Co Pilot - major props

[Guest jgtthd]

i have seen alot of people asking/looking for good gps software for the hero. I used copilot live yesterday for the first time to drive a 200 mile route i had never done before and it was flawless. turn by turn was spot on and good maps. looks and works just like a stand alone gps. and the maps are stored on the sd card so doesn't matter if you have 3g reception or not.

absolutley great and worth the £25. :)

[Guest Dan Mullen]

i have seen alot of people asking/looking for good gps software for the hero. I used copilot live yesterday for the first time to drive a 200 mile route i had never done before and it was flawless. turn by turn was spot on and good maps. looks and works just like a stand alone gps. and the maps are stored on the sd card so doesn't matter if you have 3g reception or not.

absolutley great and worth the £25. :D

I also use CoPilot Live 8 and really recommend it. £25.99 is a bargain - I sold my old TomTom for £45 after buying this software :)

[Guest ptruman]

I also use CoPilot Live 8 and really recommend it. £25.99 is a bargain - I sold my old TomTom for £45 after buying this software :)

I concur - I set out to by a new phone specifically to handle calls, MP3 (inc. BT streaming), mobile email and SatNav - and bought CoPilot the same day I received the Hero.

It's ace - although I hope a little could be done to optimise it (the Hero can't cope with cell handoffs, MP3 streaming over BT, GPS & CoPilot without periodic MP3 stuttering). My only "complaint" would be that it doesn't overtly tell you it's "recording" all your travels ("GPS Tracks").

However, I would be even more happy with the app if :

a) GPS Tracks were exportable to Google Maps "My Maps"

:D Google Maps directions could hook into another app (i.e. navigate via Google Maps OR CoPilot)

:D

[Guest Paul]

CoPilot is great, it's a bit of a pain if you have multiple phones tho (activating and deactivating).

I suppose that's not really a legitimate complaint for most people! :)

I also quite like Sygic... http://www.sygic.com/index.php/en/android.html - although it's 49.99 euros for UK only!

P

[Guest chucky.egg]

Yeah, I used a Symbian on which you can set a Favourite in Google Maps - that then appears in Route66 SatNav.

It's sooo much easier to quickly set a Fav in Google Maps (in Symbian, you can't at all in Android AFAICT) which you can then use to navigate.

I find CoPilot pretty good, but it does lock up every now and then and the buttons are hard to press (especially the keyboard alpha buttons)

[Guest Baggieboy]

New version has just been released according to android Market.

[Guest soopahfly]

I want garmin to release their software. The google search feature on my old WM phonw was ace.

[Guest AndyCr15]

I don't like that it's missing a QWERTY keyboard and I don't like when I search a POI, lets say Vue Cinema, it just lists them all with no hint about which one. So if I'm 3 miles from one and 3 miles form another, I have no idea which I should press...

Personally I don't think it's as good as TomTom and when it took me round and round Wembley, wasting about 40 minutes I actually switched to Google maps to get me there. :-/

Just my opinion...

[Guest Matchstick]

I don't like that it's missing a QWERTY keyboard and I don't like when I search a POI, lets say Vue Cinema, it just lists them all with no hint about which one. So if I'm 3 miles from one and 3 miles form another, I have no idea which I should press...

Personally I don't think it's as good as TomTom and when it took me round and round Wembley, wasting about 40 minutes I actually switched to Google maps to get me there. :-/

Just my opinion...

The latest versions (of the UK version at least) now have QWERTY keyboard so that issue has been dealt with at least partially (while a QWERTY layout is better than the Alphabetic one I still prefer the default Hero keyboard to the custom CoPilot one)

[Guest dwattsy21]

I concur - I set out to by a new phone specifically to handle calls, MP3 (inc. BT streaming), mobile email and SatNav - and bought CoPilot the same day I received the Hero.

It's ace - although I hope a little could be done to optimise it (the Hero can't cope with cell handoffs, MP3 streaming over BT, GPS & CoPilot without periodic MP3 stuttering). My only "complaint" would be that it doesn't overtly tell you it's "recording" all your travels ("GPS Tracks").

However, I would be even more happy with the app if :

a) GPS Tracks were exportable to Google Maps "My Maps"

:D Google Maps directions could hook into another app (i.e. navigate via Google Maps OR CoPilot)

:)

Having WIFI turned off when streaming audio via bluetooth stopped stuttering for me. For those that don't know, you can download a file with speed cameras that will appear on the maps and give you warning from here

http://www.alk.eu.com/copilot/cameras.asp

I love copilot, but their customer service is awful. I have sent 2 emails with queries, both responses were like they were from a 5 year old who has never heard of GPS. You can set POI's (petrol station, safety cameras etc) to be displayed only when stationary, or all the time. You can then select which ones you want to display. However, whenever you resart copilot, this resets and they are all displayed again. Does anybody know how to only have safety cameras and petrol stations displayed when moving? I emailed them, exaplining it in detail, and they responded with the link i gave above saying "you can download the safety camerta file from here"... I ALREADY HAVE THE FLAMIN' FILE it's like they looked for key words in my email, and then guessed the problem!

[Guest phillevy]

I used it for the 1st time recently in Copenhagen and Malmo walking - it worked really well and apart from the initial time to lock on when I arrived it was very fast at getting it's bearings. One or two of the routes it suggested were unncecessarily long but it was easy to correct this by following the "crow flies" line. Impact on battery life was surprisingly low also.

[Guest dan o'neil]

Had a go with copilot on stock t-mobile rom, it froze frequently and the gps dropped after about an hour of using it.

Luckily I gave it a good test and could get a refund within 24 hours of purchase.

Haven't tried it with the MoDaCo rom, maybe that might help it to work...

[Guest pina]

I do have some problems and questions about co-pilot:

- There's some lag when using the 3D-view with my Hero. Using the 2D-views works perfectly

- When I try the live-traffic info, I always get the message that there are no reported problems on the road, even when there are major problems on my road, is it because I don't have an extra account for live traffic?

[Guest Dan Mullen]

I do have some problems and questions about co-pilot:

- There's some lag when using the 3D-view with my Hero. Using the 2D-views works perfectly

- When I try the live-traffic info, I always get the message that there are no reported problems on the road, even when there are major problems on my road, is it because I don't have an extra account for live traffic?

I believe that Live Traffic is coming soon, plus it will be a subscription service.

[Guest Aximtreo]

Has anyone tried Co Pilot 8 on the Droid by Motorola? I live in the US and it's the only option other than Google Maps for us at present.

I second the Garmin and Tom Tom hopes for a Android version.

[Guest nigelt]

Yeah, I used a Symbian on which you can set a Favourite in Google Maps - that then appears in Route66 SatNav.

It's sooo much easier to quickly set a Fav in Google Maps (in Symbian, you can't at all in Android AFAICT) which you can then use to navigate.

I find CoPilot pretty good, but it does lock up every now and then and the buttons are hard to press (especially the keyboard alpha buttons)

Chucky.egg: I'm having real problems with the Hero touchscreen running CPL8. Screen is perfect when not running CPL8 but when it's on I have to really bash repeatedly to get it to register on many of the functions - not good when you're actually moving (sorry officer).

It's the worst aspect for me. I'm running the absolute latest version but haven't been able to find anyone else who's got such a serious problem (or is everyone more patient than me?).

Might be a dealbreaker as soon as I find a better SatNav.

[Guest htclova]

I concur it is a great satnav program for the money but it does have its flaws.

I use it every day at work to and from different sites but i find it sometimes losses the GPS signal and annoyingly wont get it back sometimes task killer works sometime opening google maps wakes it up. but can be frustrating when driving.

Also find the lane guides rubbish and just confuse me more! Is there a way to turn them off??

[Guest Dan Mullen]

I concur it is a great satnav program for the money but it does have its flaws.

I use it every day at work to and from different sites but i find it sometimes losses the GPS signal and annoyingly wont get it back sometimes task killer works sometime opening google maps wakes it up. but can be frustrating when driving.

Also find the lane guides rubbish and just confuse me more! Is there a way to turn them off??

I'm sure the lane guide thing is an option that can be toggled in the settings menu. I find them quite handy myself ;)

[Guest starfarer]

I use it every day at work to and from different sites but i find it sometimes losses the GPS signal and annoyingly wont get it back sometimes task killer works sometime opening google maps wakes it up. but can be frustrating when driving.

After testing for few days now, I'm also getting the same problem and as you, strangely google map does activate GPS again.

Also Garmin( on Nokia N82) speaks "exit now" at/near your destined exit point in roundabout. Missing on CoPilot which only advise which exit(ie 2nd or 3rd) to take before entering roundabout and either you count the exits or keep an eye on CoPilot.

Will be keeping an eye on others views on Garmin if and when releases.

[Guest jonathanmusto]

Chucky.egg: I'm having real problems with the Hero touchscreen running CPL8. Screen is perfect when not running CPL8 but when it's on I have to really bash repeatedly to get it to register on many of the functions - not good when you're actually moving (sorry officer).

It's the worst aspect for me. I'm running the absolute latest version but haven't been able to find anyone else who's got such a serious problem (or is everyone more patient than me?).

Might be a dealbreaker as soon as I find a better SatNav.

I have exactly the same problem! I have to press like 3 times, really hard, for it to register... Sometimes the button will change colour as though it's registered my press, but nothing will happen... trying to press the 'x' to close a window is very frustrating!

[Guest Shuflie]

I have exactly the same problem! I have to press like 3 times, really hard, for it to register... Sometimes the button will change colour as though it's registered my press, but nothing will happen... trying to press the 'x' to close a window is very frustrating!

I thought the hero had a capacitive screen so it shouldn't really matter how hard you press the screen, what might matter is whether you are holding the phone in your hand or just poking it with a finger while its held in a mount. Next time just try curling your finger around the back of the phone and pressing with your thumb to see if its any more responsive to your touch.

[Guest lemmingzappa]

I have exactly the same problem! I have to press like 3 times, really hard, for it to register... Sometimes the button will change colour as though it's registered my press, but nothing will happen... trying to press the 'x' to close a window is very frustrating!

I also face the same problem, I think it's just a poor app keyboard design. Not a HTC issue.

[Guest ptruman]

I also face the same problem, I think it's just a poor app keyboard design. Not a HTC issue.

There is a planned change (included) in Android 2.0 which means the buttons change behaviour, so instead of being "act on push down", they "act on release up" - i.e. they have to detect both press AND release ON the button, before it works - this is to avoid finger slides etc - and so that you CAN press a button accidentally, realise, keep your finger pressed BUT slide it OFF the button and then let go, and it doesn't take the action.

I suspect CoPilot have implemented that in their code (as it's not the standard UI widgets), so if you just tap the button, and don't get it square, or the UI decides it wasn't a "proper" press, it doesn't work.

Try pressing a shade longer, and definitely in one place ;)