Questions about the Motorola A780 GPS phone

daveymoll · Occasional Visitor Joined: Oct 06, 2003 Posts: 16

Ive read a couple of articles about this phone which has a internal gps receiver, what i would like to know is following

1) I think it runs on a linux system no idea what this means, would it be possible to install tomtom mobile on this device as my preferred choice is tomtom

2) I like the idea of being rid of a seperate gps receiver which has to be carried around and charged extra hassle, one can do without, has anyone either used one of these units or can give me feedback as to what the battery life would likely to be on the A780.

lbendlin · Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 12:53 am Post subject:

1) no. TomTom Mobile is compiled for Windows CE, not for Linux. You could try running the TomTom GO code on that phone but it will probably break because the TomTom GO Linux kernel is tailored to the GO hardware.

2) Before SiRF III having an integrated receiver was a bad idea due to a conflict of interest - you want to see the display, and the receiver wants to see the sky. But with SiRF III it doesn't matter that much any more.

Having said that I believe the Motorola has an older chipset...
_________________
Lutz

Report Map Errors here:
TomTom/TeleAtlas NAVTEQ

daveymoll · Occasional Visitor Joined: Oct 06, 2003 Posts: 16

thanks for the reply darren, on item 2 re receiver due to it running pre sirf 111 are you saying reception may not be good because of the position looking at the display, sorry for asking im not a techie

dave

lbendlin · Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 2:04 am Post subject:

last time I checked my name was still Lutz.

yes, when you pull the mobile closer to you to see the tiny display you are decreasing the chances of the receiver to have a decent sky view.
_________________
Lutz

Report Map Errors here:
TomTom/TeleAtlas NAVTEQ

bandit_1961 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Feb 24, 2006 Posts: 1

ive had the A780 for over a month and had nothing but problems ...
the sat nav has no reception over vast areas (A406 & M25 london included) ... Ive had a new exchange phone but the problems the same ...
ALK say its to do with the inconsistency of the build -phone @ transcard ...
but all they do is point you back in the direction of Motorola ... After numerous phone calls ... Motorola have finally given me a reference number that i can send my phone back to their service center ... I sent it off this morning ... so i will keep you posted Confused

battery life is acceptable ... but if your using sat nav .. its recommended to keep phone on charger ... easy if your driving ... Wink

SaracenGB · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 03, 2006 Posts: 1

I'm not actually having any problems with the CoPilot software on my A780 but be warned -- running CoPilot on an A780 disables the voice dial function. Apparently Motorola know of this but CoPilot and my service provider don't!

JCHAMMER · Occasional Visitor Joined: Nov 30, 2005 Posts: 4

I've just got an A780 on T-Mobile and I'm also having problems with no GPS signal in the north London area.
On a trip from Essex to Enfield on the M25 I lost signal from the M11 onwards, and the next day a trip to Harlow again left the "aquiring current position" message displayed until I started to make my way back.
Upon speaking to Motorola they have tried to tell me it's a 3G problem with the network (I thought sat nav was a stand alone system?), and as of now I'm waiting for someone higher up the chain to call me back.

JCHAMMER · Occasional Visitor Joined: Nov 30, 2005 Posts: 4

Since posting Motorola have told me to exchange the phone, which I have done.
Since doing this the new phone has been noticably slower, with a "no sim" box popping up every now and again.
Today I could not get the phone to send or recieve calls and have taken out the sim card to put in my old phone, which works fine.
Having bought this for the sat nav only I wonder if it's worth sticking with?

JCHAMMER · Occasional Visitor Joined: Nov 30, 2005 Posts: 4

Here's an e-mail I recieved from ALK,
"Recently you requested personal assistance from our on-line support
center. Below is a summary of your request and our response.

If this issue is not resolved to your satisfaction, you may reopen it
within the next 21 days.

Subject
---------------------------------------------------------------
North London GPS Blackout

Discussion Thread
---------------------------------------------------------------
Response (Priyakant) - 22/03/2006 09.43 AM
Dear John,

Thank you for contacting CoPilot Technical Support.

Please accept our apologies for not responding to you earlier.

The problem you are experiencing is a known issue with the version of CoPilot you are running in the ROM of the A780.

To resolve this issue, you will need to have the latest ROM build of the A780 flashed to your phone and this will require you
sending this into a Motorola Service Center and cannot be performed by the end user.

If you would like to have your phone updated to the latest firmware, can you please send it to the following address. We would
strongly suggest you send it insured for the total cost of the phone as ALK Technologies Ltd and Motorola cannot be held responsible
for any package you send that goes missing before it reaches the destination. We would usually suggest sending via Royal Mail
Special Delivery as this insures the cost of the phone and provides you with online tracking so you can see when it arrives at the
Motorola Service Center.

The Motorola Service Center that deals with this request is as follows:-
F.A.O John White
S.B.E.
Beaver Industrial Estate
Ashford
Kent
TN23 7SH

Tel: +44 1233 619 320

Please enclose a note with your name and address requesting that your phone is upgraded to the following Motorola A780 software
version: R52_G_0D.76.A1R_0D.C0.B1P

Please note that any data stored in your phone memory (such as photos, contacts in the phone, text messages, mp3 files etc) will be
lost in the upgrade process.

If you have any further questions, or feel that this incident has not been resolved to your satisfaction, please do not hesitate to
bring this to our attention.

Regards,

CoPilot European Technical Support
Email: ukcustservice@alk.eu.com
Tel: 020 7404 4222"

Hope this helps anyone with the same problem.
JC.

Tubal · Occasional Visitor Joined: Oct 05, 2005 Posts: 48

I have been using the A780 for about a month in Scotland and I have had no problems. I even ran it side by side with my I3 and I have to say I like the phone best. The only problem I see is that you can download the speed camera database for it but in the A780 phone blurb it says poi's will only show "at low speeds and when stopped". What possible use is a soeed camera database then?????
All in all I like it

guaranteed · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jun 02, 2007 Posts: 1

I have had the Motorola a780 since it first came out (a few years now). I upgraded the firmware, added POI to installed co-pilot (including speed camera's).

I can easily say that this is a fantastic phone. Although it is a little harder to get software, it is still possible to obtain and my phone is full of freeware software.

The gps although at times is temperamental (usually fixed with a reboot), in general it has been fantastic. The co-pilot includes europe as well as UK (although I have never left the UK with it). The cd's that came with it allow me to track anyone else (who gives me permisson) or friends to track me instead of ringing me to see where I am (I can turn it off if I want).

I have had a Nokia N95 and although a much higher spec phone is not as well built as my A780 and the A780 sat nav is much more accurate in my experience. I often had a display of being off the map and off road on the N95. But with the a780 I have never had this problem.

Although I usually don't like Motorola phones this one I am keeping for a lot longer than any phone I have had. I can't see myself getting rid (even though I have thought of it to get a more modern looking model). If I lose my parked car, hotel where I am staying or the place I am meant to meet friends in an unfamiliar location or in a busy city (like London), I can always explore and find my way back without asking for directions because of my constant companion the A780 Laughing

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