CoPilot 7 from ALK available this week

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

[teaser]ALK, one of the long standing players in the Mobile navigation market, is releasing version 7 of their 'CoPilot' application this week... and we have the deets!

Here's a few facts around the release...

• Available to buy later this week
  
• £79.99 for UK and Ireland maps on a 1GB microSD (with mini and SD adaptors included_
  
• Shipped with a 'Central DVD', which includes a PC companion application, and maps for much of the navigable world (Europe, North America, Australia, Middle East and South Africa). These can then be activated online!
  
• Pocket PC and Smartphone shipped in one package
  
• NOT locked to the SD card, instead activated online for your device (works great!)
  
• Live traffic via GPRS (£34.99 for 2 years)
  
• FREE live position upload
  
• FREE camera database with directional data (!), updated via PC client (not OTA)
  
• 7 digit postcode routing
  
• Bundle with mount and charger priced at £99.99, bundle with BT GPS also at £149.99
  
• Partnering with T-Mobile again to bundle with new devices, and O2 this time round, including the forthcoming XDA Stellar (Kaiser!)
  
• Complete revamped UI, graphics and much more
  

Sounds impressive no? And in use, it is. As I mentioned previously, i'm looking to do a navigation application shootout, but I can already tell you that CoPilot looks a pretty dead cert to take the crown ;) While I have used CoPilot in the past, I always found it somewhat ugly and unintuitive to use - not so version 7.

I've included a TON of screenshots below (news page readers, view the full topic for details), but if you have any questions, feel free to post and i'll either answer them, or forward them to CoPilot.

:(

P

[/teaser]

[Guest jimbouk]

Looks awesome... and although its got lots of new stuff, it also looks like an evolution of Live 6.

Can't wait to see what the upgrade price is.

[Guest Phil Lee]

Now why did I have to go and buy TomTom6. That looks gorgeous.

Edited October 29, 2007 by Phil Lee

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

I've asked, and will let you know ;)

P

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

I know, I was very pleasantly surprised when I sparked it up!

P

[Guest Phil Lee]

It would be nice to know if they are offering it for sale without the memory card, maybe as a download. I have no need for another memory card.

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

No, there is no download option planned at least initially (I asked the same thing ;))

Shame tho!

P

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

Upgrade News:

The upgrade is £49.99, and will include a 1GB card with UK & Ireland maps (plus the DVD etc I assume).

P

[Guest Phil Lee]

No, there is no download option planned at least initially (I asked the same thing ;))

Shame tho!

P

That's a real shame. I would have thought a downloadable version would have increased their profit margin significantly.

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

Whoops, 'FREE Live Traffic' actually is 'Live traffic via GPRS (£34.99 for 2 years)'

Updated first post, my bad!

P

[Guest hotphil]

Hooray! £9.99 over the £40 ceiling I'd set myself for the upgrade, but it looks sooo much better than CP6 (which has become indispensable to me on the few long journeys I make) that I think I'll treat myself. Hell, I can always format and flog the bundled card for a fiver.

[Guest Syphon Filter]

Wow,

looks much better than CP6, which looks like something out of the early 90's in comparison!

I might be picking this up...

[Guest dolbe666]

Looks like ive found a replacement for the aging TomTom GUI. Copilot7 looks ace ;)

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

I had a cool idea, I wonder if I can have a drive around and video it in action?

P

[Guest dolbe666]

I had a cool idea, I wonder if I can have a drive around and video it in action?

P

DO It! ;)

[Guest Syphon Filter]

I had a cool idea, I wonder if I can have a drive around and video it in action?

P

Dont get yourself nicked in the process though!!

Edited October 29, 2007 by Syphon Filter

[Guest Kimbie]

Looks very cool. Will look at getting this the the XDA Stellar when it is eventually released.

Paul do you know which company provided the map info?

Cheers

Kimbie

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

Dont get yourself nicked in the process though!!

I have a headrest mount for the camcorder, or could use CoolCapture ;)

P

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

Looks very cool. Will look at getting this the the XDA Stellar when it is eventually released.

Paul do you know which company provided the map info?

Cheers

Kimbie

I don't, i'll see if I can find out!

P

[Guest jimbouk]

Copilot have used Navteq for a while.

Thanks for the upgrade details Paul. As my Live 6 still won't work (!), I will start talking to them about a discount!

[Guest ahenry]

Looks very cool. Will look at getting this the the XDA Stellar when it is eventually released.

Paul do you know which company provided the map info?

Cheers

Kimbie

www.alk.eu.com/press/releases/181007-CPL7_Symbian.pdf quotes these prices:

Standard retail pricing

Software – DVD and 512MB storage card preloaded with maps of UK + Ireland (or 1 country) £79.99 / €119.99

Navigation kit – same as software plus in-car mount and charger £99.99 / €149.99

Bluetooth GPS kit – same as navigation kit plus 20 channel SirfStar £149.99 / €224.99 r III Bluetooth GPS receiv

Map upgrades

European Maps £49.99/ €74.99

Existing CoPilot Live customer upgrades

£49.99 / €74.99

Subscription services

Live traffic updates, (delivered via Mobile internet connection) £34.99 (UK only)

Individual location tracking £Free

FleetCenter multi-vehicle tracking and fleet management £15/€21 per

vehicle/per month

In Europe, CoPilot uses Navteq maps. They have their own data in the US. The traffic news data is from ITIS (see http://www.getmethere.co.uk). The traffic news only works when you use specific mobile phone networks. It certainly works for T-Mobile.

There is more information http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/modules.php?...wforum&f=44 (there are a load of ancient sticky posts at the top - the latest stuff starts half way down) and http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/topic.a...amp;whichpage=2

[Guest zarquon]

As the lucky so-and-so ;) who won a copy at last year's summer event, I will purchase the upgrade. I have found it more useful than I thought it would be especially with the addition of the camera database.

The availability of the traffic data is also very tempting... not being on t-mob this was not available with v6

[Guest derky]

Hi Paul, how much space does the app install take up on the device? I found the 12MB used by v6 to be a bit over-the-top, especially comapred to TomTom's 2MB.

Cheers, Derek

[Guest hotphil]

Having slept on the idea of upgrading from CP6 to CP7, I've changed my mind. My reasoning is thus:

ALK have already had £100 off me for CP6, if I upgrade to CP7 (inc traffic) I'll be giving them another £85. For just a few quid more I could buy a dedicated hardware unit (dare I say TT?). Including the £100 they had previously £185 would have bought me a pretty decent dedicated hardware unit with all the advantages that brings (being able to lend it out, map updates, quicker startup, more stable platform, no 2 hour install/uninstall/deactivate/reinstall/uninstall/delete some files/reactivate/reinstall to get it patched to latest version etc).

I'm therefore disappointed that ALK want £85 to upgrade me and I don't think I'll be doing it. I would have gone to £40 including traffic, but £85 seems frankly, a bit of a cheek.

Think I'll buy the missus a TT1 for Christmas and be done with it.

Edit: I've now updated the enquiry 'ticket' I had open with them to express my opinion that they're not giving existing customers a particularly good deal and would urge anyone else who thinks the same to let them know too.

Edited October 30, 2007 by hotphil

[Guest jimbouk]

Whereas I will be upgrading. I hate the idea of having to charge/carry/secure a seperate device and one of the reasons for getting the Kaiser was to lose the BT GPS receiver I had to use with the Hermes.

I wont bother with Traffic though.