This review will examine each feature one by one for boththe Laptop and PocketPC version and point out the differences, advantages or lack there of and score each category using a +/- rating. Included in the summary is the overall score, which is a composite of the individual scores. So, you will need to look at the individual features to see which program is to your liking, as you may want to place your own value on certain features differently than we did here.

2 Overview

3 Product Comparison:

3.1 Platform:

Both companies support products for the desktop from Windows 98 to XP, and PocketPCs. In addition, OziExplorer’s desktop software supports 7 languages and Windows 95 plus the older PocketPC platforms (CE 2.11).

3.2 Maps and map features:

There are a wide variety of raster maps that both companies support (see table for details). I would be surprised if you couldn’t find maps/charts to fit your need with either choice. Map compression seems to be relatively the same for both as well. Both auto stitch maps together so you can move easily from one map to the next. OziE has a neat feature, which will hunt for a more detailed map at a user-defined interval.  Most can list the charts available at your cursor or present position except MMN’s PPC version doesn’t support this. Both have chart-printing capabilities with the desktop program and OziE seem to have a bit of an edge with multipage printing capabilities. Each program has sufficient zoom functionality with OziE’s PocketPC version offering user selectable zoom levels (17).

So, in this area we’ll give OziE more points although it’s map loading and management are not as user friendly as with Memory-Map.

3.3 GPS:

OziE/PPC GPS setup screen	MMN/PPC GPS setup screen

There is a significant architectural difference in the PocketPC products. Memory-Map continually tracks your GPS position no matter what function/feature you are performing (i.e. creating waypoints, routes, etc.). OziE forces you to drop tracking while performing other functions. The bottom line here is it’ probably won’t make a whole lot of difference but with the OziE PPC version it is a bit inconvenient.

3.4 Exchange:

One of the import things these programs must do is provide a method of exchanging maps and data between the desktop and PocketPC. With the Memory-Map products the Desktop software provides a menu to import/export map and user created items (i.e. routs, waypoints, etc.) to the PocketPC. This exchange, or transfer takes place using Active Sync and allows one to place maps on a PPC storage card.

OziE relies on the user to transfer this information using standard files transfer features so there is no menu in its desktop program. In addition, OziE requires one to download a separate program (free) to convert some maps for use on the PocketPC. You can accomplish all the things you need to do but the Memory-Map implementation is much more user friendly.

All programs allow you to transfer (called upload/download) waypoints and routes between a supported GPS unit.

3.5  Display features:

OziE and Memory-Map both have fast screen redraws. I didn’t time any of them but it never seems to be an issue on either the desktop or PocketPC versions.

OziE desktop screen with overview (Mapview) window


OziE PPC MapView

Memory-Map has a unique feature that I like a lot; it’s the Alternative view. MMN  (both Laptop and PPC) keep 2 independent screen views and allows you to switch back and forth instantly. So, you could use one view as an overview map and the other as a zoomed in view. I can’t emphasize how nice this feature is too much. I use it all the time.

Memory-Map PPC Alt view1	Memory-Map PPC Alt view2

Memory-Map programs allow you just drag the map around your screen at any time. MMN has a GPS lock function, which when tracking with your GPS allows you to set your position anywhere on the screen. OziE will let you drag your map as long as you are not tracking with your GPS. When tracking with the GPS you can drag the screen but on the next GPS update interval (user settable) it will return to where it was.  OziE allows you to select one of several positions on the screen, like screen center or more map ahead of your direction of travel for the desktop version and one of 5 positions for the PocketPC version. Also with the PocketPC versions;.OziE allows the tap and center feature as well as the ability to drag. Memory-Map allows you to move the map at all times but doesn’t have the tap and center feature.

In addition, OziE has a magnification window (called Zoom window) that will give a super zoom at the point of your cursor (desktop only). This is an automatic feature; just click a spot on the map and the “mag” window shows the details of that spot (see 1^st screenshot below). But unfortunately the magnification is of the present screen resolution and therefore the image displayed is not very readable. It would have been nice if this window truly changed the zoom level for the cursor area (as shown in the 2^nd screenshot below where I actually did zoom in).

	The text in red is what is shown in the Zoom window (square box with cross hair)
	When you zoom in the map view the text shown here is what appears. This is the same area shown above, but it is now readable.

Both desktop programs allow you to select a Night Vision mode. OziE allows a few choices of colors. Neither of the PocektPC programs have this feature.

So, let’s see how I think things stack up in the Display area…

3.6    Button features:

Looking at the hardware buttons on the PocketPC we find Memory-Map allows one to program the zoom in and out functions to any one of 5 buttons. Both OziE and MMN programs have the side scroller/jog button preprogrammed to move the map display up or down as well as the front cursor pad button set to move the map in any direction, but MMN also has the center push of the scroller/jog button (action) set to switch to an alternative view.

	Notice there is a map display behind the buttons but it’s pretty difficult to see
OziE PPC, Virtual Buttons

On the desktop versions with a mouse we find a Left click & hold will drag the map position. Using OziE, the Mouse wheel causes the map to scroll Up/Dn where as with MMN the wheel is used to zoom in and out, which seems like the better idea. Both programs bring up a menu when you Right Click

So, for button features the highlights are as follows:

3.7     Navigation:

OK, let’s dig into the meat now. First the PocketPC versions:

Creating Marks: Marks are points on a map/chart you want to note such as fishing or hunting locations, landmarks, boat ramps, and virtually any other point of interest. OziE uses the term Map Feature for these where as MMN calls them Marks. All programs allow an array of flexibility in creating marks and map features. The user specifies a name, the type of symbol (size and color), attach notes and even a file. OziE‘s PocketPC version has much less customization than its companion desktop or even Memory-Map’s versions.

Using MMN you can set one Mark at a time and must select Overlay, Create and then tap the screen where you would like to place the mark. With OziE you first activate the Set map feature icontaskbar and then you can then create numerous waypoints with every tap of the stylus until you deselect the icon

Creating Waypoints for a route: Waypoints are like marks but are part of a route. On the PocketPC OziE has two types of waypoints, stand-alone waypoints and route waypoints. These are designated as WPxx and RWxxx respectively and both can be used in a route

Using MMN, select the menu Overlay\Create route and then every touch of the stylus on the map positions a (routing) waypoint. You terminate the route and waypoint creating by re-tapping the last waypoint.

To create routing waypoints on the PPC using OziE, activate the Create Route toolbar, then press the create waypoint icon. You can then create numerous waypoints with every tap of the stylus.

So what this all boils down to is once you have the appropriate OziE tool bar opened, you can create a waypoint and route by the touch of the stylus just like with MMN.  But Memory-Map doesn’t require the activation of a tool bar to perform this operation but you will have to go through a menu sequence to get going.

For the Desktop programs: Memory-Map is exactly the same operation as on the PPC except you use the mouse instead of your stylus.

Using OziE desktop, things are a little different than the operation on the PPC. Note, the Desktop version doesn’t make any distinction between stand-alone waypoints or waypoints in a route like on the PPC version. You create a route by opening the Route Editor under the View menu. You will have to have the Wpt icon highlighted too if the waypoints you want in the route are not already created. Once the waypoint exist you can select the + Add Wp button on the Route Editor, position your cursor over a waypoint and left click. This adds the waypoint to the route as observed in the lower window of the Route Editor. Continue to do this until you have your route completed.

Tracks:

Tracks, also know as breadcrumbs, show where you have been. All programs have this feature. The Memory-Map products create tracks automatically once your GPS is tracking. MMN allows an unlimited number of tracks and they can be hidden individually or entirely. At any time you can tap/click a point on a MMN track and see what your speed, time and date was at that point. If you open Properties you will get additional information like position (desktop only),.elapsed time and mileage at that point. When laying down a track you can set the color of the track, update time and/or distance interval. Once a track is created it can be edited and amended and even converted to a Route (new in version 4). You can also reduce the track points to save on memory.

	Track history information is available for each segment. The segment shown is the lower right hand corner of the Track information window The Desktop version looks/works identical
MMN PPC, Track History information

	The Red line is a Track and the Blue line is the portion of the track being replayed. The Replay Control shows 4 boxes on the right side: speed, heading, altitude and distance. I wish these boxes were labeled
OziE Desktop, Track Replay

As you collect more tracks and track points you use up memory and this will in turn slow down the operation of the normal program so be aware of this. I did not experience any perceived issues using any of the programs and saving tracks. I’m not a big fan of tracks. Both programs accomplish the job well enough for me. Some may find the Replay feature of OziE a more desirable method; personally I like the MMN method where you can just tap a segment and see what you were doing.

New in Memory-Map version 4 is the ability to edit tracks. You can now add track points to an existing track after your trip. You can split a track at any point and you can convert a track to a route or visa versa. You can even create a track from scratch so you can now make up trips you never actually went on. It’s as easy and just like creating a route.

OziE also allow the entire track editing features of MMN and then again some more but overall both will do you fine in this area.

Navigation lines and projections:

Once you have a route and you are following a route there are a few things that make life easier. One is a Nav Line. A Nav Line is a line from your present position to your next waypoint. This differs from you r course/route line as you may have drifted off course. This feature is present in both OziE desktop and PocketPC version but not in the Memory-Map programs.

	The Red line is the course projection line and is part of the NavPlane position indicator The Blue line is the Nav Line, course to next waypoint The Grey line is the ideal route line between waypoints As you can see we are off course a bit here.
OziE PPC, Nav and Route lines

Another feature is your Course Projection. That’s a line from your present position and projected in the direction you presently are heading. OziE desktop and Memory-Map desktop/PocketPC versions have this feature.  On MMN the course projection line (called Velocity vector) can be set to a length that indicates your position in a user definable amount of time. This is nice as it could be set to show your position in 10 minutes or 1 hour if you like. The line length will change with your speed. You can show a course project (but not a velocity vector) with OziE if you select a Nav.Plane for you position indicator.

	The red Velocity Vector shows the projected course from the present position and the length of the line (to arrow head) indicates where you will be at a user specified time interval.
MMN PPC, Velocity Vector

Voice Prompts: If you are using these programs for off-road use you may find voice prompts a desirable feature. The voice used in OziE is very natural sounding and the prompts (directions) occur as you approach waypoints. This feature is only available with OziE, both desktop and PocketPC versions. You can even program how many times to repeat a prompt, something I found useful, as I wasn’t always able to hear the prompt on the first announcement.

3.7.1 Navigation Displays

Satellite status for all versions is pretty much the same, showing number of satellites and signal strength. OziE’s display also show the satellite position. OziE has fixed size windows which you can position anywhere on your screen. MMN has sizable windows, which allow you to shrink or stretch the window and place it anywhere. Not a big difference in either case for desktop/laptop screens but on the PocketPC the MMN scheme does means you can usefully display the satellite info and still see a good part of your map/chart.

Navigation information is available on all products too with some variation of information and differences on how they are displayed. OziE uses two fixed “Nav lines” to display information whereas MMN uses a resizable, moveable windows approach. Again, on a Laptop screen with much more room than a PPC this isn’t much of an advantage, but I find that on a PPC the MMN method is more to my liking.

OziE PPC, Navigation   Nice big bold display	MMN PPC, Navigation windows   User can select what gets displayed and position it anywhere on the screen

Distance scale is a bar that indicates the distance at the present zoom level. All programs have this selectable features but OziE’s PPC version also allows you to move the indicator to wherever you like on the screen.

Map Notes are user created comments that can be placed anywhere on a map. For example, you could place a “meet here” map note. Both MMN (new in V4.0) and OziE’s desktop/laptop version have the Map Note/Text feature. OziE’s PPC version does not have this feature although it has a menu View/Map Objects/Show Map Comments; probably coming soon.

Auto Zoom at waypoint is a feature that you often find in road navigation programs. This causes the map to zoom to a user settable level during a route as you approach a waypoint. Only OziE has this feature (both desktop and PPC).

So looking at this group of features you can see that this scoring will depend on you personal use of these features. For me pretty it’s pretty much a draw for the laptop versions but my PPC preference is for MMN due to resizable windows. If I were using a PPC for road navigation I’d have to vote differently.

Toolbars: Just about every program uses a tool bar or task line. Some programs use multiple tool bars in combination with menus. In addition to tool bars most programs have icons. So, with tool bars, menus and windows the user is provided with ways to display information and control the program. Both OziE and MMN’s desktop/laptop pull down menus are pretty much the same.

OziE’s desktop uses a fair number of icons under its main task bar. MMN uses a fairly simple set of icons, which are well labeled. MMN’s simple set of icons are easy to understand whereas some of OziE’s I find a little hard to connect the meaning. But OziE does display the meaning of the icon if you hold your mouse over the icon for a second. In addition, OziE allows the user to build an icon bar of your own as the screen shot below shows 8 user icons on the bottom line. All in all, for the laptop/desktop version it’s more a personal matter of preference than anything.

Notice my personal icon line (bottom row above)

Notice how the icons are clearly labeled

On the other hand for the PocketPC this is an area where the two vendors differ significantly, OziE makes extensive use of tool bars and menus. Memory-Map does not. With a small screen this becomes a significant difference. Memory-Map uses one task bar with a few icons and a single menu (Menu), which contains about 34 commands/actions. OziE also has a similar task bar with a few icons and 3 menus (File, View and Map) which supports a between 80 – 100 commands/actions. In addition, OziE has 5 other toolbars, a Main and four more for using waypoints, routes and tracks. Fortunately with OziE you do not have to have all task bars displayed all the time. Generally I use the product with the Main task bar displayed and then one or two of the others as required when creating routes and waypoints. As you add task bars you clutter up your screen and the tasks bars occupy a fixed location. Again OziE does make up for the numerous icons with a “tap and slide” trick. Placing your stylus over an icon and sliding it off will not active the function but will display the description of the function. Since the icons on the PocketPC are so small this is a very necessary function. I also find it a bit hard to distinguish whether an icon (PPC) is highlighted or not. Notice this in the screen-shot below; the GPS active icon (lighten bolt) on the bottom program task bar is very noticeable but look at the icons under the Windows program banner (top line). Then image how your display deteriorates outdoors and you’ll see what I mean.

	OziE is Toolbar heaven! Note that in this screenshot I had my stylus held over the top, far left icon (Add Waypoint) and a popup description appeared.
OziE PPC, Toolbars

So, the bottom line for taskbars is as follows:

3.8 Management:

3.9 Other features (aka whistle and bells)

3.10 New Features:

3.10.1 3D View:

Now for the latest wiz-bang thing, 3 dimensional map views. Both vendors desktop programs have this feature now. OziE first released 3D over a year ago, Memory-Map has this feature built-in it’s standard product starting with it's new version 4.0. In order to get this capability with OziE you must purchase a separate stand-alone program. Once you do, Ozie and Memory-Map programs end up costing the same amount. I haven’t used 3D mapping and navigation much at all. It seems more a fascinating amusement than a real useful feature at this time. For one thing you can’t rely on the altitude data that is the basis for these view, you MUST read the heights directly from the maps to be sure. I have seen places where there is a hill (small mountain) but the 3D view doesn’t show it as such. From what I have read the accuracy and amount of 3D data is very dependent on the particular area you are looking at. Of course you can imagine how really useful this could be for hiking. Hikers know that there’s no such thing as a straight trail; they always go up down and around. I think we’re going to see this trend grow as the data gets better and better.

So, you buy the OziE 3D program. Now how does it work? There’s 2 ways; one, you use your regular map and then you must have elevation data for that area, known as Digital Elevation Model (DEM). Once you set up a path to the DEM with the standard OziExplorer GPS edition you can then generate a 3D view of the entire map or a portion of the map using the 3D Map Control window. Or the other way is to get a 3D map in the proper OziE format. In either case, once you have a 3D map you then have to activate the OziE 3D program to play with that view. By play I mean you can rotate the map, change the lighting (which will show shadows), you can amplify the elevation factor, which make it easier to see the terrain differences, and then of course you can zoom in and out and change the view from above or below. And as always, Ozi E has many more parameters that you can control to get things just the way you like it. Once you have a 3D view of your map the program allows you to load your waypoints and routes, tracks, notes and even display your moving map position too.

   
OziE Desktop, 3D program
(this is one of the best views I've seen. I could not find a local view anywhere this good. Also, notice the Map Control window with the control sliders on the right side)

To use 3D maps with Memory-Map (desktop), you use your standard maps and then open the elevation data file. Once you do that, center you map view and just click on the 3D icon. A separate window will open that will let you play all the basics things like OziE but you won’t have all the controllable parameters of Ozi (nothing that you couldn’t live without). But there are a few things MMN lacks. One is the ability to display your moving map position. Another is there is no way to actively add features once the view has been rendered. That is, you can’t add waypoints for example to the 3D view. These must be added prior to generating the view. And lastly, you can only generate a 3D view of the displayed portion of the map (screen view), not the entire map like OziE.

Ozi Explorer has a few extra features over Memory-Map: it allows you to display the map as a wire frame, it has elevation sticks which show height and depths of the view and you can add fog effects too.

Desktop	PocketPC
OziE + (moving map position, entire map coverage)	N/A

3.10.2 Web:

Memory-Map has a few new tricks up its sleeve too. You may have noticed the Web pull-down menu on their desktop version. Here you can get direct access to Memory-Map’s support and product updates. The really good news is you also can download maps from their site. Your first download is free and after that a Topo quad will cost you a dollar or two (US). In addition there’s a link to www.trails.com , which has trails and routes for downloading. At this moment this is work in progress but eventually you’ll even be able to download trails (routes) to use with MMN and/or publish your favorite trails back to the site for others to download.

If you search around the web you robably would find these sites but embedding the links makes things very easy. Think about it, this means Outdoor Navigator (Maptech) isn’t the only moving map program with a source of maps on the web. I wonder how long before MMN starts selling map subscriptions?