Sat Nav and Tracker Device

[Guest removed-2]

OK, I have a C500 with the latest version of Windows Mobile 2003 running.

I don't think there is one product available for what I am looking for but you lot might be able to prove me wrong.

What I would like is the following:-

- I want to be able to use my C500 as a portable Sat Nav device, whether it be in my car or whilst walking around the streets of London or Venice (got lost there recently). I am assuming that the map software will be slightly different due to directions i,e. in 100 yards turn left isn't quite appropite for walking but is fine for in the car. Whist is the best software?

- I want to be able to plan a trip whether it be on foot or in the car.

- I want to be able to just view my current location on the map without a trip.

- I also want to be able to use my phone with an external device as a tracker for my car or my girl friends car. For example when I go shopping I leave "a device" in the car and from my phone "whilst 2 miles away" can go, find my car and this then shows me an acurate map (within a few meters) of where my car is. I would also like this to track the veichles movement, i.e. if it gets stolen.

I appreciate there are blue tooth device out there to work with sat nav systems but would like just one device that does both functions???

Please help or share any ideas you have.

Thanks

Mark

[Guest chucky.egg]

- Portable SatNav for in car and on foot

I use Mapopolis for this. Navigation on foot isn't as easy, because it directs you via the roads, but when zoomed in it's navigated me from Covent Garden to somewhere-else on foot before. It can do this with or without a GPS receiver by specifying where you are and where you want to be.

For in car use the voice prompts are useful, if a bit Dalek-y

- Viewing current location

This is more accurate if you use a GPS receiver, but there are bits of software that have a guess at where you are, and get it right to within 40 meters AT BEST (I've had it 1.4Km out in the past, which is no use to anyone, unless you've forgotten what Country you are in)

- Remote tracking

Interesting idea, but the only solutions I can think of are another phone in the car, which uses mobile networks for positioning information. There are solutions that let you locate a "Buddy", but again, because this is based on the mobile network the accuracy can be very poor. There is a system which uses GPS for greater accuracy, but that means that you need a phone AND a GPS unit left in the car.

You can get GPS-enabled phones that will report their co-ords by text message, which you could then put into Mapopolis (for example) to get a street-level map. But these phones are kinda poor in my experience (I have one on my desk right now) and the battery doesn't last too long.

Things to look at:

http://www.txt-u.com/SMARTLocator/

http://www.smartlocator.co.uk/gps/

http://www.emtac.com/products/bluetooth/in...ndex.html#trine

http://www.mapopolis.com/

[Guest Den]

Hi, I don't know if this helps but there is product already out called Copilot live for the smartphone. It allows tracking of the phone by friends who can check on your journey. I think it can do some of the other stuff you mentioned.

Hope it helps a bit.

http://www.globalpositioningsystems.co.uk/..._id=109&pp_id=0