[S_U_N]

Sorry if this is off-topic, but does Sygic application available for smartphones differ from MapMyIndia maps?
I am asking since the Sygic maps cost about Rs. 2800 (or near about) whereas MMI maps cost Rs. 2000 (or near about).
If I like Sygic, then should I buy it from Android market or should I approach MMI website and get what they are offering? Will that be a different application?

[Harshavarthan]

Also added to that, is there any difference in hardware technology between a good smartphone gps say a Galay S II and a dedicated gps device? Are these dedicated gps devices superior in locking up with the satellites?

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by Harshavarthan

Also added to that, is there any difference in hardware technology between a good smartphone gps say a Galay S II and a dedicated gps device? Are these dedicated gps devices superior in locking up with the satellites?

I've seen my phone GPS locking on satellites quicker than my mmi.
But the phone battery lasts a fraction of the time with maps, compared to the GPS .

[Newpunter]

Originally Posted by S_U_N

Sorry if this is off-topic, but does Sygic application available for smartphones differ from MapMyIndia maps?
I am asking since the Sygic maps cost about Rs. 2800 (or near about) whereas MMI maps cost Rs. 2000 (or near about).
If I like Sygic, then should I buy it from Android market or should I approach MMI website and get what they are offering? Will that be a different application?

Sygic uses MMI maps, so i guess both should be the same. I think the difference between buying from Google Play and MMI is that with the Sygic license, you can download whatever maps you want, not just India, whereas with MMI, you will get only India maps.

[S_U_N]

@NewPunter: I checked that the MMI application (not very popular) for Android is different from Sygic application. The interface and the maps are also completely different based on the photos.
Plus MMI application seems to be free.

[manim]

Originally Posted by S_U_N

Plus MMI application seems to be free.

1) This is just the free maps 'viewer' MMI is giving on android (without navigation).
Just to let you get a feel of the coverage of their maps.
Also this app is a nuisance since it does not cache and reads the net every time you open it. (it is good only on wifi).

2) They (MMI) have another paid app for navigation (packaged with sygic) which costs around Rs.2,700 in the android market.

3) Sygic has their own maps along with their own app as a seperate app in android market (payable in euros, around Rs.2,800 I think).
They give a 7 day free trial. I tried this and it looked good in the nilgiris mountains. But highway coverage here in south-india was not so good.

I am planning to buy option 3 (sygic app+sygic map) soon.

[Harshavarthan]

Originally Posted by J.Ravi

No. Once the initial connectivity is established within a couple of minutes, my MMI Lx130 works even inside my home [hall/room]. So far, I have not faced any connectivity issues of my navigator.

Thanks Ravi Sir.

Originally Posted by Newpunter

In my experience about a year back, MMI maps were way superior to Garmin maps. Garmin has decent maps in the cities, but outside the cities, their coverage is very poor. MMI has good coverage for most of the areas ( especially Karnataka ), but i found their coverage to be very poor in rural Andhra Pradesh. MMI also makes maps for Garmin devices if I remember correctly, but they are a very costly compared to the Android or Win CE maps.

Thanks Newpunter

Originally Posted by sgiitk

Since Navteq are the world's biggest map makers, in due course they should also match and then overtake MMI in quality. Also, a true lifetime maps device beats MMI cost-wise. I remember a couple of years ago the Nokia maps (same organisation as Navteq) were pathetic to say the least. Now they have reputedly improved no end.

Anybody trying to bring out India maps faces a big challenge. India is still to be digitised fully!

Thanks sgiitk. Even I feel, in due course of time Garmin will give better maps than MMI.

Originally Posted by mayankk

I've seen my phone GPS locking on satellites quicker than my mmi.
But the phone battery lasts a fraction of the time with maps, compared to the GPS .

Thanks mayankk. My galaxy SI takes longer time for google maps but I have not compared it with a dedicated navigation device. And by the way, what phone do you use?

[S_U_N]

Originally Posted by manim

1) This is just the free maps 'viewer' MMI is giving on android (without navigation).
Just to let you get a feel of the coverage of their maps.
Also this app is a nuisance since it does not cache and reads the net every time you open it. (it is good only on wifi).

2) They (MMI) have another paid app for navigation (packaged with sygic) which costs around Rs.2,700 in the android market.

3) Sygic has their own maps along with their own app as a seperate app in android market (payable in euros, around Rs.2,800 I think).
They give a 7 day free trial. I tried this and it looked good in the nilgiris mountains. But highway coverage here in south-india was not so good.

I am planning to buy option 3 (sygic app+sygic map) soon.

I am glad you replied. I am familiar with Option 3 and used it extensively. Overall positive experience, but not without issues.

However, I am still confused about Option 2. Is this app available in the Android market?
The price you mentioned is incorrect. It is Rs. 1990 for e-download from MMI website.

I wish to gift this to someone, who is using Sygic trial at the moment.

Edit: As far as I know, MMI does not have its own application. It uses Sygic Aura for the software, and uses its own maps (version 7.0 was released in March)

[sgiitk]

Just did an Agra trip and monitored Navteq behaviour on my Garmin with LM. For a change I used a taxi so could observe more closely.

City - excellent only a few typos like Etamah for ETAWAH!!

Once you go a bit away from the city there is no peripheral detail (way out I used the normal setting, on the way back Detailed setting). However, the highway tracking is 100% (much better than my 2 year old SatGuide). Also, you do not get all sorts of voice messages - Keep right, keep left etc. while on the GQ about peripheral roads (may be they are not there). Excellent in showing water bodies and canals. Eminently usable and good. Of course if you are going to smaller places you will not get the info for example Oraiya was missing. Agra Etawah had much better coverage, so obviously it is still work in progress.

[ampere]

That is a very decent performance @sgiitk.
Meanwhile, I have another question, when one buys an MMI H/W along with
maps, what S/W do they provide to perform trip planning on a PC?
Do they provide anything in the first place?

I am looking at something similar on the lines of Mapsource by Garmin.
If its available, how easy it would be to:

- Integrate this with maps in the device
- Add waypoints and download to the device
- Download all track logs and view the stats

Any pointers in this regard?

[manim]

Originally Posted by S_U_N

However, I am still confused about Option 2. Is this app available in the Android market?
The price you mentioned is incorrect. It is Rs. 1990 for e-download from MMI website.

MMI gives three options for the same app+map for Android.

1) CD from their web-site at Rs.2,490
2) e-download from their web-site at Rs.1,990
3) Android market: 'Sygic & Mapmyindia: GPS' at Rs.2,839

I am still confused and an email to them gave me no reply.

I guess android-market gives free map+app updates in the future thus costing more.

[joslicx]

Got to test navigation with Google maps on my HTC Sensation today.

Had got navigation enabled thanks to dkaile's extremely useful tip on page 160.

Tried it on the Volvo bus while coming back from Bengaluru airport to Marathalli. It worked amazingly, route calculated in no time. At one point the bus did not take the route indicated by the navigator. It quickly found an alternative route. So good so far.

Now coming to what was galling: The battery life! I started with almost 100% at the airport. By the time we reached Marathalli (about an hour) there was hardly any juice left!!!

Moral of the story: If you want to use your phone as a navigator, have a mobile charger in the car otherwise battery would be empty in no time! I didnt really expect 1500mAH to be gone in just an hour!!!

A mobile is not really a substitute for a dedicated navigator if one does lot of highway runs.

[anb]

Originally Posted by condor

and nothing more

MMI gives only 1 or 2 yrs updates, based on plan you purchase. No option for interim upgrade either. I dont expect TomTom to follow the "life-time" approach.

Has anyone purchased tomtom? do tomtom maps have good coverage? I am thinking of purchasing tomtom via 120 for Rs. 15290? is it a good buy? Buy TomTom GPS Navigation Device Via 120 at Best Price in India - Also find Specifications, Photos, Features & Reviews

[kalpeshc]

I got a mail from Satguide (as a reply to my query) that a new update to the map is going to be available by the weekend.

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by kalpeshc

I got a mail from Satguide (as a reply to my query) that a new update to the map is going to be available by the weekend.

Do not be too sure. I got this reply on the 15th February

We will release the next map update for Garmin by this month end or 1 week of March. Once we release we will update you on same.