it. I know I got it after the MS software because of the voice prompts and the VR. I think that the map display and POI integration are much better, but I can't imagine using this on anything but a 10" touchscreen... at least...

Did they add an OSK to the new version or does it behave well with the ones from other software? My main gripe with it in the car is that you need to type and interact with tiny controls... I can't imagine how hard this would be to use on anything smaller than a 10" screen...

fantomas · 01-13-2005, 11:32 PM

i use and love iGuidance 2.0