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Microsoft Autoroute
Wed, 1 Feb 2006 20:03:43 +0000
uk.people.silversurfers
previous
Aries...
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Microsoft AutoRoute 2006 with GPS Locator combines AutoRoute, the complete
and customisable trip planning 'software, with a sleek and stylish Global
Positioning System (GPS) locator. With advanced GPS features and voice
prompted directions, you'll always know exactly where you are and where
your next turn is. Just plug it in your, laptop and go!
datasmog...
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8
9677613.1138823832@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccchaddgljdmilkcflgceggdhhmdfhm.0&mic
rosite_id=Microsoft_Store&page=GenericEditorial&genericeditorial=ms_home
_autoroute2006>
I particularly like this entry under required 'Operating Systems':
For Windows Sewer 2003: 256 MB of RAM
;-)
Rabbit...
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I guess that's one proof reader out of a job at MS :-) Or is it a
disgruntled employee like
:-)
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Aries...
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Ta muchly to everyone who made comments about the above product. Your
input was most helpful and much appreciated :)
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Jeff Gaines...
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I don't want to be pedantic madam, but if you plug your laptop in you
can only go as far as the cable lets you :-)
Aries...
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LOL#1 Seriously tho what do you think of it as a purchase?
Tickettyboo...
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depends on how much the gps device is that you to need to go with it, how
easy it is to attach it to the laptop and then use it.That price seems to
be for the mapping software (?) though that seems reasonable if it
includes maps and routing for all of Europe. I suppose that it could only
Aries...
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I think it does - not sure tho
pmj...
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I think you'll find, if you Read about it, that the price quoted
is for the AutoRoute 2006 *Software* (& the Map Data).
It *doesn't* include the actual GPS Receiver, though it has the
*Facility* to Interface to a (limited range of) GPS Receivers,
& you have to Purchase the GPS Receiver separately.
Aries...
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really, well I didn't know that so thanks for the info PMJ. I will pass
that on to my son who recommened I buy this device LOL
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I suppose that it could only
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be used for journeys matching the capacity of your laptop battery and it
would be a bit difficvult to balance the laptop on the dashboard, so you
would either have to rely on the voice commands, without seeing the map or
have a passenger.
Aries...
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I have a special thingy that plugs into the cigarette lighter which powers
the laptop should I need to, and most of the time I am not the driver so
the laptop would be - on MY lap :)
Tickettyboo...
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LOL last I looked you can get a decent map book for the passenger to hold
and read for around a tenner!
Aries...
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But this map device has voice directions similar to a Tom Tom :)
pmj...
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& the Passenger (with the ordinary Map Book) can also give Voice
directions!
:-)
Aries...
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but not in any great detail! Except perhaps in maps like A-Z of London
LOL
pmj...
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Well, in many cases, they can give the Voice Directions in *very* great
Detail!
:-)
Cos they can be looking out the window, actually Reading the Road
Name Signs, while the Driver is concentrating on the Driving!
:-)
Aries...
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When, I say WHEN, the road has a sign. Way out in Devon there often isn't
one :(
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As can many of the PDA/Mobile Phone GPS SatNav things.
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Ali...
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My brother had something similar in his motor-home a few years back (the GPS
may not have been integrated).
Somebody else thought it a good idea, and it went!
Round here GPS users are being warned not to leave even the cradle on view.
With a laptop as well, it could be just too tempting.
Aries...
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Hmmmmmm :(
MCC...
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Whole lot safer and ifinitely cheaper to go to
pmj...
pmj...
and type in the names or postcodes of the places you are travelling between
and print out a route.
pmj...
pmj...
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But the Printed out Route Instructions that you get from any of
those sort of things (or from any of the PC Applications such as
the ordinary M$ AutoRoute) are no good once you are on the way,
if you *deviate* from the (expected, printed) Route.
It helps if you *also* Print out a Map of the Route (& also the Area
as well?)
But the idea of a GPS (Global Positioning by Satellite) thing is that
it *knows* where you are & can pinpoint your Position on the Map &
*Update* the Route accordingly & it can always show you a Map of the
Area that you are actually in.
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If need be, buy an Atlas - Aldi were doing them for £2 :-))
Aries...
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I've tried that but that only shows the general postcode area and not any
pmj...
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& neither does a SatNav thing!!!
A SatNav thing *also* relies on PostCodes, so they can only ever
give a *rough* Location.
Yes, they maintain a database of Individual Roads, but they don't
know about each *property* (House Number) on a given Road.
Though *some* of them do have details like that, but only in
built-up areas.
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individual property - also trying read the road names when there aren't any
to see makes that option very difficult!
pmj...
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web-search Maps shows *every* Road Name, as far as I can tell.
Can you give some examples of any Roads that it *doesn't* show
the Name of?
Aries...
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hundreds LOL
pmj...
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Well, go on then!!!
Can we please have some Examples?
Aries...
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Not that simple LOL Just is that's all LOL
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Rabbit...
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Hey wait till the new year one comes out and you can get last year's in a
pound shop :-)
MCC...
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I got the 2006 in Trago Mills, a local "pile 'em high flog 'em cheap" store
for £1.65. No way was I going to spend £2! Do you think I've 'known' FN for
too long?
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pmj...
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LOL!
Yes, but the same thing applies...
An ordinary Map/Atlas thingy doesn't know where you are!!!
Though yes, of course, the actual Maps in a Book type thing are
very often much easier & clearer to Read than the Maps on a tiny
little Screen, where you have to Zoom right in, to see any Detail,
Rabbit...
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Specific postcodes only cover a few properties so it can't be far out. You
could put the postcode in Google Earth and hope it was in a high res area.
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which then means you can't see the overall Area.
& if you Zoom out enough to see the overall Area, you then can't
see any Detail.
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Wally...
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Isn't it a bit bulky and awkward having you laptop running
in the car Val.
Why not go for a purpose built GPS ?
Rabbit...
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In a word...yes. You get to be like the people you keep company with :-)
MCC...
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He'll have to go then, cos I ain't
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Aries...
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Big difference in price tho :(
Wally...
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That's true but it all depends on how much use you have for it.
I bought one about six weeks ago.
As I am retiring this year, I will be doing a lot of travelling in
the near future.
Mine has UK maps and all of Europe, well pleased with it so far.
Aries...
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Point taken Wally and that is the sort of helping-me-to-make-my-mind-up
reply I was looking for really. I guess I will just have to fork out the
dosh for a 'proper' one when Tony's burfday comes around :)
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Rabbit...
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Only about £20 and it does say under additional requirements that you need
one anyway for the GPS function GPS functionality requires a GPS
device that supports NMEA 2.0 or later.
datasmog...
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It requires a GPS receiver to connect to the PC. Bluetooth GPS receivers
can be had for about £50. Add that to the cost of the software package,
which is about £80. Total £130. I'm not aware of a comparable SatNav
pmj...
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& you can also buy many GPS Receivers wit ha (different) Software
package - they normally offer various special deals, when purchased
together, anyway.
Don't forget that *all* SatNav Systems, use the same basic Map Data from
just a few Suppliers - what varies is the Software & the actual
Hardware that it Runs on (& of course the GPS Receiver).
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system for that money. I think you would have to add another £100 at
pmj...
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Unless you get one that is in a Mobile Phone/SmartPhone type thing,
then you can get them at some very low prices, cos of the subsidy
that the Mobile Phone Networks pay the Retailer.
They still run basically the same SatNav Software that the PDAs
& Pocket PCs use.
(along with all the other Software that runs on PDAs & Pocket PCs)
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least.
Rabbit...
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Somerfield were selling a Garmin Streetpilot recently for £99 and Maplins
for about £10 more. Somerfields also had The Medion Micromaxx MDPCC 150
PocketPC at £129.99 which has Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 and a GPS
navigation system and integrated GPS receiver. Software included is Outlook,
Word, Excel and Internet Explorer for PocketPC
datasmog...
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I said 'Comparable'.
Rabbit...
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OK but what you want out of a GPS is to get you from A to B, you don't
*need* bells and whistles surely for it to do the job.
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I don't think those fit the bill, although they are pocketable.
The Medion system is on offer everywhere. Give it a few more weeks and
it'll be free with a box of cornflakes.
Rabbit...
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Medion, Microsoft. You just don't like the letter M do you ???:-)
datasmog...
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I use a Mac. :-)
Rabbit...
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Of course, I was thinking Apple :-)
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I use Microsoft products on it every day.
As for Medion, I know two people with the Medion Sat Nav gizmo and
they're not impressed with it. TomTom will put you right outside our
house, whereas the Medion will dump you a mile up the road, using the
same road / house number parameters.
I don't think that's acceptably accurate, do you?
Rabbit...
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Son got the Medion sat nav last year and he's never had any problems, even
with difficult places out in the country and even after we took it out and
deliberately tried to confuse it. The only problem he has had was where he
put it on his windscreen. It caused the in car charger to bend the pins in
the device but Medion picked it up, repaired it added new firmware and
returned it within three days. Good customer service.
Aries...
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Sounds good to me :) So you recommend the Medion one then Sandra ?
Rabbit...
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Not necessarily.At the time the price was right and web-search found many good
reports about it but technology moves fast and there's no saying that
today's model is the same, newer doesn't always mean better.
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But that would give you something you could carry in your poscket, which
might prove more useful in the long run.
pmj...
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Yep!!!
But M$ AutoRoute is (& has always) a pretty good, quite reasonable
Mapping Program anyway - it's just that they've added on the GPS
Functionality to it recently, to keep it competitive with all the
others.
Buying it *just* cos of the GPS Functionality (which involves
purchasing the GPS Receiver for it separately) doesn't necessarily
make all that much sense, but if you want it anyway (if you haven't
already got it with your PC - many PCs these days come with it as
part of the M$ Works Suite), then it may be worth while, but like
all the others are saying, often having a *Dedicated* SatNav thing
makes more sense, but only if it's going to get a lot of use?
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Aries...
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Can you give point me to an example of that please Ray?
pmj...
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Or any of the Mobile Phone Suppliers?
They are all Flogging various GPS SatNav Systems.
& cos they are subsidised by the Phone Networks, they are (often)
cheaper than an ordinary PDA type one.
That T-Mobile MDA Pro that I had was less than 200 Quid.
Without the Bluetooth GPS Receiver & SatNav Mapping Software,
it's available for well under 100 Quid - & in some cases Free
(depending on the AirTime Contract you have)
& that was, in effect a Mini Laptop, with a 640 x 480 Screen
& a usable Keyboard. (as well as a Mobile Phone)
It Ran M$ windoze Mobile 5, which is the newer, updated Version
of the old Pocket PC 2003 Software.
It's a bit big for a Phone though, but you can get other GPS
SatNav Phone/PDA things which are a lot smaller.
Aries...
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I believe some new cars are having Sat Nav fitted as an optional extra !
pmj...
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& some are now coming fitted with GPS SatNav as Standard!
:-)
It's only on the bottom end of the Model Ranges of cheaper [*1]
type Cars where it's an Optional Extra, like many things.
:-)
[*1]
"cheaper" being a relative term!
Aries...
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less expensive you mean LOL
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:-)
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Aries...
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Really! I thought Sat nav devices were up around the £200 mark?
Rabbit...
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They are dropping fast just now.If anybody wants to know when the price of a
gadget will drop just wait till I buy one and as sure as eggs is eggs it
will drop in price faster than a stone in a puddle :-(
Aries...
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I'm going to buy one for Tony's burfday but it isn't until May so hopefully
the price will drop a bit by then :)
Aries...
Rabbit...
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Have a look at http://www.pocketgps.co.uk/ for info.
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