iGO MyWay 2006 Satellite Navigation: Review

iGO MyWay 2006 Plus Satellite Navigation


What is iGO MyWay Plus 2006
The software underpinning iGO2006 Plus has been around for a number of years. It was initially supplied as the Satellite Navigation software in the Mio range of integrated PDA Navigation devices, and gained a reputation for being reliable, easy to use and graphically pleasing. The current Mio devices continue to use the MioMaps version of this product.

Nav'N'Go are based in Hungary, and have a core business in supplying commercial mapping and geotagging products. They are currently acquiring mapping companies in Eastern Europe, though the maps for this product are supplied by TeleAtlas, and are the March 2007 release.

Due to the popularity of MioMaps, Nav'n'Go released this retail version in 2006 as iGO MyWay 2006, with an update to iGO MyWay 2006 Plus (henceforth referred to simply as iGO!) in March 2007.

Developer Nav'N'Go engaged PDAMill, a well known PDA game developer to supply the graphical interface. As a result, the GUI is slick and fast in operation.

iGO is sold in UK by DSL Developments, who you may know better as the UK retailer for the Brodit range of car holders for mobile devices.

Product Information Software Developer: Nav'N'Go UK Retailer: DSL Developments Product Microsite: Nav'N'Go's iGO site Device used: HTC Athena with Windows Mobile 6 Professional

Product Format and Licensing Model Each of the Satellite Navigation software developers uses a different licensing model to protect themselves from unauthorised copying. Nav'N'Go have decided to employ a model where the iGO map software is locked to the storage card on which it is supplied. This means that switching to a new device is simple, as no further activation is required. If the device has already been used with iGO, the core software will have been loaded into program memory, and the system will start as soon as the storage card is inserted. If the device has not been used with this software before, it is automatically installed before running the program. A major drawback of this model is that it is not possible to copy the iGO software to a larger storage card. In practice, this means keeping the supplied card in a wallet, and inserting it when Satellite Navigation is required, then switching back to the 'everyday' card for accessing your other programs. This is not a problem for me personally, as I use iGO on an HTC Athena which has a spare miniSD slot in addition to the microdrive, so iGO can be left in place permanently. Another drawback of the current situation is that iGO is supplied on a miniSD card, with a standard SD adapter. This precludes use in the growing number of devices using microSD cards. DSL had hoped the UK importer was going to start supplying a microSD option, but this has apparently been put on hold.

In the box and Pricing

iGO is supplied in a blister pack containing the software on a miniSD card with a standard SD card adapter. The European version as reviewed is on a 1GB card. There is also a multilanguage Quick Start guide and a Licensing terms and conditions leaflet in the package. There is no detailed user guide in the packaging, or on the supplied miniSD card, but one is available from the Nav'N'Go website, which I strongly suggest reading as it gives a step by step guide to all features, many of which could be missed during the initial 'learning' phase. This 2MB file really ought to be present on the supplied storage card. The full User Manual is available in Adobe Acrobat Reader format Here. Since I bought my Western Europe version in May, Nav'N'Go have changed their marketing of iGO. The UK options are now a UK only version at £69.99 or a Europe version, containing Western and Eastern Europe at £159.99. There is no Western Europe option.

Installation


The core software requires about 4MB of storage space in Main Memory and running the program requires about 15MB of Program Memory.

In common with a number of recent programs, iGO uses the 2577 storage card folder as an automatic installation process. Inserting the card for the first time prompts the user to proceed with installation by tapping a 'Yes' button. Once the core program files are installed, the main screen opens. If the software has been previously installed, inserting the SD card will cause the program to run automatically, unless this has been disabled in the Settings.

The initial installation also provides a Today screen plug-in for quickly loading the program. This can be set within the program for Large or Small display, or Disabled.

As discussed above, there is no further activation required, as the SD card itself contains the encrypted license key.

For users of WM6, and later versions of WM5, there may be a problem with the installation that requires some unnecessarily complex procedures to circumvent. By default, during the initial installation, the Points of Interest (POI) engine loads the user's contacts into a special POI Contacts section. Due possibly to changes in the way the newer Windows Mobile databases are constructed, this process fails, and the program aborts. My contact with Nav'N'Go never succeeded in getting to the bottom of this, apart from an instruction to add 'No Contacts' to the 'sys.txt' file in the iGO folder. On trying to do this, I found there was no 'sys.txt' file anywhere in the iGO folders, but manually creating one in a text editor and adding the required line did succeed in the installation completing without importing contacts. If the contact import is successful, the user's contacts will be available as POI destinations, or from a 'Navigate ' link in the main Contacts application.

This error has been well reported in other Satellite Navigation forums, so I would much rather there were a dialogue box in the installation sequence asking if the user wished to import Contacts.


Configuring the GPS Receiver

Once installed, the next step is to configure the GPS settings. This is achieved by tapping the small GPS Icon on the home screen. The GPS can be set to automatically detect the settings, or to be configured manually. Both settings work well, and a satellite fix is established quickly subject to the usual advice regarding obtaining a first fix in clear view of the sky. The GPS screen also has options for TMC Traffic information if your GPS receiver supports it and 'Time Sync' to synchronise the PPC's clock with that from the satellite signal. It is important to note that when iGO is running, it takes exclusive control of the mobile device's screen and buttons. Background programs and processes will continue to operate as long as there is sufficient memory, but they won't be accessible until iGO is minimised or closed. Incoming phone calls can be answered however- there is a 2-3 second delay for the Incoming Call dialogue to appear. Once the call is terminated, the iGO screen will come to the foreground in about 8-10 seconds. After installation, it is recommended to visit the Nav'N'Go website to register the product. This allows some additional downloads- currently the Maploader utility which provides information on map updates, the ability to make backups of your maps and the selective installation/deinstallation of maps to the storage card and the POIWarner Safety Camera database, of which more later.

Planning a Route

As most readers will want to know how this program works in everyday use, I'll start by outlining the route planning process, then go on to explain more about the different navigation and options screens. Once a valid satellite fix has been obtained, the simplest way to plan a route is from the home screen's Find & Go button. Pressing this takes you to the destination selector which has the options of Address, History, Co-Ordinates, POI, Home and Work. The latter two will immediately plan a route to whichever Home and Work addresses have been entered in Settings.

'Address' opens the Address Finder screen with recently searched locations listed. If an alternative location is required, tapping the Change City icon at the top right opens the selection keyboard. Should the destination be in a different country, the top right button now shows Change Country, from where a list of all the purchased country maps will be presented. Keeping each country distinct allows searching to be much faster than a single European map; cross border navigation is seamless. You can enter location names, or postcodes (which requires the space after the outcode for UK postcodes).

As you type, the selection counter in the display shows the number of matches, until the selection is narrow enough to show a list. If selecting a regional location, termed Settlements (for example Edinburgh) there will be a button at the lower left to Show or Hide districts within that settlement, and a button at the top right to go direct to the City Centre.

As you type a destination, the keyboard will only highlight available character presses, which helps the speed of entry. There is no noticeable lag between typing a character, and it appearing in the indicator, which shows that the indexing has been executed well. 'History' shows a list of recent destinations

'Co-Ordinates' allows the input of direct latitude and longitude parameters.

'POI' Allows navigation to any POI, and these can be filtered to show POIs near: Current GPS Location, Specific address, History entry, Co-Ordinate, or Cursor position.

Once a valid destination has been entered, the route will calculate and the Cockpit window will gain focus with information as outlined in the next section.

Voice Guidance

There are a number of 'Voices' selectable in the Settings screens, including one male and one female in UK English. Each appears to be clear and easily understandable. The default volume of the voice guidance is defined in the settings, where there is an option for this to be speed related. The units used are configurable; I elect to use Miles/Yards, though Miles/Feet and Kilometers/Meters are available. The number of instructions given is not configurable, but I don't find the detail intrusive. The sound can be muted with a quick screen press if desired.

The guidance pattern is thus: Immediately after a manoeuvre, the distance to the next one is notified (Drive six miles) The next warning is about half a mile from the next turn ("Prepare to turn right/ enter the roundabout" in half a mile etc) The next warning comes a quarter mile from the next turn and is more explicit if needed ("Prepare to enter the roundabout after a quarter of a mile and take the third exit") At the turn the explicit instruction is repeated. If the next turn is less than the half mile distance, the exact distance will be given as appropriate ("After five hundred and twenty yards, turn right") and if it is less than the quarter mile distance, the warning will be concatenated with the previous 'At Turn' instruction ("Prepare to turn right in quarter of a mile, then after three hundred yards turn sharp right") On reaching the destination, the usual 'Arrive at destination' instruction is given, and the planned route is cleared.

iGO User Interface

One of the main attractions of iGO is the sheer amount of customisation that can be achieved. This doesn't simply extend to the visual display, but also to the way the routing parameters can be modified. I'll cover some of these later in the review. For me, the default settings have all worked well without any tweaking. As I mentioned above, once running, iGO will take over all available hardware buttons, allowing for quick switching between screens and major functions. The details are available in the full user guide. My Athena has few hardware buttons, but software alternatives work well. On starting the program, the home screen shows four large buttons linking to the 'Cockpit', 'Map', 'Settings' and 'About' screens, with a central 'Find and Go' button. The background colour of this screen reflects the lock status of the satellite signal- red for no lock, amber for 2D lock (3 satellites) and green for 3D lock (4 or more satellites).

There are two display formats- Cockpit and Map. The Cockpit display is for when navigation is in progress and shows the map with additional displays for next manoeuvre, journey statistics, current road name and next road name. If no route is planned, obviously some of these will remain blank. Safety camera warnings will be given even in the absence of an active route.

The Map display is used mainly for journey planning, data manipulation, and showing your position without following an active route. Safety cameras and user defined POI's can be added, deleted, or their parameters changed from this screen, but not the Cockpit screen.

Each display has icons on the right of the screen for map orientation, satellite status, battery level and mute

Map orientation: North Up (default for Map screen), Track Up (default for Cockpit screen) or Overview. The first two are 3D perspective views, though they can be switched to a 2D view using the Quick menu as detailed later.

Overview mode is a flat, top down view. In either screen, tapping the View icon cycles through the display types. The defaults can be changed in the Settings. GPS Status. Shows black with a valid fix and red without. Tapping the icon opens the GPS screen Battery Status. A simple four element icon. Tapping the icon opens the Settings screen Mute. Mutes all sounds and voice guidance. It is also possible to have a line of Icons on the left side of the display. These are for zoom in/out and 3D perspective up/down, and their display is turned on or off in the Menu settings. The zoom is also controlled by the D-pad or Joystick up/down axis, and on the Map screen, the Scale Indicator can be dragged to change the zoom level. The Left/Right axis rotates the whole map. The 'Action' button switches the display to Cockpit mode. The map screens can be dragged with a finger or stylus. Tapping anywhere on the screen can show a pop-up of the address at the point of tapping or simply mark the position with a cursor. This position can be added as a pushpin for later action if required. All pushpins appear in the History list and can added as POI's (including Safety Cameras) or Favourites, and can be deleted once any appropriate action has been taken. Once any screen manipulation has occurred, a small 'touch button' called 'Follow' will be displayed. Touching this returns the map to the current GPS position assuming there is a valid GPS signal. There is an option for the Cockpit screen to always return to the current location after a selectable interval.

On Screen Menus

There are three possible Menu hotspots on the map screens; Menu, Route menu and Cursor menu. 'Menu' opens a three tab Menu selector, each with six options. Find: Has the same entries as the Find & Go menu, but selecting these moves the cursor to the selected destination. rather than navigating to it.

Quick: Allows quick changes to the map appearance, Manage POIs and Track Logs. 3D map forces the display to 3D, or 2D (Overview); Night Mode allows quick switching of the Night/day display; Popup Info controls whether location details are shown when tapping the screen; Zoom and Tilt toggles the extra screen icon hotspots for moving the map; Manage POI's controls which POI's show on the map and Manage Track Logs allows log files of your journeys to be saved, stored and recalled. These are compatible with Google Maps.

Route: Allows changes to be made to the current route. 'Route' submenu can quickly be accessed by tapping the next turn indicator on the Cockpit screen, or the Route button on the Map screen, which is not present if there is no current route planned.

The Route menu, accessed by either of the above methods, contains six buttons: Recalculate: Forces a route recalculation. Delete: Deletes the current route after a confirmation prompt. Itinerary: Shows a list of route instructions. The Mode button switches between Detailed, Normal and Summary lists. This screen also has an 'Avoid' button which alows the user to avoid specific roads, a defined distance, or a specific manoeuvre. Selecting any of the 'Avoids' causes a route recalculation and the new list is then displayed.

Fly Over: This gives a 'real time' simulation of the route. A speeded up version may be selected. Touching the screen at any point aborts the simulation. Edit: Allows the route to be modified, with the option to 'Optimise' the new route or manually order the waypoints. Info: Shows the current route Information Screen with a bar chart of the total route and current position, distance and time remaining, estimated arrival time and the current route planning method. The right side of the screen shows the destination description, a row of five icons for any route warnings (Ferries, Tolls, Motorways, Unpaved Roads, or Unavailable destinations such as pedestrian areas etc.). Below this are Fit to Screen, to show the whole route on an overview map.

The Parameters button opens the options to adjust the routing parameters and recalculate the route. You can select to avoid certain features, and select the mode of travel from a wide range of options. Route includes Economical, as well as the more common Fast or Short.

'Cursor': Shows as a small 'Up Arrow' at the lower right of the screen. On the Cockpit screen it has buttons for Route To, Add Via, Continue and Pin. The Map screen adds a POI button. Route To: Plans a route to the current cursor position. This would normally follow a 'Find' operation which places the cursor at a particular location. Add Via: Adds the cursor position as a waypoint in the journey with optimal routing distance. Continue: Adds the cursor position as a waypoint after the current destination (i.e. even if the location is closer than the original destination, it will still route to the original destination first). If there is no current route planned, this button changes to Start, setting the current cursor position as the journey start. Pin: Adds a 'Pushpin' at the current cursor position. On the Map screen this will be the selected position; on the Cockpit screen this defaults to the current GPS position, unless another location has been selected.

POI: Opens the Add POI screen. This enables adding user defined POIs, or Safety Camera locations. This submenu does not appear in the Cockpit screen for safety reasons.

Whilst driving, it is recommended to quickly add a Pin, which is saved in the history list; this Pin can be accessed later via the Find menu, then manipulated as a POI or Camera.

Points of Interest and Safety Cameras

POI's iGO is supplied with a comprehensive set of POIs covering the usual categories of Transport, Services, Shopping, etc, each of which has a number of subcategories. These cannot be added to by the user, but there is a My POI main category to hold all user defined POI's. The user is able to define any number of My POI subcategories, into which locations can be saved via the POI submenu of the Cursor Menu on the Map screen. I understand that there may be a program available to import POIs from other programs but have no personal knowledge of this.

The Manage POIs button on the Menu/Quick menu allows any main or subcategory of POI to be selected to Show or Hide on the map. The POI locate functions (Find or Find & Go) enable all POIs to be searched for, either by category, by name (which opens the Keyboard) or by 'All' which gives a list of all POIs sorted by distance to the selected reference point (see Planning a Route above). There is no POI warning facility within iGO.

Safety Cameras iGO includes the ability to show, and warn of safety cameras. This is not enabled within the program itself, but as mentioned in the introduction, registration of the software takes the user to a screen which allows the download of the POIWarner safety camera installer. This has to be configured from the PC with the mobile device connected via ActiveSync or WMDC. The free database includes all known fixed cameras, but cannot be updated. For a fee of €19 per annum the user can access and load updated datasets of cameras, including mobile cameras if required. Once the camera database has been copied to the mobile device, iGO will automatically use them, if selected in options. The cameras are categorised into fixed, mobile, traffic light, hybrid and section types. Warning beeps are sounded at 30 seconds from the camera and the beeps increase speed as the camera is approached. If your speed is in excess of the cameras designated speed, the warning tone is more insistent. The camera warning dialogue box will also appear on screen, showing the camera type, direction, speed limit and distance to the camera. For section cameras (SPECs) your average speed between pairs is also displayed. A welcome feature of iGO is that incorrect camera data can be amended; these amendments remain active on the mobile device and survive camera database updates. There is no facility to send the amended data back to POIWarner. Amemdments can include: Add or Delete camera locations, change the speed limit of a camera, change its direction or change its type. The method of amending cameras is simple: On the Map screen, locate the camera to amend (if you have seen an incorrect camera while driving, use the Pin option to note the position then return to it later on the Map screen). Now, using the Cursor Menu, select POI, then Add Camera to open the new camera screen. If the cursor is near an existing camera, the Add Camera button will be greyed out, and the selected camera will appear in the list. Tap it to open the amendment screen, then OK to save it, or Delete to remove it.

Traffic Information

iGO has the ability to use TMC traffic data if the GPS receiver supports it. There is no option for GPRS traffic information. As my receiver doesn't support TMC, I have not tested this.

Speed Warnings The Alerts option in Settings has the ability to give warnings when you are travelling too fast. The Primary method is based on the speed set for each road within the mapping data, and the warning can be set for a percentage, or absolute tolerance.

For instance, you could elect to receive a warning if you are 10mph, or 10% over the limit. At that point, a verbal warning is given ("You are over the speed limit"); An alternative speed limit can also be set, which is global, irrespective of the designated speed of the road.

Customisation

As I mentioned previously, one of the advantages of iGO is the sheer amount of customisation that is possible. I shall not dwell too much on this, as much will be down to user preferences, but suffice to say that each of the Settings screens is well laid out, with large Sliders and Radio Buttons with 'LED' On/Off indicators obviating the need for stylus use.

Appearance: There are number of different map skins for night or day use. Night/Day is selected from the Quick submenu, or can be automatic. The auto feature is triggered from the current satellite time, rather than the device time, so until a satellite fix is obtained, the auto function won't work.

Navigation Parameters: There are a number of options to hone the accuracy of route planning, the type of vehicle (a comprehensive list, including cycle and pedestrian), the type of route (Fast, Short, Economical) and types of thoroughfare to avoid (Motorways, Tolls, Ferries, Unpaved Roads). Additionally it is possible to set the distance before a route recalculation, and the distance 'penalty' before suggesting a U-Turn.

Safety Mode: There is no 'safety screen' showing minimal information, as some other programs offer, but there is a Safety Mode option which locks the screen completely from user input while the vehicle is moving.

Smart Zoom: When approaching a turn, the map will zoom in to a much closer view of the road layout. This zoom is configurable for distance and for zoom level, and also for time delay before returning to the normal navigation view. On Screen Information:There are three Fields in the Cockpit screen for displaying journey data. These can each be set for 'Time to destination', 'Time to next via', 'Distance to destination (or next via)', 'Arrival time at next via point', 'Time to next manoeuvre' or 'Speed'; If Speed is selected, the text colour of the speed reading will change if you are driving faster than the designated speed for that road.

Pro's & Con's

Graphical presentation	Installation problems with some devices
Clarity of display	Only available on SD or MiniSD storage cards
Configuration options	No Western Europe option
Audible and visual Safety Camera warnings	Complex to learn
Easy tranfer of user license	No comprehensive user guide included
Fast route calculation and recalculation	Large memory requirement
Excellent voice guidance
TMC Traffic Data with compatible receiver

Overall Conclusion

Once I had successfully installed, and got to grips with the sheer amount of customisation available with iGO, I have been loathe to return to any other Satellite Navigation program.

It has worked well on my previous HTC Trinity in Portrait mode, and my current HTC Athena in Landscape mode. The QVGA graphics on the Trinity were slightly less crisp as would be expected, but suffered little overall.

The score would have been somewhat better if Nav'N'Go had fixed the installation problems, and the importer had seen fit to provide a MicroSD version with an option for Western Europe maps at the sub-£100 price point. Most users will not require the now mandatory Eastern Europe maps at a premium of £70 over the previous Western Europe product.

These gripes aside, this is my favourite Satellite Navigation program and one I have no regets about having purchased with my own money!