.KEYWORD gps
.FLYINGHEAD PRODUCT REVIEW
.TITLE DeLorme’s EarthMate GPS
.OTHER
.SUMMARY It’s a dark and stormy night. You’re late for that all-important appointment. You’re totally lost. Your imagination runs wild, conjuring up demons from the shadows. What do you do? What do you do? If you’re like Chris Guella, you hook up your trusty Palm organizer to DeLorme’s EarthMate GPS (Global Positioning System) tap the screen, and follow the directions. You’ll be there in no time. It’s up to you. Demons in the shadows or clear, exact directions. If you want to avoid your own personal demons, read this article.
.AUTHOR Chris Guella
Months ago, I started using my Palm device to hold graphics files and maps from Yahoo. Since then, things have changed. Most importantly, I have been using DeLorme Earthmate, DeLorme Street Atlas USA, DeLorme Solus Palm device software and my Palm device as navigation tools and as a means to plan and follow trip plans. There are other uses for this technology, but I focus on navigating the great American highways.
I travel regularly, so I was able to test the system in a number of states in both city and suburban settings. Frankly, I do not know how I lived without this collection of tools for so long. In this article, I’ll introduce you to the power of navigation using GPS (i.e., the Global Positioning System) combined with the appropriate software for your Palm device and laptop or desktop PC.
This is the "everyday application" of GPS we were promised when the technology was introduced. My experience should be helpful in illustrating the benefits as well as a practical view of how you may want to apply these tools to your own needs.
.H1 GPS Pilot solutions
I believe that what DeLorme offers is unique for the Palm device, however I recommend that you consider your own requirements and how well they align with the DeLorme products before purchasing theirs or any other vendor solutions available. This is especially true for other types of navigation such as air travel, pilot navigation and map creation. Another company, GPS Pilot (at http://www.gpspilot.com), has a selection of application-specific Palm device tools that meet a different set of needs:
.BEGIN_LIST
.BULLET GPS Tracker creates maps for backpacking, boating, hiking;
.BULLET Flying Pilot gives you dynamic pre-flight and in flight navigational tools;
.BULLET GPS Compass gives you real life compass direction coordinates, time and speed;
.BULLET Topographer enables modifying, importing and exporting positional data between a Palm device and a PC machine;
.END_LIST
Most of the GPS Pilot software will work with standard GPS devices as well as the DeLorme TripMate GPS. However, I reviewed the newer EarthMate GPS, which uses a proprietary output format and is not compatible with the GPS Pilot software.
.H1 Find your way
Have you ever traveled by car, had to travel to a business meeting in a strange city or town, tried finding a friend’s new house, or searched for an obscure boutique or store with nothing more than an address or street? If your answer is yes to any of these questions, you may want to consider a combination of some of the navigation tools I discuss in this article.
I field tested DeLorme’s Earthmate/Solus Pro Kit for Palm Computing in New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Ohio, California, Connecticut, and Massachusetts and was totally impressed at the "navigational detail" of even the most obscure streets in random cities and towns. Street Atlas USA (the accompanying desktop program) can help you find an address no matter where it is.
There are multiple ways to configure a personal navigation system. I will provide an example of three ways I found useful and directions on how to generally apply those techniques. You may come up with your own approaches, and I encourage you to do so and post your experiences on the PalmPower PowerBoards.
.H1 Option 1: Use your Palm device, GPS receiver, and DeLorme Solus software to navigate
From my experience, I found that using the combination of my Palm computer, a GPS receiver, and the DeLorme Solus software was the most practical in the real world. This solution is especially useful if you don’t have a laptop with a CD-ROM and a car adapter, take short trips, or find it more practical to travel with only pocket sized tools.
However, with this option there are also tradeoffs. If you use the Street Atlas product on a laptop, it’ll speak directions out loud and color-code instructions. When I moved the solution to my Palm device, I found it hard to have to look at the gray scale Palm device screen. I also missed the voice telling me when to turn and how far I had to go.
That said, I completely appreciated the extremely advanced functionality of the Solus Palm software. If you don’t have a CD-ROM enabled laptop (or don’t want to lug one around) yet would like the navigational assistance of a GPS unit in conjunction with your Palm device, then this is the most practical.
.H2 Working with Solus
First you need to install the SolusPalm device software. I used a pre-release of Solus, but was able to easily hook up the EarthMate and Palm device and then navigate. I was also able to use the Palm device to determine speed, exact location, altitude and direction. This was pretty amazing.
Solus works by taking maps from the desktop version of Street Atlas, shown in Figure A, and then using the Palm device to actually give directions, location and navigational instruction. I loaded a few trips onto the Palm device very easily and then used my Palm organizer as my ever-present trip navigator.
.FIGPAIR A Street Atlas contains maps for the entire United States.
Being the dedicated reviewer I am, one night after dinner with some friends I even let myself get lost on purpose, while not using Solus. I then used Solus to save me from what would have been hours of looking for my hotel in the middle of Ohio.
The way Solus works is, essentially, you create trips on your computer and then HotSync them to your Palm unit where the Solus software uses the downloaded trip databases to navigate based on your actual position.
Solus worked very well by presenting the directions I needed when I needed them, telling me when I needed to turn by beeping and highlighting the line in the text where I was as at any time during the trip, as shown in Figure B.
.FIG B As you drive, the program on your Palm device updates your directions.
I also used the map, shown in Figure C, and GPS unit to locate my exact location visually.
.FIG C It’s a bit hard to read on the Palm device, but having a pinpoint map can be a big help when you’re lost.
Solus also allows you to pick the navigation variables you would like to see, such as time to next turn (very valuable), speed, or altitude to name a few.
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H2 Battery warning
Be aware that you’ll be consuming power throughout your trip. If you’re planning an extended trip, be sure to HotSync your Palm device before the trip, install new batteries, and HotSync again.
.END_SIDEBAR
.H2 Things to consider
As I mentioned earlier, this configuration is best used for when a laptop is not available. Say you are going on a sales call in Detroit proper and need to get to the factory located in western Detroit. Load the airport as the starting address and then your final destination as the end point. Street Atlas will create custom optimal directions that you can hot synch to your Palm device and off you go with pocket Earthmate and Palm device in hand. You will find your way.
You may also load the text directions of many trips if you have multiple calls or will be away for a long period of time. If you have a lot of traveling, only load the text directions and not all of the maps since multiple maps may take up too much Palm device memory. This was true with my older (smaller memory) Palm device. One caveat: it is harder to change trip plans using this option (rather than carrying everything on a laptop) since you need to re-HotSync new plans to your Palm device when they change.
.H1 Option 2: Use Street Atlas software on laptop and Earthmate
Although PalmPower is a Palm-oriented publication, I still should acknowledge the benefit of using a laptop (with CD-ROM) and the DeLorme Earthmate GPS receiver together. This option provides the most flexibility, detail, and usefulness when trying to navigate American roads (DeLorme and GPS Pilot also offer off road variations called TOPOs that also have elevation and contour information of all 50 states).
Obviously, there are limitations and constraints. You have to lug around your laptop and driving around with your laptop computer on the floor of your car can be difficult in many city settings.
To illustrate this approach, I used the DeLorme Street Atlas software to navigate my way from New York City to Westport, CT and from New York to and from Cape Ann, MA for a wedding (as well as a few other trips). On these trips I had to find new addresses for a friend’s house and a wedding, respectively. I decided to blindly let the PC-based software navigate my trips.
I started by programming the starting point as the GPS location and then plugging in the actual address of my final destination. I then turned on voice navigation and the options "highway to highway" and "street to street". The laptop/Earthmate combination TOLD me exactly how to get there. I actually used a Radio Shack cassette tape adapter to have the system speak directly through my car stereo. For example:
.BEGIN_LIST
.BULLET "Take FDR drive north, exit 14, 30 seconds away"
.END_LIST
.BEGIN_LIST
.BULLET "Current speed 56 miles per hour, time to destination 40 minutes at current speed, maintain current speed"
.END_LIST
I was shocked at the accuracy and how the software recognized even the most rural streets. Along the whole trip, it showed my progress using green arrows. When I intentionally made wrong turns, the arrows turned yellow, then red when I was way off and heading in wrong direction. I was taken aback by its ability to recognize where I was at all times.
When it came to traffic, I listened to the radio for traffic conditions and when the radio station report there was traffic or construction, I "grayed out" (telling the software to avoid) the mentioned area and the software rerouted me around the impediment. I left major roads with confidence since I felt I could navigate my way back to my route because of the map’s accuracy even in the smallest of towns.
.H2 Things to consider
Your laptop may not have enough battery power to last entire trips unless you have a cigarette adapter. I got one from Port Accessories so I was fully prepared. Beware: laptop navigation is not the best solution for short trips or trips in a city since your laptop is a prime theft target sitting in the front seat of your car (and you also make a tempting target). Furthermore it may be a hassle to unhook it from the car if you need to hide it or use it for your meetings.
In short, if you travel for sales or business or own a car or even a motor home and are taking a long trip, do not leave home without this configuration. Street Atlas will tell you places to see or stay and identify other points of interest along your route. It will allow you to place waypoints on your route and guide you to that unique store or other desired stop on an optimal route to your final destination. I can not list all of its features here, but recommend you look at software applications like Street Atlas to navigate longer trips or need "navigational flexibility" while traveling.
.H1 Option 3: Use Street Atlas software, computer (desktop or laptop) and Palm device
This last approach (which does not use a GPS device) is by far is the most practical (but not nearly as cool) for those of you who want really good directions somewhere, but do not need to see your progress along the way or have a CD-ROM enabled laptop. It is also the most economical. By using the Street Atlas software to create directions for you on your desktop or laptop and then HotSync them to your Palm device, you can save a great deal of aggravation when traveling to anyplace new.
You can enter starting point, waypoints and final destinations into your Street Atlas software and then use the Palm device icon to export the directions. Alternatively, you can use copy and paste in windows to place the directions directly into a memo and simply HotSync. Either technique works great and allows you to travel with just your Palm device. I actually sent directions in an email to a friend of mine in Los Angeles and he just copied them into a Palm Desktop memo. He then performed a HotSync and used the directions that I created (while I was in New York City, mind you), to find an obscure address in Northern Los Angeles with absolutely no problems. This is a great combination of tools. It’s both economical and easy to use. That said, at a list price of under $200, the GPS device is not outrageously expensive.
.H2 Things to consider
With this last option, you can load tons of trips into the Palm device because they are all text-based. That might be necessary because this approach also limits your ability to change trip plans or create new destinations while enroute. Nor will using this approach tell you where you are or what progress you have made on your trip. However, it is the simplest navigational aid — the equivalent of having very good directions typed into your Palm device.
.H1 Summary
The tools I used were very helpful and downright cool. The practicality of having a laptop in your vehicle all of the time, the possibility of theft, the visual distraction, the need for continual power supply, and so on makes the second option a little difficult in the real world. Certainly, this would be the case in New York, but perhaps not in your home town. Integrated versions of this navigation option are now available in some luxury cars, but even those systems lack the flexibility and usability of DeLorme’s Street Atlas and Earthmate combination.
The first option (combining the GPS device with the Palm device) is the most pragmatic approach since it takes advantage of the PC software strengths and the portability of the Palm device. Add to that the advanced functionality of the Solus navigation software in conjunction with Earthmate GPS. This option is extremely portable and convenient and will allow you to navigate directly on your Palm device with a pocket sized GPS navigator tool plugged in.
The third approach is a good way to start because you don’t need to spend on a GPS navigator to load directions into your Palm device. You can also share the directions with other members of the family by printing or emailing (also true with the other options). Option three is the cheapest to set up if budget is an issue.
I have to admit I was skeptical when I started on this assignment, but in the end I am addicted to the piece of mind I get by knowing where I am, where I am going, and how to get there using the DeLorme suite of products. I am now using these tools on a regular basis to find addresses and plan my account visits in strange cities and towns.
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
Earthmate GPS Receiver Unit, connector cable with GPS keyboard power, and Street Atlas software, and Solus software are all available from DeLorme at http://www.delorme.com.
GPS Tracker, Flying Pilot, GPS Compass, and Topographer can be found at http://www.gpspilot.com.
You can find many laptop accessories at Port Accessories, located on the Web at http://www.port.com.
.END_SIDEBAR
.BIO Chris Guella is a management and strategy consultant for financial institutions with American Management Systems, Inc. He may be reached at cguella@usa.net.
.DISCUSS http://www.component-net.com/webx?13@@.ee6c3f9
