CoPilot Live 7 Review Now Available

Darren · Last edited by Darren on Mon Sep 07, 2009 11:18 am; edited 1 time in total

ALK Technologies are well known for their CoPilot navigation application. Having been around in many versions since the inception of affordable end user navigation solutions it has progressed to become a respected and popular package.

The latest version to be released, CoPilot Live 7 is a fully featured navigation application for PocketPC. ALK have redesigned CoPilot Live 7 from the ground up and so it bears little resemblance to its predecessors.

CoPilot 7 is available in many guises, you can purchase it in software only form which is supplied pre-installed on a memory card for easy and quick installation on your own hardware or you can find it bundled and pre-installed on GPS equipped PocketPC Phones from providers such as O2 and T-Mobile in the UK.

For the purposes of this review I am testing the UK Map software only version and our thanks go to ALK Technologies for providing the software.

To read the full review click here.
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Darren Griffin

mark1968 · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 8:38 am Post subject:

Excellent review thank you.

However one point I would like to add is that the desktop appication is now working with windows vista by downloading the following patch, extracting and then copying the files into C:\program files\copioot\central

The like to the download is

http://205.246.138.23/Download/TMobilePatch/Central_v0.5.52.4_patch.zip
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Darren · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 8:41 am Post subject:

Mark, thanks for that. I will test this morning and it it resolves the issue I'll withdraw the comment and ask ALK for an official link.

Update: Works fine, excellent. I've removed the comment and am seeking clarification from ALK.
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Darren Griffin

Si · Occasional Visitor Joined: Sep 30, 2003 Posts: 26

That is a very interesting review thank you.
.
How does the programme transmit the user location please, I have a Mio 201, will it transmit with that or is telephony needed.
.
Many Thanks Si.

Darren · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 9:48 pm Post subject:

You need data access, either using a PDA/Phone or by connecting your mobile to a suitable phone with data access via Bluetooth.

if you can browse the web on your PDA then it'll work Smile

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Darren Griffin

boff180 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Apr 03, 2006 Posts: 1

My VARIO III connects to copilot live via GPRS/HSDPA.

Excellent review guys.

Andy

Fellwalker · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 9:52 pm Post subject:

I am interested that you say Copilot 7 routed you the way that you expected.
I got rid of 6 because its routing was rubbish. Apart from that, I liked it more than TomTom. For example, coming down the M1 from the North, going to London City airport, it routed me along the old A1. Several hours, hundreds of traffic lights later, we got there. A friend had TOmTOm so we did some comparison routings. In every case that a town or city was involved, Copilot routed through, whereas TomTOm routed the sensible way. I had set Copilot up to favour dual carriageways, so it was not that.

TomTom, which I had avoided like the plague, routed me round the M25 and in the M11, which I found is the route recommended by the airport itself. When we next came down, it was an hour quicker.

Nearer to home, from one side of Middlesbrough to the other, Copilot 6 took me through the centre - on A roads, but in traffic and with lights and 30mph limits. TomTom takes me round via dual carriageways, saving 20 minutes on a typical day.

I had loved the maps and the "unguided mode" where I could see the road ahead, yet have traffic cameras warned. The bends on Copilot actually looked like the bends on the road. It had a sensible view of enough road, and i could choose how much of the road ahead i wanted to see. I had the choice of zooming in or out. Not so on TT.

My musings may help those considering a change.

BlueJay · Occasional Visitor Joined: Feb 20, 2004 Posts: 15

How do I get the unguide mode? This was a feature in CoPilot4 but I haven't seen it since?

Is it back in CoPilot7?

Thnx
RJ

Darren · Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 8:07 am Post subject:

Do you mean moving map with no guidance? Just select 'Drive' on the opening quick menu.
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Darren Griffin

BlueJay · Occasional Visitor Joined: Feb 20, 2004 Posts: 15

I assume that the "trip-sheet" needs to blank then??

thnx!

Will have to try this when I am back in Europe....

Darren · Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 8:17 am Post subject:

Yes you need to clear any active route, Menu -> Clear Destination
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Darren Griffin

dbb · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 08, 2006 Posts: 16

how do you get the bigger buttons variation of the keyboard layout?
ie letters only without the numbers.
i can only get the full keyboard with smaller buttons

dbb

Darren · Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 11:50 am Post subject:

Menu -> Settings -> Device -> Keyboard -> Alphabetical
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Darren Griffin

dbb · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 08, 2006 Posts: 16

Hi Darren,
thanks for your reply.
yeah - that was my initial thought. i tried that and all it does is re order the layout - even after a reset.

i still have 10 columns of keys - i can't get it to display like your alphabetical layout where it shows as 5 rows and 6 columns.

for what it is worth, i'm using the O2 Orbit 2 with the o2 version of the software.

even better yet, the layout of the keyboard for the upcoming local search would be my preference - 5 rows, 6 columns and a qwerty layout.

(i had to stop and think how to spell qwerty! Embarassed

)

Darren · Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 12:12 pm Post subject:

Very odd, So you can switch from QWERTY to ABCDE but it still shows numbers?

I'll ask one of my colleagues who has the O2 version to check if they can repeat that on their version.
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Darren Griffin

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