While the memory in your unit would, in therory, be able to hold a few maps, the PalmOS reserves that space for applications and palm database files. Other files (including Outdoor Navigator Maps) must be stored on an external media card. Unfortunately, this is by design of the Palm units and is not something that Outdoor Navigator can work-around.

Sincerely,

-Ed Lecuyer

Manager, Quality Assurance and Technical Support

I just discovered after installing the O.N. demo on my Pocket PC that maps MUST be stored on removeable media. Is there any chance that the Pocket PC/Windows Moblie version of O.N. will ever support maps loading from main memory, so that the SD slot can be used for a bluetooth SD card (and thus a bluetooth GPS)?

My Pocket PC phone only has an SD card slot, but it is SDIO capable, so my plan has been (since March) to buy Socketcom's bluetooth SD card, store all my PPC programs on a separate SD card, and then store the Maptech maps and program in main memory (64MB). I purchased the Samsung i700 PPC phone in June (when it came out) assuming this would be possible.

Now that I finally got to try the O.N. for PPC demo, I've discovered this glitch. Now I must either wait until a cable-based GPS solution becomes available or use an inferior topo map software program (no i700 GPS cables are on the horizon, and the pinout is proprietary, meant to defeat 3rd party hardware manufacturers (Pharos is struggling to figure out the intentionally confusing wiring)).

I know several people would be interested in seeing main-memory map storage happen. There is a forum at www.pdaphonehome.com discussing the GPS options for this phone, and several people in the forums would like to be able to use a bluetooth GPS. I just need to know if it is something I could ever expect, or if I need to look into the alternatives.

I would especially like to use Maptech's O.N. software with the soon-to-be released Navman 4400 bluettoth GPS with a 30-hour removable battery life. According to the forums at gpspassion.com, Navman and Maptech are owned by the same company (?). If I can load maps into main memory, I would gleefully purchase both (I've been waiting since January!), but if I can't load maps into main memory, I can't use them together. The Samsung PPCPhone is by far the best PPC device ever made, so throwing it out of the equation is not an option.

My perfect life: Samsung i700 PPCPE + Navman 4400 BT GPS + Maptech Outdoor Navigator.

Thank you for your reply in advance.

What follows is an exerpt of a discussion bewteen John (the poster of this thread) and Jeff Seigel, who is the developer responsible for Outdoor Navigator. While this discussion took place on another message board, I have copied it here for the sake of completeness.

-Ed Lecuyer

Manager, Quality Assurance and Technical Support



=======================

Jeff Seigel [Developer of Outdoor Navigator] wrote:

Yes, it does it today. I'm not sure why it never made it to the documentation - it's the second time I've been asked about this. Chalk it up to a first version documentation miss.

There are two places in main memory where map files can also be placed:

1. Any main memory RAM storage device in a /OutdoorNav directory. For example, the iPAQ creates an "iPAQ File Store." Maps will be loaded from My Device/iPAQ File Store/OutdoorNav. If one of these main memory RAM storage devices is configured on your PPC, it's location can be selected from the "Select the desired storage location" dialog that is displayed when installing maps from your desktop PC.

2. The /OutdoorNav directory (if it exists) in the directory where the application is located. By default this is My Device/Program Files/Outdoor Navigator/OutdoorNav. In this case you need to create the OutdoorNav directory before moving map files there. Move the files manually using the "Explore" feature of ActiveSync.


John's [Outdoor Navigtaor Customer] response:

You have just made my week! No, my year!!!

I have a PPC iPAQ 3800 series and have down loaded the software and it tells me I need to have active sync installed on my home unit and I do but the maptech software installer does not recognise active sync 3.7. The Tech support sent me a newer version of the outdoor nav. demo and this installs but there is no world map and it does not recognise my sd card in the slot. What gives and can anyone help?

The problem does not appear to be with Active Sync 3.7, per se. There are certain systems where the Pocket PC files installed in Windows are not available to our installer, for some still-unknown reason.

I have seen the "no memory card" problem, and I emailed you an installer *should* fix both issues. It also includes the world map, but no sample maps. (I can zip and email those separately, if you wish.)

Please let me know if it works for you.

Sincerely,

-Ed Lecuyer

Manager, Quality Assurance and Technical Support

This customer reported that the version I sent to him is working properly in his configuration. This fix will be incorporated into the upcomming 1.3 release of Outdoor Navigator. In the meanwhile, anyone who is having this trouble should send an email to support@maptech.com, and we'll forward you a new version.

Sincerely,

-Ed Lecuyer

Manager, Quality Assurance and Technical Support

i am able to copy and paste maps from a storage card to my jornada 568 safe store annd then am able to use a cf slot receiver. i can't remember how a ON folder was created, but i think copying the world map did it. there seems to be a limitation of approximately 10 MB, or 2 maps, which may be pocketpc in origen. (i have plenty of memory available).

i hope this can be helpful to someone.