GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Ok so I can get a cheap laptop (older but runs windows 2k, with usb) and I was wondering if anyone here used their laptop to run GPS software. I get lost pretty easy in new places and GPS would be pretty kick (removed), also the laptop has a video out so I could put it to a 5" lcd installed somewhere. oh yea and any brands? I see Garmin has a usb laptop one (I trust that company from previous experience)

When I go anywhere I use my Magellan Sortrak Map Gps, it also has an interface cale for the laptop that I use with Streets and trips. Works very well and shows you speed and everything on the laptop screen.

Funny! I am going to purchase a hand held GPS soon. I too get lost easy and have no sense of direction. My boss intorduced me to Garmin GPS.

i don't have the vibe anymore, but i use my laptop and GPS MS Streets and Trips all the time in my Legacy. works great!

I have a DeLorme Earthmate USB GPS device (using Microsoft MapPoint and/or the included mapping software from DeLorme) for my laptop and it serves me well.Info: http://www.delorme.com/earthmatelt20/default.asp

I'd love to have a gps but have no money!

Quote, originally posted by zionzr2 »I'd love to have a gps but have no money!lol im in that boat exactly , but my work has old p3 laptops they sell and then a cheap 100-150 dollar gps unit it looks like, isnt to bad. The garmin and this DeLorme are both usb. I guess im really wondering how the voice, picture and map's look and feel.

You can get a GPS reciever (usb) off ebay for like, $30. Then you just need the software. *cough* You could PM me about that.

I picked up a Socket Bluetooth GPS on eBay that I hardwired underneath the dash on top of the air vent on the driver's side. That way I could use it with Streets and Trips on my laptop (w/Belkin's bluetooth USB adapter) as well as iGuidance on my Pocket PC. Works really well. It's since been obsoleted by the AVIC-N1, but was well worth it while it lasted.If you get a RoyalTek RBT-3000, and hardwire it, you can use the built-in data logger to see where the car has been, say, if the spouse or a friend borrowed it.

I'd recommend using a Bluetooth GPS receiver, you can toss it virtually anywhere in the car and get decent reception.... this way it cuts out the need to run wires.The software I use is iGuidance ( http://www.inavcorp.com ), it works on both Pocket PC as well as PC platforms.All you need is a BT adaptor, BT GPS receiver and a mapping software, the same set up applies even with a laptop.

Microsoft picked up on this and is offering a micro GPS USB reciever with it's Streets and Trips software. I think it comes it at $200.Otherwise just grab a USB GPS reciever off of ebay, and cough - PM one of us. As for functionality? Yeah - they work fine.I've tossed mine on the dash, suction cupped it to the moon roof and back window... all have worked great.

MS streets and trips 2005 w/ GPS runs about $120 at Costco. you might be able to find it less some place else. they used to have a $30 rebate when i bought mine back in May.

oh man not bad, but do you think i need the voice activated thing in a gps reciever? i know i know, its cool yes, but i am NOT good at directions...ask my mom or anyone in my family for that matter the delorme one seems like a decent deal for a usb gps with voice navigationhttp://cgi.ebay.com/New-DELORM...wItemotherwise theres the 30 dollar ones too

The voice activation is a nice feature but does not work well for the most part. The driving noise in the cabin and the disstance between you and your computer will both negatively impact the effectiveness of voice activation.As TRDVibe mentioned, the Microsoft S&T is an excellent choice as well, great value too.The 2006 version will be out next month which bears significantl improvement from 2005. It's definitely worth a look

after looking, shipping is $20 on both the cheap and the delorme so making it50 for the cheap90 about for the delormesoftware isnt a big deal, i just want a hardware reciever that works good and is quality.

i wouldn't waste your money on the voice activation ones. same reasons already stated.... too much noise in the car. plus, ms s&t also comes with the pocket pc version. you can d/l the maps onto your pocket pc if you have one. and if you have a blue tooth ppc, then you can get the pharoas blue tooth gps receiver too. of course, they are like $200-300 so not cost effective imo, but they would be cool.

This is what I did and no need for my laptop. It has mapping built in with automatic routing, turn-by-turn directions with alert tones. Has a color TFT display, 256-color, sunlight-readable.

ok to trdvibeyea i sold my ipaq this summer, i had to buy it (1000$$) for school and never used it so thats gone. But do the cheap ones recieve well?? if you go with a brand name you know you should get quality.rasermon - but how much was that? my plan was to put a 5" lcd with a laptop under the passenger seat so i could do movies/games/music plus gps and i get all the laptop cheap so its not a big deal.

you could always get one of those toshiba librettos. those are pretty cool. laptop and 8" (maybe a little larger) screen. of course it's got a $1200 price tag, but still..i just scored a 10.2" lcd tv/dvd/mp3/vcd player that will hook up in the car or at home. got an external battery for traveling or areas without ac/dc power. all i'd need to do to hook up the pc to the laptop as an external monitor.... but can't find my adapter for it (somewhere in storage).

Quote, originally posted by northvibe »rasermon - but how much was that? You can get for $350 at most online sporting goods.

how do i hook up my laptop to my LCD screen?? anyone know? i used to have an adapter on my old dell laptop but i think i got rid of it when i sold it a long time ago.

Quote, originally posted by trdvibe »how do i hook up my laptop to my LCD screen?? anyone know? i used to have an adapter on my old dell laptop but i think i got rid of it when i sold it a long time ago. Depends on your laptop. My laptop has an Svideo and RGB outputs.If your screen has either input then those would work.More than likely your screenwould have an RCA input - then you could get a SVideo -> RCA adapter.Really it depends on your equipment.

both my screens have RCA but the laptop doesn't (i don't think). i believe it's just a standard VGA monitor plug.

Best GPS software?Accuracy: MS Street & Trip 2005 cheap, PITA to use for navigation.User Friendly: iGuidance V2+. Not sure with Co-Pilot.gpspassion.com has more info.Quality will be SUCK if you use video screen for computer display especially on small screen.

MatrixPC have you tried gps on your screen? if so how does it look?

looks nice. I'm going with the Xenarc 7" touchscreen drop down VGA monitor. going to mount onto the front dash to pop up. it'll be a lot easier to see. GPS thru S&T, wireless mouse and keyboard set up, using either my work or home laptop, not sure yet, or maybe both... haven't decided yet. matrix PC, how did you hardwire sound? did you actually hard wire that in or use an FM transmitter??

it would be pretty easy to hard wire the sound if the deck he used has audio in or with the factory just do the aux hack.edit...dang it trdvibe i forgot you dont have a vibe any more

I use Routis(v1) which is the same as iGuidance (v1). Street names on the map is a little small (10 pt font). With iGuidance V2+ there are setting to make font size bigger which is a BIG help on small screen. MS Street and Trip has no problem with street names cuz you can zoom in the map for bigger text size. But the tool/buttons and other texts are very small -> PITA.If you have extra cash, go with Xernac. Build quality is little better than Lilliput. But lately, Lilliput quality had improved a lot. I have an old Lilliput, but have no problem with it so far.I replace the stock HU with the Alpine. Sound from the PC to the HU is thru a 3.5mm (headset plug) to RCA. The Alpine has aux input option.I already modded my stock Hu for aux input (CD must play). I can use tape adapter for sound, but I have no place for the screen. So replacement is my only option.

ya, i ordered an a/m board that a guy on legacygt.com built for our factory stereos. should be able to uninstall if i don't like it. get rid of the FM transmitter because the sound quality is so poor. i went with the xenarc 7" touch screen it was about $20 more than the lilliput but came in a flip down black housing. using my laptop for the CPU portion but still figuring out where to mount it.

Have they actually made Streets and Trips support more than rudimentary GPS stuff? Last version I had it only updated once every 18 seconds or so, and didn't do Turn by Turn.I've been using iGuidance 2.0 on my 7". Same complaint about the fonts, kinda small, but when i'm using it for navigation it's usually spot-on accurate. MUCH better than the stock nav, actually.

well it won't tell you which way to turn but it highlights the route and you have a very noticeable blinking red car that tells you where you're at. i've found it pretty nice and i don't care for the giant arrows... i find them annoying. lol.

Eh... That's what I thought. Streets is more of a 'you are here' system than a 'navigation' system..because it's not actually telling you where to go..I do see your point though.. But..take a look at iGuidance anyway.. http://www.inavcorp.com and see how much more useful it can be.. bwahaha..

i see you are trying to trick me.. pull me away from my beloved streets & trips....

I concur. iGuidance is fricken AWESOME.

Quote, originally posted by trdvibe »i see you are trying to trick me.. pull me away from my beloved streets & trips.... S&T is still the best for planning trips, no doubt about it.. very easy to do (though I must admit, I find myself using google maps more and more..) but for travelling. Bleh.It's one thing to know where you are, but as for me, I like the fact that iGuidance will actively replan my route so when I make the wrong turn (and I do), it'll help me out of a jam. Which it's done a couple of times now..

iGuidance is best for navigation but very $hitty when it comes to routing. S&T is good for routing and planning. It's really junk for navigation. BTW, I like the compass.Google maps is darn good with routing. Most route I try seem to be very accurate. Not sure about long distance routing.

Biggest problem I have with 2.0 is it doesn't re-route smart enough. Basically it asks you to U-turn a lot to get back to the original route. I've heard this was fixed in 2.1.There's no 100% great solution out, that's for sure

google maps are not accurate up here. neither are yahoo maps or mapquest. really, i don't need the navigation part, it's mainly to keep track of where i've been. i can quickly look up an address or location too.

I just got The MS Streets and Trips with GPS for $80.http://www.amazon.com/exec/obi...07846actually its just been ordered... Should see it b4 Christmas!!

just upgraded to S&T 2006. we'll also be getting Delorme 2006 mapping software too for work. hopefully that will cover me for just about everything.

eventually i'm gonna get a gps, but my plan is to run it off a pocketpc, not a laptop. pros: automatic on, built in wireless and bluetooth (on some), support for usb drives, small, portable, etc. I'm going to use it mainly to play music, but email and gps will be nice additions

I think iGuidance is the best solution for PC / PocketPC mapping. It's got great 3D views, great street views, and works the same on either device.

yea!!!GPS arrived today...Now i have to wait for the wife to get home with the laptop to install....

So i used the laptop and gps on my trip!!I noticed a difference in speed readings between the spedometer and the gps....at 75 mph on spedo guage... i was going 72-73 acording to the gps.Anybody else see such a discrepency??I have stock setup and running OEM Goodyear RS-A tires.

It appears our speedos are calibrated higher than actual speed.http://forums.genvibe.com/zero...51833h ... ar...=1906

I figured the GPS wouldn't lie!!!

yea ive noticed my car probably goes 1-2 mph faster than it really is....sooo i get to speed a little more than the limit

i have to rethink the location of my GPS receiver as with the 2006 upgrade on Streets and trips, it seems the speed is way off! i'm doing 20 mph or so and it says only 8 mph.... before, it was almost dead on with the 2005. maybe i have to upgrade the GPS unit too? but i'm pretty sure it's the same unit.

The GPS reciever usually reports with standard NMEA data, so if you notice a 'speed' difference with the same reciever and different software, there's something up with your software. Though I can't remember if speed is part of the NMEA data, or if the software has to figure it out..

I had to get the Delorme Gps receiver b/c i recked the cable to the microsoft one grrrrr...I'm having a problem with it seeing the sats when the reciver is inside the vehilce. the people usuing the Yellow Earthmate receiver where do have it mounted?