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Retty
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 Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 1:01 pm Post subject: Miomap 3.2 update |
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I see that a Miomap 3.2 update is available.
Once installed the version date of Miomap.exe is still shown as January 2007. I also can't see any obvious differences in terms of features.
I notice that I've also now lost the German and Austrian speedcams that were on the device. |
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rfp2001
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| Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 2:47 pm Post subject: |
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| The German & Austrian speed cameras have been withdrawn since it is now their legislation that such camera detectors cannot be used! |
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Retty
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| Posted: Sun Aug 05, 2007 11:21 am Post subject: |
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| rfp2001 wrote: | | The German & Austrian speed cameras have been withdrawn since it is now their legislation that such camera detectors cannot be used! |
I had avoided updating the speedcam file in order to keep the German camera locations - I realised that updating Miomap would probably also result in the "new" speed camera file being downloaded and it did.
I can't find any details of the German and the Austrian laws - in either English or German and I'm starting to doubt that they exist in the clear cut form that's been suggested. Some companies still provide German speedcam locations (unless I'm looking at out of date info).
There doesn't seem to be any obvious difference in terms of extra features in this release of Miomap although I notice that the gpstmc.dll file (in the Windows directory of the device) has been updated. The TMC reporting bugs still remain although I've noticed a possible difference that I'll check out in the next week.
The update works without an error on this occasion.
I wonder if Mio will update 3.2 with at least some of the features provided by 3.3 - TTS and so on? Miomap 3.2 is now lagging behind iGO in terms of useful features. POI expandability - and the option to use third party applications or at least databases created by third party applications - would certainly be good - it's a bit annoying, when searching for somewhere to eat, to be more or less limited to the local McDonalds ;-) |
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GPS_fan
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Joined: Jan 04, 2007
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Location: Hampshire, UK
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| Posted: Sun Aug 05, 2007 1:24 pm Post subject: |
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I think it depends very much upon what you're looking to get out of your GPS.
For navigation purposes and speed cameras, my Mio worked flawlessly from the south coast to the Lake District whilst a friend's built-in GPS failed several times with basic navigation.
Looking for places to eat (as you mention Gareth) and other POIs is always a tricky thing....
one place we stopped to eat, the menu specified home made this and that - and it came out clearly from frozen packets...we were the second table in but everybody else's food came out first and the waitress said "other people's orders have been quicker to prepare so they came out quicker". We were told at one point that our food was just being served up in the kitchen, but it was still another 20 odd minutes before it reached our table and some meals were cold...and this place was listed in a guide
another place we ate, home made was definitely the case and despite the landlady saying to somebody that she'd spent 2 days on the phone trying to get waitresses the service was first class and the food was faultless. The first time we ate there, we ordered a steak...the chef said he'd run out of steak but he could go to the butcher and pick up his order if we were happy to wait 15 minutes. Sadly, this place wasn't listed anywhere - just a lucky find
...now which of these 2 places would people prefer
When I'm in unfamiliar territory, I tend to drive around and see what I find, what I like the look of and what the menu looks like...but this also isn't a faultless system.
TMC was a little flakey during the trip, but it was backed up with a TrafficMaster Freeway. Unfortunately, we're pioneers of this technology and I can see it improving as more GPS manufacturers introduce TMC onto their systems.
I must be honest and say that I hadn't heard of TMC until after I'd purchased my Mio, so I saw this as a bonus and, with the exception of a few occasion hiccups, I think it is improving - subject to RDS signal reception, which iTIS say they are working on.
TrafficMaster have told me that they would like to join this forum - but nothing yet - and although they had been my favoured choice because of having a TraficMaster Freeway for about 10 years, my allegiances are changing because iTIS seem to be more pro-active.
The problem you have seem with directional errors has been brought to the attention of Mio and they have apparently brought this matter to the attention of their software developers - so I hope that when you try your system with the latest update, this might have been fixed but I'm assured that it is being worked on.
Like you, I had thought that the software and speed cam updates were seperate and I would have expected the German database to have been unaffected.
I guess that you could try the PGPSW database for these countries.
I'll let you know how I get on with the 2007 maps as soon as I've tried them
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Retty
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| Posted: Sun Aug 05, 2007 7:54 pm Post subject: |
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| GPS_fan wrote: | I think it depends very much upon what you're looking to get out of your GPS.
For navigation purposes and speed cameras, my Mio worked flawlessly from the south coast to the Lake District whilst a friend's built-in GPS failed several times with basic navigation.
Looking for places to eat (as you mention Gareth) and other POIs is always a tricky thing....
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Yes, the various upper range Mio devices - and Miomap - are very good and I think unbeatable value for money (TMC, maps of Europe, bluetooth handsfree and a decent processor for about £300).
I do experience occasional crashes - "fatal exception errors" and so on - which are usually but not always geographically specific. There's a juntion in Exeter that triggers a crash every time. The really, really odd thing is that I remember a Medion device crashing in the same place. But then again it's difficult to remember details like this - short of keeping a diary and becoming a fully paid up trainspotter :-)
I don't know how accessible the Mio devices are for beginners though - Miomap isn't the easiest or most intuitive interface to use (it certainly takes a bit of getting used to).
Yes the POI issue isn't simple - it would be a shame to be restricted to even a large directory of advertised restaurants and to miss some of the good value for money gems that are out there. And to be honest in some of the places I've been to McDonalds is the best available - and it's reassuring to know that it's always possible to find one!
I remember that last year it was hoped that Miomap 3.2 would allow the import of POI databases in HTML format. It's a shame that the Mio PNA devices are closed in this respect - the Miomap PDAs are much more flexible in terms of POI and third party apps. The C710 and it successors have a decent amount of memory which could easily store a larger POI database. Iirc the official Miomap 2007 provides the smaller of the iGO POI databases. Unlocking the device is one option but having tried this route late last year (shortly after buying the C710) I concluded that the system wasn't as stable.
I can't remember for sure - again I could be imagining it - but I vaguely remember Miomap 3.1 grouping restaurant POI under categories such as "Chinese" and so on. 3.2 doesn't do this and I wonder if I imagined the whole thing. It's possible that I'm missing a simple option somewhere - I've only just discovered the excellent "bypass" option in the "Route Recalculation" menu.
I'm going to trust TMC less and expect less from it. You're right about it being a developing technology. A trip to Milton Keynes recently saw me re-directed down all sorts of rural lanes in order to miss jams that I'm pretty sure never existed - I could see the Motorway at times moving freely despite the congestion icons displayed on Miomap. Sod's Law kicked in of course - the only time I ignored the device's warning I hit the mother of all jams on the M25! Seriously though it is just a tool and one that can and perhaps should be usefully informed by local knowledge for the best use.
It's a great device and one that has, for me, altered the experience of driving in unknown areas from one of stress riddled nightmare to one of cocky certainty that I will, eventually, get to the destination with little problem. |
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GPS_fan
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| Posted: Sun Aug 05, 2007 9:45 pm Post subject: |
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The problem is that as GPS systems do more, we expect more from them...I might be classed as old fashioned, but I also like a quick look at a road atlas too so that I have a fair idea of where I'm going and what suitable alternatives there might be before I leave.
In the Lake District, my Mio was flawless but we had fun with a friend's system which said we still had over 5 miles to go when we were sitting at our destination...and it crashed...and it seems to take forever to re-route if you go wrong. That system was about 1500 squids as an optional extra with bluetooth so pound for pound the Mio is FANTASTIC value for money. I've also tried it alongside a TomTom system and the Mio wins hands down for me. The only thing that I'd like my Mio to have is the split screen that the newer widescreen units have so that junctions, roundabouts etc are clearer a little further ahead than they are at the moment, but I probably wouldn't want that if I hadn't ever seen a split screen system
I use TMC in conjunction with a TrafficMaster Freeway and radio traffic bulletins...and I still occasionally end up in a traffic jam.
iTIS and TrafficMaster rely on sensors of some kind to monitor traffic, feed the information into a computer and then relay details of problems to various sources. I can't remember for certain, but I recall somewhere in the back of my mind that the TrafficMaster system can take about 20 minutes from the sensors detecting slow traffic to this information being relayed to the Freeway unit - so 'real time' reporting has potential for slight delay...and then also the traffic may have cleared by the time you reach that spot still thinking there might be a delay.
I'm not sure what the delay time for iTIS is quoted as.
Coming back to POIs, I like to manually add these so that I know exactly where and what they are. This is useful for the motorway services I'm planning to stop at and how far they are etc. I name them (eg Hilton Park Services North, Knutsford Services South) and save them under headings of my own choosing so that I know where to look if I wish to re-use them. When I use a POI for a motorway service, I always put it on the exit slip from the motorway so that I know I'll be routed through it and the system won't try and lead me on a wild goose chase around the services
Adding your own POI can be useful if you want to take a particular route. For example, the Mio tried routing me along the M6 toll but because I wanted to use Hilton Park services, it had to route me along the M6. Beware of using postcode alone though because the postcode database on the Mio and elsewhere may not be 100% accurate or up to date.
I guess that stuff like this is down to personal preference.
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Retty
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| Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 6:21 pm Post subject: |
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So far the only obvious difference I can see/hear is the return of the female voice announcing "traffic jam ahead"!
The TMC errors are still there :-( I have though seen a few reports (all of which have been non motorway reports) where the direction in the first and second line of TMC information agree. |
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GPS_fan
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| Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 6:34 pm Post subject: |
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When you say the errors are still there, have you actually experienced a traffic jam in the opposite direction to what your Mio is telling you, or are you saying that the heading and sub-heading don't match?
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Retty
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| Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 8:59 pm Post subject: |
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| GPS_fan wrote: | | When you say the errors are still there, have you actually experienced a traffic jam in the opposite direction to what your Mio is telling you, or are you saying that the heading and sub-heading don't match? |
The heading and sub-heading still don't match. Often the sub-heading will be the same in 2 messages despite the fact that the main heading direction is the opposite in each message (Brighton to Pevensey and Pevensey to Brighton; Basingstoke to London and London to Basingstoke seem to be favourites).
I've noticed a new TMC icon and a new TMC alert appearing - there's a rain icon consisting of a cloud and a rain drop! The first time I ever saw it was last night - a bit like a TomTom weather alert. It warned of "Rain" on the A3. I suppose the new icon and processing information is contained in the new gpstmc.dll file.
There also seems to be some changes to routing guides but I can't be sure (I don't remember seeing them in the previous Miomap download). When continuing straight on a road that forks Miomap will now tell you to keep left or keep right in order to stay on the road you are on (previously iirc Miomap would only tell you to keep right or keep left if you were about to change on to another road in the fork - for example M27 to M3. Now Miomap will will tell you to stay on the M3 when there is a choice).
The route calculation gave me a very odd route on 2 occasions (yesterday). It directed me on to (going out) and off (coming back) a logical and fast motorway route in favour of a slower but shorter distance A road route. I never saw this route with the previous Miomap download. There was no TMC information to support the odd routing and despite deleting the route and recalculating the route I couldn't alter it. Then strangely it reverted to the logical route - for no apparent reason - following an automatic "route recalculation".
The TMC reception is really patchy though - no software update can fix that  |
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GPS_fan
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| Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 10:54 pm Post subject: |
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| Retty wrote: | | The heading and sub-heading still don't match. |
I think that you're being too critical here because I've double checked a Mio unit with an older (TrafficMaster) version of 3.2 running on it and TMC shows headings and sub-headings giving different information.
As I've said before, I think that this is simply because the roads are broken up into blocks and the heading identifies the block, whilst the sub-heading identifies the exact location and direction.
Perhaps somebody could confirm or correct this - it would be really helpful here if TrafficMaster had bothered to join the forum in the same way that iTIS have.
iTIS TMC appears to contain information not included in TrafficMaster reports - traffic light failure, rain..whilst TrafficMaster only seems to report queues, road closures, accidents and roadworks.
RDS/FM reception is a big problem which BOTH providers need to address. iTIS have indicated that this is in progress, although they have yet to announce any timescale for the introduction of new radio stations
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Retty
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| Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2007 9:14 am Post subject: |
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| GPS_fan wrote: | | Retty wrote: | | The heading and sub-heading still don't match. |
I think that you're being too critical here because I've double checked a Mio unit with an older (TrafficMaster) version of 3.2 running on it and TMC shows headings and sub-headings giving different information.
As I've said before, I think that this is simply because the roads are broken up into blocks and the heading identifies the block, whilst the sub-heading identifies the exact location and direction.
Perhaps somebody could confirm or correct this - it would be really helpful here if TrafficMaster had bothered to join the forum in the same way that iTIS have.
iTIS TMC appears to contain information not included in TrafficMaster reports - traffic light failure, rain..whilst TrafficMaster only seems to report queues, road closures, accidents and roadworks.
RDS/FM reception is a big problem which BOTH providers need to address. iTIS have indicated that this is in progress, although they have yet to announce any timescale for the introduction of new radio stations |
It isn't true that the sub-heading identifies the direction on the Mio device - this is the problem. The main heading and sub-heading should agree and whilst the main heading direction is almost always correct (according to map direction of jam and real world direction of jam) the sub-heading direction is almost never correct. In fact the sub-heading can be identical in 2 messages despite the 2 messages reporting a jam in different directions (in the main heading).
There does seem to be a problem with Mio TMC processing. I don't doubt that the problem also affected TM processing as well.
It looks as if it's a problem that isn't going to be fixed - unless mention of the problem starts to appear in sales impacting reviews of the devices  |
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GPS_fan
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| Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2007 11:29 am Post subject: |
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But the heading and sub-heading don't match with the earlier TrafficMaster version of 3.2
This morning I borrowed a unit with the ORIGINAL version of 3.2 with TrafficMaster TMC and headings and sub-headings were different:
M1 J6 WATFORD NORTH - J8 HEMEL HEMPSTEAD
J10 LUTON - J8 HEMEL HEMPSTEAD
Slow traffic for 2 miles
I was hoping to quote a few more, but the screen went blank before I had time to do anything.
It would appear that this phenomenon is common to both iTIS and TrafficMaster and isn't unique to the later versions of 3.2 which use iTIS.
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Retty
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| Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2007 1:28 pm Post subject: |
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| GPS_fan wrote: | But the heading and sub-heading don't match with the earlier TrafficMaster version of 3.2
This morning I borrowed a unit with the ORIGINAL version of 3.2 with TrafficMaster TMC and headings and sub-headings were different:
M1 J6 WATFORD NORTH - J8 HEMEL HEMPSTEAD
J10 LUTON - J8 HEMEL HEMPSTEAD
Slow traffic for 2 miles
I was hoping to quote a few more, but the screen went blank before I had time to do anything.
It would appear that this phenomenon is common to both iTIS and TrafficMaster and isn't unique to the later versions of 3.2 which use iTIS. |
But it is a problem with Miomap and it seems only to affect left hand drive roads (I don't see the problem when driving in France or Holland).
Gareth. |
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GPS_fan
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| Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2007 2:07 pm Post subject: |
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OK, I'm getting confused (or confusing the issue) because I'm sure I've seen somewhere that your wrote about these problems not being apparent with the original TrafficMaster TMC.
This is why I'd made the assumption about the roads being split into sections etc and there's no real useful information available for how TMC works or what you should expect to be displayed on your unit.
I might give Mio a chase and let them know that their latest update hasnt resolved this issue
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Retty
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| Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2007 5:45 pm Post subject: |
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| GPS_fan wrote: | OK, I'm getting confused (or confusing the issue) because I'm sure I've seen somewhere that your wrote about these problems not being apparent with the original TrafficMaster TMC.
This is why I'd made the assumption about the roads being split into sections etc and there's no real useful information available for how TMC works or what you should expect to be displayed on your unit.
I might give Mio a chase and let them know that their latest update hasnt resolved this issue |
No, fair point, I remember I did say that I hadn't noticed the problems with TM TMC (I could even have said that they weren't present with TM TMC 
But what this shows is that the problem isn't a problem with iTIS TMC messages but rather with Miomap itself. I can't see the problem being fixed but maybe that's just pessimism on my part.
There is a problem - I'm certain of that. I'm sad enough to be able to provide photographic evidence of the problem on a range of roads! I would like this to be fixed because I suspect that it's quite easy to fix it.
I have noticed on a number of recent occasions that the TMC direction problem has placed the jam on the wrong side of the road (this seems to happen when the two lines of the report do agree with each other). |
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