Yesterday I ordered a holder for the N810 for my car. That way I can use it for route navigation. Until now I have used a proprietary device with proprietary maps and proprietary navigation software on it. Well those days are numbered. Time for a change.

[img_assist|nid=238|title=Double Navigation|desc=|link=node|align=right|width=100|height=75]

The N810 comes with a Map application by default which works quite well, I used it to drive back from Akademy, so I could compare both. To prove it, here is a picture of my cockpit on the way back.

That default Map-application crashed a couple of times on the way back, but that was before I flashed the N810 to the new firmware, I’ve to try if it still does that, but my test period is over now.The price is 99 euro for 3 year license, that’s not to bad, but still proprietary as far as I can see.

Then I ran into Maemo Mapper. It’s an application for the N810 which you can use to make tracks with the build in gps. I had some trouble getting the GPS to work, but finally read somewhere to get it to work, you need to set it in the settings as a bluetooth gps and don’t fill in anything in the address box behind it. And that worked.

That small application also has the possibility to show the maps of OpenStreetMap and to follow a track if you load that previously. Of course it will fetch the maps from OpenStreetMap, so if you are making a journey you better look at the map when you still have an internet connection at home, because during the route you have to have those maps present. Unless you have a unlimited data connection on your mobile phone, in that case you can fetch the maps from OSM as you are driving the track.

Maemo Mapper can not calculate the track for you, you have to go to a website and indicate the start and endpoint, then it will provide you a file which you can use in the application. Of course you can use the browser on the maemo for that, so it’s hardly a problem for me.

This way I now have route navigation in my car based on OSM maps. O boy, that feels good.

[img_assist|nid=239|title=N810 and Marble|desc=|link=node|align=right|width=100|height=79]

I noticed that the map of Culemborg was a bit outdated in some area’s. So I jumped in my car and drove around (must have looked silly that I was constantly driving into roads with dead ends, turning around and going to the next dead end road). Maemo Mapper saves the track and that track can be opened in Marble without problems.

After that I uploaded the same file to the OSM-site. After 30 minutes the track was added to the database and I could draw the actual roads on the map. I read it takes another few days before it gets published on the main map. It feels so good to actually being able to adjust the map to reality instead of waiting on a vendor to do it, and if you are unlucky, you have to buy a new device to ever see it.

Conclusion: Maemo Mapper rocks, Marble rocks, OSM rocks, N810 rocks. It’s good when stuff comes together.