JP Vossen on 2 Apr 2008 18:09:55 -0700


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Re: [PLUG] OT: GPS Recommendation Wanted


> Date: Wed, 2 Apr 2008 17:15:36 -0400
> From: TuskenTower <tuskentower@gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [PLUG] OT: GPS Recommendation Wanted
> 
> The fun thing about a TomTom Go is that when you mount it as a USB
> device, you have almost full access to the device.  I saved my TomTom
> by copying everything off and then copying everything back when I
> bricked the device.

Interesting.  I sort-of knew that.  But I tried to plug the USB into an 
Ubuntu box, just to give it power while I programmed an address I had 
gotten off the web, it didn't work.  The unit knew it was connected to a 
computer and went into brain-dead_update-me mode, but since the software 
it wanted wasn't on the other end, it just sat there uselessly.  I 
didn't think to poke around the file system or block device thus exposed.


 > The only time you need the software is when you
 > want to upgrade the maps or firmware.

True, but maps at least are kinda critical to a GPS, as you yourself 
note.  :-)  Since the unit itself runs Linux, thus allowing them to skip 
some licensing fees and providing stability, I'd argue that they could 
throw the community a bone and provide Linux PC-side software too.  But 
this issue has been beaten to death elsewhere, so I'll just shut up.

 > The other stuff like voices and
 > points of interest (POIs) are fluff that you can do without.

Agree.


> I HATE the TeleAtlas maps on the TomTom Go units.
[...]
 > One last word of caution.  When I bought my brand new TomTom Go 300
 > last year, it's maps of King Of Prussia around the 202/I76/422
 > intersection were out of date!!!  We're talking pre-construction and
 > I had to pay to upgrade my maps.

Just to clarify, I have two Tom Tom *One* units, and the maps in them 
were pretty good out of the box.  I haven't checked KoP/422/202 
specifically, but I know some pretty new developments around my house 
are in there.

Later,
JP
----------------------------|:::======|-------------------------------
JP Vossen, CISSP            |:::======|        jp{at}jpsdomain{dot}org
My Account, My Opinions     |=========|      http://www.jpsdomain.org/
----------------------------|=========|-------------------------------
"Microsoft Tax" = the additional hardware & yearly fees for the add-on
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implemented self, while the overhead incidentally flattens Moore's Law.
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