Mapopolis to add Spoken Navigation

Posted By: Ryan Monday, July 28, 2003 3:46:44 PM

Positioning Solutions, has announced a new real-time spoken navigation systems for Palm, Sony and Handspring handhelds featuring Mapopolis Navigator. The GPS guided software will generate directions and maps and talk you to your selected destination.

The systems, which will require Palm OS version 5.0 or later, will generate directions for you and then provide spoken prompts as each turn approaches. Should you miss a turn or accidentally turn in the wrong direction, the systems will automatically re-route you to your destination.

“You can keep your attention on the road,” said Positioning Solutions CEO Jeremy Straub, “the system will alert you when a turn is approaching so that you don’t need to be watching it constantly.”

Users can choose from among recently used addresses, key in a new address, choice a business location or a point from the map for your destination. Using the included Global Positioning System (GPS) module the system already knows where you are currently.

Navigation systems for Palm, Sony and Handspring handhelds featuring Mapopolis Navigator will be available for purchase beginning on August 30, 2003. The systems will be available initially in the United States with Canadian and European models available in early September.

The company is also offering a new Grab 'n Nav SD Card . The product, which includes a 32 MB SD card and a Mapopolis Online MapPack contains the entire United States freeway grid and a number of major cities on the card initially, allowing for the immediate generation of routes. The included MapPack allows users to customize the data stored on the card as desired. Users can choose whatever maps they desire from Mapopolis’ extensive map library which includes coverage for the entire continental United States.

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Great idea

RSC @ 7/28/2003 7:20:19 PM #

This is a great idea; I've been wondering when this would happen since the Nexian Handy GPS beta testing fiasco...

RE: Great idea

Altema @ 7/28/2003 8:43:07 PM #

Works great too. Been using the beta for a few weeks and the route generation really kicks. Who needs street signs anymore?

RE: Great idea

graph @ 7/28/2003 10:11:04 PM #

Cant seem to use my old mapopolis maps. what kind of map does it need?

RE: Great idea

hgoldner @ 7/28/2003 11:19:58 PM #

I can hear it now....

Palm: "You have a left turn approaching in a quarter mile."

Palm: "You have a left turn approaching in 100 yards."

Palm: "You just missed your left hand turn."

Palm: "Fatal exception; memory underchunk at..... RESET"

(Sort of reminds me of the Eddie Murphy routine about talking cars).

RE: Great idea

Altema @ 7/29/2003 11:33:35 AM #

"Cant seem to use my old mapopolis maps. what kind of map does it need?"

You need the Navigator maps for PPC. Just download and follow the instructions on the Mapopolis beta page.

RE: Great idea

Altema @ 7/29/2003 11:36:36 AM #

"Fatal exception; memory underchunk at..... RESET"

Don't think it's vocabulary goes quite that far :)

The beta has been very stable, especially the current one. Have not been able to make it crash even when trying to do so.

RE: Great idea

FUPDUK @ 8/3/2003 4:04:58 AM #

I've been using the beta version for more than a week now with my Sony Clie TG50 OS5 and GlobalSat device. It works great until I use the navagation function... it will generate a route (rather quickly), route and turn directions are displayed, distance and eta are updated as I drive... Then, about 1/4 mile before a turn, when it's time for the voice prompt it crashes.. error message, program shuts down.
I've written Mapopolis support although I'm still waing for a response.
I'm glad to hear it's working for some of you. Hope they can make it work for me.

Is this a Garmin 3600 killer

lechter @ 7/28/2003 11:25:57 PM #

Or the reason to rush out and buy a Garmin?

RE: Is this a Garmin 3600 killer HUH?!

gfunkmagic @ 7/29/2003 1:39:40 AM #

Ummm...how is it a iQue killer? From the reviews I've read, the iQue seems to do all this device can do and much more.

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RE: Is this a Garmin 3600 killer

I.M Anonymous @ 7/29/2003 2:08:38 AM #

You guys do realize that Garmin makes the iQue 3600, right?

RE: Is this a Garmin 3600 killer

markgm @ 7/29/2003 2:12:47 AM #

They do, probably meant to say software instead of device.

Maps off Card or Main Memory

Len DeJesus @ 7/29/2003 2:06:30 PM #

One of the biggest gripes I had about Mapopolis is that you had to copy the maps to main memory - is this still true with the new version? Some of those PPC maps are pretty huge too...

RE: Maps off Card or Main Memory

mbalcom @ 7/29/2003 5:17:10 PM #

I have the same issue. In addition, there is no good way to get a "high level" view. If I buy/download an entire state of maps and want to move from county to county I have to know the name of each and every county. Since I can't load the entire state into main memory it makes the travelling experience next to useless. If they could fix this major problem the spoken direction stuff would be useful.

RE: Maps off Card or Main Memory

Altema @ 7/30/2003 1:29:36 PM #

I had thought that dynamic loading from the card while you were driving would be a good solution. However, this would mean that you'd need to download every detail map between your two points in order for this to work. If you were missing a map, or the system had to load four maps at the same time which exceeded available RAM, the whole process would break.

As a more reliable soultion, they have skeletal maps with all the major roadways, which can be used together with the start and destination detail maps. Works kind of like the barbell style maps in other programs, but you get a lot more info with Mapopolis.