Tag Archives: navigation

NDrive for Android released

Posted by on December 18, 2009 No comments

I was pleasantly surprised to find that NDrive has been released on the Android market today.

NDrive turns your Android phone into a powerful navigation system up to house number accuracy! The download of the navigation-software is free and once you install NDrive you are able to purchase and download maps within the application. The South African map-set (includes South Africa, Mauritius, Swaziland, Malawi, Lesotho, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe) weighs in at about 150MB and at least the South African map is up-to-date (Malibongwe instead of Hans Strydom is a safe verification). The South African map costs EUR 70,00 and considering the convenience of having proper navigation on your phone is well worth it.

After a short plug & play installation, turn-by-turn voice instructions and on-screen directions will guide you from your current position to the destination that you have entered. In addition to all this, you can navigate to any of the many points-of-interest like hotels, restaurants and petrol stations. You can even dial them directly to make for example a hotel reservation or inquiry before going there!

The GPS locks in faster than my Garmin nuvi 710 and navigation works very well. The turn-by-turn voice instructions are not as loud as from the Garmin, but I attribute this more to my phone (HTC Dream) than the application.



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Garmin 2009 streetmaps are out

Posted by on February 28, 2009 No comments

I have finally been able to get my hands on a copy of the latest Garmap Africa Series 2009. As usual, the DVD can be purchased for R 10,00 at most outdoor shops (I got mine from Trappers Fourways).

New and a pleasant addition is that the DVD is double-sided and now caters for both Windows and Mac. While I previously had to use Windows to transfer the maps, this is now a seamless Mac-experience.

- First the MapManager needs to be installed, which allows you to transfer the maps to your Mac
- Then you install MapInstall which allows you to unlock the maps as well as transfer them to your Garmin
- Lastly you should install RoadTrip which is the Mac equivalent of the Windows Mapsource application.

While you are giving your Garmin a fresh update of the so often changing street-names, you should install WebUpdater and update the firmware of your trusty Garmin as well as POILoader to update all your “road-hazards” (and be up-to-date with those nasty speed-traps).

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OSX: Garmin Roadtrip released

Posted by on September 17, 2008 No comments

Formerly known as Garmin Bobcat, Garmin has now released RoadTrip.

  • RoadTrip allows you to transfer waypoints, tracks, and routes between your Mac and Garmin device and manage your data using your Garmin maps.
  • RoadTrip provides the ability to search for points of interest from the convenience of your Mac and then send the locations to your Garmin GPS.
  • MapManager copies maps and unlock codes into the right place to be accessible by RoadTrip and MapInstall. To migrate the maps from your Windows PC, download MapConverter onto your PC and follow the instructions.
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OS X: Garmin Bobcat – latest beta released

Posted by on July 13, 2008 No comments

Garmin has just released an update to their latest OS X mapping software, Garmin Bobcat

If you are still on a version before 2007, it is worth the update as it solves a number of annoying crashes (it is beta after all) – especially during find operations. I also found that searches are much faster now and the beta application behaves more reliable than ever before.

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OS X: GPS software for your Mac

Posted by on May 21, 2008 No comments

Here is the deal: You have this fancy GPS device but all the software is for Windows. Not so with Garmin GPS devices – their software is fully functional on Mac OS X. I have been able to upgrade the firmware on my Nuvi 710 as well as install updated maps to it.

Project: Bobcat
Bobcat allows you to search for points of interest (POIs), create and organize waypoints, routes and tracks, and easily send them to your Garmin GPS. Bobcat is the Windows equivalent to MapRoute – just a lot prettier.

MapInstall
Allows you to install maps on your Garmin GPS device.

POI Loader
POI Loader is free software for your Mac that helps you upload customized points of interest (POIs) to your compatible Garmin GPS — add the latest restaurants, safety camera locations, tourist destinations and more. You can find the South African POI data here.

WebUpdater
Make sure you’re making the most of your GPS by running our latest software. Check the WebUpdater for the latest firmware release.

Remember to download MapConverter for Windows to convert your unlocked PC maps for use on your Mac

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Garmin supports Mac OS X

Posted by on April 8, 2008 No comments

During my migration from the dark side, I had to overcome a few challenges to make all my gadgets and software work.

I was fascinated to find, that Garmin supports Mac OSX completely and they even have a brilliant blog – http://garmin.blogs.com/my_weblog/applemac/index.html.

For the Garmin savvy, you will be delighted to find the Windows equivalent of POI Loader and Web Updater. Even better, you will find BobCat, the OS X version of MapSource. I think the application is still in beta and therefore does not support the clipping and synchronization of map-portions. This is not really a great deal, since I have the whole map of Southern Africa on the SD-card.

Garmin Bobcat functions the same way as MapSource and the interface is in typical OS X fashion more polished. Was great to see that I could upgrade my Nuvi 710 to the latest version via the MBA.

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