Firepad Viewer For Palm

[+Ellteejak]

Hello,

 

I am looking for suggestions for the best MAP DISPLAY software for the PALM computer. I know some have suggested the STREETS & TRIPS software (which I believe only works for the Pocker PC not for the PALM).

 

The product called FIREPAD VIEWER seems to do what I need. I just would be required to make a map with some other application, and save the map as a IMAGE file. Then the FIREPAD VIEWER can pan & zoom the image to get details.

 

Still there must be a better maping solution for the palm. Does anyone have anything that works well? I want to go paperless, but I still need road maps somewhere. I would prefer the road maps be on my palm.

 

Ellteejak

[+IVxIV]

Check this out for starters

[+Ellteejak]

More details:

 

I have a tungsten E which does not allow me to connect my Garmin Legend GPS for a live mapping. But I do not care about that anyway, since the legend has mapping already.

 

Firepad viewer is cheap at $30. It has a map database (images of maps) that is completely free. I can also take my online or offline generated maps and display them (after converting to am image file).

 

Delorme Street Atlas 2004 WILL NOT let you enter an address and calculate the distance between two points. I can do that with my offline software on my laptop, but not on the Street Atlas. that sucks!! Amazon used price is $40.

 

I believe mapopolis is doing the same as Street Atlas for a price of $50.

 

Looks like Firepad Viewer is the cheapest best solution for what I want. A paperless map that I can pan & zoom on.

[+Ellteejak]

Okay!! This works great. I can take MAPQUEST maps that I save as GIFs. Convert them to a FIREPAD image. And then view them on my palm.

 

This is ideal!! Think of it this way.

 

1) You need maps for driving directions only. DO NOT READ YOUR PALM WHILE DRIVING. Read it before driving.

 

2) I can also use FIREPAD to view directions saved from mapquest, or whatever mapping software you have.

 

3) I will look at programming a MACRO for GSAK to use some mapping software to create a map, then convert it and set it to synchronize to my palm, with the Geocache code number.

[+Ellteejak]

The Fujiwa software is also very expensive. I prefer the FIREPAD software for its combination of flexibility (I can do any image) and low cost.

[+Marky]

I already have tomtom navigator on my Palm, so I don't need street level maps. I do need park trail maps and since I have a bluetooth GPS, it would be nice if the viewer tracked along the map as I went (i.e. showed me what trail I was on, if I was viewing a calibrated park map). It seems that fugawi does this. What other programs will view a calibrated image and track to a connected (or bluetooth) GPS?

 

--Marky

[+PDOP's]

I do need park trail maps and since I have a bluetooth GPS, it would be nice if the viewer tracked along the map as I went (i.e. showed me what trail I was on, if I was viewing a calibrated park map).  It seems that fugawi does this.

Marky

 

Some pros and cons of Fugawi on a Palm

 

Pros

• Automatically calibrates image for Palm
  
• Shows your position when hooked up to a GPSr
  
• Supports waypoints, routes and tracks
  

Cons

• Expensive
  
• Only one waypoint symbol available on the Palm app
  
• Only screen shots of maps can be exported to thePalm
  

This last con limits the coverage. If you zoom out to include a larger area detail is lost.

[+Marky]

Cons

• Expensive
  
• Only one waypoint symbol available on the Palm app
  
• Only screen shots of maps can be exported to thePalm
  

This last con limits the coverage. If you zoom out to include a larger area detail is lost.

Is $99 considered expensive? If it does what I want it to do, I'm definitely willing to pay that much. Are there some other costs that I'm not aware of?

 

One waypoint icon is probably not too big a deal for me.

 

Since I already have tomtom navigator for 'real' street level maps, I'd only be using the program while I'm hiking in a park and I think that a screen shot of the map would do okay. I guess it depends on the flexibility. ExpertGPS does a great job on calibrated maps (and geocaching stuff in general) but doesn't have a palm app to view the maps.

 

Besides the the Fugawi palm app, are there other palm apps that view calibrated images and track via a connected GPS?

 

--Marky

[+Nuwati]

Have you looked at quakemap? It has a viewer that also handles GPX files. I believe quakemap for desktop cost 10 dollars and the PDA viewer cost 19 dollars. Maybe it is worth a look.

 

Nuwati

[+Ellteejak]

I am definately going to look at Maptech Outdoor Navigator for $20 and unlimited offroad maps (basically the USGS digitized). Looks like there is a plugin for Cachemate to link to Outdoor navigator on the palm.

 

http://www.maptech.com/products/outdoornavigator/index.cfm

 

I am going to look at Quake map, and the PDA viewer associated. If that is a better combination than Firepad Viewer, then I still have time to get a refund, and switch to Quake map.

 

I also need to try this Tomtom Navigator. Wow, so much to try!!

[+Ellteejak]

TOMTOM navigator for $150 !! Yikes!! Guess it is cheaper than a Garmin full unit for the car, if you already have a GPS and a PDA. Not really the direction I am going.

 

Quakemap looks okay, but I just do not like the lack of clarity of the satillite photo maps, or the USGS maps (I think that is what they are).

 

Maybe outdoor navigator will be worse, but we will see via the free trial.

[+Marky]

TOMTOM navigator for $150 !! Yikes!! Guess it is cheaper than a Garmin full unit for the car, if you already have a GPS and a PDA. Not really the direction I am going.

I believe that includes the GPS (at least, that's what I've seen). I got mine as a package deal (I was already in the market for a new Palm), and have been rediculously happy with it. I bought it on a lark, not having heard anything about it, and have found it to kick major butt.

 

--Marky

[+Ellteejak]

looks like outdoor navigator has a few issues. The USGS maps are there, and they look fine AS LONG AS YOU ZOOM TO THE BEST RESOLUTION. Zoom out and you get blur. Zoom in and you get blur.

 

Still it is all there for $20.

 

I will look at the TOMTOM navigator again, just to see if the price includes a PDA. If so then maybe that would be a way to consider going.

[+Ellteejak]

tomtom is $150 for maps and software only. If you want hardware the price goes to $250 to $300. A little high for me.

 

My $30 Firepad Viewer seems to do it best, for my application

Edited March 23, 2005 by Ellteejak

[+PDOP's]

Is $99 considered expensive? If it does what I want it to do, I'm definitely willing to pay that much. Are there some other costs that I'm not aware of?

$99 gets you the program with some street maps. Topo maps are extra.

 

Fugawi is a good program with many of the same features as OziExplorer. If you're just buying it for the Palm app you'll only be using a small part of the functionality.

[+Pasha]

Mapopolis works pretty well. Kinda pricey, though, $10 per county map or $35 for unlimited map downloads for a year.

[+Ellteejak]

Outdoor Navigator does a better job than I originaly thought. It can do route plots, so effectively you can estimate the distance of a trip. Also you can but waypoints down on the map, and immediately know what the locations coordinates are. All on full color full resolution USGS maps.

[+Ellteejak]

I tried mapopolis for palm. Not that great. The display image is white against green. And the software was real buggy (kept crashing)

 

The price is good. $10 per county, nothing else to buy. It is a stret adress mapping software