UK Postcode add-on - update?

naubin · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jan 05, 2005 Posts: 8

The UK Postcode add-on is very good, and I was about to donate something towards it - but then I noticed that the database is now over 9 months old. My own postcode is missing.

Does anyone know if there are going to be any updates to the database? I have not mailed the author yet as I thought I would ask here first.

Thanks

naubin · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jan 05, 2005 Posts: 8

Sorry - forgot to put a notify on the first message, hence...

DavidW · Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2005 10:55 pm Post subject:

The database was obtained from another piece of software; I doubt we'll see an update. The best way to keep this up to date would be to licence the data directly from Royal Mail - but that would be expensive.

A further problem on the horizon is that the "common platform" version of TomTom Navigator will almost certainly form the basis of the version of TomTom Navigator that we're expecting TomTom to bring out to supersede TomTom Navigator 3 in Europe in the next six months. At the moment, this version of the program doesn't support the Navigator SDK used by programs like UK Postcode to drive TomTom Navigator - I'm hoping such support is added, but it may not be.

Accordingly, any more work on UK Postcode at the minute may just be a waste of time as the product may be obsolete by the summer.

David

sland · Regular Visitor Joined: Mar 19, 2004 Posts: 144

DavidW · Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2005 11:27 pm Post subject:

To be honest, there's quite a bit of unhappiness about Navigator 2004 - the new USA / Canada product that uses the "common platform" software. Various features that were in Navigator 2 (the USA never got Navigator 3) are missing in Navigator 2004, which is a complete rewrite.

I'm hoping that TomTom add in most or all of the 'missing' features by the time that the next European Pocket PC version of Navigator is released, otherwise I think there'll be uproar!

David

dunno · Regular Visitor Joined: Jun 15, 2004 Posts: 87

oh there will be as i use the postcode function 99% of the time , i rarely use the address lookup ... so i wait & see what will happen

Darren · Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2005 11:56 pm Post subject:

Given the superb work Niels hasd done with UKPostCode I think a donation is fair regardless of the fact that the Poct Code dats is 9months old. Many organisations that subscribe to the official Post Office Post Code database are using data far older than that and they pay a small fortune for it!
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Darren Griffin

naubin · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jan 05, 2005 Posts: 8

The flaw in all of these arguments is the assumption that everyone will change to the next version of TomTom. That isn't going to be the case and will especially not be the case if there are these integration problems.

So, I *do* think there would be value in there being an update, but I don't understand the license thing so unsure if there is additional cost for the author.

Neil

DavidW · Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2005 5:29 pm Post subject:

I think most people will move to the next version of Navigator for two reasons.

Firstly, most people will want the most recent maps; the number of complaints about M6 Toll and other new major roads missing in the Navigator 3 maps shows there is an ongoing interest in this.

Secondly, TomTom's policy this far has been that upgrades are only available for a limited period and only from the previous version (so you could only upgrade to Navigator 3 from Navigator 2, not Navigator 1). That means that if you don't upgrade within that period (typically six months), you lose the chance to upgrade in the future. Of course, you can upgrade and not install the upgrade when you get it, but most people that started out saying they were going to do that with Navigator 3 eventually did switch to Navigator 3. We see very few posts now from people sticking with Navigator 2.

TomTom have all but stopped development on Navigator 3 - though 3.07 does add support for WM2003SE, Navigator 3 doesn't work in landscape mode on WM2003SE, nor does it take any advantage of the higher resolution available on those Pocket PCs with a VGA screen. I doubt, sadly, that we'll see landscape or VGA support added to Navigator 3 now.

Windows Mobile 2005 is apparently going to be released to the device manufacturers in the spring (mid April is being talked about), and if that throws up any compatibility problems with Navigator 3, I can't see them being fixed.

I suspect HP will make an upgrade available to WM2005 for the iPAQ hx4700. They've had a mixed record on issuing upgrades: they didn't offer WM2003SE upgrades for any iPAQs (not that WM2003SE adds that much over and above WM2003), but they did offer WM2003 upgrades for many of their recent Pocket PC 2002 iPAQs (apart from the iPAQ 1910 - there was some argument as to whether that hardware was suitable for WM2003). With WM2005 likely to be a major new release, I suspect that the pressure will be on HP to offer upgrades for all the latest generation of iPAQs - that is, the hx4700, rx3000 series, hx2000 series and h6300 series - these upgrades will, of course, be chargeable. If a WM2005 upgrade becomes available, I'll do what I did with my iPAQ h3970 and the Windows Mobile 2003 upgrade - buy it, then install it at the point where the software companies have issued any necessary updates.

I mention this 'side' issue just to say that nothing stays still. There can eventually be reasons to force you to upgrade. It may be, for example, that TomTom reworks Traffic and eventually drops support for Navigator 3 at some point in the future.

Getting back to the rather less hypothetical - I do hope that TomTom SDK support is added to the "common platform" version of Navigator by the time the next European Pocket PC version is released; I'd hate to lose GPSAssist.

Clearly some further work will have to be done before that release, in that I don't think either of the "common platform" Pocket PC versions released so far (HP Navigation Pack in Europe, TomTom Navigator 2004 USA / Canada) have Traffic support - and I can't see TomTom dropping Traffic!

Time will tell - though I think many existing users will think seriously about moving to alternative products if some of the 'missing' features in the "common platform" software at present are not added before the next European Pocket PC release of TomTom Navigator. I'm waiting with interest for Lutz's comparative review of Navigator 2 USA and Navigator 2004 USA / Canada. My understanding is that TTN2004 doesn't have avoid areas and no Itinerary support other than allowing you one "via" point - both features in Navigator 3 that I use heavily.

Meanwhile the licensing issue for UK Postcode is that easiest way to get up to date data is to get it from the Royal Mail, but they'll charge a lot of money for that data. If Niels went down that route, I expect he'd have to charge a fair amount per copy - maybe £30. This licensing cost is one reason why full postcodes are not built in to TomTom Navigator.

David

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