Navigation software ?

[timmer]

I live just outside London and use TomTom CityMaps London a lot. I find it most useful as my girlfriend is hopeless at reading maps and just has to read out the directions step by step to me. I cannot afford/justify a GPS system so this is the next best thing (expect when she isnt with me in the car of course)

However, I just wondered if there was something similar that covered all or most of the UK ?

[Jereboam]

I think this (http://www.a-zmaps.co.uk/asp/d_ppc.asp) is what you want mate!

J'bm

[timmer]

No, this doesnt allow you to enter a start location, end location and then calculate the quickest/shortest route and then give you step by step directions like TomTom CityMaps does.

[dignow96]

Try maporama.com. Its internet based but they have a pretty good PPC interface and you can download maps to your device. They also support route planning. I'm in Kuwait and its the ONLY mapping solution I've been able to find for the area. Have never been able to find any kind of GPS solution for Kuwait. :roll:

[timmer]

Thanks. Its an option but I'd prefer a 100% PDA based solution like TomTom CityMaps. I know it would mean needing a lot of space on a card but I dont mind that.

[Sven Johannsen]

Take a look at Mapopolis. They do cover Western Europe now. I use it a lot in the states and used on a trip to Germany. It worked well. The application is free, and you can try a demo map. Looks like England is done in regions. Watch the prices. The highest one on the map pack is with GPS support. If you really won't need that you can get the next version down and still get door to door routing.

Not positive on the second version, but with the Navigator it reads the instructions to you and you can manually step through that. So even without your girlfriend, this may be a one or two button tap to read the next instruction to you.

[timmer]

Thanks - that looks like the solution for me.

The speech thing would be very useful but it is only available in the Navigator version which says "GPS required" so it doesnt look like you can use this version without a GPS system. If someone knows otherwise I'd be interested to know.

What would be ideal is one that also had speech recognition in it so you could shout "next" at at it and it would read out the next step. A kind of poor mans GPS alternative.

[JvanEkris]

AFAIK, there is also a UK version of TomTom Navigator......

Jaap

[timmer]

AFAIK, there is also a UK version of TomTom Navigator......

Jaap

Can this be used without a GPS receiver ? For example, just by stepping through the directions ?

[timmer]

I have tried a demo of TomTom Naviagtor 3 but it does require a GPS unit.

This is a shame as otherwise this would be the perfect solution for me.

Is there a similar app to this that will work without a GPS unit where, unlike TomTom Navigator, you can manually enter a starting position and then just manually step through the directions. And has a map that covers the whole of the UK.

I like TomTom Navigator so much that I am tempted to get a cheap GPS unit. I was thinking of getting one for my birthday but there are other things I actually need and cant really justify the cost of one.