[ale] [WAY THE HELL OFF TOPIC] -- but accurate

JD jdp at algoloma.com
Sat Aug 16 15:42:52 EDT 2014


On 08/16/2014 02:04 PM, Tom Freeman wrote:
> 
> The best Linux based GPS navigation/routing/what have you solution?
> 
> I got really fond of my old Nokia 810 bluetooth linked to an external receiver.
> I disremember the map program, but it provided much entertainment for some
> elderly children that I get to cart around (elderly being 75+). Take it up to
> the maximum resolution of the program, hand off the device, and drive two or
> three laps around a roundabout to much pleasure of said elders. It also had a
> very nice speedometer/odometer which made it dead simple to check the vehicle's
> equipement every so often.
> 
> It should be possible to recreate the device with either a raspberrypi or
> beaglebone black, 7" or 10" touch screen (older eyes seem to _really_ like
> bigger screens) and appropriate gps and wireless modules. It really should be a
> project that even I should be able to do.

I thought the N810 had a built-in GPS?

I have an N800 - with an external BT GPS receiver.   It was great - except the
battery life and losing the GPS on a hike in the woods, in November leaves.
Never found it again. The underlying maps could come from any maps website
(google, mapquest, OSM) - which really was a violation of their ToS.
Used it mainly for creating gpx tracks to sync photos later.  Eventually, my 5
different replacement batteries for the N800 were getting 4 hrs only before
needing to be changed. Rebooting sucks, but I miss the replaceable SDHC and
battery (Nexus4 now). There was a terrible amount of fraud in the battery
market, even retail store bought batteries never lived up to their specs (the
original battery was great for 14 months).

On Android, GPS Essentials will create gpx tracks for export to geo-tag photos
later. With Android, battery life isn't as much a concern - just bring a
10K-20KmA battery charger on those days out hiking.

But I really wanted something that does smart routing without a data connection
that can be run on a netbook with Ubuntu 14.04. This is less about GIS, more
about driving and with millions of POI.


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