On Mon, 23 Jan 2006 13:02:39 -0800, Brent Geery wrote:

On Mon, 23 Jan 2006 14:04:16 -0500, Matt O'Toole
wrote:

For the last 3 years I've been using Maptech's Pocket Navigator, which
runs on a PDA, with a companion program on a laptop. You can't use one
without the other. It works great though, the PDA being much faster and
easier to use, plus you can see the screen in direct sunlight. So far
this is my favorite.

Pocket Navigator = old and crippled version of Memory Map Navigator.

What's so much better about MM Navigator?

MM has an upgrade program where all you pay is the difference between
what Maptech charges for Pocket Nav and what they charge for Memory Map
Navigator or the Pro version. The Pro version even has support for AIS
display on the PocktPC.

http://www.memory-map.com/software_upgrade.htm can give you the cost to
upgrade to MMN or MMP. This is probably the cheapest route.

Upgrading will probably be cheapest way to get MM, but FYI for anyone
else buying new: The cheapest retailer for the Pro version that I have
found is the Canadian http://www.maptown.com. They have the Pro version
for US$173 (vs $225 retail) for the retail boxed version delivered to
the US. They also have the retail box version of MM Navigator for $111
delivered to the US, but it's cheaper to just buy a license from
http://www.memory-map.com and download the software.

Don't forget you need a PDA with add-on GPS too, so if you don't have
either you should look for a bundle. We got ours from Maptech themselves,
everything for like $600.

Why Memory Map is not more well known i beyond me. It is written by an
active sailor and cruiser and it is by far the most intuitive and easy
to use chart plotting software out there IMHO, and it is blazing fast,
like no other bar none.

I feel the same way about Pocket Navigator compared to the other stuff
I've used, but if you say MM Navigator is that much better it's worth a
try.

Designing for the PDA is probably similar to what designers faced when
developing the original Maptech for DOS. Limited resources enforces
design discipline. The later Maptech stuff looks like someone just
threw together a bunch of VB or Delphi widgets and called it a day.

Matt O.