Xmap Review

[+Dan_Edwards]

I just got XMap this last weekend from Delorme for my Handspring Visor Pro and I thought I would write a review of it.

My first handheld was a WindowsCE 3.0 device, so I will talk about how I expect it XMap would run on PocketPC device, but I only actually used it on my Visor Pro.

The previous handheld software from Delorme was Solus, and while XMap is somewhat based on Solus the two programs take a very different approach to mapping software. Solus would link wirelessly to the Delorme servers, if you had a subscription, and download maps and direction directly onto your handheld. But this of course required you to be in range of a signal or have access to a wire modem. You could also download directions for free from your desktop, but this required that you know your route in advance.

 

XMap takes a different approach. With XMap you download the map data onto your handheld, and then plot the routes from there. In a world where memory expansion is cheap and wireless access in the U.S. is spotty, expensive and limited to urban areas this makes a lot more sense then the Solus approach.

 

While XMap will use a GPSr if you have one attached to your handheld, it would still be a very useful program without one. Many of the XMap features are enhanced with a GPSr though.

 

When you order the software you get a CD that installs a desktop Street Atlas USA that includes features to sync to your handheld. If you have used any Delorme desktop software, this program is very similar to others from Delorme with the exception of a tab for transferring data to and from the handheld. Delorme claims on the web site that you can download the entire USA to your handheld if you have the memory. I do, but I doubt you would want to do it with the interface included. So far, after reading the manual that is included on the CD as an Adobe Acrobat file, the only way to export maps that include routable data is in small 6-mile X 6-mile chunks. You then can then link the multiple chunks into one map. Uh yea, I will just keep exporting the USA in 6 sq. mile chucks till my eyes bleed. If there is a better way to do this, and someone knows what it is, please tell me. Non-routable maps can be exported in 25 sq. mile chucks and don’t present as much of a problem. You can also plot routes on the desktop software to export to your handheld.

 

While we are talking about desktop software, XMap also connects with Topo USA 4.0. This function is much improved over Solus with Topo USA 3.0. Topo can download multiple GPSr logs from your handheld and then plot them for you. This is great for adding new plot-able roads and trails to Topo USA. You can also transfer waypoints to and from Topo USA 4.0. Last, you can also download Topo maps to the handheld, you do this by choosing which quad you would like to dowload. You can also transfer waypoints to and from the handheld. This is the first software from Delorme that you could find a Geocache with from start to finish, just not easily. The interface is more geared to getting you within couple of dozen feet from what the GPS thinks is ground zero. It updated you at the bottom of the screen with text as to what direction you need to go to get to that waypoint, but the updates are not that frequent and constantly reading text which way you need to go is fine for a hiker, but not for the precision of geocaching. I suppose for the last few feet you could switch into its GPS monitor mode, which gives basic GPS info and use that to find ground zero. I would recommend switching at that point to something like GeoNiche or Cetus GPS on the Palm platform.

 

On the handheld the interface is good, but certain functions take getting used too. Once your used to it, the interface is fast and effective. Most activities are intuitive, but a couple here and there will have you scratching your head for a second. The saving grace of this is the excellent help available throughout the program. If you have a question about the handheld software, it is probably answered in the help section of the area your in. If you have a GPSr the button to turn it on and off is right on the main map screen. This is much improved over Solus, which made you dig for this common feature.

 

On the main screen you will see a map of the area you’re centered on. If you have your GPSr activated this will be your current location. From here you can zoom in and out, see the route you’re currently tracking, which direction your going. One of the options for the main map is to have it track the orientation of the top of the map to your current direction of travel. While this works ok on the palm when your moving in one direction for short periods of time, I don’t recommend this if your hiking and constantly changing directions. This is a limitation of the Dragonball processors in the current PalmOS handhelds, and I would expect the PocketPC version to be able to do this feature much faster.

 

Perhaps the most powerful and useful feature of XMap is the find feature. The maps you download to your handheld contain much more information then just roads; Restaurants, Shopping, Banks, Entertainment and much more are available for searching. Want to find the 10 closest restaurants to your current location. Need to get cash for that meal? Do a search on the closest banks. You can then click on one of your finds, make that your destination and plot a route from your current location to that item you found.

 

If you have a handheld with or without a GPS I think this is a pretty good program if just for the find feature alone. Having a TOPO map where you can measure distances with just a couple of taps is nice too. The routing feature is pretty good, but the trouble it takes to download large cities is unbearable at the moment and needs to be addressed by Delorme. The routes plotted on the handheld are very good overall. Like most routing programs it has a little trouble with crowded neighborhoods, but other then that I have found the routes generated to be very good. If Delorme places a better interface for downloading maps, I would recommend this program for nearly all handheld users. Until then, know in advance you will have to spend some time in order to download routable maps.

[+Criminal]

Too many words and too short an attention span.......

 

><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

What is the price of experience, do men buy it for a song,

Or wisdom for a dance in the street.................

[+Criminal]

Too many words and too short an attention span.......

 

><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

What is the price of experience, do men buy it for a song,

Or wisdom for a dance in the street.................

[+Dan_Edwards]

If you want the short version, just read the last paragraph.

[SergZak]

I appreciate your review Dan and the time you took to write and post it here.

[SergZak]

I appreciate your review Dan and the time you took to write and post it here.

[Ron Streeter]

....is why I sent it back.

 

Ron (292 found/80 hidden)

 

I've never been lost. Fearsome confused sometimes, but never lost.