Wishes for next version?

darthpaul · Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2005 11:46 pm Post subject: Wishes for next version?

I'm sure there have been many many threads such as this, but it's interesting finding out what other people want.

I've been using Navigon Mobile Navigator through work for a few months, finally, I'm back to TomTom. Thank God.

TomTom's interface is so much better. It's so intuitive compared to MN4.

Anyways, one of the things I did like about MN4 were the voice cues.

"Turn right onto the M60 in 400 yards"

Vocalising the road you need to join is a great idea. TomTom should do that.

TMC traffic works quite well in MN4 too. It's just a shame that the interface is so slow and useless. TomTom traffic looks lovely, the way it integrates into the interface, the little route summary to the left of the navigator view. It's a really good idea.

Just a shame I can't really justify the subscription costs, as I don't really use major roads for long trips all that often.

TomTom should use TMC. Smile

Does the TomTom SDK allow access to the traffic functions? It'd be possible to write a plugin that sources traffic info from TMC, or maybe the web, for free. I'm surprised noone has done this already.

I'm rambling now. Smile

lbendlin · Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2005 2:12 am Post subject:

Speaking street names? Not sure where you take that from - as far as I know Navigon do not use TTS either. They do have a huge array of wave files (434 individual snippets) so maybe they can do some dirty tricks.

Overall TTS is just not yet there - you can't really understand what the robotic voice is trying to say, especially when it tries to pronounce foreign street names.

TomTom Traffic (as well as Route 66) are using TMC via the web. But this is only useful in a limited market - four countries in Europe as far as I know... Too early for world wide adoption.
_________________
Lutz

Report Map Errors here:
TomTom/TeleAtlas NAVTEQ

darthpaul · Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2005 2:59 am Post subject:

I'm not too bothered about street names, more the numbers. As you say, these can be recorded along with the rest of the voice .wav files. This is what MN4 does. I think its really useful, especially at roundabouts with many exits.

lbendlin · Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2005 3:21 am Post subject:

So it doesn't say "M60" after all?
_________________
Lutz

Report Map Errors here:
TomTom/TeleAtlas NAVTEQ

Diplo · Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:23 am Post subject:

darthpaul · Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2005 5:35 pm Post subject:

robpow · Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2005 5:48 pm Post subject:

lbendlin · Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2005 6:45 pm Post subject:

funny you mention pSpeak... I am testing it with the german UI, and the result is, uhm, funny (I am holding back here because generally I like Mapopolis a lot).

But even US street names are creating quite a chuckle in everyday navigation. "Main St" is spoken "Main Saint" and "Hollow Dr" is spoken "Hollow Doctor" and so on.
_________________
Lutz

Report Map Errors here:
TomTom/TeleAtlas NAVTEQ

DavidW · Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2005 7:23 pm Post subject:

There's no SDK support to hook into the Traffic features of the program, and I can't see TomTom providing it as it would allow people to compete with their own traffic product.

In fact, there's no SDK support at all in the "common platform" version of Navigator which is likely to be at the centre of the next Pocket PC release of TomTom Navigator for Europe.

I think this thread is largely redundant; I'm expecting most of the development work is done, the product announcement may well come at CeBIT, and I expect the software to be basically this. TomTom said at CeBIT 2004 that all future releases would be based on their "common platform".

If you read this, you'll see that my wish at this stage is that whatever replaces Navigator 3 in Europe has as many of the Navigator 2 and Navigator 3 features that Navigator 2004 USA / Canada lacks implemented before release. I hope I'm pleasantly surprised by the eventual replacement for Navigator 3; I fear, though, that I will not be.

David

MarkHewitt · Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2005 3:10 pm Post subject:

I'd like it to classify roads much better, and according to the road classification system adopted by Ordanance Survey and the government.

i.e. Motorways should always be mapped as blue
Primary A roads mapped as green
Non-primary A roads mapped as red
B-roads mapped as brown
Unclassified roads mapped as yellow
Local access roads mapped as white

These colours could also be replicated in backgrounds for turn indications etc.

In this country we have a very good system of colour coding classifications of roads, it would make things easier if you know you were turning onto a primary A-road for example, that you knew you had to look for the green sign!

ari · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jan 05, 2005 Posts: 6

nice sounding text to speech exists now, so including it in TT should not be a problem to have propered street names said. rather the lots of sound clips for just A and M road. Plus it will be multi language too.

try out this demo: http://www.research.att.com/projects/tts/demo.html

lbendlin · Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2005 7:18 pm Post subject:

Don't forget, this is a server based TTS engine. Who knows what speed that machine is running at -and even it needs about 2 seconds to create the file.

For mobile devices the processor performance just isn't good enough for that type of sound quality.
_________________
Lutz

Report Map Errors here:
TomTom/TeleAtlas NAVTEQ

	PocketGPS
	Web