Yes Julian, Touratech is good, but it really seems to struggle with larger self scanned maps - calibration is also quite tricky. Memory Map seem to have this sorted, indeed I have my self scanned Michelin Maps working a treat with the non OS edition .

I don't think it will be too long before all the manufacturers will end up using solid state memory as has been pioneered with the ASUS eee PCs and the MacBook Air

Which brings me on to tablets and touch screen interfaces.

I have been experimenting with pocket PCs; an ASUS R2H Ultra Mobile PC and until recently a lovely HP TX2500 tablet PC (until I left it on a train).

The problem I have been finding however, is that most touch screens are very poor in daylight and general outdoor situations to the point of being virtually useless in sunlight. This is being been resolved in small form factor devices such as the iPhone, but remains a technical challenge for larger screens. Yes sunlight viewable touch screens are about, but not at the affordable end of the market. All of my devices cost over £700 each and none of them are really up to the job. Even Apple are rumoured to be working on a Mac tablet but have yet to resolve the issues.

Another side to the navigation problem is that operating systems and application interfaces have yet to catch up with touch. At least in the overland sector. There as been much development put in to main stream SatNav devices but virtually no progress in PC field. Having tried most of the mapping software out there I have to say that they are all pretty difficult to operate with any less than a mouse or 'two hands needed' laptop touchpad.

Overland Navigator, appears to be barking up the right trees with it's touch screen friendly approach, but it is at an early stage in development and currently only available with a limited number of US topo maps and seemingly no option for other map formats or even self scanned images.

Moreover, the more capable the application, it seems the more difficult to use with touch. OzyExplorer for example is great software but seems to try too hard, with a great many on-screen controls and even half size multifunction button icons. Heaven knows how our biker friends wearing thick gloves get by.

Wouldn't it be great if all the mapping developers had a rethink about their interfaces. Surely it would not be hard to come up with an optional touch friendly skin for in-car use.

Such an interface (with the necessary safety warnings of course) would provide simple controls for zooming and panning, adding waypoints, chosing and recording tracks. An additional menu button would take the user to all the other stuff which would be presented in a TomTom kind of way. A preferences option would also allow user to control the placement of buttons on the screen (top-bottom-left-right) to allow for left hand drive, right hand drive as well different mounting locations.

I really do think it's time the mapping software developers caught up (or rather took a step back).

Paul Driver

__________________
---
Paul Driver
www.guesswhereweare.co.uk

I know it is no real achievement, but I've used the same laptop, GPS and mapping system for three trips to Tunisia, and it has not let me down once.
The laptop ia a simple Dell cheepo, the GPS is Garmin, Etrex (£100) and the mapping software Fugawi with maps from Daerr, these are the Russian and French maps fron the '70's, the latest available.
K

__________________
www.4x4-travel.co.uk

I don't operate the PDA when I'm moving. Set up the zoom level etc before starting off. That runs Oziexplorer.

I link that to the GPS - a Garmin 60Cx .. that I can just operate using the seam on the glove to press the small buttons - usually just zooming in and out. I try to stop for anything else. Usuall have to stop anyway to think about the navigation - rather than think of trying to stay uprite on the bike and avoid being run down and follow the route and then figure out a new route. Best to stop doing most of those things -ie stop riding and do the other thing.

-------------------
On the raster side - I'd not use any software that does not take in self scaned images .. no I don't take a scanner with me .. but I do have a digital camera and that will do the job .. not as well but good enough. And sometimes the maps you get on the trip are much better than the ones you have .. so it has to be able to take these new maps in.

-----------------
For screens washing out - yes the PDA washes out .. the GPS is fine. Here the light intensity is about twice that of the northern hemishpere .. ask any photograhper. So if the screen is going to wash out it will do it here. At night though the PDA screen is easier than the GPS to read .. not that I ride much at night .. but that is what happens.

__________________
---
Regards Frank Warner
motorcycles BMW R80 G/S 1981, BMW K11LT 1993, BMW K75 G/S