Everything Treo

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ALK Technologies recently released a Treo 700w edition of their popular CoPilot Live GPS product. We took it on the road with the Palm Treo 700w to see how it performed.

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Introduction

You already know that carrying a Treo 700w will put you at the top of the cell phone food chain, but how can it get any better? Simple: add GPS functionality to your shiny new smartphone! GPS is the new “in” technology, and users from around the world are flocking to get their hands on the latest and greatest GPS units. So ALK Technologies has released CoPilot Live 6 (Treo 700w Edition), which can now turn your Treo into a complete GPS navigational system.

Now that’s cool!

User Interface

Home ScreenThe home screen of CoPilot Live is neatly laid out with large buttons, making it easy to select the appropriate option by simply tapping the screen. It appears ALK has taken its time developing the CoPilot Live software , making it easy to navigate at a quick glance. Here’s how:

• Bookmarks for commonly used locations make it a snap to find your way back from wherever your adventures take you.
• If you’re new to the area, you can select “Address” from the main screen and type in a location based on a mailing address.Although this will require the use of the keyboard, CoPilot Live remembers information you havealready entered (like city, state, and streets) so many times the majority of the information can be gathered with just a few screen taps.

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Trip Planning – If you’re ready to head out on the road there are two ways to plan a trip with the CoPilot Live software. If you’re just heading a short distance, most likely you’ll want to enter the address and start driving. On the other hand, if you’re looking to go on a longer journey, you may want to explore some of the features the software has to offer. Can’t stand paying tolls? By visiting the Trip Settings, you can have the software keep you off the toll roads (and saving money!). Need to remember to take a break while you’re driving? Need to cross the border? Need to avoid propane-restricted tunnels (you’re probably driving an RV if this applies to you)? Not a problem. With just a few taps, CoPilot Live will remind you when it’s time for a break, tell you where you can cross a border, route you around restricted tunnels, and even take you on a scenic route if you so desire.

Maps, Maps, Maps – What map mode is best for you? Well, you’ll have a few great options to choose from. First, there’s the classic GPS 3D display. This shows your exact current location in 3D and includes names of roads andstreets you’re passing along with the distance away from specific locations. This mode is definitely the most fun when you’re showing off CoPilot to your friends, and it’s also very useful when you need to compare the screen to the road ahead at complex intersections.

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Next is the standard 2D map option. This option will progressively zoom in as you approach your turn or destination. The 2D map is a great option for getting a birds-eye view of your location.

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Finally there’s a mode that ALK refers to as “Driver Safety” mode. This option displays your next turn, turn direction, and distance, until your next maneuver in a large easy to read fashion – making it the easiest to read at-a-glance.

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As one more handy feature, if you’re driving at night, is CoPilot’s “Night Mode.” Night Mode shows the maps in a darker color, thus reducing eye strain and making it easier to read in a dark vehicle.

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Modes – With just a tap of the menu button, you can toggle between three different modes for the software. Guidance mode provides spoken and on-screen driving directions and information. Planning mode lets you plan trips in advance or when your GPS receiver isn’t turned on. It also allows you to view the itinerary and maps for the trip. Walking mode will maintain a straight line to your entered destination and will tell you the distance to it.

Live Communications – With CoPilot Live’s real-time communication tools you can turn your Treo into a real-time location tracking device. CoPilot Live uses your phone’s data connection to send your exact location back to ALK’s website so other people (whom you invite) can see exactly where you’re at! The Live settings can be adjusted to be broadcasted to the website at your selected interval – from every five seconds to every hour. But beware: The more you send your location out, the quicker you’ll see your battery drain,so we recommend using at least a five-minute interval even though the five-second option is pretty cool Invites to your location can quickly and easily be sent out right from your device by clicking the “Live” option from the main menu and choosing “Invitations.” Just enter in the person’s e-mail address and a password for them, and your Treo will use Messaging to seamlessly send the e-mail. Users receiving the invite simply follow the link in the e-mail and enter the login details provided, and they will be greeted with a map pin-pointing your current location!

CoPilot Live Desktop Software – Along with having the power of trip planning on your Treo, the CoPilot Live package comes with a desktop application that allows you to plan trips, print routes, and browse maps. The application does an excellent job of formatting printable directions and maps for even the most complex routes. The desktop companion includes all the same options available on the Treo CoPilot software, and also incorporates a handy tool that will calculate the estimated gas cost of a given trip – just enter in the average price of gas and your approximated MPG. This is quite handy – especially these days when the price of gas seems to be all over the charts.

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Our Tests / Usability

Getting started was a breeze, as ALK does a very nice job walking you through the step-by-step process of installing the software, registering your device/software, and pairing the GPS receiver with your phone. Within 10 minutes of having the sealed package in hand we were up and running with the GPS receiver paired to our phone and tracking our location.

Being that the EverythingTreo staff travels quite a bit, it wasn’t difficult to find several opportunities to give this software a test run! CoPilot Live successfully tracked down nine out of our 10 test locations without any difficulty. The 10th address couldn’t be located exactly, but we were able to track it down by using the nearest cross roads we knew (in all fairness, the address didn’t show up on MapQuest, Yahoo! Maps, or Google Local, either).

Our first trip took us out to the country in northern Wisconsin. CoPilot Live did a fantastic job of tracking even small county roads you might not expect to be included with such a package. As our second trip took us back into the concrete jungle of Chicago, where we had a chance to test the extent of the road data included in ALK’s package. As we drove around, admiring downtown Chicago’s skyline, CoPilot didn’t miss a single cross street and kept our location with amazing accuracy.

The actual trip routing proved to be more than acceptable in all our tests. There are times when the software will take you on a slightly slower route, but it always got us there. And each time we reached our destination on the screen, we were within a hundred feet of our actual intended target – not bad at all!

Points of Interest

While on the road, we also got to test CoPilot’s Points of Interest database and see just how many of the local attractions were listed … and that list was amazing. In Northern Wisconsin, several parks, gas stations, motels, and restaurants were listed within just a few miles of our location. This feature is handy when you’re in an unfamiliar area and need to get gas or grab a bite to eat.

The POI search includes the following categories:

• Major Airports
• Automobile Maintenance
• Dining
• Educational Institutes
• Emergency and Medical Facilities
• Facilities and Buildings
• Gas Stations
• Government
• Lodging
• Nature Attractions
• Parks and Recreation
• Retail Outlets
• RV Service
• Sports and Recreation
• Travel and Transportation
• Truck Fuel and Service
• Visitor Attractions

Issues and Notes

We did not experience any major problems, crashes, lags, or unexpected responses during our testing process.

Make sure you don’t inadvertently throw away your “quickstart guide,” as it has the installation key code needed to install and register your software on the back!

The desktop edition of CoPilot Live requires the following:

• Windows 2000, ME, XP
• 400 MHz processor or better
• 128 MB RAM
• 16X CD-ROM
• 225 MB available hard disc space

Note: The Desktop Trip Planner is NOT necessary for the software to work on your Treo.

Conclusion

There’s no doubt that GPS is an amazing technology that can change how we travel. Beyond the “wow” factor, having the ability to find a hospital or gas station at your fingertips while you’re in unfamiliar areas can prove to be priceless. With CoPilot Live 6 (Treo 700w Edition), ALK delivers a well conceived package that far surpassed our expectations. The application ran smoothly on our testing device and didn’t once crash or cause any major lags in functionality. It also accurately reported our current traveling speed with amazing accuracy. The Treo 700w is already an amazingly powerful device – but now thanks to ALK, it just got a power boost!

The CoPilot Live 6 GPS bundle retails for $299.95.

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Comments (6)
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Comparison to TomTom?
written by K , October 12, 2006
IYO, how does the CoPilot stack up against the TomTom?

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CoPilot 6
written by John Ruffalo , October 12, 2006
I have used CoPilot 6, Tom Tom, and am currently using iNavigator, which I feel is the best of the bunch. CoPilot for my laptop rocks, but on my Treo it was not a smooth operator

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Get the right GPS!
written by Brad Collins , October 13, 2006
My Treo 700w and CoPilot 6 are awsome! However it wasn't always so. I first purchased CoPilot 6 with the SD-502 GPS and had countless hours of headaches... (buygpsnow.com never again) After the great tech support at ALK they recommended I purchase a reciever that comes bundled with CoPilot. I have never had a problem since. I love the unit and as a Realtor it is worth its weight in GOLD.

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Running with other applications?
written by Michael Shaw , October 13, 2006
How do the other Treo applications work while CoPilot is running? For instance, the phone, messaging, etc.? For work, my 700w comes loaded with GoodLink for company e-mail. Would I have to exit out of one program to use the other?

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Does CoPilot use Data allotment or mobile minutes?
written by Bruce Condit , October 16, 2006
I don't use my internet capabilties on my Treo 700W that much. So, I have an "on demand" package, which is pricey to use, but at least it is available. If I am using CoPilot is it using the internet to determine positioning or strictly the phone?? Also, does this burn up your mobile minutes? I love my Treo, and would like a GPS, but don't want to pay high monthly data bills or phone bills.

Thanks,

Bruce

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mr
written by me , March 07, 2007
tomtom 6 > copilot live !

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