Anyone using new AA Navigator with 100% maps?

Villain

I was thinking of splashing €116 for the first GPS maps released that claim to have 100% coverage of Ireland i.e. the AA Navigator
(details: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054924996&referrerid=59211&highlight=navigator)

I was wondering if anyone has used it and if so what they think of it??

Cheers

Alun

I've got it. Now, I don't know if it's anything to do with my ageing Dell Axim X5, but I find it deathly slow, especially when browsing the maps. Once I've got a route in, it's OK, but searching the address database is a bit slow too. Route recalculations (if you make a mistake) are not only really slow, but it takes forever to recognise you've made a mistake as well, although up until recently I was using Mapopolis (who also now have the Navteq 2006 maps available) which really shines in this regard, so maybe I'm just being a bit picky.

Map wise, pretty much everything I want is on there, although the area I live in (Bray) seems to have escaped their attention with a number of long standing (and reported to Navteq) bugs and omissions still present. The naming of some small villages seems to have gone awry as well ... Glenealy in Co. Wicklow seems to have vanished completely for example. Points of Interest aren't 100% either .. the Upper Lake car park at Glendalough is in there as a the Lower Lake carpark! These are all Navteq problems though, and are present on the 2006 Mapopolis maps too.

Ratchet

didn't see it in action but I'm gonna order it when i get my blutooth gps

bkehoe

I got the full package - software and their branded (with a crooked sticker!) pda/gps.

Interface is quite easy to use. As has been commented above, it's a bit slow when searching the address database, and when browsing the maps, but that, in my opinion, is acceptable for the incredible detail of the maps. In Wexford, south Kilkenny and Waterford anyway, every single little back road is present. Even a neighbours private lane is on it! GPS receiver itself seems very good, and works perfectly through my heated windscreen. Takes a bit of getting used to to work out how to find rural placenames.

Bad Points;
Volume could be louder.
When navigating on back roads (with no proper name), it calls them the name of the townland, so when it's guiding you and you move into a different townland it thinks you've come to a new road, so it says 'Continue' or some other similar comment(s).
USB/Power cable comes out the bottom, a bit inconvenient when trying to locate it as low as possible on the dash to minimise the blocked view.
Switching between UK and IE addresses isnt especially obvious (maybe it would have been if I had to read the manual first though!).

Brendan

silverski

Greetings all

Have the S/W and Bluetooth GPS working on XDA IIi.

Took some time to get started.

Still trying to work out some bug bears.

Unable to locate some area's

Time will tell if it is as good as advertised.

Some problems with Bluetooth conflict.

Will report in detail soon.

Regards

Silverski

Villain

Well I took the plunge and purchased the AA Navigator software and latest Maps from GPS Ireland and I am stunned!!!

The difference in mapping for my area at least is incredible, I live down a very small cul de sac and its on it, as are other very minor roads in Carlow.

The software isn't as professional looking as say Co-Pilot but to be honest its the mapping thats important.

I would recommend this 100% and @€;116 from GPS Ireland I think its very good value.

Alun

irish1 wrote:

Well I took the plunge and purchased the AA Navigator software and latest Maps from GPS Ireland and I am stunned!!!

The difference in mapping for my area at least is incredible, I live down a very small cul de sac and its on it, as are other very minor roads in Carlow.

The software isn't as professional looking as say Co-Pilot but to be honest its the mapping thats important.

I would recommend this 100% and @€;116 from GPS Ireland I think its very good value.

What did they charge for P&P on top of this? I got mine direct from the AA's website and paid the equivalent of €122.93 including P&P.

Villain

Alun wrote:

What did they charge for P&P on top of this? I got mine direct from the AA's website and paid the equivalent of €122.93 including P&P.

It was €121 including P&P and I ordered it yesterday afternoon and received it this afternoon.

Vmaxer

Before I go out and buy these maps Myself I have a quick question for those who already have it, I recently purchaced destinator 6 with 100% coverage but their search enginge is cr@p, if you look for say Brookfield in artane it gives You Brookfield in kimmage somewhere and the same goes for any address that may have the same name as another place in Dublin. So could anybody who has AA Navigator 2006 check for Me and see what comes up when You serch for Brookfield? does it give You just one or all three in Dublin?

Cheers any input appreciated

Villain

Well I don't have my PDA in front of me but for dublin you have search by numbers i.e. dublin1, dublin2, dublin3 etc. Then select your street or place.

Vmaxer

With medion 4.4 You could just put in a search for dub then the street name and it gave you all the possibilitys for the street name. If you need to know the post codes for all parts of Dublin it makes it very difficult. I'd be interested to see what happens if You search a Dublin address this way (Dub etc)

Villain

There is too many for it to do it that way now, you won't find it unless you search by postcode.

Vmaxer

Back to the drawing board i was hoping I could search all Dublin and be given the list of matching street names. Medion had great software I'll just have to wait ontill they update their Maps.

Alun

The AA navigator (luckily) just dumps all of Dublin into one. Half the time I don't know the 'postode' number and neither does the person I'm visiting (or they 'choose' a different one for snobbery purposes, thus defeating the whole purpose!) anyway, so it's pretty useless. It can get a bit frustrating finding places in the various suburbs of south dublin / dun laoghaire as well for the same reason.

Roll on postcodes I say.

Vmaxer

So if You type in---Dublin>Brookfield> Will it give a few options or just one?

Alun

It only gives one (somewhere in S. Dublin near the Milltown LUAS stop), not sure what area of Dublin that is.

Vmaxer

Alun it looks like its very similar to destinator 6 and seems like it would be difficult to use around Dublin. Navigon navigator 6 should be out in the next few months and hopfully it will have the same search engine as the medion version. Thanks for the help..

dubtom

My garmin unit with city navigator maps are about 95% acurate I would say, with searching it gives a list of all brookfields etc,, and you pick which one you want.TBH I can't imagine any software staying up to date for very long with the amout of new estates being built in the city.
Are the AA maps for a specific unit or will they install in anything?

Alun

dubtom wrote:

My garmin unit with city navigator maps are about 95% acurate I would say, with searching it gives a list of all brookfields etc,, and you pick which one you want.TBH I can't imagine any software staying up to date for very long with the amout of new estates being built in the city.
Are the AA maps for a specific unit or will they install in anything?

The map data all comes from one source, usually Navteq. The map formats themselves as delivered with Satnav systems are all proprietary.

jwt

Posted a quick observation at http://stalltheball.com/index.php/2006/09/13/aa_navigator_2006_for_ireland

in summary

Clunky display
GPS problems
Why oh Why must you buy an SD card version versus software only (128Mb card is hardly useful)

Maps are very good, best I've seen yet of Ireland

Routing algorithm seems a bit more sensible than Navigon 5.1 but could be a function of improved maps.

Overall if Navigon released a updated mapset I'd go with it, but in the interim the improved maps more than make up for any minuses in AA Navigator


John

Eoin

dubtom wrote:

My garmin unit with city navigator maps are about 95% acurate I would say

I have the Garmin Nuvi 300, and while some of the map detail is excellent (Dublin city centre and subarbs especially), it doesn't have the M50 to M11 link which is a pretty major thing to leave out.

Rovi

Check out this thread over on Tech > Consumer Electronics > Gadgets-
GPS: Airis T920 or Garmin Nuvi 310/360?

A lot of people are waiting for Dusty1609 to report back on the Pixmania supplied Airis T920.

.