It works and works very well. I am using it for the past month. We don't have GPS maps from Garmin or Mapmyindia or others for this part of our country. Google and Yahoo have maps which are usable. I am using downloaded google maps using MGMAPS in offline mode. Also use gmpa-track to help my near and dear ones know where I am on the highway and this keeps them happy.

Oh, basically it means I need to have a Internet connection to download real time maps from Google. Unfortunately, I don't have GPRS on my mobile. Rather I mostly use wi-fi to connect either form home or office or where ever available as need be.

My dedicated Garmin GPS is better proposition..

Gd, Can you post a review of the Garmin device and the maps available?

I use mgmaps in my carPC with a custom front end designed using skinbedder .. Think I have offline stored maps upto zoom level 13 for whole of India.

@SumitB:

Do share with us, the step-by-step process for using MGMaps offline.
Thanks in advance.
Ram

For installing MGMAPS, I followed the instructions from here:

Mobile GMaps - Help - Documentation

For windows mobile based phones (I have one and used these instructions. Its working perfectly), you need to follow these instructions:
How to set up Mobile GMaps on Windows-Mobile

To download maps, I used the program GMapMaker
http://www.mgmaps.com/cache/gMapMaker-0.7.1.0.b1.exe


I first tried the stable version but with this, you cannot download yahoo maps (in GUI mode). So I got the above beta version and it works well with yahoo maps also.

To download maps, you need to provide GMapMaker with a .map file which will define the areas and zoom level that you want your maps in. To get this .map file, you need to go to Map Creation Tool for MGMaps

Here you will be presented with the map of the world. Zoom in to the are for which you want the map and define the area you want by clicking. Select the zoom levels and type of map. Then download the .map file.

Open GMapMaker and select the download location and provide the .map file and you will be good to go.

I initially had problems when I ran GMapMaker with default settings. There were countless number of tiles and thus a lot of storage space was wasted. I am not using a HASH of 1 and 256 tiles per file and I am having no problems.

Rest all information is available on the above forums and pages.

Anyday a separate GPS unit is better then any in-phone gps unit !!!

Very true Ashish, but since this phone has the capability, I was exploring...

Spad: you can have the entire review at - http://www.garmin.com/products/iQue3600/, however this product has since been discontinued. The price one has to pay for developing technologies.. I, in any case, currently don't intend to upgrade.

I have maps for the whole of India plus 32 cities and all Metros. Have been using for the last 3 years and am satisfied with the performance. My unit also enables me to save tracks on which I've travelled or travel along with the waypoints that I create enroute. Has been a great help when I've travelled the same route and destination again..

Hi SumitB,
after reading your post I too have created a .map file and have put it for downloading. Was just thinking how much time would it take foor the downloading to complete.

Secondly what I understand after reading your post is that after the download is complete I just have to copy the file to the memory card if the phone and specify the setting in the MGmaps application on the mobile phone, If enything else needs to be done please advise.
Thanks

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Well harjeev, I am using a multiple link internet connection with multiple public ip addresses. As such, I don't have to bother about Google blacklisting my IP address. Otherwise I have heard that you need to use the proxy setting on GMapMaker. Also, I notice that you have left the has and no. of tiles per file to default. My advice is that you stop the program and select a HASH of 1 and 256 as the no. of tiles per file. This will ensure manageable no. of files and will also optimise storage space. I was having a hard time when I used the default settings.

It took me 3-4 sessions of 18 hours each to get the maps for NE-India from zoom level 0-17 for Google Maps. For Yahoo the times are larger.

Yes, after download completes, all you need to do is to transfer the MGMaps folder as it is to your mobiles storage card and specify the location in the MGMaps Program on your phone and you will be good to go.

All these are detailed in the forums for MGMAPS. Only thing I experimented with was the hash and no. of tiles per file. I use 1 as hash and 256 as no. of tiles per file.

Great thread here.... I was planning to buy a GPS reciever to use with my N81 Symbian phone. Nokia maps are good, but I wanted to add a reciever to actually navigate. I read on ibibo that MTek recievers are for 2k. All I can find online though is GPS recievers from Holux begining from 4k onwards. Are there any GPS recievers for 2k and where can I buy them in Delhi?

how can I use the multiple link internet connection. Is there a software for this. I too dont want google to blacklist my net connection.
We have a proxy at office. Does that make any difference.


Secondly please advise what is the significance of the Hash and the "no of tiles per file"??

i would certainly agree with this statement. Dedicated GPS Receivers are certainly more useful than In Phone GPS - partially because of screen size and detail available.

GPS works beautifully in the Middle East, parts of South East Asia, all of Europe and the UK, where Ive driven around a bit. It is fantastic even for navigating around an unfamiliar town/ village area.

But unfortunately for us, very large parts of India are not yet mapped properly. So the use is relatively limited here.

I was toying with the Idea of plugging in a Garmin or MapmyIndia (recently advertised in Autocar) into my new Scorp thinking it would be fantastic to take off into the roads less travelled, armed with the GPS to get me out of trouble.

However, seeing this non availability of mapping data for large areas in India and the cost vs benefit ratio I decided to defer it for now.

Google blacklisting your IP address is not a permanent thing, they will simply block your ip from accessing them for 24 hours if it happens. I would advice you to activate the "Use Proxy" option that is there in GMapMaker and you should be safe.

Regarding hash size and no. of tiles per file, its best you do some searching on the mgmaps forums.

hi
downloaded maps for New Delhi & NCR
Zoom Level 5-17
Slow & Detailed
Google Road Maps
The total size is about 100MB and have transfered it to the phone. As you advised I used the settings 1 hash & 256 tiles per file.
cant wait to test