Pocket Copilot 3.5 + Bluetooth GPS?

ohm62 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Oct 27, 2004 Posts: 19

I am running an old copy of Copilot on my iPaq 3970: v3.5

I recently purchased a Holux GR-230 Bluetooth GPS.

Copilot refuses to talk to it. Worse, the option screen that should allow for manual configuration of the serial port and speed has those choices greyed out. The default choice is "Auto detect" and visibly does not work properly.

Any suggestion? Does anyone know how to make the greyed out options available again?

Thanks,

-- OHM.

lbendlin · Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2004 12:31 am Post subject:

You may be out of luck there. CP3.5 didn't know that there would ever be something above COM5. You'll need to think about upgrading to CP5
_________________
Lutz

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ohm62 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Oct 27, 2004 Posts: 19

! Thanks! (how did you come across that info? Couldn't find it anywhere on the net, while googling away...)

Actually, considering ditching that one and getting another software package, such as Destinator 3, since TravRoute support already stood me up, like twice (I kind of hate that, don't you? ;-) on the replacement of a defectuous CD! This is now the perfect time to move on. Staying safe and away from those jerks, now...

<FlameMode>
Here, TraveRoute, ALK, whatever your name of the day is: you won't get these $300 from me, this time! Nor from any of my collegues, friends, family members, etc... I made sure that would not happen. You ought to know what your real cost is, before

off a customer over a simple issue like that one. Software's alright, although expensive, but support really stinks!
</FlameMode>

-- OHM

lbendlin · Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2004 4:25 pm Post subject:

Sorry to hear about your bad experience with ALK support. Let me know if we should inform their management about this.

As a side note - CP5 is pretty cool software, certainly better than Destinator 3...
_________________
Lutz

Report Map Errors here:
TomTom/TeleAtlas NAVTEQ

ohm62 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Oct 27, 2004 Posts: 19

I am not the only one to have suffered a bad experience with TravRoute/ALK support & product management - amongst others:

http://www.epinions.com/pr-Travroute_CoPilot_2003_GPS_Receiver/display_~reviews

Anyhow, I must admit the software itself was ahead of its time, quite innovative when I got first interested in it. I bought the version Copilot Door-to-door version of 1999, for a hefty ~ $350 price if my recollection is correct, and had to work around a few bugs with the serial GPS drivers myself, that conflicted with serial mice and other devices on Windows 98. Very badly written driver. Support was not only helpless, but arrogant. Then I went for the update to the 2001 version, with the neat small round GPS USB unit. Cost me another ~ $200... I was running Windows 2000 by then, and USB support was much better. Still buggy around the edges; needed a couple of patches and chasing redundant hidden USB devices around in the devece manager. Usability, once bugs chased out, was pretty good. However, TravRoute apparently decided to get a very cheap CD manufacturing deal, since my installation CD went bad in my laptop, a day I forgot it inside after reinstalling the application for the Nth time in an attempt to break free from problems. It appeared to have suffered from the heat, and some of the engraved layer had melted. None, absolutely none of my other CDs, even exposed to much more heat, ever showed such degradation. It was useless. I called TravRoute, told them their CD was defective, and they took once more that defiant and arrogant attitude. It was 2002 and they wanted me to pay for yet another upgrade (still very expensive), when I had no intention to upgrade at that time. They were more than insistant! I had to write 3 emails before I could get an agreement from a marketing manager that they should let me upgrade when I was ready to, forego the ridiculous $45 fee they'd normally ask for lost CD replacement and provide me with a new installation CD, since the defective CD was their fault (cheap manufacturing, hey!? Silly, at the price these things come, from a consumer perspective!). Well, she agreed in words indeed, but never sent the CD!!!! She just lied to me and stood firm on her arrogant attitude. I still have the emails.

I just hate that. No matter how good their product is (and by then, it was looking good from afar alright, but once trying to actually use it, it was still far from perfect!) they can't just mock their customers that way. I bought a PDA, a couple of years old distribution of Copilot mobile v3.5 in good licensing shape from eBay and tried to used that with a 3rd party bluetooth GPS, to no avail, as you know...

Now, I read the reviews on this site and a couple of others, and it looks that the product itself is still quite a bit in advance on the competition (assuming the good reviews are objective, and hopefully not helped by some commission deal). I just ordered a laptop upgrade to v8.0 and I'll see later for a PDA one, if they give satisfaction: One last chance to ALK. Maye they have changed their support for better. I hope they fired their product manager and got one with a sensible attitude, more positively disposed towards customer service. I hope they revise a bit their pricing and bundles (Laptop+PDA deal sometime, please!?) and put their support teams to some "Super Service" training, where they'll learn how to treat customers right,and why that is important to them.

For the extravagant money I put already in this GPS stuff, I obvioulsy expect not only good quality software, but also outstanding customer care. Short of that, ALK, you are history, and I mean, I'll employ my time, set my own review website if necessary, gather the unhappy crowd, pick on you and do my best to have you **lose** more deals than the amount of dollars I dropped on your stuff, that until you correct you attitude. Clear!?

You can let them know indeed, if you'd like to. I have no intention to contact them myself unless absolutely needed for support. I bought once more their product (on your advice ;-) and that proves my good faith quite enough. I have been patient enough. Ball is in their camp.

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