Kim,

Have you seen this?


One of the few remaining Mk1 owners... #00015

I think Kim´s solution is much cooler - You can user some GBs of detailes maps :-) - but if they are store IN your handheld and not on your empeg.....

I think Kim´s solution is much cooler

Yep, *and* open.

Note that the map formats they use for this HandyGPS are not compatible with any other one. Only the US is available in their own format.
Nor can you download data 'due to different data format' and it is totally dependable on the HandspringVisor
Nice idea though . . . .

(see their FAQ page)

Henno
mk2 nr 6

Have you seen this?

The first questions that comes into my mind is that what would you really do with such gadget? The GPS HW module itself is nice and small, but does looking at the raw geographical coordinates get you back on the road where you were supposed to be?

The general problem of all GPS implementations on handheld devices has been the lack of space for the actual map data. With a 8MB or even 16MB of memory it is fairly difficult to use anything except vectorized maps. My maps on empeg currently take over 200MB of space (4-bit raw BMP, would probably compress to half on best case - but due to the nature of the map retrieving system, they have to be in raw format in disk). And that contains only the 2-3 closest cities over downtown in two different map-levels and then couple of overall low resolution maps (scale 1:300 000).

I wonder into what environment that product would suit the best, definitely not in car as the only way of getting information from the GPS is looking at the screen which definitely distracts you while driving. Good voice overs always beat the need of looking at the screen especially while driving.

It's actually quite funny to read their FAQ pages. I mean, they have only nine questions out of which three last one starts with a "No." They could certainly use some more effort on marketing it in a more positive fashion.

Kim

Hi Kim !

Is there something we can download & try out already, or how far did you come by now ?


Which NMEA sentences does your proggie need ?? GGA ? VTG ??

Thanx, i am very interested & willing to help, maybe contact me !

Nils

Is there something we can download & try out already, or how far did you come by now ?

Sorry, it's still deep in the development phase and far from any distributable form. There's a lot of hacking it still requires in order to work starting from the kernel and even I know some of you would be willing going through it, I don't feel comfortable releasing it at this point - but let's see how it will develop in the future, maybe something some day . Besides I've found & implemented working map projection only for Finland for the time being.

Which NMEA sentences does your proggie need ?? GGA ? VTG ??

Mainly $GPRMC, $GPGGA, and $PGRMT (those are found atleast from Garmin receivers).

Kim

Have you attempted to use any other map data yet? I believe at one point, you said the maps you are using are being scanned in from highly detailed paper maps. I have several different map programs for my laptop and GPS, and wonder if one of these could be used easially for the data they have on CD.

Have you attempted to use any other map data yet? I believe at one point, you said the maps you are using are being scanned in from highly detailed paper maps. I have several different map programs for my laptop and GPS, and wonder if one of these could be used easially for the data they have on CD.

Basically, all map data (the bitmaps) are stored in 4bpp BMP format and organized in a way that they are rather easy to construct from any source (web, scanned maps). I haven't seen those GPS CD-maps, so I have no idea in what format they are in. They have to use some standard but I doubt that they are in any known image file format (like JPG, BMP, GIF, TGA or such), though.

Kim

I strongly believe that most Navigation Software Maps is in Vector Format, not a kind of scanned bitmaps ...

I know this at least for some of those packages ...

Nils

> Besides I've found & implemented working map projection only for Finland for the time being.

So, just as I'm buying a GPS box for my 2-week driving holiday round Finland & Sweden, with the Empeg, you pull this masterpiece out of the bag...
If you need a deeply grateful beta tester, just let me know :)
If http://www.inter-pares.org/scandi2000/ shows us going anywhere near you, I suspect a drink is in order. (Especially as we're getting sponsored free beer!)

Steve

So, just as I'm buying a GPS box for my 2-week driving holiday round Finland & Sweden, with the Empeg, you pull this masterpiece out of the bag...

Looking at the schedule, you don't seem to spend much time in Helsinki, where I live (actually looks like you're going straight to Hämeenlinna and Mikkeli at the first day). But feel free to e-mail me if you want to arrange something.

Kim

Btw, Kim, how do you feel about the (newish) small GPS units which are connected through USB (power is also delivered through USB, no extra power cables).

I just spent a few bucks on one specific product, the Rojone Genius USB.. It actually sounded the most professional and also surpsingly, the cheapest option.

A couple of other USB receivers I gave a few glances at were the Earthmate GPS receiver, Pharos iGPS-180 receiver, GlobalSat BU-301 GPS receiver and Hyperdata GPS receiver..

On the PCMCIA-side, I checked Teletype PCMCIA GPS receiver and Premier Electronics PCMCIA GPS receiver.. Then I remembered that the Empeg (Rio Car) has an USB interface .

Sorry, got a bit drifted there but I just spent about six hours searching the Web for these devices, hopefully I will be sparing someone else here from the same work!

Anyway, these USB gadgets have the Serial port emulation so that Most of the modern day GPS applications (I haven't even concentrated on those yet) do have support for them.

Also, have you checked the Finnish map seller for the Genimap maps, they have CDs of road maps (GT Finland) but also maritime maps. They claim to be GPS compatible. I am planning on buying some of their CDs very soon now.

I am going to connect the GPS to our boat (w/ a laptop) but am also open for ideas about having Empeg process the maps.. At what stage is your software? Could the map-data for Finland I've been mentioning here be converted to be of use with the software you are developing?

Amarth

On the PCMCIA-side, I checked Teletype PCMCIA GPS receiver and Premier Electronics PCMCIA GPS receiver.. Then I remembered that the Empeg (Rio Car) has an USB interface.

Empeg has USB interface but it's slave, meaning that you can't easily plug the USB GPS receiver to empeg. Empeg is designed to be plugged into PC, which is USB host. There are probably some USB host/slave adapters that could be used, but that way it is quite complicated.

I'm using Garmin GPS 35 OEM sensor with empeg, which connects to the RS232 port and gets the regular 12V power from car.

I am going to connect the GPS to our boat (w/ a laptop) but am also open for ideas about having Empeg process the maps.. At what stage is your software? Could the map-data for Finland I've been mentioning here be converted to be of use with the software you are developing?

Not really. One of the key points I've had is to provide door-to-door route guidance with exact street addresses and numbers. Those maps, you are referring to, are mainly digitized raster maps and not accurate vector maps.

Unfortunately, at the moment, there are no real GPS navigation CD's available for Finland, which could be used for door-to-door navigation. Genimap has started a cooperation with Tele Atlas to build one, but it's going to take a while still when it's in the shops.

Kim

What kind of software are you using on your empeg to handle the signals from the GPS?
And what are you doing with them -just displaying or more?

Fabian
S/N 080000540 12GB blue

What kind of software are you using on your empeg to handle the signals from the GPS?

It's a completely custom software which I've been developing since I got my Mk1 back in February 2000.

And what are you doing with them -just displaying or more?

Not only displaying them - as stated earlier, I do have a route planning (real-time path finding) and speech based route guidance working in some fashion. And for testing, I have some vector map data from my area which I have been evaluating, but the general solution is to wait for proper navigation CDs (that is in Finland, most other European countries, and naturally US, are already covered).

Kim