OziExplorer CE: the coolest GPS yet

[Boyd]

Maybe some of you are already familiar with OziExplorer which lets you make maps, plot routes, etc on your PC: http://www.oziexplorer.com/

Well they now also have a version of the program which runs on the "Pocket PC" platform, including Windows CE. I recently picked up a Mio c520 which is an "all-in-one" auto navigator similar to the TomTom, Garmin and Magellan units.

There are many hacks which you can do to these units to customize everything, because "under the hood" they're actually just Windows CE handheld computers with built-in GPS'es. Well I just learned that they will run OziExplorer CE very nicely once you "unlock" them. I think I have finally found my ideal GPS for exploring the pines!

You can make your own maps by scanning them, downloading from the internet or purchasing. There are some utilities which will even help you build them from Google Maps webpages. I had downloaded the ones shown here as Geo TIFF's awhile ago from Topozone.

They look great on the screen and the software is really powerful with features I haven't even started to understand. You do need to use a stylus however since all the buttons are very tiny, but this doesn't really bother me. There's also a companion program which lets you design your own screen layouts and interface.

So you can have a regualr auto GPS with spoken directions and maps of the whole US, plus USGS Topo Maps and Google Earth photos all in one little package. Very Cool

You can download a free demo version of OziExplorer CE here if you have a Windows CE device (like a PDA or smartphone): http://www.oziexplorer3.com/ozice/oziexplorerce1.html

Download the free trial of the full version for your Windows PC here: http://www.oziexplorer3.com/eng/oziexplorer.html

 

[MarkBNJ]

I have the 520 as well and I really like it. Have been using it for three months and have been very impressed. Sort of a clunky interface in places, and the bluetooth support could use some improvements, but overall it's very powerful, and highly accurate from what I can see.

I've heard about this program and want to check it out, but while I have been hacking little things on the Mio I've been nervous about unlocking it. Let me know how yours works out .

I made a small windows program to convert Windows Media Player playlists to the Mio format, to support the SD card reader as well as the internal flash ram. If you are going to use the unit to play MP3s let me know if you would like a copy. It's much easier to use WMP to make playlists than to use the Mio interface.

 

[Boyd]

I agree with your comments about the Mio software, it is a little rough around the edges. But the hardware is very impressive, especially the graphics chip. It zooms and scrolls really fast and I like the way you can choose the 3d viewing angle. It's also the only GPS I've seen where you can just grab the map and drag it around in 3d view as though you were flying over it; that's very cool. I've been using a stylus with it though because the buttons are very close together on the touch screen. But I can forgive any shortcomings now that I have OziExplorer running on it.

Actually I'm of the old school which believes a GPS should be a GPS and not a telephone or an iPod My next project will be redesigning the whole Mio interface to simplify things and get rid of the music player, phone, etc. and make it easy to switch between MioMap and OziExplorer.

GPSPassion has a great Mio forum with lots of hacks, although the huge threads there are a little intimidating when you first start out.. http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=37

 

[Ben Ruset]

I had the first generation Garmin iQue, which was a Palm OS based PDA with a GPS. I used Oziexplorer as well. The benefit to Ozi was negated by the terrible sensitivity of the GPS (would literally take 20 min to get a lock on satellites) and horrendous battery life.

The Mio looks cool, and it's pretty cheap.

Now I just wish they had GPS for the iphone.

 

[Boyd]

Road tested Ozi on the Mio for the first time this morning driving to work and it works as advertised. Now I just need to learn how to use the settings manager so I can tweak the interface a bit and it should be great.

The c520 is around $300 by mail order or if you can find a sale at a big box store. But there are also some cheaper Mio's and I think OziExplorer CE will run on them too. I heard from one person who uses it on a c310x: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_e...search-alias=gps&field-keywords=mio&x=16&y=16

Yeah, the iPhone or iPod touch would be a great GPS platform, and Apple just added a feature for google maps:

How does the Maps location based service (LBS) work?
LBS provides your approximate location using information based on your proximity to known cellular network towers and Wi-Fi networks (when on and available). The more accurate the available information, the smaller the circle identifying your position on the map. The feature is not available in all areas. Known Wi-Fi networks are predominantly in urban areas.

Hopefully they will include a GPS in a future model, although I gather there's some concern over how this would affect battery life.

 

[MarkBNJ]

Actually I'm of the old school which believes a GPS should be a GPS and not a telephone or an iPod My next project will be redesigning the whole Mio interface to simplify things and get rid of the music player, phone, etc. and make it easy to switch between MioMap and OziExplorer.

I mounted mine in the truck and connected the power to a block behind the dash. Also led the audio cable around back there and connected to the aux connector of the OEM stereo head unit. It's a nice setup because when I'm in the truck I can take advantage of the 520s high-capacity SD reader and play music off of the 4gig cards I have, piped through the head-unit with auto-mute on directional announcements (which I never use) and when a call comes in. I don't have, or like, headsets, so I use the bluetooth feature for hands-free phone calls. Then when we want to walk around I just unplug and pop the unit off it's mount. It's not a great handheld unit, but it suffices. I need to get a protective case for it.

The audio quality is so-so. The bluetooth integration is so-so. Volume controls are clunky and not accessible from within the mapping software, so it really does lend itself as you suggest to pure GPS applications. Nevertheless I find the other features useful. I don't think you can touch this feature set for the price, as I have seen this unit retail <$300.

 

[Boyd]

Actually I have another method of handling my phone in the car... I just push the "off" button

I agree that the c520 is a good value, and even better once you unlock and can run other applications on it. I got mine on sale at Best Buy for $300, but Amazon has it for a little less.

There are some things which I like better on my TomTom for auto navigation, but the OziExplorer capability outweighs any of the Mio's shortcomings. I'm going to sell my TomTom to a friend and keep the c520 as my auto unit now. But I still like the Garmin GPSMap 60csx for hiking around because it's such a sturdy unit that just "feels good".

 

[Ben Ruset]

Yeah, the iPhone or iPod touch would be a great GPS platform, and Apple just added a feature for google maps:

Just tried that out. It told me I was "somewhere" in the middle of Manhattan.

 

[MarkBNJ]

Actually I have another method of handling my phone in the car... I just push the "off" button

I have a great deal of respect for that approach .

 

[Boyd]

Just tried that out. It told me I was "somewhere" in the middle of Manhattan.

Well.... weren't you?