GPS: Airis T920 or Garmin Nuvi 310/360?

Wibbler

Bloody hell, this thread I started is *still* going! :eek:

I never did buy either the Garmin or the Airis, preferring to wait for prices to come down. Now I see that Route 66 have their own PNDs in the form of the Chicago units. I've always like the Route 66 Navigate software for its simplicity and stability on PPC and the hardware looks solid, so I might purchase a Chicago. Komplett have the Chicago 9000 Europe version (look's like sourced from the Netherlands market) for €309. Seems like a bargin.

Does anyone know if the map of Europe on these units is contiguous, i.e. whether it will allow full detail door to door navigation without having to switch maps at each border?

Wevin

Wibbler,

I returned two Route 66 Chicago 6000's before getting a Tomtom One Europe. The 6000 looked good but the battery life was about half of the advertised, and I found that if I picked my desination from the map then every time I came to a roundabout the map would show the route fine but the spoken directions would say "turn left, then left again", even if I was going right.

This was in Jan/Feb, so maybe they fixed it since. The One Europe plots routes right across europe in one go, so I presume it doesn't need to load extra maps when crossing borders. I bought it in Andorra and it plotted the route home to Dublin in about 30 seconds, and asked if I wanted to avoid tolls. Caught a plane instead, it seemed quicker. It's worked great in Ireland since.

digitaldr

Well I installed the USA maps today (updated to latest software first - thanks to everyone who figured out how to do this) and seems to work fine . As I'm still in Ireland it gave my current position as the Atlantic Ocean! Mapping looks grand when I use the zoom to feature - also speaks American:) Maps are divided into Geographic regions eg East, South East, South Coast, Eastern Canada,Western Canada etc

According to the route 66 website:

ROUTE 66 Online Support

Product: Navigate
Operating system: Windows Mobile Pocket PC
Version: 7
What activation restrictions apply?

The ROUTE 66 Navigate 7 software must be activated before you can use it. The following activation
restrictions apply to the "ROUTE 66 Navigate 7" product:

- You can use the same product key as many times as you like on the same Pocket PC device
- You can use the same product key on a second Pocket PC only starting 1 week after the first
activation
- You can use the same product key on a third Pocket PC only starting 1 month after the second
activation

The product key you need to activate your product can be found inside the CD box (behind the CD)
and on the Quick Start Guide.

The activation is made on our web site (http://www.66.com/activation/). Please enter all the
requested data. You will then receive an activation key at the email address you provided.

Has anyone checked this out? I might sell my other activations (Europe and USA maps) on adverts.ie

b318isp

Please!!! Can anyone who has recently bought a T920 from Pixmania confirm the Navteq maps!!! We need to know

Nuttzz

http://www.pixmania.com/ie/uk/392108/art/airis/autonomous-gps-t920xxl-2.html

according to the site is says it uses navteq

b318isp

Yes...but which version. The 2007 maps are available but wdon't know if this is what Pixmania are shipping...

Wibbler

Finally, I bought myself a dedicated PND. I settled for Route 66's own Chicago 6000 PND. It has Q2 2006 Navteq maps as expected. I was previously familiar with Navigate 7 for PPC and I quite liked it. I used it at the weekend for a trip to Wicklow and I have to say I'm very pleased with it.

Now I wonder when Route 66 will release 2007 maps?

Regards,

Tony.

william

b318isp wrote:

Yes...but which version. The 2007 maps are available but wdon't know if this is what Pixmania are shipping...

How do you know that the 2007 maps are available?

b318isp

http://www.navteq.com/

States "Fresh Maps 07"

D'Peoples Voice

b318isp wrote:

http://www.navteq.com/

States "Fresh Maps 07"

so it seems
http://www.navigation.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/WFS/Navteq-NavteqEurope-Site/en_GB/-/GBP/ViewProductDetail-Start;pgid=kHFqUX2YWgVSR04GFKjzG8Ko0000YBkYe8vd?ProductUUID=lkAKCggQ58oAAAESGYlJ4xCR&CatalogCategoryID=jyoKCggR0qUAAAEO789tNDzd&JumpTo=OfferList
and
http://www.navigation.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/WFS/Navteq-NavteqEurope-Site/en_GB/-/GBP/ViewProductDetail-Start;pgid=kHFqUX2YWgVSR04GFKjzG8Ko0000YBkYe8vd?ProductUUID=NzAKCggQN18AAAESQ4lJ4xCR&CatalogCategoryID=jyoKCggR0qUAAAEO789tNDzd&JumpTo=OfferList

Nuttzz

b318isp wrote:

Yes...but which version. The 2007 maps are available but wdon't know if this is what Pixmania are shipping...

the 920xxl map file is dated August 06

b318isp

Cheers thanks, saves me buying the old version. Just have to wait 'til it starts to ship with '07.

Nuttzz

if you are based in dublin, with the upgrades to the m50 and what not, the upgrade maps will be out of date fairly soon

william

Please remind me, does the T920 instruct by speaking actual street names in addition to 'turn left or right'?

Thanks,

W.

digitaldr

No the Airis does not have text to speech.

VALIDAVE

I received my Airis last week (purchased from Pixmania) and am very happy with it so far. I used it to visit a friend in Galway and it got me right to her front door. On way home it also found the street of another friend I visited in Newmarket On Fergus. Only problem I have with it is it's tendancies to want to take me through villages and towns instead of bypassing them. Left Cork with the intention of heading towards the tunnel to avoid the city but it wanted me to go into the city. When I turned for the tunnel it recalcuated a new route very quickly. On way to Galway it also wanted me to travel through Limerick city instead of using the bypass. On way home it again wanted me to travel through Limerick City. I turned left and took the bypass instead but for the next couple of kms it kept asking me to "take the next left now", basically telling me to go into the city centre. Since, then I have tried using different modes, i.e. fastest option, shortest option but still having the same trouble. To get into Cork city I have to pass Carrigaline and each time it asks me to go through the village instead of taking the bypass. Anyone have the same issues? Any solutions? This is only a minor issue if you have an idea of where you're going but if I'm travelling somewhere I've never been before I don't want to be stuck in traffic in a town/city when there is a bypass I could have used.

One further question. The Kinsale Road Flyover (opened since August last year) is not on my maps. Does that mean that I don't have the most up to date mapping?

This is my first time on boards so thanks to everyone for reading this and appreciate any assistance that can be given to me on the above issues.

b318isp

VALIDAVE wrote:

One further question. The Kinsale Road Flyover (opened since August last year) is not on my maps. Does that mean that I don't have the most up to date mapping?

Can't help with your first issue, but from what's been said here, you probably have the Q2 2006 maps.

eirlink

Q4 2006 maps being tested as we speak.
due for general release beginning august...stay tuned

marcosgraveyard

Hi,
I'm heading off on a driving holiday of Northern Europe, Ireland to Norway, via France, and in considering which model to buy I came across this thread and have found it very useful and informative, so following all the positive feedback, I ordered a T920XXL from Pixmania last week.
It was delivered in 3 days by DHL, all present and correct. The box contained an Airis T920A, a USB cable, a car mount and a car charger lead. Also included was a DVD, Route 66 Navigate 7 with the European Maps and a 2.0GB Navigate SD card.
I would consider myself to be on the lower side of average when it comes to PC workings, but I managed to load the euro maps to the SD card, it did however take 8 hours to do so, the Europe.prm file seems to take forever to load, ( this was done via an all in one card reader btw ).
Any hows, once the maps were loaded I switched on the unit and within a few seconds it had my location pinpointed (from 9 satellites) and a bit of fairly straight forward screen tapping later I had a route programmed in and away I went. The machine is a dream, user friendly and easy to follow. I haven't checked which version of map I have, some new housing estates are shown, while some newer ones only have the main entrance road mapped.
On reaching my destination I decided to return home a different route and see if the T920 could recalculate the return journey, no problems, I even tried to go wrong twice and it sorted me out each time.
So it's 10/10 from me.

Now my problems, after reading some of Jib51s posts I went to his website, http://airist920.zapto.org and managed to download the TCPMP MP3 player and the Airis Tool 2.2 and got them working on the T920, the mp3 player was straight forward enough, but the Airis Tool is all in french, which I had expected it to be, but it was simple to use and I figured out how to get Windows.CE to load. This however runs in Spanish, of which I know very little, so there was a lot of use of the Babelfish translator to figure out what was what. There was a bit on Jib51s site on how to change the system to get Windows running in English, I tried to load it following the french instructions to the best of my ability but could not get it to work, so gave up.
On returning to the Navigation programme I got an"At least one file is missing. please install the application again" error. So i did a second reload of the DVD to the SD card which took another 8 hours, this time over night, unfortunately it didn't solve the problem, so I am reloading the files for the third time, 6 of the 8 hours gone at this stage.
So any advice on what I might have done wrong, or am I not doing something I should ? Should it take 8 hours to transfer the files to the SD card ? Any help would be greatly accepted, apologies in advance if any of this seems infantile or basic, but I'm only learning.

Thanks,
Neil

keithmcgrane

Hi,

What you should try is power off slider on bottom of the device (Not the black button on the side). Turn it back on via the slider at bottom and you should be ok. Worked for me anyhow.

K

D'Peoples Voice

Lads,
Does anyone know of any application for the Airis that can play *.FLV files?
Alternatively any application that approximates to Windows Media Player 9, because some file extensions are not recognised by the TCPMP player on my Airis!

Jib51

Download HPC Media Player on my website.
It supports FLV file.

http://airisgps.blogsite.org/index.php?wiki=Applications#autres

Neil_Sedaka

Can anyone tell me if you need to use the stylus on the Airis, or will a finger touch work too?

Thanks

unklerosco

Finger works grand...

Neil_Sedaka

Cheers

Neil_Sedaka

Hmmmmm, got the T920A in Power City yesterday and it'll be going back today.
I can't fault the unit itself, but I've found the nav software to be a bit buggy.

After a couple of soft resets, due to losing sound, I was tinkering with the POI screen, when I got the spinning hourglass and nothing will make it go away.
No amount of soft or hard resets would do the job.

I'd guess that if I were to re-install the maps on the SD card, everything would be fine, however, I just really don't like the Route 66 software and so I'm reluctant to "fix it"

I much prefer the Destinator interface, that I'm so used to (just a personal preference mind you)

The plus points though: Superb sound, superb display (was crystal clear, even in the one hour of sunlight that we got this summer)
The streets, the hotels, they're all there (I put that down to Navteq)

Horses for courses, just not right for me.

The only dedicated sat nav system, running Destinator that I can find, is the LG LN505 from Halfords.
May pay them a visit tomorrow and check it out, wonder what version of Navteq is on it?

kirving

eirlink wrote:

Q4 2006 maps being tested as we speak.
due for general release beginning august...stay tuned

Do they really drive around every single road to test the maps? I saw a van in my estate last week with ariels on the roof, I dont know what else it might be apart from someone testing gps maps, unless it was the gards doing surveillence on sum house...

eddiebutt

does anyone have an activation key for route 66 navigate 7 for airis t920 or a hack I copied maps onto sd card I am saying later whe it asks for activation key and it seems to work fine but I don't know how long it will last.

thanks

eddiebutt

Looking for activation code for route 66 navigate 7 Eng/Ire

Cal

eddiebutt wrote:

does anyone have an activation key for route 66 navigate 7 for airis t920 or a hack I copied maps onto sd card I am saying later whe it asks for activation key and it seems to work fine but I don't know how long it will last.

thanks

eddiebutt wrote:

Looking for activation code for route 66 navigate 7 Eng/Ire

Sounds illegal to me...Just use the activation code supplied by the route 66 site when you registered your software........... Read the charter if you wish to avoid a banning.

Cal