CoPilot 5 ETA - Tweaking Road Speeds

[topgazza]

Just to try and add some balance here, whilst still supporting the consensus.

Whilst this work round is just that, a workround, theres nothing to say the likes of TT3 doesn't have the same problem. I would conceed that TT3 seems to have tested by TT more thoroughly that CP5 seems to have been done but there will be some routes it screws up as well. Accepting limitations on all products, for better or worse, I believe the PC planning option does eliminate any gaps.

Most definatly not defending ALK in this respect but maybe thats why they are slack in dealing with this issue. So slightly tongue in cheek....

ALK board meeting.

"Jeez guys we really should do something about this poor routing issue2

" Nah, they can use their PCs to set way points. We can spend our resource on some wizzy feature like designing a tiny car instead of the pointer on the road. Make it a Jaguar and the Brits will love it and we can charge them for the upgrade"

"KERCHING"
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TomTom 720

Nokia Lumia 800 with Nokia Maps, iPhone 4S with Apple Maps (sigh)

[Bazzer]

Very tongue-in-cheek Topgazza, but possibly has an element of truth.

The PC routing is all well and good, but what about when you are actually out there on the road, and you can only use your PDA to route you. If you were in a completely unfamiliar with the area, then you would have no option but to rely on the routing given, even if this was to take you half way round the world.

Baz

[topgazza]

Which is why Skippy gets so agitated, that and the nasty rash in his pouch.

Setting the waypoint on a PDA is, well, ponderous (hah Hah HAh). So its nowhere near ideal. I get the impression that all the GPS software companies are pretty poor. I also get the impression that they are not that big either and being US based see our little backwater as precisely that, a backwater. Theres no threat in admitting that CP5 has some bugs, all software has bugs. The fact that the key routing "bug" is such a basic issue SHOULD make it that much more of a priority.

ALK could relieve a lot of this type of heated debate and lost customers by just saying they are looking at it. I've said that before so you wonder if

1. Its too difficult to fix

2. They don't see this as a problem (in the US?) so why work on it elsewhere

3. They don't have the resource to work on fixes

4. They just don't care , which I don't believe but thats the impression they give.

Lots of problems with Sat Nav is down to configs, storage cards etc etc. The main ALK ones are obviously none of those.
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TomTom 720

Nokia Lumia 800 with Nokia Maps, iPhone 4S with Apple Maps (sigh)

[PONDEROUS]

Lutz (lbendlin) now throws in the question of whether the problems are UK-only and therefore of the maps, not the programme.

I have to refer again to the fact that the forum team have not addressed the failure of the Road Speed and/or Road Type tweaks to solve CP 5's routing problems. As I said earlier, Dave erroneously dismissed complaints about the programme's routing by referring to these tweaks while Lutz illogically claimed that altering Road Speeds would solve the Shortest Route problem. It would be odd to say the least if the US version worked properly despite the same flawed logic, so talk of maps is not going to make these issues go away.

Other users have now confirmed that they consider themselves to have been misled, so an appropriate response is needed more than ever.

Some posts ago, I offered to send the team some saved trip files so that they could see the routing errors for themslves and report on the matter. No doubt other users could also send you some trip files.

I now suggest again that the forum team have a good look at these trip files and at the same time go through the whole of these threads and the original review. They then need to make corrective statements wherever they have been unclear, mistaken and, if applicable, less than frank.

I should perhaps stress it will not add credibility to, for example, twist this and claim that it is a request for one-to-one advice - at £100 per hour or any other rate (see earlier response by Dave). It is an opportunity for the team to set matters straight and draw a line under this controversy. I thoroughly recommend that they take it, and invite ALK to do so at the same time.

I would be among the first to congratulate the forum team if there were improvements to the forum, which, for the reasons I have stated cannot be regarded as satisfactory at present. I would be pleased to do the same for the ALK team and their product. I urge both teams to motivate all of us to write our own glowing reviews of them, very soon.

[PONDEROUS]

A few more points, if I may.

1. Lutz rightly points out that few SatNavs offer Route Optimisation. However, like so many CP 5 features, it frequently fails. Only last week, just like the van drivers to whom Lutz recommends it, I wanted to call on 8 or 9 addresses without setting the computer for each address. The route that CP 5 created was more than twice the shortest distance.

2. A few times now, Lutz and Dave have suggested that the Navteq maps might be the culprit. Even if this were the case, it would not relieve ALK of its responsibility. Therefore, contrary to what Dave has said, it is not users' responsibility to sort it out with Navteq.

3. Item 2 above is not the only example of the forum team's apparent misunderstanding as to who is responsible for what. A further example is their apparent belief that because this is a free forum, it is not necessary for the team to take care when making pronouncements about these products.

[Bazzer]

I think PONDEROUS should be applauded for his suggestion that PocketGPS World & ALK should at least acknowledge the fact that there are serious problems with this software and take the necessary steps to redress these problems. But why do I fear that this will fall on deaf ears?

I have been very interested in the routing problems because I have several myself.

As an excerise. I created a route from a point on the main approach into Liverpool from the direction of M62, to my home address on the Wirral. This would entail taking either the Birkenhead Tunnel or the Wallasey Tunnel.

QUICKEST:

Routes via Birkenhead Tunnel. 9 Miles & 22 minutes

SHORTEST:

Routes via Birkenhead Tunnel. 9.3 Miles & 23 minutes.

So, forgive me for being a bit thick, but why is the shortest route actually longer than the quickest route.

I would also query the 'quickest' as it routes it via the Birkenhead Tunnel which is subject to 30mph, and then on urban roads which are all 30mph.

I forced it to route via the Wallasey Tunnel by adding a waypoint. This came out at 10 Miles & 25 Minutes. How can this be when the Wallasey Tunnel is 40mph, and then you are straight on to M53 to within a mile of my home ? Surely, this should be the quickest route ??

It's all very well tweaking the road speeds on the system, but I'm not a programmer and would not be confident doing this, and surely it would invalidate my warranty ?

Baz

[Skippy]

[topgazza]

Two things.

I have driven a lot in the States and whilst I have not seen the CP maps the US is predominatly freeway between any given point. Aprt from local traffic most Americans hit the freeway as the quickest way from a to b. I know thats a generaliation but I have just come off the phone to my pal in Knoxville and he confirms my views. Even local roads tend to be open and fast and based on the good old grid system odd numbers north to south and even numbers west to east (and vice versa of course. They don't have the vast number of B roads that we have . More space basically. This would be different in close urban areas of course but in my experience, California, Conneticut, Texas and Tennessee, towns and country have B roads that we ould classify as A roads. Freeways everywhere.. So maybe this is a good point. Doesn't get us an answer though ...

Secondly. Bazzer should check his POIs as a way to speed his journey. Liverpool versions of CP5 have " Best Place to Nick Alloys" POIs which kick in automatically. Deselect that and the "Cheap DVD Player no instructions" POI as well and he will find his jouney a lot better , if less profitable. Hey, Calm down, calm down.
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TomTom 720

Nokia Lumia 800 with Nokia Maps, iPhone 4S with Apple Maps (sigh)

[Bazzer]

Hey Topgazza, that's fighting talk. Less of the generalisations you southern shandy drinking wuss ! I would come down to Hampshire to sort you out but my CPL5 would probably get me lost on the way down

Baz

[topgazza]

HA HA HA HA ! Excellant point that man.

This could be a whole new career in insulting people though. Ask some giant Haystack geezer type bouncer if they've got CP5, get the affirmative, give them them your post code then call them a sweaty, spot infested . Safety guranteed.

I'd suggest this function as a wish list item but as you point out its already a "feature"
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TomTom 720

Nokia Lumia 800 with Nokia Maps, iPhone 4S with Apple Maps (sigh)

[pepsifreak]

Heya,

Well you wanted an overseas member and you now have one, I'm running the Australian version of CP5 which has only just been released and sad to say we are having the same problems (and a couple more) In addition to poor routing, and POI issues we are also seeing Lag on the map in that we pass the road in real time before the map shows us as having got there, we estimate 50meters or so.
For a discussion about this product in Aus this forum thread is the most active

http://www.mtekk.com.au/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5331&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

Wish we had some solutions for you

Cheers

Pepsifreak

[topgazza]

Blimey, now we have a full house. A scouser who still lives here and a member of the same fraternity that we shipped to Australia 300 years ago.

Only joking Pepsi, I think, welcome and thanks for the info. So there we have it. its a universal problem. (Holds breath and waits for response from ALk....)
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TomTom 720

Nokia Lumia 800 with Nokia Maps, iPhone 4S with Apple Maps (sigh)

[topgazza]

Just scanned through the link Pepsi provided. Its like deja vu. It follows the same pattern of a bunch of happy campers with most getting more disgruntled as the thread goes on. The other common theme is the lack of response from ALK. Does the team actually think ALK exist ?
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TomTom 720

Nokia Lumia 800 with Nokia Maps, iPhone 4S with Apple Maps (sigh)

[Skippy]

[topgazza]

I do my best Skip.

Thank heavens we don't have any Welsh, Scots, Irish, Germnas, Italians, Spanish, Short people, left handed folk, people with a limp, Polish Estate agents, Arsenal supporters,Catholics, Oasis fans and God forbid French. Not forgeting any ALK people of course.
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TomTom 720

Nokia Lumia 800 with Nokia Maps, iPhone 4S with Apple Maps (sigh)

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