Garmin nRoute versus Garmin Mobile PC

There is a question why anyone would buy Mobile PC when they can have nroute for free. I just fired up a free trial copy of Mobile PC and I can now answer that question. Mobile PC is just a whole bunch better looking.

Mobile PC has a 3D view. Not for you? The maps are easier to view even in normal view.

Mobile PC has voice directions when you have a route active. It will even say the names of the streets for turns. Even for old maps. I tested with Metroguide Canada v4 and it was released in early 2005.

Mobile PC has multiple languages for the text and verbal directions. It only says the street names when you select American English (is that an oxymoron??? ).

Mobile PC has all the features of Mapsource/nroute or the Que software on the iQue line of PDAs but it's interface is very Nuvi. That might or might not be a selling point for you. It's easy enough to use it from the keyboard and mouse, but it cries out for a touchscreen.

Did I mention that the map display is really really pretty?

nroute shares Mapsource's data so when you fire up nroute you have access to everything you've already got in Mapsource without doing any importing or converting. Any changes you make automatically shows up in the other. Except for compiling mapsets for mobile devices there would be no reason to use Mapsource when you have nroute.

However, it's dead simple to transfer waypoints, routes and tracks from Mapsource to Mobile PC. Really dead simple. And the favorites in Mobile PC have a wee bit more usefulness than waypoints in Mapsource. But not a lot more.

Search is more flexible in Mobile PC than Mapsource/nroute. Both are a little complicated but I think Mobile PC makes a little more sense so I have to give this one to Mobile PC on the strength of it's better flexibility.

But I would buy it just for the pretty display.

...ken...

Ken, thanks for starting this thread, and for sharing with us the above info. I just added a link to this thread into the links section on the bottom of Review: Garmin Mobile PC

Ooops, I goofed. nroute does do voice prompts when a route is active. She has a deep and veddy veddy British accent.

I was also wrong about nroute sharing all Mapsource files. Mapsource now uses GDB (version 3) files by default when you save anything. nroute only understands GDB (version 2) files so you have to make Mapsource Save As a GDB v2 file and import it into nroute. No biggy but not quite as simple as I suggested.

nroute wants to see Garmin protocol so if you have a third-party receiver you need to run Franson GPSGate and tell it you want Garmin output.

Once GPSGate is running you can't run Mobile PC. My S&T receiver is coming up on COM4. GPSGate grabs the input and then outputs it on multiple virtual COM ports for sharing. Mobile PC seems to only work with COM3 and COM4. GPSGate won't make either of those available so Mobile PC won't work.

...ken...

You can adjust GPS Gate to put out Garmin or NMEA to any port. I think you can even set it up to put out Garmin protocol to more than one port. Are you sure Mobile PC will only use Comm 3 or 4. In the GPS Pane, click the Disable button then select Use Serial GPS. It should give you a list of the available ports. My laptop shows 13 ports but that is because of Bluetooth.
Terry

Terry,

I tried the thing to Disable and re-select the com port in Mobile PC multiple times but I always get COM3 and COM4, even though GPSGate is putting out NMEA on com2, 5, 6, 7. None of them show up in Mobile PC. I can't find any way to persuade GPSGate to let me assign COM3 to a virtual COM port and it can't assign COM4 as an output because that's the input port. It's probably another one of those deals where something invisible has it tied up and I can't find it.

When running each as they want to be run they work flawlessly. Mobile PC on its own without GPSGate and nroute with GPSGate delivering Garmin protocol. It's trivial to do it the way they want.

I'll monkey around with it a little more but it really doesn't matter to me. I have no desire to run nroute or anything else simultaneously with Mobile PC. I only report the experience for completeness. Others may have better luck.

I really wish the industry could get their act together on standards for using the USB port directly. This nonsense of virtual COM ports just gets silly sometimes and how well it works depends a lot on the drivers available.

...ken...

Ken,
The problem is GPS Gate is creating virtual comm ports. It sounds as if Mobile PC only sees real ones. Although if the GPS is on Comm 4, why is it seeing a real port on Comm 3?

I do note in the 'Add output' drop down on the 'Output' tab in GPS Gate is a listing for 'COM Port'. Did you try this?

I no longer run GPS Gate as trying to run more than one mapping program is only good for comparison; I get confused as to which port is where; my Garmin GPS units all start up in NMEA anyways.

Terry

Yeah, that's my question.

Yes. That's what I meant when I said that GPSGate wouldn't let me add COM3. It doesn't offer COM3 in the dropdown when I try to add a virtual COM port in that section. It starts at COM5 and goes up. Obviously GPSGate is seeing the same "real" COM3 that Mobile PC is seeing.

That's sort of where I am now. It's a handy program to have around and it's the only way I can get nroute to see my S&T receiver. I'm sure I could figure this one out if I took the time but I can't be bothered because it really doesn't affect what I want to do.

I think I'm at the point where I'll probably dump S&T from the laptop and perhaps I'll buy the software-only version of Mobile PC. It's really a pretty program. I may also dump SA+ but keep the phone book loaded if it will work by itself.

Dang, I didn't want to be impressed. It always costs me money.

...ken...

Ken,
I was trying to point out that you can create a virtual comm port or a real comm port with GPS Gate. If Mobile PC can't see a virtual port, make GPS Gate create a real one on any of the numbers you mentioned. you may have to delete the virtual one for the number you want first.

You can see what comm ports are available by looking in Device Manager in Windows.

For another $30, you could buy the software and GPS. Then you wouldn't need GPS Gate at all unless you needed NMEA. I do remember the GPS 18 USB model couldn't be switched to NMEA mode. I wonder about the Mobile PC one.

Terry

Hi Terry,

Sorry I mis-worded my reply. I understood and I have tried both. In both cases - real or virtual - it refuses to offer me COM3 as an option. Thus I infer that the existing COM3 that Mobile PC is seeing is also being seen by GPSGate.

Yes, I know. I even know how to use device manager to see the hidden stuff. I simply don't care.

It's not getting in my way and it's not a sufficiently interesting problem to pursue on its own merit.

Again, I apologize for the confusion. I do not need GPSGate for Mobile PC. It works perfectly with the S&T receiver on its own. It appears to be quite happy with NMEA. I was totally impressed the very first time I ran Mobile PC it just quietly found the S&T receiver and started to use it without me having to do anything at all.

I only need GPSGate if I choose to use nroute (which wants Garmin protocol) or if I decide to run multiple nav programs simultaneously. I've already registered GPSGate and it works perfectly for those purposes so no need to invest in yet another GPS receiver. Not that I'm opposed to having another toy, but I am quite impressed with how well the S&T receiver works for everything I've tried it with so there's no urge to try anything else ... at least not at the moment.

...... Or were you trying to persuade me to buy one so you could find out how it works without parting with the cash?

...ken...

I'll have to admit, I am somewhat interested. If I pursue the UMPC approach, a direct connection would allow me to disable Bluetooth. The unit doesn't exactly run cool and the less running the better. I am still trying to find a way to mount the UMPC without drilling holes on the top of the dash.

Also, my UMPC running Mobile PC has totally wrecked my GPS 10 (not the 10x). While I was investigating an ID problem Mobile PC decided the 10 needed an upgrade from 2.10 to 2.30. Unfortunately, it has never been able to successfully complete the upgrade and the GPS 10 doesn't GPS anymore. In fact, attempting to attach it to one of the computers that uses a Widcomm Bluetooth stack will hard restart the computer.

Terry

Terry, GPScity.ca sells suction-cup RAM-mount for Asus R2H. Garmin Mobile PC would look great on that .

The r2h will not be mounted at the windsheild because: it blocks too much glass: its too exposed to heat: reaching the controls would be impossible: it may not be bright enough: and it is a security risk.

My idea was to supend it mid-dash from a RAM ball mount on the dash. Unfortunately, there is no space to mount the ball on the dash face due to guages, controls, etc.

for those people that have more than one app using the gps receiver, eg carpc front end..

you are right about gpsgate, it just dosnt play with mobile PC.
however xport which previously was no use because it didnt emulate a garmin device does work with mobile pc as a gps splitter

Version 1.22 of xport doesn't work for me are you using a different version?

looks like im using 1.21