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ocortesp
USA
62 Posts |
 Posted - 19 sept. 2003 : 00:34:38
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It is not a secret for anyone loyal to these forums that I am a BIG fan of Teletype, probably the only one and the biggest too. These are my personal views after having been a Teletype user for some years and then trying out Mapopolis for the first time this week (09/18/2003).
Anyway, uppon gpspassion's suggestion for a better software I went ahead and tried Mapopolis Version 4, fortunately the area I live in (Union County, NJ) is also a demo map so I didn't even had to travel to test it. Here are my first impressions on comparing the two:
General-Maps
The way Mapopolis renders maps is very cool, it is also very nice to have the pen to drag the map as default (in Teletype, you either choose between the "hand tool" which does the same or the "select" tool the draws a dotted square area to either zoom in or out from an toggling icon on the screen). On the other hand, these cool factor features sometimes are problematic and we all know this, like the auto hide on Windows, or the registry entry on PPCs that "animates" PPC. I am not by any means saying it crashed on me or anything, it is just that I fell "itchy" about them. I like straight forward programs.
Uppon using maps, I found the feature of Mapopolis to add or take away features from the maps annoying. If I were driving I wouldn't even consider to use such a feature, so I would end up with a cluttered map or a featureless map deppending on my choice or need. I believe Teletype did a better job at doing this automatically deppending on zoom level (which, same as Mapopolis you can controll with hardware buttons assigments). Street names are fun to read, and even funnier to see scrolling if you drag the map or navigate, but this very feature sometimes renders them difficult to distinguish. It's nice that you can turn them off though, since at certain levels the screen looks very cluttered with everything in place.
One feature I liked on Mapopolis is the night color scheme. The funny thing is it made me discover it was also available on Teletype. At first I thought it was only for aerial navigation (since it is part of these settings on Teletype), but uppon turning it on I discovered that it also works on streets and marine as well, nice touch.
Routing
Routing on Mapopolis proved to be fair vs. Teletype, the last having far more options to do so. This is an area on which everyone probably thinks to know better routes, a bit subjetive, sometimes a lot. Time to route was slightly better on Mapopolis, but close to nothing. Considering the more options on Teletype, it is well worthed to wait 1/4 of a second more. As for the route, I preffer and mostly use Teletype's. I have to add that the version I had for Teletype was a rather old one that used to perform as Mapopolis does now, the newest version of Teletype definitely superceeds Mapopolis here.
Teletype also offers several more ways to manage/create a personal waypoints/routes library so to speak, also integrated with Contacts.
I could not test long distance routing on Mapopolis for obvious reasons, so I will not comment.
Pricing
Both packages are quite close to call it even price-wise uppon first purchase. However upgrading is very expensive on Mapopolis, just as expensive as buying again. Teletype's upgrading options are great since once you are a registered costumer, you are qualified for one time upgrades for US$40, whether you choose to do them uppon new versions, yearly or whatever. I actually upgraded from version 112001 (November 2001) to 092003 for US$40. The best part is this time I was requested to uninstall the old program and install from scratch the new one, no patches, no upgrades in the technicall sense, but a brand new and better program. Needless to say the POI (points of interest) and maps were also updated in the process.
One of my brothers lives in Hackettstown and the street he lives on is less than two years old, fair enough, it is there as well as the others in the "hood". POIs for this small town were right in place. It is also interesting to note that POIs (specifically restaurants) can be shown by type, African, American, Thai, Chinese, Carry Away, etc, etc, it is a very long list. This is good because if you set them to show all, you end up with more POIs than streets and the screen looks terrible. On the other hand if you are looking for a particular kind of dining, that's the way to go. Make your choice and check the map for the closest option of the kind.
My conclusion
You can't compare Mapopolis 4 and Teletype 092003, it is not fair. The only feature that feels better on Mapopolis vs Teletype is the smooth rendering of the maps, but the miriad of features that Teletype offers in advance without even considering pricing makes Teletype a winner to me. Every feature there is on Mapopolis is also available on Teletype and more, without mentioning that Teletype will work also on a regular PC or PPC Phone edition and cousins (those .NET things).
I would love to hear comments on Mapopolis users in case I missed features. Please feel free to debate, that is what forums are for.
Best regards,
Octavio |
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gpspassion
83562 Posts |
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paulkbiba
USA
5014 Posts |
Posted - 19 sept. 2003 : 02:34:10
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ocortesp: you don't live too far from me and you are pretty close to my work (Livingston). Perhaps we should get together and compare programs. Send me an email if you would like to do this.
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gpspassion
83562 Posts |
Posted - 19 sept. 2003 : 09:31:10
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quote:
Originally posted by gpspassion
Sounds like Teletype has made tremendous progress if it compares favorably with Mapopolis in terms of usability. Version 122001 was not even close. I'll see if Teletype are interested in sending along a test version.
No news...their reluctance does raise a few questions and all may not be that "rosy"...
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ocortesp
USA
62 Posts |
Posted - 19 sept. 2003 : 14:54:50
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Paulkbiba wrote:
"ocortesp: you don't live too far from me and you are pretty close to my work (Livingston). Perhaps we should get together and compare programs. Send me an email if you would like to do this."
Sorry it tool long to reply. Sure thing, matter of fact my wife's job is in Short Hills, I'd have to drive just a few more miles to reach you. Drop me an email to:
ocortesp@nettaxi.com
and we'll iron details. |
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riuster
139 Posts |
Posted - 21 sept. 2003 : 05:18:05
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| Oct..sorry..for not responding to yoru email..I got it too late....and just did my thing over this weekend...HEY.since all of you guys are in the area..in NJ...COUNT ME in...to meet up..i have the new 2610 and tomtom..nav..available to view....although..im not so thrilled over tomtom....but....with a new ppc nav in mind..Teletype and the new Intellinav is on my mind....Iron the detail and please advise..thanks.. |
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riuster
139 Posts |
Posted - 21 sept. 2003 : 05:19:47
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quote:
Originally posted by gpspassion
Sounds like Teletype has made tremendous progress if it compares favorably with Mapopolis in terms of usability. Version 122001 was not even close. I'll see if Teletype are interested in sending along a test version.
No news...their reluctance does raise a few questions and all may not be that "rosy"...
I also emailed them for more pictures....or screenshots..no answer.hmmmmm...But Ocortesp...Praises the new teletype highly...so...something has to be good about it... |
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gpspassion
83562 Posts |
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sglewis
USA
14 Posts |
Posted - 21 sept. 2003 : 15:26:44
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Just thought I'd throw my comments in here. I own Teletype, Destinator, Mapopolis, and SmartST. Of those, I will admit SmartST is my least favorite - it doesn't open, and NavMan failed to help me. That said, there are really just a few things killing Teletype.
1) Needs to lock onto roads better. Too frequently it will show you on a parallel road, or an off-ramp.
2) Needs to understand road types better. Too many bad choices, like making a left turn on a highway that has a divider, or asking to make a left turn at a circle, where you clearly have to drive around the circle to the right.
3) Weak routing. Destinator just does great, and Mapopolis is just a step behind. To that end, I use Mapopolis primarily now, because I don't like routing interstate with just highway maps, which Destinator forces you to do.
On the plus side, Teletype's map management is easy, and the map sizes aren't bad at all. Autoloading maps as you drive through is great! Also, Mapopolis needs a "find city" command like Teletype has. Trying to figure out what county a city is in, when you are in your car with just Mapopolis is a pain. |
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riuster
139 Posts |
Posted - 21 sept. 2003 : 17:52:24
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quote:
Originally posted by gpspassion
Yes well who knows...When you've got nothing to hide...
riuster, have you seen the new 3D mode in Intellinav, isn't that what you miss in the TomTom 3D view? http://www.gpspassion.com/fr/articles.asp?id=70
I have to say that the iguidance 3D mode with streetnames and tracking up feature, and all the features that tomtom has, well the choice is a no brainer....the new Iguidance looks great, and some bugs were fixed according to you, and for 99 bucks...I dont think Teletype is an option, I find their advertising fishy...they only have one screenshot, never responded to my emails and the screeen shot is not really how the screen looks like. Also, not give GPSpassion a sample copy, well....thats a NO NO...hahaha
I rather get the Iguidance 1.1 in 3d mode...man..im stuck with my Tomtom... |
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lowrider
2 Posts |
Posted - 21 sept. 2003 : 21:16:28
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Well I have been lurking around this forum for the past few days and decided to put my two cents in on the Teletype discussion.
By the way gpapassion, thanks for your effort in putting together one of the most informative sites on the web!
IMHO Teletype is the "Swiss Army Knife" of pocketPC GPS software. But it is by no means the best routing software. If you are looking strictly for street routing software, I can think of a few that I have tried that are simpler to use and probably a wiser choice.
If you are looking for routing on top of multiple raster overlays, than Teletype or ArcPAD w/StreetMap are your current choices. Teletype crosses the functionality bridge in having detailed street routing and off-road “moving map” capabilities in the same package. How many GPS software packages can have a DOQ, a DRG as an overlay (allowing the image to show through – contours on an image), and a street routing layer all at the same time. I am not sure the phrase “outdated software” that I have seen being used is the appropriate term. In my mind “cutting edge” is a better fit, but at the price of complexity and in some cases less abilities than a dedicated street routing package. Although I got to admit I like the ability to give voice commands to the PDA instead of taking my eyes off the road to tap an icon.
If you are a realtor or someone else in need of more detailed information then streets, it sure is nice to have an image backdrop showing the homes and other stuff that you can only get with raster data. Better yet it’s nice not to have to switch programs to obtain that information.
By the way, their BlueTooth GPS unit is WAAS enabled, you do not need to go to the extra expense of buying the GPSpro package that some have pointed out as being required. It works with a number of GPS software packages. Baud rate is 4800.
The downside of Teletype: 1) Steep learning curve. You will have to take the time to learn to take advantage of it’s extra capabilities; 2) Not “cutting edge” in street routing, if that is what you are after, look elsewhere; 3) Uses GDT street data for the US and TeleAtlas for Europe. Seems to be OK where I live, but some seem to prefer NavTech data; 4) Cost of add on modules if you want to compress your raster data or import new vector data. The prices are absurd, and in many cases the add on software is poor quality, and for some other GPS packages it’s free; and 5) Some have had a bad experience with tech support, I have not, but thought I would mention it.
Hope that helps with the discussion.
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gpspassion
83562 Posts |
Posted - 21 sept. 2003 : 21:29:52
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It does help a lot, thanks. I think the challenge is to try to do everything at the same, it's just such a tall order and you end up not doing anything very well. When you see what the routing software does these days with the latest version of Intellinav for instance, it's just not a fair game, although again I'd be happy to be proven wrong and see how 092003 stacks up. Having to pay to convert your own maps or at least do it in a meaningful way (was there a 200x200 pixel limit at one point) also defeats the purpose of offering that feature compares to what you can do with Memory-Map or OziCE.
Can you tell us a bit more about the voice recognition part? I have yet to see this work well on a PocketPC regardless of the type of application. Is it maybe for the laptop version only?
___________________________________________
Discounts and Assistance/Réductions et Assistance (Club GpsPasSion)
Best "GPS" PocketPC/Meilleur PocketPC "GPS" (affiliate) |
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lowrider
2 Posts |
Posted - 22 sept. 2003 : 01:08:57
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Agreed gpspassion, trying to do everything and not being the best at anyone of them is the problem, although they seem to be making improvements. For a all around package, $95 is a good deal. The 092003 version has a number of solid improvements and added new features like the voice recognition and loading of Nexrad radar maps.
I am not sure what the limitation of pixels is I have not tried past a 1 meter DOQ (roughly 9,000x11,000 pixels) and it loads just fine. They have a new plugin that excepts geotif images, (of course it costs 70 bucks), but works very well. With image processing software I have been able to get a 180 MB DOQ down to about 6 MB without to much loss in quality and saved back as a geotiff in the 8-11 MB range. TerraServer DOQ's and DRG's work very well and they are free, but if you want high resolution coverage of a large area it becomes difficult as you have to load them as .bmp's. A 1 meter DOQ in .bmp format is 450 MB. They have a plugin called geocoder that will accept .jpg scans, but it does not work very well and is outragious in price. My recommendation is not to buy the geocoder. If they offered a MrSID plugin like OziExplorer or ArcPAD, things would be a lot easier.
The voice recognition works with a laptop or PDA. You need a microphone to get it to work well. You train the software to understand a verbal command that represents what you want the software to do. In other words you could designate the letter "L" to represent "Load A Map". You state the command three times and it will average the inflextion. There are 22 software commands.
You should really try to get a new copy to review with their BlueTooth receiver. I do not think it will out-compete some of the better street routing packages, but might be a good choice for those that would like a "Jack Of All Trades" type package.
Hope that helps |
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