Google Maps with GPS tracker

You bought it? I thought this was freeware?

Paul DS.

Yes, with a bluetooth GPS unit. Worked fine, but I could find no earthly reason why I'd want my netbook in my car with me so never tried it again after the first "proof of concept".

Surely a phone based app would work better?

Matt

SWMBO drives while I do the navigation. I prefer bigger screens than phones or satnavs have.

Garmin do a sat nav with a 14" screen. Mind you, it is designed for aircraft use.

Colin Bignell

Just read the reviews of it on CNET: here's one of them - wish I'd read them first!

"Pros

I find no positive aspects to this programs performance. It is totally unsupported despite attempts to ask for reimbursement or support. Cons

Despite obtaining the passkey by purchase the program willl do nothing except try to guide me from NYC to San Francisco. It will not accept my GPS Module which works on other programs! Despite requests for a return on my "investment" in this program the company has not deemed fit to do so anything but saying that I haven't set it up correctly whereas in fact there is nothing to "SETUP." There are no instructions with the software and a user is left to his/her own devices to try to fix it. I heartedly DO NOT recomend this program nor this company!

Summary

A poorly written and unsupported piece of software that theoretically has good potential. If it worked like a cell phone it would be worthwhile but it ISN'T."

So it seems what you've bought isn't Google Maps, but a product from Golenfound Software that provides GPS positioning information *to* Google Maps

Is there any way to configure a COM: port for NMEA?

Does Windows see your GPS device as e.g. a serial or bluetooth device?

Which version did you get? I found a free version available direct from Google, or a paid for version from dvdwindow.com. Both offer to let you share your location, but neither application mentions route planning.

Both claim to work with any NMEA compliant GPS receiver, both need a live internet connection to work, as they pull the mapping data off Google Maps to display it. The only difference I can see is that the paid for version needs a registration key and offers support.

In message , Jim Hawkins writes

At the risk of being a "me too", here's where I'm up to.

I've tried a usb GPS unit that I think came from a Maplin offer (someone else bought it for me).

It works well with the included software and drivers, but the software doesn't do much. The unit itself is very sensitive - at least as good as my Garmin and far better than my ancient Magellan marine device.

I got it going with Google Earth, but it was completely useless. From what I remember, it located where it was, but only at a fixed zoom level. I just plugged it in again now and remembered there was some weirdness in the com port labelling between it and Google, so I'd have to re-learn how to set it up.

I, too, would be interested to know whether anyone has got this sort of device to work well, particularly at low or nil cost.

When I have time, I hope to look at what I can do with this in the car or on the boat. The devices I was going to try to attach it to were a small Vista laptop, a netbook running Ubuntu and possibly the £50 Chinese pad computer (although much of what I've tried with this has failed!).

It seems the software runs locally, talks to the GPS unit (obviously you'll have to get the COM: port (or virtual COM: port) configured properly).

Then the software regularly uploads your position to Google over GPRS/3G (using Latitude maybe? Have you enabled that on your Google account?) you then presumably set Google maps on the laptop to track your own position (receiving the position and map tiles over 3G/GPRS).

I'm surprised Google haven't stomped-down on the author of the software for misrepresenting it as a Google product.

In message , Andy Burns writes

The supplied software runs locally and when wifi is available, downloads a Google street map of its position.

If I leave the supplied software running. Google Earth can't see the com port at the same time, so I have to close the supplied program before starting Earth.

That is where I see no value in the program. It locates where I am, but then zooms out to either a set zoom level or sometimes hunts between two zoom levels. This is where I gave up previously.

I leave it to the youngsters to pay for data via phones, so I won't be trying real time tracking via online maps, but I did think of looking at capturing the Earth cache to provide some on-board local mapping. I am really only playing, though.

The data is NMEA. The device calls itself an ND100S. It might be good to have on the boat to give just a standby latitude and longitude reading.

I thought it was for Google Maps rather than Google Earth?

You could look for a virtual COM: port splitter, I've seen them on HGVs when multiple apps in the cab wish to use a single GPS connection.

I find Nokia maps excellent. I download the maps for the relevant country/area before I start the journey. I have had the trial versions of the Microsoft mapping software on my laptop but I never bothered to use it. Both my phone and laptop will work with my Bluetooth GPS. The GPS is truly excellent and also records my track. On a journey it lives just below my car's windscreen.

You can also assign the GPS`receiver to a different com port, which may solve the problem. The ND100s driver does support this, at least in Windows XP.