Garmin nRoute vs. Microsoft Streets & Trips vs. Garmin Mobile PC

Ok, here are my humble opinions. Here is how I personally rate the 3 apps:

#1. Garmin nRoute, (Probably because I've used it since 2004 and I'm kinda emotionally attached.)

• I like it's flexibility. It's easy to navigate around the menus quickly. I like pressing F12 and having all the menu tabs available.
• Nice, clean interface.
• Great for extensive trip planning.
• I like being able to right-click anywhere on the map and select "route to it" without having to create an actual route.
• Can view your waypoints, select one, then "route to it", again without creating a formal route.
• I like the Topo maps that can be used and the ability to switch back and forth between CN2010 and Topo US 2008.
• CN2010 maps have to be converted before using since nRoute is discontinued and the new maps are in a different format. May be confusing until you understand what you're doing. I don't think there are any updates to Topo 2008. Correct me if I'm wrong.
• Not pretty, although Topo 2008 is nice.
• Topo US is not routable, per se, but you can start a route in CNNA2010, then switch to Topo and it will follow your route. I love this feature!!!

#2. Microsoft Streets & Trips, (It's a very close 2nd.) I'm starting to like this app a lot.

• Very good trip planning.
• Starts without GPS-doesn't automatically start searching for GPS & satelites, although you can turn this feature on if you like.
• Menus aren't quite as accesible as nRoute, but not too big a deal once you get used to it.
• Don't like that you can't view a waypoint or a spot on the map and select "route to it" the way you can in nRoute. You can right-click on a road or POI and select Add as Stop or End or Start, but then you have the extra step of creating a formal route.
• The Terrain view, although not a true topo map is nice.
• I especially like the "Avoid Area" feature as I live in Montana and trying to navigate back roads can be a nightmare.
  For example, when I ask for a route to Bowman Lake in Glacier Nat'l Park from my home, all of the apps route me through a ridculous maze of fire roads which ultimately ends in a closed road! It must be the shortest route, but not the one any local in their right mind would use! (I found this out the hard way last summer, and had to backtrack several miles.) I can draw a rectangle that encompasses the majority of this area and tell S&T to avoid the area, forcing it to go the right way. (I hate making a route with a series of waypoints if I can avoid it.)

#3. Garmin Mobile PC. I like this one the least and may not keep it. I have a trial version installed.

• It's pretty. Nice colors. Really cool vehicle icons. Nice 3D.
• But....it's cartoonish. It looks like my husband's mid-90's flight sim games!
• I like a real map that looks like a map!
• Takes FOREVER to calculate (and recalculate) a short route on my netbook (without any other apps running except GPSGate.) It had trouble once recalculating a route when I chose not to go down a road that it selected. It dropped the route completely and I had to stop the car and start over.
• Makes me mad that Garmin forces you to buy 2 sets of CNNA2010 if you want to use nRoute and Mobile PC. (Although I didn't, but we won't go there!) Also, it won't recognize a Garmin PND w/o GPSGate! How ridiculous is that! I already have an expensive Garmin GPSMap 60CSx. Why would I want to buy another receiver?! All of this "locked map", "unlocked map", "locked app"....is nonsense, not to mention confusing for a first-time user!!
• Very little ability for trip planning.
• Good for quick trips that require no planning. I can see my husband liking this app as it's not complicated. He's very intelligent, more so than me, but has very little patience with complicated apps! He's not a true navigator!

Just my 2 cents worth!

I am sure you are familiar with MapSource if you have used nRoute that long. You can perform all the routing functions in MapSource and then send it to Mobile PC. Seems like the best of both worlds.

Mobile PC has dropped the tab interface to be more finger friendly. If you tried nRoute on a keyboard free small touch screen, you would see the advantages that Mobile PC has implemented. In that situation, nRoute is unbelievably cluttered and virtually unusable.

Many people have got used to and expect the 'cartoonish' view. Of course, there is still 2D for the others. I stuck with 2D for a long time but use 3D on my Nuvis now - no advantage, just less clutter.

Unfortunately, Mobile PC was not designed to be off road or boating friendly. It is aimed mainly at the same audience as the Nuvi that it mimics, those that drive on paved highways and don't want to get lost in a new city; Or want a rough idea when they might arrive at a location; Or need to find a fast food joint in spitting distance. The multi-stop routing, tracks, and MapSource interface are just the topping that make it a winner.

Terry

Garmin just needs to add an on-screen keyboard to Mobile PC for people that use a small touchscreen.

Several of us have suggested to Garmin to add an optional OSK (on screen keyboard) to Garmin Mobile PC. It would be helpful to UMPC and CarPC users.

I suspect this is one reason why many users like Streets & Trips.

malaki86,
Did you look at any of the add on OSKs as a temporary solution? I made a small one with InScribe, a free download, for my 800x480 devices. Some keys are not available to add to the layout but most are and design only took a couple of minutes once I got the hang of it. Just include the keys you need and something to make it easy to minimize the OSK when you don't need it (bottom right on mine).

Free text entry program for your UMPC - InScribe lets you take notes quickly and easily

Terry

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Yes, I use Mapsource, but the only time I really use it is to transfer maps to the GPS 60CSx. I can do just about everything right in nRoute. It took me almost 1/2 hr in Mapsource to create waypoints, create a route, and transfer it to Mobile PC. (This was my Home to Bowman Lake trip, which is 75% back roads. These are legitimate roads and are the ONLY roads to get to Polebridge, MT. Polebridge has no paved roads for MILES and no electricity. Fascinating place, BTW. It's the NW US entrance to Glacier Nat'l Park.) Granted, I still have to create a route in nRoute, but I can do it right in nRoute. I like MS S&T for the "avoid area" feature which is WAY COOL for this scenario!
But, I appreciate what you are saying.

Yes, Mobile PC is uncluttered, I agree, but I don't think nRoute is cluttered at all, even on my netbook. You can show/hide toolbars as needed and pressing F12 will bring up everything you need all in one place (I like that!) If I had a touchscreen, maybe I would feel differently. But, I'm not using a small screen...10.1" is more than enough real estate for nRoute. I mean, after all, this is LaptopGPSWorld! MS S&T has the nice Full Screen feature.

The cartoon thing is just me, I'm sure. Maybe I'm old school. I just like the "look & feel" of real maps.

I can see how Mobile PC is a winner for city driving. I just don't live anywhere near a city! Most of Montana is back roads and we do a lot of camping. I will probably be thrilled with it on our frequent trips to Spokane, WA. It knew exactly where my favorite martini bar and IMAX theater were!

But, like I said just my humble opinions and 2 cents worth!

Karen, have you tried Mobile PC in 2D mode? Does it still have that "cartoon" look for you? Or is it just the 3D mode that you don't have much use for? I like a map to look like a map, too. I find that Mobile PC is fine in 2D mode. It looks pretty much identical to Mapsource's display (newer versions of Mapsource). I don't have much use for 3D mode.

...ken...

No, I haven't. But I will try it.

It's under Settings > Map > Orientation. You can set it to North Up or Track Up. Either one will give you 2D mode.

...ken...

I tried it. I'm still just not impressed. I just don't like the way it feels. Hard to explain. I do like the weather, flight status, fuel prices, etc although some require an additional "service" which I'm sure is going to cost me more money if I decide to get them. Haven't looked into it yet.

I'll probably buy it (software only) as I like to have a lot of tools in my bag. (I am a hopeless addict. )There is a "Purchase & Go" feature when you click on "Continue Trial", but I get a Garmin server error every time I try it. (And yes, I have an active internet connection when I attempt it!) It looks like the only option is to purchase it online and wait for the DVD. Seems kinda silly as all I need is a license number, but it probably has something to do with Garmin's convulted "software only", "software + GPS", "locked maps - unlocked maps" BS.

I know what you're talking about. Because of the way everything is drawn (thicker/heavier), you get less map on the screen for the big-picture looks. If you zoom out far enough to see the full area you want, you lose detail. If you stay at a zoom level that gives the detail you need, you can't get zoomed out far enough to see a large enough area. .... If that makes sense.

It's the same frustration that has kept me from purchasing a Nuvi (I have a Garmin iQue 3600 that displays like nRoute).

...ken...

That's it KIR! You hit the nail on the head! Kinda like a coloring book look.

I've had a little more time to evaluate Garmin Mobile PC and I have to admit it is growing on me. I didn't realize it was as closely integrated with Mapsource as it is, so that helps a lot.

I also found the equivalent of a "route to it" that works pretty well. It was just a little bit harder to find and not quite as intuitive as in nRoute. If there is a point on the map you want to "route" to, click on Browse Map, then click any point on the map, (custom waypoint, POI, city, road, etc), then select Point Information, then select the exact point that you are interested in from the resulting list on the next screen, then select GO! from the next window with the small map. This may make it a keeper after all!

Just wait until you get a touch screen. Then you'll be sold! I wish it had an exit button though. That x in the top right corner is pretty hard to choose with a finger.

Terry

Is there such a thing as a USB touch screen?

I've been looking at the Lilliput 7" Um-70 Mini Usb Monitor. It would fit perfectly in a dashboard recessed spot in my Dodge Nitro. That way I could close the laptop and put it aside and just have the monitor visible. Is this too much clutter?
Would a touchscreen equivalent be asking too much?

I have a USB screen that I converted to touch (also USB) but it has an issue that concerns me. The drivers don't load until Windows is running so you can't access the bios. And if something goes wrong, you can't access anything until Windows starts. That would be ok with a netbook as you would have the main screen as well.

There are also some problems with matching the screen display (800x480) with your 1024x600 netbook but it might be fine. The price sure looks great. I wonder why they only have one.



Terry

I also wonder why such deep discount from the list price of $1,099 down to $99. It does sound like a good deal, and the seller has a 100% rating, too.

To do it justice, you really need a 12 inch touch screen tablet running 800x1280 in portrait mode though. I have tried mounting this in the truck but it is just too damn big.

Terry

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I use a 7" touchscreen Lilliput monitor (have also used a Xenarc). Gotta say, it's the way to go.

Those are not USB devices. They require a VGA connection for video and USB for touch. Other than that (and the fact they are 800x600), they are a great solution for a small screen. They do need separate power (12v) though where the displaylink monitors work on the 5v from the USB connection.

The colour display is better on my displaylink 7" monitor but the Lilliput is brighter. That is important in an bright environment.

Terry

You can easily click a pushpin there before you select "route to it "under S&T

Daniel

Where is the "Route to it" option in S&T? When I select a pushpin, the only options I have are: "Add as Start", "Add as End", or "Add as Stop". Am I missing something?

Really want to know the answer to this!

Karen, in Streets & Trips you right-click a point on the map, select 'Add as end' from the menu that opens up, and then hit the F3-key on your keyboard (or press the 'Go' button in the GPS pane [ctrl+a] in Streets & Trips).

Thanks Marvin! That helps. I've used the GO button, but didn't realize it could be used this way. I like the "Add as end", F3 option. Not quite as easy as in nRoute , but good enough.

We went on a trip to Spokane, WA this weekend and I was able to evaluate the apps side-by-side. Mobile PC just about drove me batty in downtown Spokane. Most of the time it takes forever to calculate a route, even if it's just a few streets! More than once, my husband missed a turn and it took so long to recalculate that he was just driving aimlessly for several blocks! Twice it has dropped the route completely when trying to recalculate!

S&T in full screen mode is very nice.

Hmm, I wonder why it took Garmin Mobile PC so long to recalculate. In my experience Garmin Mobile PC is rather fast, and the recalculations seldom take take more than a second or two.

I wonder if the less-then-optimal reception of weak GPS signals in downtown Spokane, WA, could have contributed to the long route recalculation time.

No, it does the same in wide open Montana! Of all three, nRoute, S&T, and Mobile PC, Mobile PC is by far the slowest to calculate. Could GPSGate be affecting the calculation time? I don't see how it could though.

Mobile PC takes about the same length of time to calculate a very short route as the others do to create a cross-country route!

The verdict is in. Streets & Trips will be my preferred app. I still like nRoute, but it is a bit dated. Funny thing is, I am usually a sucker for new software with new bells & whistles and pretty graphics, but not this time!

Karen, was Mobile PC's horrid route recalculation time with it running as the only nav app? Or was it sharing the computer with Streets&Trips as you showed us in an earlier post?

...ken...

I don't remember. Sometimes I have both running, sometimes I don't. I will have to test. But I only have a route active in one or the other, never both at the same time.

Karen, do give it a try again. Garmin Mobile PC may or may not be the best navigation software for you, but it is definitely not slow in recalculating. It recalculates very fast. It recalculates faster than Streets & Trips, and you said S&T was fast!

There must have been a reason for Mobile PC to not work properly during your trip.

It doesn't matter whether you have a route going in S&T when you have one going in Mobile PC. The fact is that if you have them both tracking your trip they are both running and using CPU cycles and making disk reads and writes and other such things.

Microsoft is so not noted for their programming efficiency. So if you had S&T running at the same time as you were running a route in Mobile PC that would be all I would need to suspect that S&T was hogging cycles and interrupts and thus slowing down Mobile PC.

I would be interested in knowing if there is a difference in recalc times when you run a route in Mobile PC with and without S&T running.

...ken...

OK, I did some testing. The problem seems to be intermittent. I tested routing to the same point with Mobile PC running as the only GPS app and also running along with Streets and Trips. The results were the same, aprox 10 sec. Later I tested the exact same route in Mobile PC and there was a significant difference with a considerable delay. No variables had changed. Nothing else on the netbook was running - no virus scan, malware scan, etc. GPS in same position.

For the ones with noticable lag, is it possible the computer had been sitting long enough for the hard drive to go to sleep (powersave setting) and, thus, took some time to spin up before things could get rolling?

These programs don't always have all the necessary code loaded in memory all the time. Just as Windows swaps program code in and out as it needs it (pagefile.sys), programs also swap parts of themselves in and out as needed. That's why you often see a program folder full of DLL files instead of just one gi-normous EXE file.

So delays like that are sometimes a function of the disk drive having gone to sleep based on the powersave setting and the application can't do the requested function until the disk drive spins up so one or more modules can be loaded.

Also, on a system that doesn't have much RAM, like a 1GB netbook for example, it takes a bit of extra time to reload the application into memory from the swap file if you've been doing other stuff in the meantime that may have caused the application in question to get swapped out.

Just tossing out ideas to see if any might fit the profile.

...ken...

No, it hadn't gone into any powersave mode as I was using the netbook continuously and Mobile PC was running the whole time. In fact, it was the only app running. (It has 2GB of ram. The first thing I did when I got the netbook was add extra ram and my clean install of WIN 7 Premium sees both gigs.) The very first time I used Mobile PC in the car it took forever to calculate and dropped the route completely when it had to recalculate and it has done this a few times since. Not a good first impression.

I don't know. I'm just not overly impressed. It's probably just a personal thing as I don't like the look and feel of it. Maybe it's picking up my vibes! (I'm trying very hard to like it as everyone else just raves about it!)

Thanks for the help though!

For what it's worth, I installed Mobile PC for the first time yesterday on a 5 year old laptop (XP) with 1/2 gig of Ram.

I had a separate Nuvi 255W running alongside the laptop as I took a familiar 12 mile route to a family member's house. This route always requires a "recalculate" on any GPS due to the shortcut I take.

Mobile PC did the recalc in the same time as the Nuvi which was pretty quick, like a matter of seconds.

I noticed that when default zoom levels are used, the laptop version (Mobile PC) was able to display a lot more street names as I drove through a neighborhood than my Nuvi 255W.

One possible difference in our setup is that I am running the Garmin USB GPS receiver. Even though you may not have had MS Streets & Trips running - I believe you mentioned at some point sharing a single GPS unit between the 2 programs.
My luck could be the result of a simple connection to a receiver made by Garmin for use with Mobile PC.

So, are you saying that GPSGate may be slowing down the calculation time?

Well, I am a newbie on GPS Gate issues (never needed to install it). So others would know better if it "could" be the issue.

My observation is that we are both running the same applications, and that is the one difference. I am not sharing a GPS receiver between the applications.

You did mention that the problem also happened when NO OTHER APPLICATION WAS RUNNING, so my theory may be wrong.

BTW thanks for posting the setup with Streets & Trips on the left, Garmin Mobile PC on the right side of the screen. That seems to be working great for me. Each of them has their own GPS receiver, running on a laptop with plenty of USB ports.

I have to use GPSGate to get my Garmin GPSMap 60CSx to work with GMPC, so I can't really test it without GPSGate. Oh well!

Glad you like my dual apps idea! I like it.

You haven't updated GMPC to 5.00.70 yet? That is supposed to resolve problems of that nature.

Terry

Karen,

I've tested and both my GPS10x and my eTrex Legend HCx are working with Mobile PC 5.00.70. Garmin's update notes say that the upgrade now allows all of the "X" units to work with Mobile PC so your 60Csx should work fine without GPSGate now if you want to try it.

Yep, I know you need GPSGate to share the GPS receiver but just so you'll know that you won't need it when you only want to run Mobile PC.

...ken...

Hmmm...just upgraded last night....will test.

UPDATE:
I have revised my opinion on Garmin Moble PC. After upgrading to ver 5.00.70 AND purchasing a new receiver (GlobalSat BT-359), I have noticed a SIGNIFICANT change in calculation and recalculation times. Route calculation is much faster and recalculation was almost instantaneous. Unfortunately, I don't know whether the ver upgrade or the different receiver made the difference as I did both at the same time! (Never introduce 2 new variables at the same time.)

I was always surprised that Mobile PC seems to take as long to calculate a route across the street as one across the country. I didn't notice a great improvement with 5.00.70 but the GPS (assuming you have a lock already) makes no difference.

Terry

I have nRoute and MapSource Topo 3.02 working, and I just received MapSource MetroGuide V7, and when I open V7 in nRoute I get a box saying: How do I get by this?

Hay, I'm not to sure witch GPS software to get for my computer. Any advice?

It kinda depends on what you want to accomplish using your GPS. Traveling cities, off-roading, work or play.

That's just an information message. It's telling you that there is no autorouting data in the maps so you can't do routes with it. Metroguide has never had the ability to do routing (except Metroguide Canada).

...ken...

Thanks Ken there are so many programs. I got the wrong thing, I use my Mapsource Topo and It works in nRoute for off-roading in Colorado but I need a program like Metroguide for navigating streets with turn by turn and food stops.
I can't spend $120 for more software. What could I get that may be a little older, or used, to switch between like on nRoute, to do my topo and city navigating. It would be nice if some one did it all and it was simple.