live gps?

Gee thanks - keep your twit insults to yourself. I was assuming that MapSource would have to also be changed back to an earlier version after every lifetime update so will study the helpful comments on the other forum.

Actually I'm a Twitter user myself so I didn't see it as an insult. Sorry if you saw it otherwise. ..... Perhaps I should take that as an insult??? :D

What Garmin can glean from such forums is that there is a demand for live navigation on a computer which at the moment is limited to a small percentage of their customers. I for one would gladly pay for an application better than nRoute instead of these workarounds.

I resemble that remark. ;) That's why I know about what it takes to make the current maps work with nRoute ... and even know about nRoute to begin with.

However, I use Mobile PC on my laptop (and Mobile XT on my smartphone). Garmin has discontinued Mobile PC but it can still be found on eBay and such. The latest update on Garmin's web site is 5.00.70 but many of us have reverted back to 5.00.60. It loses a bit of functionality that most don't miss and it's more stable.

Mobile PC is yet another victim of Garmin's penchant for creating a really good (conceptually) product and then abandoning it just when they've about got it right. It's sufficiently good as it is that if you need Garmin - or Garimn compatible - maps you could track down a copy and go with it. It's almost exactly as if you stuffed a Nuvi into your laptop. Same user interface and to load maps you just use Mapsource or Basecamp's MapInstall, just as if Mobile PC was an external navigation device. No messing about with conversions and such.

The fact that it's nearly identical to a Nuvi has an up side: it supports touchscreens. That means some high-end laptops plus tablets and external touchscreen monitors such as the ones many people use when building themselves a CarPC.

It also has a downside. If you use topo maps a lot, it has the same default symbols and line sizes as a Nuvi. That is to say that topo maps look quite awful. At some zoom levels the overly thick contour lines nearly obliterate the rest of the map details. nRoute is seriously better for topo maps. Kind of like the difference between a Nuvi and an eTrex for map display.

I have both installed on my netbook because of the differences in topo map display.

Naturally, if you are using locked maps you will need an unlock code for Mobile PC. It comes in two flavours: one that comes bundled with either a USB or Bluetooth Garmin GPS receiver and the other that's software-only and works with any standard NMEA compliant GPS receiver (USB, serial or Bluetooth). If you get one of the hardware bundles with a Garmin GPS receiver you can even get the Lifetime Updates for it (they register to the GPS receiver's serial number .. or unit ID, I can never remember which :confused: ).

If you aren't married to Garmin - or Garmin compatible - maps there are Microsoft Streets & Trips (navigation functions are a bit clunky, sort of grafted onto the trip planning core) and iNav's iGuidance (very similar interface to Mobile PC or a Nuvi and uses Navteq map data).

You can see reviews and individual forums on those and other laptop/netbook/tablet navigation apps at Laptop GPS World if you are interested. Their Garmin Mobile PC forum also contains many discussions about using nRoute.

...ken...

It also has a downside. If you use topo maps a lot, it has the same default symbols and line sizes as a Nuvi. That is to say that topo maps look quite awful.

If you learn just a bit about custom types, it's a simple matter to greatly improve the display of topo maps in MobilePC. :D

Standard US Topo 100k




US Topo 100k with a custom type file

Thanks Ken for the wealth of additional information. I finally got nRoute going - I had several faulty maps and used JaVaWa GMTK to either repair or remove them.

Thanks Ken for the wealth of additional information. I finally got nRoute going - I had several faulty maps and used JaVaWa GMTK to either repair or remove them.

Yes, he has some super handy utilities for someone who does not want to be restricted to only using Garmin's maps.

...ken...