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deichenlaub
USA
127 Posts |
 Posted - 09 sept. 2006 : 03:52:15
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quote:
Personally, I've grown quite weary of hearing that kind of talk. Mapopolis has been quite good to me over the years, sure, there've been some bumps, but when doesn't that happen?
Here here! And I am also tired of the feature list Mapapolis "must implement" to avoid going out of business. By all means make requests. Many features I use all the time came from forum requests. But not every request is going to find its way into code. Be fair! The owners and employees of Mapapolis have much more at stake than we do. Personally, I find they are more willing to listen than just about anybody else around.
Not very long ago Mapapolis was hands down the best product that ran on a PDA. As often happens, the guy out in front got a few arrows in the back. Today it's still a great program. If it's not best at everyting, it's certainly a very good application.
Now let's let Mapapolis do their thing and see what's next.
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HP iPAQ 2490 / WM5 / Mapopolis / GlobalSAT BC-337 (Holux CF GPS) |
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thepcdoctorca
Canada
151 Posts |
Posted - 09 sept. 2006 : 05:28:25
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@JakeRich: I know I can map day/night to a hardware button. But there are so few buttons.
@Lamar:
I don't think finger-friendly buttons are going away. Yes, IG3 has a lawyer-friendly splash screen. Finger friendly buttons are not to interact with thw PPC going 100km/h. They are to interact with the device when it's mounted 30-45 cm away from you. You come to a stop and need to make changes. Taking out the stylus and pokng at those small menus is impractical.
As a device, the PPC may very well be dead. Since getting a Blackberry, I only use mine as a GPS unit. Had I not already owned the hardware, I'd have gotten an AIO.
I see the UMPC as a niche device. The overwhelming majority of notebooks in use are desktop replacements. The UMPCs are too small for that. The PPC are portable convinience devices. The UMPCs are too big for that. Do UMPC have a place? sure they do. I just don't think they have the earth shattering future that you see in them.
I hope the NavCard version of Mapopolis will be a great sucess.
I'll leave you with a few points to ponder, garnered from years of using GPS navigation software.
- Most people do not need the entire continent on the card. Not every device can access a card large enough to do so.
- Needing a PC to load maps is not a show stopper. I'd rather do that and load the provinces/states I need than not being able to use a product because the SD card is too large.
- Do NOT require knowing a city name to locate a place. City names used are often different than official names. When you travel, you will use the city name by which the major city is known. Toronto airport is not in Toronto, everybody knows it's in Mississauga. Except it's not. It's officially in Malton. Most folks living in Toronto don' know that.
I wish you well. I may be using another product right now, but I have not abandonned you. I'm looking forward to the new release.
BTW, DO conside being able to download a demo of the product. It's what made me switch originaly and the lack of the competition doing so is what kept me for so long.
Be well. |
Dell Axim X5 400 A05 WM2003 Holux GM-270 Mapopolis 4.71/iGuidance 3.0 |
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thepcdoctorca
Canada
151 Posts |
Posted - 09 sept. 2006 : 05:30:48
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quote:
Originally posted by deichenlaub
quote:
Personally, I've grown quite weary of hearing that kind of talk. Mapopolis has been quite good to me over the years, sure, there've been some bumps, but when doesn't that happen?
Here here! And I am also tired of the feature list Mapapolis "must implement" to avoid going out of business. By all means make requests. Many features I use all the time came from forum requests. But not every request is going to find its way into code. Be fair! The owners and employees of Mapapolis have much more at stake than we do. Personally, I find they are more willing to listen than just about anybody else around.
Not very long ago Mapapolis was hands down the best product that ran on a PDA. As often happens, the guy out in front got a few arrows in the back. Today it's still a great program. If it's not best at everyting, it's certainly a very good application.
Now let's let Mapapolis do their thing and see what's next.
Have you considered that a lot of those complaints were because of the failure to implement features that a majority of users had been asking for for a long time? Everybody has different 'must have'. But when a majority are clamoring for better map management and a better interface, maybe it's because it's time to change. |
Dell Axim X5 400 A05 WM2003 Holux GM-270 Mapopolis 4.71/iGuidance 3.0 |
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lamar@mapopolis.com
USA
2508 Posts |
Posted - 09 sept. 2006 : 17:17:53
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Hi, guys,
I don't disagree that the menus should be pokeable, but I really do think that future mapping applications will somehow lock the driver out of making program adjustments by hand when the vehicle is underway. The obvious answer is voice control of the application.
The Palm NavCard also has a concept of "city area" that would be helpful on PPC's, too. When you specify a city and select City Area, it looks at adjacent parts of the map when it searches for the adddress or feature. Thus it will find an airport that is in a suburb, especially if you know the airport's name.
I actually don't have a clue about what kind of interface is being created, but I've stated my opinions about what is need to modernize the program and make it easier to use without killing off any of lesser-used features that certain folks like to use. I, too, am waiting to see what they come up with.
And if we get ubiquitous broadband, there may be a server solution involved. Then we'd never need to make a release, just tweak it as new data becomes available.
On the other hand, we might be able to automate the map-making process much more than we do presently, and that could lead to even more frequent releases.
Lamar |
Airstream travel trailers are round on both ends. |
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lamar@mapopolis.com
USA
2508 Posts |
Posted - 09 sept. 2006 : 17:20:11
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Oh, and one more tidbit. Some of the automanufactures are interested in putting a dockable UPMC in their vehicles. Enroute, it can be your nav system. Slide it out, and you have a Windows XP tablet to read your email, listen to music, and other stuff that we do with our 'puters.
Lamar |
Airstream travel trailers are round on both ends. |
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thepcdoctorca
Canada
151 Posts |
Posted - 10 sept. 2006 : 05:28:45
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Lamar, I agree to a point about locking the interface. There are till functions that you need to be able to access while in motion (detour, POI, etc.). Voice would be nice but I'm not convinced about reliability.
The problem with ubiquitous broadband, and I assume we're talking cell technology here, is that as more people want and get it, the more incentive there is for the phone companies to charge. I would not want to be charged cell usage to use my GPS.
I still don't see UMPC grab that large a market share. They are still too small to replace the desktop and too large to replace the PDA. About 7-8 years ago, I had one of the clam-shell Jornada. Windows CE, pocket MS Office, 33.6k modem, full keyboard, 7 inch screen. In those days, most notebooks could not be used as desktop replacements. The Jornada was a thing of beauty for travelers. Sync to desktop, go, work nd sync back. Problem was it was not too practical to just lookup a phone number.
I guess we'll just have to see.
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Dell Axim X5 400 A05 WM2003 Holux GM-270 Mapopolis 4.71/iGuidance 3.0 |
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lamar@mapopolis.com
USA
2508 Posts |
Posted - 10 sept. 2006 : 14:56:36
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And at that point, we agree.
I see the UMPC as replacing my laptop. Others using desktop replacement laptops won't see the utility of them as I will. The UMPC will ALSO replace my PDA, as it may also do for the power-laptop crowd.
Heck, I look at my LifeDrive and my X50v, and they are almost UMPCs NOW. The LifeDrive has a 4 GB hard drive. The Dell has a VGA screen. Both have dual wireless. They both have the fastest CPUs used on their respective platforms, and both may represent the last of their breeds. (That's counting the X50v and X51v as the same basic model.)
The problem with ubiquitous broadband, as I see it, is that it'll be years before it's all of one kind, even after we achieve nationwide coverage. We'll have EVDO (maybe three different revisions), Wi-Max (if Sprint is to be believed), city-wide WiFi and distinct WiFi hotspots, and Edge all filling in parts of the system.
So far, there's only one nation-wide network, and it's not wonderful. It's Hughesnet, and you see the dishes on the big RVs. Parked, they crank up automatically, and you can spot them in a group of big RVs by the eery blue light placed in the erected dish. Other than the latency problems involved with sat-internet, they aren't worth a toot traveling.
Want to look up a number? Pick up a Treo 700wx and press right on the five-way navigator until you see the smiling face that you want, and then press the center button.
And after all this talk, talk, talk about Mapopolis's future, what have we determined? The immediate future, at least hardwarewise, involves converged devices, and probably will continue to do so for the next couple of years. We had better continue to support them.
There are already some AIOs that we're providing alternate power for, and in a strange move, one of the well-known manufacturers is actually providing a "bare-bones" version of their AIO that comes *without* a mapping application - it's left to be the customer's choice.
Lamar |
Airstream travel trailers are round on both ends. |
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jvivek
Canada
51 Posts |
Posted - 11 sept. 2006 : 06:25:33
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| still waiting to see when lamar will mention that mapopolis went under, should be around the corner, still pissed I wasted money buying maps, I feel like pos. |
Thanks
Vic J |
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jgoggan
USA
330 Posts |
Posted - 11 sept. 2006 : 15:53:56
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quote:
Originally posted by thepcdoctorca
@JakeRich: I know I can map day/night to a hardware button. But there are so few buttons.
Actually, the new auto-switch night/day system seems to have made the night/day mapping pointless. At least, for me it is. I've had night/day mapped to a button for over a year now. The new night/day system seems to auto-switch EVEN AFTER I'VE MANUALLY SELECTED. So, in other words, the auto-switch system is over-riding my night/day selection. If it is after the "dusk" time and I manually switch to day mode -- it just switches it back to night mode after a few minutes. 
- John...
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Dell Axim X51v (WM5); Mapopolis (v4.x); SanDisk 512MB SD; Seidio G4850S Car Mount w/ integrated SIRF Star III GPSr. |
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DriveBySignal
USA
46 Posts |
Posted - 11 sept. 2006 : 16:36:07
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| May be it is time to clarify and summarize. The "long standing" issues of better UI, finger friendly menus (not while driving - but when it is safe!), some hidden routing issues, better map management, map updates etc. are worth pursuing regardless of the "future" platform. The "excessive negativism" of the doomsayers exist because they are seeing these features in the competing nav. software but not in Mapopolis. Nor do they see much indication that Mapopolis is serious about these issues. Now, it may be true a couple of years down the road a Dell Axim X51v may be available for a hundred bucks at Ebay and everybody is clarmoring for UMPC (I personally find that it is a great replacement for PPC since the latter's screen is too small and the text-entry too cumbersome). Even then, will it make the "long-standing" issues go away? Or is Mapopolis going to implement these features exclusively for the UMPC platform? Since it looks like Smartphones will still be viable for many years to come, won't implementing the "long-standing" issues (on Smartphones/PPC) be worth it? It is time somebody starts thinking clearly on these issues. |
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lbendlin
USA
482 Posts |
Posted - 11 sept. 2006 : 18:16:24
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I've been following the Tablet PC market since the very beginning (I still own a Compaq Concerto). Apart from some niche markets (my doctor claims a tablet PC is increasing his productivity 400%) the tablet still have not found their raison d'etre. They are too big to be pocketable, and too small to be used over a longer period of time in the office. UMPCs are just a desparate attempt to sell a tablet PC under a new name.
Real people will use a device that is big enough so they have both hands free to tap away on the keyboard or use a mouse; and they will use a device that is small enough and ergonomic enough to be used with one hand. That is sad for us stylus junkies but it's a reality we have to accept.
I am trying to imagine how I would mount and dismount the UMPC from my car every time I stop and do an errand. Still trying. Nope, doesn't seem possible. My PDA phone slips into the mount qickly, and slips out of the mount and into my trouser pocket equally quickly. Granted, some of the kids nowadays have pretty baggy trousers, but even for those a UMPC would be a stretch.
It doesn't really matter if the handheld device runs CE or XPE or Linux or Symbian - what matters is that it is easy to use. So if Mapopolis becomes easy to use on a converged device (and the Mapopolis Smartphone version is going a long way already) then that should help Mapopolissecure a spot in the market. Toying with wannabe tablets will not. |
Lutz |
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Lizard_weasel
USA
885 Posts |
Posted - 11 sept. 2006 : 20:12:04
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Speaking of negatism...
I am sure it's comments like this that are keeping some of the info we're all looking for from hitting the forum.
quote:
Originally posted by jvivek
still waiting to see when lamar will mention that mapopolis went under, should be around the corner, still pissed I wasted money buying maps, I feel like pos.
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Steve
Garmin Nuvi 750, 3760LTM and Zumo 660.
Formerly Nuvi 350 and Axim x51v with Mapopolis and bluetooth receiver. |
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JakeRich
USA
584 Posts |
Posted - 11 sept. 2006 : 21:32:13
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quote:
Originally posted by jgoggan
quote:
Originally posted by thepcdoctorca
@JakeRich: I know I can map day/night to a hardware button. But there are so few buttons.
Actually, the new auto-switch night/day system seems to have made the night/day mapping pointless. At least, for me it is. I've had night/day mapped to a button for over a year now. The new night/day system seems to auto-switch EVEN AFTER I'VE MANUALLY SELECTED. So, in other words, the auto-switch system is over-riding my night/day selection. If it is after the "dusk" time and I manually switch to day mode -- it just switches it back to night mode after a few minutes.
- John...
I think you can turn off the auto feature and just have the buttons work. But you can't do both--as you say, if you have auto selected but switch to the "wrong" mode then it will flip back to the "correct" mode in a fiew minutes. I run with auto off, use the button to control it manually. Meets my needs best that way. |
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lamar@mapopolis.com
USA
2508 Posts |
Posted - 11 sept. 2006 : 21:46:18
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Since some of you appear to be reading what you want to read rather than what I'm writing, let's try this again.
Our next product is going to be a port of the Palm NavCard concept to Pocket PC. This will be a brand new product with a new interface that is not based on the current Navigator viewer, however, future Navigator versions using the regular maps are going to be based on this. Near future versions will benefit in smaller ways, but I imagine the interface is going to be updated soon.
This coding is underway. It's happening, and although I have not seen it yet, I do expect to soon.
There is a separate effort going to port the program to Windows XP. This coding has already started, too. Whether this will be to sell to OEMs or to the public, I don't know yet. It may remain internal for us to customize for corporate customers. If it is offered to the general public, I don't know what maps it will use yet. There's a possiblity that this version will use server-based maps that are updated more frequently.
There is also a direction from the boss to separate the program logic from the interface, and that's supposed to be happening in both these camps right now.
We also expect to release 4.72 within the next few weeks, but it'll be a bug fix version. (What bugs? Well, we're keeping that secret.) :-)
Lamar |
Airstream travel trailers are round on both ends. |
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thepcdoctorca
Canada
151 Posts |
Posted - 11 sept. 2006 : 22:08:10
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quote:
Originally posted by DriveBySignal
May be it is time to clarify and summarize. The "long standing" issues of better UI, finger friendly menus (not while driving - but when it is safe!), some hidden routing issues, better map management, map updates etc. are worth pursuing regardless of the "future" platform. The "excessive negativism" of the doomsayers exist because they are seeing these features in the competing nav. software but not in Mapopolis. Nor do they see much indication that Mapopolis is serious about these issues. Now, it may be true a couple of years down the road a Dell Axim X51v may be available for a hundred bucks at Ebay and everybody is clarmoring for UMPC (I personally find that it is a great replacement for PPC since the latter's screen is too small and the text-entry too cumbersome). Even then, will it make the "long-standing" issues go away? Or is Mapopolis going to implement these features exclusively for the UMPC platform? Since it looks like Smartphones will still be viable for many years to come, won't implementing the "long-standing" issues (on Smartphones/PPC) be worth it? It is time somebody starts thinking clearly on these issues.
Excelent summary. The negativism comes from us having great hope at the start of the last round of beta testing, only to see none of these features addressed. |
Dell Axim X5 400 A05 WM2003 Holux GM-270 Mapopolis 4.71/iGuidance 3.0 |
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