nRoute vs Streets & Trips vs Mobile PC

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.