09-27-2006, 04:00 PM
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Thoughts Media Review Team
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 749
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Prairies to the Coast - A Ride With iGuidance 3.0
Product Category: GPS Navigation software
Manufacturer: iNav
Where to Buy: iNav or BuyGPSNow.com
Price: $109.00 USD
System Requirements: Pocket PC 2003 or PPC2003SE, Windows Mobile 5. Vendor states compatibility with Dell, Garmin, iQue (not all models), HP iPAQ, iMate, Mitek (not A701), NEC, Siemens, Palm Treo 700W, & Viewsonic PPCs. Also various PPC Phones (Samsung i730, PPC 6600/6700, Cingular 8125, 9100, etc.)
Specifications: Requires compatible GPS hardware using NMEA protocol. Installation requires desktop/laptop with DVD/CD drive and partnered via Activesync. Requires approx. 24Mb memory for application. Map data is recommended to be loaded to SD or CF card.
Pros:
Includes detailed, accurate maps of North America � including Hawaii, Alaska and Nunavut Territory;Wide variety of precise verbal instructions;Interface redesigned for finger use.
Cons:
Must use the desktop/laptop to load maps;Too fussy about being 'off road';Documentation confusing on how to create multi-stop routes;Voice prompts and notification chimes too low to be heard in medium traffic noise.
Summary:
iNav has been providing GPS navigation software for a number of years now, on a variety of platforms. With their latest 3.0 version, a completely redesigned interface brings the package to true handheld capability � providing almost one-handed operation. Rather than just taking it around the block for a quick spin, I took it on two lengthy road trips in different terrains to see how it would perform. It did much better than other navigation systems reviewed here, but I still wouldn�t depend on the voice prompts alone.
Read on for the full review!
Introduction
Built in navigation systems have become the latest �must have� gadget to be included in new cars and as the technology becomes cheaper and easier to integrate, they are starting to show up in more and more affordable vehicles. For those of us who cannot afford to get a new car each couple of years, or who use other modes of transportation to get around, iNav (and others) provide software and maps which can be easily installed on your existing PPC. The unit does need to be already GPS-enabled (either built-in or via a plug-in or Bluetooth-connected unit) since the package does not include a GPS receiver module.
Installation
iGuidance is normally shipped on a DVD (or a 3 CD set) which includes the software, a MapLoader application for your desktop/laptop PC, and map data for Canada and the US including Hawaii, Alaska, and Nunavut Territory. A version for Europe is also available. Unfortunately, the Installation Guide provided with the package is a little out of date (screen shots don�t match the current version of the application), but it has enough information to get the job done and the install itself is relatively straightforward. When the DVD is first inserted, it will automatically start up the installation program, and asks what type of device you want to load.
Figure 1: Selecting the type of install.
I was surprised to see the AutoPC/UMPC option, as it�s the first time I�ve seen that available from an application. Loading the MapLoader application on your desktop is a good idea, since this seems to be the only way to get map data onto your PPC. Once you click on Next, the iGuidance application is loaded onto the PPC using the usual Activesync partnership.
After the application is loaded, the setup routine loads the MapLoader application onto the desktop and initiates it to allow you to select which maps you would like loaded and a location for them.
Figure 2: Using the MapLoader on the Desktop. Click on the image for the full size image. (38KB)
iNav strongly recommends you store map data on an SD or CF card, since loading even a small amount onto the device memory could impede working space for route recalculation, etc. The MapLoader gives you the option to load either regions of the US or Canada (as shown above) or specific cities. In some cases because of the detail involved, this might be a better option if you do a lot of traveling within larger metropolis�. The maps are loaded to the iNav iGuidance/Maps folder on the selected card. (Much better than to the My Documents folder).
A word of caution here. The maps are very detailed and it�s not clear to me how iGuidance handles management of map data once it�s running. There are no specific options to load particular maps within iGuidance itself, so I suspect that it either loads all available map data, or selects maps close to your current location or your destination. In either case, loading all of North America, even if you have the capacity on your storage card, would likely bring the application to its knees.
iGuidance does provide a help file in its application which is fairly useful, but I was hoping for a User Guide that I could browse through first.
Figure 3: A shot of the table of contents from iGuidance�s Help file, available from the application.
Unfortunately this isn�t provided on the DVD, but I found a copy on the iNav website which isn�t quite as detailed, but at least it�s printable.
I installed iGuidance on an HTC Galaxy 100 running WM5 (aka Q-Tek G100), which has a built in SiRFStarIII GPS receiver. Although the installation guide for WM5 provides descriptions of how to set up the Bluetooth connection and pairing, I ignored this and just selected the �Auto Detect� option and everything seemed to work just fine.
Setting Up a Route
When you start up iGuidance, it automatically powers on the GPS unit and attempts to establish a connection with the GPS network to determine your current location. I didn�t see an option to turn off the GPS unit specifically within the software and there�s no mention of this capability in the documentation. The extra load on your battery could reduce its life significantly. Fortunately, when you exit from iGuidance it shuts down completely and takes the GPS unit with it. Careful though, the �X� button in the System Bar at the top of the screen does not exit the application. As is normal in Windows Mobile, it just puts it aside, leaving the GPS unit running.
Like most other navigation software, iGuidance provides a variety of methods to find and set a destination.
Figure 4: Options for defining a Destination.
You can define a destination by address, intersection, Point of Interest (PoI), city centre, contacts from your Pocket Outlook database, or even the lat/long coordinates! (Be careful with this latter option, however. If the position coordinates do not leave you �on the road� from iGuidance�s maps� point-of-view, then routing will not work properly.)
Once you have selected a destination, three buttons at the bottom of the selection screen determine how you wish to use it.
Figure 5: Tapping the NAV button tells iGuidance to set up a route to navigate you to the destination from your current location. The FAV button saves it to the Favorites file, and the MAP button shows you where it is located on the map.
iGuidance always assumes routing from either the current position, or the last destination reached, so initially I could not find a way to �preload� a route from my office to my client 170km away, which I do every week. Actually, I would love to be able to pre-define a route and save the whole thing as a Favorite, but I haven�t seen that capability in any navigation software yet.
The features list for iGuidance v3.0 states that there is support for multiple waypoints/stopovers, but the documentation only talks about the ability to add one stopover and only after the final destination is selected and routing has been established, (i.e. you�re on your way). When using the software, however, once you have a destination defined, it seems to assume that any other destination you attempt to define while enroute is a stopover. Using the menu system to set destinations, it frequently asked if I wanted to continue to an �old� destination (even though I had cleared the route) and I only saw the �Do you want to define this as an Origin, Destination, or Stopover?� screen inconsistently. An undocumented feature which does work consistently though, is to tap and hold a position on the map. Doing this brings up a menu which allows you to select that point as either an origin, a destination, or a stopover.
After a bit of searching around, I did find the Itinerary functions which allow you to establish a route with multiple stopovers.
Figure 6: The Itinerary functions.
It works in basically the same fashion as the Destination screens, except that it then saves each destination in a list, which you can manipulate to move the relative positions of each in the route.
Figure 7: Reviewing the Itinerary. Note you can use the arrows to change the order of stopovers.
Getting a Fix
Once you have the route established, it�s time to take it out on the road. As mentioned before, when iGuidance is started up, it automatically turns on the GPS unit and attempts to establish a current position. iGuidance needs a lock on at least 4 satellites to firmly establish and track location. It identifies this has happened by turning the current position icon/arrow green on the map. If it has only 3 satellites locked, the arrow turns yellow and less that than leaves the arrow red. You can also see the status of the satellite links on the GPS Info screen.
Figure 8: Display of satellite connections and locks.
The bars at the bottom of the screen is a bit different from the usual �radar screen� display shown on other applications, but it does give an indication of relatively strength of the connections. Again, the bars and text turn red, yellow or green, depending upon the status of the location lock. On my HTC using the internal antenna only, iGuidance was able to establish a lock the first time within about 3 to 5 minutes, and for subsequent uses, it has been averaging about 1 to 2 minutes, which is about average for the unit. If one is moving however, it takes considerably longer. Using an external GPS antenna will greatly decrease �lock time� and overall accuracy and I highly recommend acquiring one if you regularly use the GPS.
On the Road
Once you have your route established and your location is locked it�s time to hit the road. iGuidance waits until the �lock� is established before attempting to calculate a route to your selected destination (or first stopover). Generally, I found the route calculation to be very quick �- on the order of a second or two � even for long and complicated routes. Once the route is established, it will display as a blue line on the map.
Figure 9: We have a route! Note the + and � transparent buttons on each side of the screen increase and decrease (respectively) the scale of the map. Street names show up at lower scales.
Alternately, you can see a text list of all the directions and turns, etc. for the route.
Figure 10: iGuidance�s Route List.
While on the road, iGuidance shows you your current location on the map, the street you are currently on, the next turn, the street you are turning on to, speed, distance to destination, estimated time of arrival, and remaining travel time. Unfortunately, with this much information to display along with the current position on the map, the fonts used get a bit small for easy reading from the driver�s position. The North pointer in the upper left corner also doubles as a button to shift between �North at top� or �Drive to top� orientation for the map itself. Although the speed displayed disagreed with my speedometer by about 3-4 km/h, the ETAs were pretty accurate, even on long distances on varying road types (urban vs. rural vs. highway).
The only option for voice prompts is female, in English, but they do change use of units based on the Distance Units selection from the Options menu. Female voices tend to cut through background noise better than male voices, but these voice prompts and the associated chimes for various alarms are recorded at a fairly low level. Even with the PPC volume and the iGuidance prompt volume set to maximum, I suspect they would be lost in a vehicle with moderate road noise, conversations, etc. The voice prompts can be turned off and on by tapping the red speaker button in the lower right corner of the map.
Overall, iGuidance provides the greatest variety and precision of voice prompts of any navigation software I�ve heard. Not only do you get the usual turn right, turn left, and drive distance prompts, the software is intelligent enough to interpret different kinds of situations, such as �enter freeway on the right� and �keep to the left� and, if two directions are required a short distance apart, the voice prompt combines them (��in 500 metres, bear left, then immediately turn right.�) I was quite happily surprised by the variety and accuracy of the prompts as we moved through the city. The part I didn�t like was being reminded of upcoming turns a) after completing the last turn; b) at 1km before the turn; c) at 500m before the turn; d) at 200m before the turn; e) at the turn (a chime). After a while, this repetition just gets annoying.
As you approach a turn, iGuidance also provides a thermometer bar at the side of the screen that indicates proximity to the turn point. I didn�t find this particularly useful, since at the time of a turn, I�m more focused on the road than looking at the screen.
Map Accuracy
As with any navigation application, accuracy is paramount. And accuracy comes in two different aspects. The first is the accuracy of the maps. If the maps you have are out of date, or do not accurately reflect the area, then the navigation package will be useless. Accurate maps not only handle the roads and addresses within an area, but also the distances to intersections, one-way roads, and a knowledge of general speed limits on each roadway. iGuidance uses maps provided by NavTeq and overall they seem pretty accurate for the areas I was traveling in. My one big beef with them from a mapping perspective was that they do not identify any of the roadways within shopping malls. (And in one case, didn�t acknowledge the existence of a large mall that had been there for 10 years at all!). Thus, if you are in one of these malls� parking lots, you have to get out of the mall first, before you can reroute yourself anywhere else.
The other aspect of accuracy is positioning of yourself on the map, and tolerances. If the navigation software incorrectly interprets the GPS data and puts you on the wrong place on the map, then directions given will be wrong, since it is assuming you are somewhere you are not. In only a couple of places in the city did I find iGuidance giving me directions to turn too early, since it thought I was about 200m ahead of where I actually was. And it always happened at the same place, so I assume it�s a problem with the map.
Unfortunately, iGuidance also isn�t very tolerant of being what it considers �off road�. I tried to use the package for walking around town, but about half the time, walking along the sidewalk was considered �off road� and I was prompted to �Proceed to the nearest road�. And the same would happen if I went into a mall or any other place where the map had no roads identified. Other packages I�ve seen have a wider tolerance and will route you from a position on the nearest road or from the nearest PoI or Favorite.
Also, because of the lack of off-road features or other non-vehicle infrastructure (such as paths or trailways for bikes) and the tolerance problems, I couldn�t use iGuidance for most of my bicycle commute to work (since it�s on an abandoned railway track that has been converted to a bike/walking trail).
Customization
As with most navigation software packages, there are a wide variety of options available to customize the look of the display and the alarms/reminders that are presented. Most of the options are available from the main menu screen.
Figure 11: The Main Menu screen.
Route Options set the defaults for how routes are selected and recalculated.
Figure 12: Route Options screen.
Display options change how iGuidance displays the tracking map.
Figure 13: Display Options screen.
Figure 14: The Nighttime view of the map. You can either select this, or iGuidance will automatically flip to this when the PPC�s system time goes past Sunset.
Figure 15: There are 3 options for display of the map in 3D. Each shows a slightly different angle.
On the Points of Interest (PoI) Options screen, you can select which types of PoI�s will be shown on the map. While iGuidance provides a fairly good variety of Interesting things, I didn�t see any way to define your own PoI�s or display previously defined Favorites on the map.
Figure 16: The PoI Options screen.
Figure 17: Displaying Points of Interest on the Map.
iGuidance even includes an Almanac feature, providing sun and moon information for the current date.
Figure 18: Sunrise, Sunset...Sunrise, Sunset (think �Fiddler on the Roof�).
There�s also a 3-trip computer available to track distances and speed.
Figure 19: iGuidance�s Trip Computer.
Conclusions
iGuidance is definitely one of the better navigation packages around and iNav shows their experience in the marketplace with the capabilities and interface built into version 3.0. The maps from NavTeq are very good and provide accurate tracking and navigation along the �normal� roads. I wish, however, that either NavTeq or iNav would provide more off-road data, such as trailways (for bicyclists), coastline (for mariners), and mall-entrances, etc. (for the rest of us) to make it more usable when we�re not in a vehicle.
Don is an Associate Director with Fujitsu Consulting and a member of its Enterprise Mobility Community. Currently, he is working away from home, which gives him ample opportunities to get lost in unfamiliar cities!
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09-27-2006, 04:28 PM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,060
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To the comment, "I would love to be able to pre-define a route and save the whole thing as a Favorite, but I haven�t seen that capability in any navigation software yet..." Mapopolis has this capability, and I like it a lot. You can create a route, tweak it, save it and recall it whenever you like.
__________________
Old Market Researchers never die...they just get broken down by age and sex.
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09-27-2006, 04:54 PM
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Contributing Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,389
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I believe the volume problem that you suspect might be more related to your pocket pc than iGuidance.
Neither of my vehicles have "stock" exhaust.  i.e. you do not want to ride with me if you have a headache. I can hear the voice just fine. I have my pocket pc at one notch over half volume and iGuidance at 1 or 2 notches over half. the volume is plenty loud on my 8125. It is infact ear pearcing with iGuidance at full volume and the pocket pc still at half.
I've used iGuidance for years and believe it is the best navigation software for your money that you can get for north america. Version 3.0 added a lot of nice new features. I was very pleased with the upgrade.
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09-27-2006, 05:12 PM
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Magi
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 2,341
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Excellent review, Don.
I've been using iGuidance for 2-3 years, and version 3.0 since its release. The new interface in 3.0 I think is a huge positive step. As you mention it is pretty much one handed operation, or better put "finger friendly" I think this is of extreme importance, since most of us do, at least on occasion, try to make screen taps while driving. With the new interface this is very simple and much safer.
I have noticed with many GPS guidance applications Canadian maps are less detailed than others, iGuidance has excellent map detail for all of Canada.
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A word of caution here. The maps are very detailed and it�s not clear to me how iGuidance handles management of map data once it�s running. There are no specific options to load particular maps within iGuidance itself, so I suspect that it either loads all available map data, or selects maps close to your current location or your destination. In either case, loading all of North America, even if you have the capacity on your storage card, would likely bring the application to its knees.
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....btw Don, iGuidance does only load the map for your state/province. You'll notice if you go to destination/address it will show the state/province you are in. If you try to chose a location outside that region it won't find it. You need to tap change, then choose the region you want, but it still keeps the map for the region you are in loaded, if you are connected to a GPS receiver.
Dave
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09-27-2006, 09:46 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 47
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I agree with Jason. iGuidance is plenty loud... even too loud at times. I have to turn it down a notch from the max volume. Like Jason, I suspect your PPC to be the culprit here. 
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09-27-2006, 10:54 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 14
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Question: Does this program allow you to use it in "Pedestrian Mode"? Meaning, when I'm ON FOOT it can route me down one-way streets because I'm on foot, on the sidewalk and thus street direction doesn't matter?
I'm dying for a full featured GPS program that will work excellently in a car AND on foot walking down a street. Any suggestions?
(BTW, I don't do "trails" or anything like that so I don't need any of those topographical GPS dealies. I just need something that can get me around walking down NYC and other large Metropolis streets ON FOOT.)
Thanks in advance.
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09-28-2006, 12:12 AM
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Thoughts Media Review Team
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 749
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by FallN
Question: Does this program allow you to use it in "Pedestrian Mode"? Meaning, when I'm ON FOOT it can route me down one-way streets because I'm on foot, on the sidewalk and thus street direction doesn't matter?
Thanks in advance. |
As I mentioned in the review, I tried walking around downtown and found that iGuidance was a little too fussy about having to be 'on the road'. Walking on the sidewalk it told me a number of times to "proceed to the nearest road" so, I'm not sure how effective it would be in pedestrian application. It's basically designed for the driver, so I don't think it would route you the wrong way on a one-way road.
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/drt
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09-28-2006, 03:20 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 20
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Phone users beware. I have a cingular 8125 and there is a problem with voice prompts. If I have an active gprs connection the voice prompts are very very slow. Sometimes I miss or already have turned and the voice is still trying to tell me to turn. If I kill the data connection it works fine but no EMail then. I read on another web page that other people with phone PPC devices also have this problem so its not just the 8125. I Emailed INAV about the problem and have gotten no response from them at all.
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09-28-2006, 03:21 AM
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Contributing Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,389
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I actually use microsoft pocket streets for my walking around navigation.
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09-28-2006, 03:25 AM
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Editorial Contributor
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 5,411
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Brad Adrian
To the comment, "I would love to be able to pre-define a route and save the whole thing as a Favorite, but I haven�t seen that capability in any navigation software yet..." Mapopolis has this capability, and I like it a lot. You can create a route, tweak it, save it and recall it whenever you like.
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DeLorme's Street Atlas Handheld does this as well, including being able to transfer routes to and from DeLormes desktop Nav app(s). Not especially an endorsement of SAH, but it has a lot of interesting features.
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