XMap Creates Address-to-Address Routes on Handheld

Posted By: Ed Monday, May 27, 2002 9:18:55 AM

DeLorme has announced XMap Handheld Street Atlas USA Edition, which lets users create address-to-address routes anywhere in the U.S. directly on the handheld. Its maps of the entire U.S. include 4 million points of interest with phone numbers. The company is taking orders now at $40, and is supposed to begin shipping the software this week.

It comes with maps that show rural roads and detailed city streets. These can be accessed when stored on memory cards; they don't have to be in RAM. The app itself runs fine from a memory card, too.

It requires Palm OS 3.0 or later and at least 2MB of memory.

XMap Handheld Street Atlas can be used with DeLorme's Earthmate GPS Receiver, which sells for $130. Cables are available for Palm, Sony, Handspring and other models.

Thanks to Harry Franks for the tip. -Ed

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Beware of the word "At least 2MB"

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/27/2002 9:35:20 AM #
I use TomTom city maps, and when using a map of Greater London (via PiDirect) of the card it still requires at least 3-4Mb free if I don't want my M505 to crash. Why these guys can't program their software to load segments of the map I can't understand, probably some Geeky explanation.
RE: Beware of the word
mtg101 @ 5/27/2002 10:22:51 AM #
Actually it's a not so geeky explaination. TomTom Citymaps was written to be run directly from RAM, and loads of optimizations were done based on this to get the thing to run as fast as possible. However, this doesn't really help things when run from a card (with PiDirect or MsMount) as basically the whole map has to be copied into RAM before running it.

The solution is for these mapping apps to support VFS natively. Which makes sense as maps are going to be pretty big things.

I spoke to TomTom in the middle of last year, and they said that they expected to have a new version of Palm CityMaps out by the end of last year, including VFS support. However there's been no mention of such an update or even beta for one. Which is a pity as it's ruining my experience of using TomTom, and hurting their sales (I'd buy more maps if I could have them all handy on a card, rather than having to manage switching them in and out of RAM as I travel about).

Problem for TomTom is that their PalmOS guy has left, and he was the only guy who really knew the PalmOS version of CityMaps.

Given this and the long delay in waiting for an update... I'm starting to give up hope on TomTom CityMaps. Anyone know of any other streel-level maps for the PalmOS that cover cities outside of the USA?



---
russ@russb.fsnet.co.uk

RE: Beware of the word
I.M. Anonymous @ 5/27/2002 11:55:23 AM #
my palm's only got 2mb in total :(. i need a clie!!!
RE: Beware of the word
I.M. Anonymous @ 5/27/2002 4:14:31 PM #
Street level maps outside of the US? Have a look at Digi-Map 2002 which I guess is only available in a German language version right now (www.digi-map.de). It should be available with UK map material starting July 1st. It supports address to address routing and uses original and very up to date NavTech map data (NavTech and TeleAtlas are two major suppliers of map data data for the automative industry).
RE: Beware of the word
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/27/2002 4:53:04 PM #
Has anyone had problems running TomTom Citymaps v1.1?
Mine crashes out when I'm in Map view with a route defined.

No HighRes support!

Norm @ 5/27/2002 10:03:36 AM #
What? No support for 320 x 320 let alone 320 x 480? This is exactly the kind of software those screens are designed for! How shortsighted can DeLorme be?

RE: No HighRes support!
nategall @ 5/27/2002 10:43:55 AM #
I will say that I buy just about every version of Street Atlas, and have been for 7 years now. I love the product and use it for all my traveling. I even bought the first earthmate gps and used it with my palm III. however, it took 4-5 minutes to sync up with the satelites and the battery did not last very long.

I have recently bought a nr70, and i would love to get this product but I would need the following.
1. High res support
2. on drives using the gps the palm should be asleep or off, with it beeping a mile or two before the exit. An eight hour drive will not work with the limited battery power of my device. and heck, i don't need the screen on anyway.

hopefully these get done, because I would love to have this type of product done well.

nategall says "blah!"

RE: No HighRes support!
I.M. Anonymous @ 5/27/2002 11:12:12 AM #
Good Day-

I will stick with my trusty Mapopolis. I love Mapopolis. Just Subscribe to their platinum service at $34.95 and download any map you want any time you want. Plus, the Platinum maps will give you step by step written directions as well as plot a route map. And Mapopolis supports 320x320. As a bonus, Mapopolis routinely updates their maps.

Just my opinions.

-J. in Florida

RE: No HighRes support!
mtg101 @ 5/27/2002 11:46:46 AM #
If only Mapopolis covered Europe...

---
russ@russb.fsnet.co.uk
RE: No HighRes support!
I.M. Anonymous @ 5/27/2002 7:14:25 PM #
if you complained about palm IIIs battery life. hows your sony NR then?
Pointless waste of time
nategall @ 5/29/2002 7:12:50 AM #
Actually I haven't installed it with the new nr70. My Palm3 made it through a 6 hr road trip (barely), the gps needed batteries changed twice.

I know the NR70 has a "sleep" mode that is used for playing mp3s, basically it turns off the screen, so minimumly it should use this mode while tracking between turns, that way any time you turn it on... volia!

another idea: plug in the gps to the car for power and have the gps force feed the palm with info and POWER, heck use the line! please!

as for other map programs. I still use much of my mapping on my computer, and being able to print out a single map with my entire route on my works large format plotter (24" x 36") is really nice.

nategall says "blah!"

RE: No HighRes support!
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/26/2002 5:28:13 PM #
Good Luck getting the NR 70 to talk to the Delorme Earthmate. You need a serial hotsync and the NR has a USB one.

I got a serial hotsync from Brando and a null modem adapter... No help it doesn't work. Guess the pinouts are different.

JC

RE: No HighRes support!
JStraub @ 10/1/2002 2:47:37 AM #
> If only Mapopolis covered Europe...

Mapopolis will be adding European coverage in late October. We will also be providing an opportunity for users living in or traveling to Europe to beta test the product in mid-October. You can contact mapopolis100@yahoo.com for more information about the beta.

Thanks,

Jeremy Straub
Mapopolis.Com, Inc.


Explaination for the weekend fiasco?

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/27/2002 11:20:34 AM #
We're all still waiting for an explaination for the sellout "advertorial" from Saturday.
RE: Explaination for the weekend fiasco?
I.M. Anonymous @ 5/27/2002 12:06:31 PM #
Guess what? We are NOT all waiting for an explanation. Many of us have learned to move on with our lives. I suggest that you do the same.
RE: Explaination for the weekend fiasco?
I.M. Anonymous @ 5/27/2002 10:20:39 PM #
Dial 1-800-WHO-CARES !
RE: Explaination for the weekend fiasco?
I.M. Anonymous @ 5/29/2002 1:45:16 PM #
Dude, get a life!
Pointless waste of time
nategall @ 5/30/2002 7:38:09 AM #
It was a slow news day, who cares...

nategall says "blah!"

No Mac OS support? No Sony Hi-Res Support?

elo @ 5/27/2002 2:21:48 PM #
This program could be extremely cool, except that between the lack of hi-res support for Clie users (and hi-res "+" support for NR-70 users) and lack of Mac OS X support, they are effectively ignoring a pretty large group of us on the Palm side!

If I were designing a Palm product, I would go to message boards like PIC and find out what people are wanting. Hi-res and Mac support always seem to be big issues here and elsewhere. Guess these guys just aren't listening. . .

elo

RE: No Mac OS support? No Sony Hi-Res Support?
I.M. Anonymous @ 5/27/2002 3:38:10 PM #
You know Sony uses different API for HiRes and HiRes+? And also HandEra also uses their own specific API for their HiRes, also?

If they are really going to support a variety of resolution, then the price for their software would go up even higher than right now. And, guess what, most of us don't even have a CLIE. You can call us the sucker, but *remember* you're only a minority.

RE: No Mac OS support? No Sony Hi-Res Support?
elo @ 5/27/2002 7:12:18 PM #
I didn't call anyone "the sucker" and don't know how you took my post that way. I'm not advocating the Clie (or the Mac) over anything else out there, but rather pointing out that the best software products out there make an effort to be inclusive rather than exclusive in their support for different groups of users. Taken separately, each of these groups is indeed a minority (although among the Palm OS user base, each is statistically important). But taken together, these users represent unrealized potential for this program.

If this program supports your equipment, then by all means consider it. But I don't think there's anything wrong with my advocating support for users who need it. And by the way, nearly all of the other vector-based mapping programs out there *do* have multiple resolution support. Somehow, they have kept their costs in line.

elo

RE: No Mac OS support? No Sony Hi-Res Support?
I.M. Anonymous @ 5/27/2002 7:22:08 PM #
At this point, the developers are probably working on software for OS 5's API, since that looks to be the coming standard for hi res.
RE: No Mac OS support? No Sony Hi-Res Support?
I.M. Anonymous @ 5/29/2002 1:11:35 PM #
These are both valid and serious issues. A lot of Mac users use Palms and spend money on software. Also a lot of large developers seem to have some idiot with taped glasses who keeps griping about the dificulty of supporting the Mac. You would think it would dawn on someone that the additional revenue would more than pay the sallary of an additional programmer. As far as hi-res, it is becoming a must for map apps - arguing against it is like arguing against color.
RE: No Mac OS support? No Sony Hi-Res Support?
I.M. Anonymous @ 5/29/2002 1:25:58 PM #
Try Mapopolis. It does the same things, including address to address and hi-res. I think it is mapopolis.com
Pointless waste of time
nategall @ 5/30/2002 7:39:25 AM #
I have a NR, but I think that those of us who have it are few and far between. I would love the software to support me, but i don't think that the NR group is "a pretty large group".

However, you could argue that those of us who have went out and spend 489-600 for a NR would be the same segment of user who throws money away on everything,\.

:)

nategall says "blah!"

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