CoPilot Live 4.5 with Bluetooth GPS
by burmuse
Ahh a perfect spring day in the midwest. The sun is shining, there is a cool breeze blowing, baseball season is underway and I am hitting the road on a trip to the Windy City of Chicago ... destination Wrigley Field ... one of the best and most exciting of the old school ballparks still in existence. But before I make the 2 hour pilgrammage into the big city, I pack up my sunglasses, baseball glove (for catching foul balls of course), my bluetooth GPS receiver and my PPC loaded with CoPilot Live 4.5 the latest and greatest in GPS software. Although I am familiar with Chicago and make a few baseball trips each year, it is comforting to have the stops and details of my trip outlined on my PPC.
Flashback 2 weeks
There is a package at my front door when I get home from work. Upon unwrapping it I find a very professionally packaged bluetooth GPS unit from ALK Technologies (the maker of CoPilot Live GPS Systems). The packaging is exactly as you would expect for an expensive electronic component. Everything inside was secure, individually wrapped, and safely packaged to ensure that your GPS unit arrives at your door in pristine condition.
Inside the box I find:
An in vehicle power adapter
A vent mount clip
A CoPilot bluetooth GPS receiver
A software package (including: 1 Install Disk, 1 US Street Detail Map Disk, and 1 European Map Disk)
Wanting to see just how fast I could get this unit set up and running, I starting dowloading the software to my PC. While it was downloading I assembled the mount and clipped it to the front dashboard vents in my car. I came back in to finish the software portion. The Install Disk takes you through everything you need to do to get up and running on both your PC and your Pocket PC. Mere minutes later, software now installed, I am adding a map of my local area to my PPC and creating a trip itinerary for my upcoming trip to Chicago.
Updated Itinerary Software Features Include:
Waypoints - lets you tailor your route preferences if you want to pass through a certain area on the way to your destination.
POI Import - allows you to import and manage custom points of interest. With this feature you can build your own database from your personal contacts, or a third party source.
Regionalized POI - this space saving feature allows you to import only points of interest within your designated map area.
Routing Options - expanded to include Auto Quickest, Auto Shortest, RV Quickest and RV Shortest.
Once my trip is uploaded to my PPC I am ready to go.
At last the time has come to head off to Chicago. Everything packed and tickets in my hand, I get in my car, clip my PPC to the VentClip that is on my dashboard, flip on the Bluetooth receiver, and start the Copilot Program. I put the bluetooth receiver in my front pocket and back out of the garage. Yes, you heard me right, I put the bluetooth receiver in my front pocket. No wires to route or tangle. Bluetooth as it was meant to be used.
While driving (or before you get going) you can customize the display options for the GPS Navigation Screen. You can choose: current road, crossroad, current time, speed, elevation, or nearest town. It is easy to toggle between these different pieces of information by merely tapping on the information portion of the bottom of the screen. The directions and information is all easy to view and organized. I know what you're thinking ... "That's great burmuse, but what if traffic is heavy on the Dan Ryan Freeway? I can't take a second to look at that screen or I might rear end that nice new Jaguar in front of me."
Well then, you will be particularly fond of the Text to Speech Engine of CoPilot Live. This feature gives detailed instructions including street names and distance to next turn. You will not miss your exit due to lack of information.
As tricky intersections come up, so does a map to help you navigate that area. Like the specifics on the bottom of the screen, map information can be toggled on and off with the tap of the screen. Lane change warnings help you navigate if your exit is to the left side of the street. Automatic route recalculations kick in if there is a detour in your way and helps get you right back on your designated path by using the shortest route possible.
The feature that makes CoPilot "Live" is a two way communication center enabling the home or office PC to communicate with the driver and send updates to their schedule. To use the two way communication feature you will need a mobile phone connected to your PPC and service from your wireless carrier.
New features include:
- Canadian and European Maps now included.
- Route Optimization orders your stops in the most efficient sequence.
- Communication feature now includes live vehicle tracking.
- CoPilot Live can be run in landscape mode (using JSLandscape)
- Fuel Cost Wizard lets you calculate your gas expenditures.
As you see on the banner, the company's motto is "Getting lost is now technically impossible" ... when using this system you will see that it is true. As I approach the corner of Clark and Addison my GPS calls out to me "Destination ahead on right". I smile as I see the corner of Wrigley Field now in site. Another trip navigated successfully with my CoPilot GPS System. Now "Let's Play Ball!"
The CoPilot Live 4.5 with Bluetooth GPS Receiver retails for $349 and can be purchased
here.
Rating: 10 of 10
bouncing balls
PROS
Bluetooth GPS - wireless, compact Text to Speech gives more spoken info than most GPS Advanced Mapping System Customizable Points of Interest Trip Itinerary Planning and Uploads Two way communication featuring live vehicle tracking
CONS
Honestly, I have none to list. This is a wonderful system and I highly recommend it.
copyright burmuse and ABFnet, 2004
Inquiry
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