CoPilot Live 7 Released

Hi I have CP6 but have been relunctant to go CP7 until I know some of the annoying problems have been fixed.

eg a trip from Canberra to Moruya takes by dirt roads and is a good 4wd trip but not the trip you would want if at night and or in the wet. A better route would be via Batemans Bay - much quicker as well given the roads

There are a number of others issues where other products have got it right but CP hasn't and both use NAVTEQ maps.

From what you mention above it looks like these issues may not be fixed.

One issue thta seems to annoy many people is that they don't seem to offer any fixes to there maps - they put them in the next version which you have to pay for.

CP6 is a good product but is the upgrade cost worth it? I will be interested in what you think.

Oldman

Bugger, I haven't got one of these thief magnets, even though I've worked with technology since the punched paper rolls and cards.

But when going to friends' houses, they are still exactly where I've always found them, and I never fail to come to the right house when I'm coming home :)

My computer seems to be working better than V6 and V7, although I admit that as the version progresses, more things seem to leak out :)

John,

Good update mate!

Ah the intricacies of computer technology eh!

I have experimented with CoPilot 6 running on a PDA and TomTom running on a Go 720.

It is interesting to observe differences between the two.
None of them are extremely accurate in all circumstances.

What I do like about CoPilot is that you can enter a place name as a destination, whereas with TomTom you need to enter a street address including a "house" number, or a cross street reference.

Now that I can swap between two applications running concurrently on the PDA (thanks Bonz!) I will probably use CoPilot more. Generally I use the PDA to run OziExplorer and the Go 720 for "street navigation".

I have CP V6 also and almost upgraded before xmas but have been thinking is it worth it. I have held off at the moment.

Sorry for the delay in reporting on the outcome of my CP7 testing. All testing was on the road, with no pre loaded trips - just set a destination and drive. Also my results can and will vary to other people, due to my preferences and the locations I travel to.

1.. The 3D view is a bit better than CP6 - I did tend to use it more. But I found myself using 2D as you can zoom out enough to see that the routing is OK.

2.. The routing ?? Well from Sydney to Queanbeyan was good, fast and responsive - no complaints, except that the Aussie female voice - Jessica, is too fake - you can't help but laugh at her accent.
From Queanbeyan to Jervis Bay, the routing had us zig-zaging across the country side - even with routing set to shortest distance. As we took the shortest route, it soon changed to the current road we were on, but initially it had routed almost a 260km track for a 200km run. Even after adjusting the road preferences, it was still reluctant to use some roads. Yet the desktop trip planner was spot on.

3.. Map accuracy is very good, some trails missing that CP6 had, but as stated before, some new ones added. All streets that we came across were accurate, including newer road changes.

4.. Trip planning on your desktop PC is a breeze, and trips can be uploaded to your PDA very easily. All in all, CP7 is easier for planning trips than CP6, but falls down due to door to door issues from multiple locations sometimes appearing for a single address search or location is out by several hundred meters.


CP7 Summary - 8/10 (CP6 9/10)


If you need accurate maps for touring - then it is well worth the money. If you constantly go to new locations, and therefore rely heavily on GPS navigation, then the upgrade expense might not be justified, maybe look at one of the other GPS products with better routing and accuracy for door to door.

I have to admit that I am disappointed in this release, as they have made major improvements to the desktop and PDA environment and GUI, whilst at the same time made the package less reliable and made it hard to trust. Not that you should ever rely 100% on just one form of navigation, but I never had issues trusting CP6 when wondering into unknown territory.