Review: Garmin Mobile PC

Yes, it can save a track log. But I don't know if it will save enough data points to give you accurate cornering speed. Here are two examples.

The first picture is a track file from my GPS. You can see the yellow line that connects the dots (track data points). That is what a track log looks like. You can see the road curves underneath the yellow line.

The second picture is the road without the track line on it so you can see what the road really looks like.

I don't know if the number of track data points are close enough together to give accurate cornering speed. Sometimes there will not be a data point close to either the entry and/or exit of the corner.

I hope this helps.

...ken...

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Win one of two free Garmin Mobile PC (NA or EU - your choice) with USB GPS20x

More info here

Details of the promotional give-away are now posted at the start of this review (here)

Good luck everyone!

Just dropping by to say Hi!!!

Cool, but make sure you drop by to say hi again between Dec 11 - Dec 17, 2009 to qualify to win one of two Garmin Mobile PC GPS20x!

oops, i should read a bit more carefully next time.

Sorry if this question has been asked before but... can you view multiple maps/layers at once. ie topo and ibycus usa. I wold like a routable map but want the extreme detail of some of the custom maps to show at the same time.

I believe there are overlay type maps for Garmin which would allow you to see the details of both. Whether they would work with Mobile PC, I can't say. However, the Topo and Ibycus maps are not overlay maps and you could not show both at the same time. If both were selected, whichever was dominant in Garmin's protocol (probably Garmin Topo) would be what showed on the screen.

Terry

Mobile PC does handle transparent overlays properly. I have a couple of ATV trail maps for the Rockies from the Calgary area almost all the way down to the American border. They display very nicely in Mobile PC over top of whatever road map you have enabled at the same time.

As Terry said, neither Topo nor Ibycus are transparent overlays so only one of them will display.

...ken...

Can the Mobile PC software and its related functions be loaded to a SD card for use on my netbook so I can connect the sensor and slip in the SD when I need it?

It is like a normal Windows program in that it installs stuff in the registry. Some of the data is placed at a location you can not specify. However the largest part, the map information is installed at the same location as the program. The SD card is just another drive letter and you can install Mobile PC to any drive or partition you wish.


EDIT - I may have misunderstood your question. You could not install Mobile PC to an SD card from another computer as there are registry entries and files needed in a specific Windows folder not on the SD card. You could probably copy the DVD to an SD card and install it on the netbook from that card though as long as the card is large enough.

Terry

Simple answer: No.

If you are sufficiently technical with a good understanding of how your version of Windows works and how and where Mobile PC installs itself you could probably get the bulk of Mobile PC installed on an SD card. I could.

But I wouldn't. If hard drive capacity is the issue I would move something else onto SD card.

As Terry said, it has a lot of hooks in the registry. Some have to do with file locations that you cannot change during installation. So to move those files to an SD card after installation you would need to find and fix all the related registry entries.

If you want to use a non-Garmin GPS receiver you will need the software-only version of Mobile PC. That version will only work on the computer it is installed on. That means that you still need to install it on your netbook before you try to move the program files and map files onto the SD card. You cannot install it on another computer, move files to the SD card and then use the card on your netbook.

...ken...

I want to install on an Asus 901 with XPP on a 16GB SSD. I read the FAQ. Takes 1.5GB to install. No word on typical total size with maps and data. Installs to C:/program files/garmin. Drive capacity is always an issue on a 16GB SSD.

It looks like the install uses a DVD or perhaps using a downloaded .iso.

What I had in mind was installing the program if possible and certainly data on an SD card inserted in the 901 understanding that system files would install in the computer. Then I could keep the GPS unit and the SD card in a sock until I want to use it. Slip in the SD card, plug in the GPS unit, software already loaded, use it while drinking my morning coffee on the balcony.

No thought of installing using another computer or moving the SD card around. Just want to keep stuff off my SSD.

Thanks for your responses.

Pardon me for asking a basic question that is so dumb you will fall on the floor laughing.

What makes a map responsive to the GPS signal?

I know I can buy a map from Garmin. Got the NA/Canada one in my Garmin 265WT. I'm looking at using maps on my netbook.

Let's say I stop at a hotel and I want to visit the local cultural sites. The concierge gives me a printed map to scan or snap a picture with the computer's built in camera, or can give me a digital copy on my flash drive, or I can download from the hotel website. If I load it into my computer, does it require a certain file type or install in the Garmin folder or conversion using some particular software so that the GPS unit will indicate my location on the map?

Yes Garmin has good maps. That's like going to the pastry shop for a cake. I want to make a cake from scratch. Insert my own POIs.

Thanks for your understanding.

"Qstarz" modul and "Compaqe tablet" and WXP and Garmin Mobile PC - Does anyone have any experience with this combination