Prius Owners and Mac Users

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hdrygas\";p=\"91501)</div>

Probably no worse than the original PC Portable. Plus, the iMac comes in its own cardboard carrying case ;-) When I picked up my 20" iMac at UPS in January, for some reason, my mind was still thinking giant box, and wondering if it would go in the hatch or the side door of my Prius. Would I have to put the rear seat back down? They brought out this wussy little box that only took 1 hand to carry. Then it really hit me just how small this thing was! They probably ship the mini in a shoe box ;-)

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveinOlyWA\";p=\"91593)</div>

Delorme is an excellent product for the PC. Maybe your talking about the dc'd Mac version? What features do you belive Delorme is short on?

As for accuracy, it has been more accurate than my Magellan Meridian with Direct Route or Topo 3D.

The Delorme Topo 5 version has even found me 4x4 trails and hiking trails and matched them accurately with my actual outings.

The inaccuracies of the Route 66 that I stated are from Mac users reviews of the software as I have never used it.

 

i have a little experience with Delorme as used with Point to Point mapping software on a PC. it was accurate for the stuff we used it for. but the Delorme setup was just an antenna really with the actual GPS function being done by the mapping software. only used it for one day, but it was dead on for a test trip we took with it.

i would not have a problem with that solution at all if it can be done. i dont need the real time mapping function for anything but while driving.

 

I'm a Mac user, currently have a G5 iMac (rev A), but do not have a Prius yet.

 

In my current setup, I use a PIII laptop running Delorme SA 2004 and Topo USA 5 with the GPS being provided by a Magellan Meridian.

The interesting part of you post about the GPS function being provided by the software seemed strange to me as I thought the GPS LT-20 was a GPS device. Looking at the specifications though, it does say it requires SA. That is very interesting. Does that mean I can't use that antenna with other software? It also may mean that the one that comes with Route 66 may also be just an antenna. I was planning on running both, SA in VPC and Route 66 in Mac only.

Are all the small blue tooth devices that way?

 

Dumb question: are the G5 iMac rev B units now out?

(Can you tell I'm actively researching the Mac purchasing? )

 

Close. The box is more square than rectangular, and I know my shoes wouldn't fit in it.

 

i dont have an issue with not having a true GPS receiver since i will only use this in conjunction with my laptop.

and as far as BT devices, there are very few choices and as far as i can tell, they dont work with any software. they only can transmit what info they have in their own memory.

have sent an email to Garmin for clarification on this subject with their GPS-10 model but have received nothing in return.

 

There are a few people at work who have BT GPS devices for the palm, pocket PC, laptop, etc... they're actually fairly dumb devices in that they only transmit coordinates to the palm or whatnot, and it's up to the palm to use it's mapping software to plot your position.

 

thats what i want, give me some makes and models. currently Garmins only offer is the GPS 10. it has road level detail of the US with metro areas that can be added for like $25 a piece for street level detail. i want one with no mapping info at all, just something that spits out coordinates.

i have read some newsgroups and apparently a lot of these may have been discontinued and the search function on Garmins site only looks at current products. if i had some model numbers and names, i can look at some 2nd hand and legacy stuff.

that i hope to be able to use with the GPSy program someone here provided a link too.

 

Yes they are!
And it's a nice bump to the product line, especially offering 512MB RAM as the base amount.

 

Here's a great site that provides a list and reviews of some Bluetooth GPS receivers... It's a UK based site, but they should all have US maps available too since they are the big names.

http://www.pocketgps.co.uk/menu_gpshardware3.php

None of the modules list mac compatibility, but I'd take that with a grain of salt. There is a (free) product called GPS Connect (for Mac) that works with Garmin receivers. It also works with non-Garmin receivers (a full list of receivers is listed on the page).

http://www.chimoosoft.com/gpsconnect.html



Basically all these GPS units do is spit out coordinates to your PC, which then has to map them. They (mostly) all use a standard protocol to communicate (which is why GPS Connect can talk to many products)... think of it as serial over BT (which I believe it is anyhow). It's just how the old Palm/Psion GPS solutions used to work... coordinates were sent over the serial connection.

 

thanks for the link JohnnyCat. i went ahead and ordered the Holux GR-230. it does everything that i need it to do and its $188. as it is BT which is platform independent, it should work just fine.

i purchased Route 66 and its GPS requirements are standard fare if its BT. there is a note at Route 66's website that says they are not compatible with practically every version of USB (fine with me...wasnt interested in a tethered solution anyway)

i will let you know how it works when i get it working (if i can that is)

 

DaveinOlyWA,

I will be very interested in your opinion of the Route 66 and using it with National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) standards. Is there a lag time associated with realtime usage? Which MAC are you using?

The fact that the software does not work with most USB is probably because the NMEA standards and all the of the original GPS units were designed to work with serial ports in the marine environment.

My guess is that with BT or a serial to USB conversion, the data from the GPSr must be handled by a driver and gets converted properly. When using straight USB, the software does not get the info in NMEA. Seems to me that Route 66 could write that into the software since USB is a standard also. The newer products are coming out in USB for the PC, so it must be doable.

 

It would appear that the Delorme GPS LT-20 is not just a antenna but an actual GPSr device. The Delorme software handled the mapping using NMEA standards. From the Delorme FAQ:

Q: Will the USB Earthmate work with non-DeLorme software?

A: Yes. The USB Earthmate is NMEA 0183 V.2.0 compliant and will work with suitably configured non-DeLorme software. Visit the DeLorme support site for more information about required drivers.

 

well my original order was direct from facotry in GB but they dont have means to validate US credit cards so i was redirected to Semsons in Canada. which was good because i got the upgraded Holux GR231 for 158.95 canadian ( i think, either way, a bundle off what it would have cost from Holux) they are having a 50% off sale right now.

i checked stats on the GR 231 and its biggest beef is that its not as waterproof as some other portables. iow, it will not likely survive a momentary immersion as others will. it is splash resistent but as you know, a single drop of saltwater is usually sufficient to destroy any electronics that are not sealed tight.

it does have 12 channel tracking and cold connect speeds were 35 sec averaged. with warm updates > a sec.

it get a 98% rating

i have a 17" G4 powerbook 1GB RAM on 1.67 Ghz processor ans as far as Route 66. i went through a test of it yesterday after i installed it and it did fine. it has a function where it shows various waypoints on your trip on the map. click on the directions and an icon pops up on the map to show you where you are supposed to be.

just for kicks i had Route 66 detect my BT mouse which it did easily. however, it wouldnt tell me where i was at though...

the liknk that Johnnycat provided was very good info and you should check it out. i should have the receiver in about 3-5 days. will let every one know if it works since total cost of a real time GPS mapping system would be less than $200 if it works (not counting my $3200 laptop of course, but keep in mind that unlike the Prius Nav system and Stereo upgrade, mine will play MP3's and burn dual layer DVD's)

 

And play DVD's too

Are you going to connect the audio of the laptop to the Prius?

 

ummm... probably not... i be watching too many movies and not driving if i did that.

in fact something i will explore as soon as the receiver comes in is voice nav since Route 66 is to have that. i want to be able to glance at the screen occasionally and see me with the GPS tracker, but at the same time, i would like a voice telling me that i missed my turn

i usually dont have a problem finding anything if i have directions so the turn by turn update wont be necessary. i just like the idea of being able to examine surface street route alternatives. yesterday when coming home from the Apple store in Tukwila, the traffic was ridiculous. but i was a good 15 miles (or 45 mins) from a place where i could get off I-5 and make it home without wandering too much. i was very tempted to install the software right there and look for a route home. (if the laptop wouldnt have been in the back i would have probably but always have it in an outasight place especially when going to places like Southcenter Mall)

another reason why i got the GR 231 is because like the GR 230, it has BT and USB interfaces. Route 66 is listed as not compatible with nearly every USB interface but is fine with serial or BT. i figure this handheld is what i wanted (wireless) and would save me having to buy an adapter that might or might not work.

 

I was under the impression that Route 66 2004 USA does not have voice communications and that is only available in the Europe versions for 2006. There is no indication on the Route 66 web site that it does and others on the macmap Yahoo group have indicated it is only available in 2006 Europe.

From a macmap post:



The fact that Route 66 keep crashing on my iBook G4 was bad enough. But
even when it seemed to be working, the USA version does not provide
voice prompts and their was a delay of 10 - 15 seconds for my position
to show up on the map. Therefore, I could not use it for navigation at
all. I would pass my turn before that map should a turn was coming up.

I noticed an update on the Rt66 site to eliminate the refresh of 15 to 1 second and prevent crashes with GPS use.