[aprssig] Messaging on the NUVI GPS

[Scott Miller]

Once you get to a certain level of features, then yeah, you need to 
start considering commodity hardware.

On the other hand, there's something to be said for the KISS principle. 
  My Windows Mobile smart phone is an absolute piece of garbage.  If I 
use the camera, I've got a 50% chance of the phone crashing in the next 
six hours.  The interface is sluggish, with enough of a delay on almost 
everything (and no feedback) that you're constantly hitting buttons 
twice because it didn't seem to take.  Leave it in the text message 
screen and it freaks out every hour or so about server certificates.  I 
would not use this device for anything important, and it's barely usable 
as a phone.  (The old unlocked Motorola quad-band GSM phone I use while 
out of the country - $20 on eBay - is vastly better at just being a phone.)

And as for the nuvi, the alternative would be to go with a small touch 
screen PC, which isn't cheap, and you'd have a hard time getting it to 
match the nuvi for plain old navigation use.

Scott
N1VG




Jeff N0JUH wrote:
> As a software guy, I'm forever amazed at the "device" mentality of so 
> many hams.  With the increasing availability of tiny/cheap/powerful 
> computers (Nokia 700/800, smart phones, EEEPC, et al,) why do we need 
> dedicated "devices?"  We should be able to run full-featured APRS 
> software clients in most situations, for less money!
> 
> I have experimented with a number of these while mobile.  With my (not 
> so cheap) Sony UX and 2.5G internet, I can run AGWTracker with Google 
> Maps connected to APRS-IS in the car (sadly, I have better connectivity 
> across much of the country than I do via rf.)
> 
> Actually, I don't do that much.  The user interface on full-featured 
> APRS software is impossible to use while driving - not that I've 
> actually tried it, of course :)  But there is no reason why full 
> featured APRS software couldn't have an alternate UI optimized for small 
> touch-screens!
> 
> It's just that we seem to have shack-oriented full-pc software hams, and 
> mobile-oriented "device"-type hams, and have yet to take advantage of 
> new technology to bring the two together.
> 
>    --Jeff, n0juh
> 
> 
> Robert Bruninga wrote:
>> Since 2-way comms, INFO and Messaging are so important to
>> APRS... and the future of APRS, I welcome Scotts new messaging
>> capability he has built into his tracker taking advantage of the
>> NUVI Message GPS capabilities.
>> 
>> Scott, is there a good promo of this capability we can link to
>> besides just bits and pieces?  I'd like to see a web page
>> dedicated just to MESSAGING on the NUVI (or whatever).  This
>> adds to D7, D7XX, and HAMHUDS as being the only messageing
>> devices...  We need more...          Bob, WB4APR
>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> Sent: Sunday, August 31, 2008 2:27 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [aprssig] Internet to RF gating of positions
>>>
>>>> What do you mean "punch a message into the nuvi"?  
>> 
>>> You [need] a Tracker2.  =]  
>>> I really need to shoot a demo video of this sometime.  
>>> With a Tracker2, most of the newer nuvi and StreetPilot 
>>> models can be put into fleet management mode, where 
>>> they gain a messaging menu.  Here are some pictures, 
>>> ... on the nuvi:
>>>
>>> http://n1vg.net/images/nuvi-inbox.jpg
>>> http://n1vg.net/images/nuvi-messaging.jpg
>>> http://n1vg.net/images/nuvi-compose.jpg
>>>
>>> Scott
>>> N1VG
>> 
>> 
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