Overland Navigator - Free Shipping

gmookher

Well-known member
Oct 30, 2004
5,201
0
Grand Canyon State
skydiver said:
You could aways try Vmware Fusion if you want to run it on a mac.


yeah, true, I did try it out but my evaluation time expired, its good stuff indeed, but with something like mapping software, it may perform better native, especially with the wao OSX Zooms..not that I upgraded to their 64 bit OS, things are way faster..
 

craig

Well-known member
Oct 1, 2004
1,747
0
Edmonds, WA
overlandnavigator.com
Overland Navigator is I/O intensive (lots of hard drive reads) because of all the maps. One of the problems with some of the various compatibility products (VMWare, WINE, Crossover, etc) is that they will create a virtual filesystem on top of a regular filesystem which has the potential of slowing things way down. I haven't tested on a Mac, but there is a good chance that it won't work well.

Gem - If you want to meet up sometime and give it a try just let me know.
 

jonesy66

Well-known member
Jan 12, 2009
539
0
VA
Craig - do you have a recommended software platform for use? Will it work with all Windows OS?

Also, what hardware platform is best - touchscreen or keyboard...

or is it personal preference on all?

Cheers.
 

craig

Well-known member
Oct 1, 2004
1,747
0
Edmonds, WA
overlandnavigator.com
Personally, I think the ideal hardware is a 7-12" convertible UMPC mounted in tablet form. The software works great with mouse/keyboard but I prefer the touchscreen. A touchscreen "carputer" interface also works great and can look factory clean but is a very involved project. I've had a carputer in my truck and it was really nice, but the one thing I prefer about the removable computer is that I can store it in my lockable drawers if I'm parked someplace where I'm concerned about a smash and grab such as off hiking/snowshoeing or parked downtown Seattle. There are a variety of hardware installs displayed in the testimonials section of my website (http://spatialminds.com). I'll include my standard, "What you need" reply that includes a few specific makes/models of computers at the end of this post.

It is tested to run on Windows Vista, Windows Vista 64, and Windows XP 32. Which OS is preferable is more a function of your hardware than Overland Navigator. Many of the smaller Netbook/UMPCs have lower powered processors and run better with a lighter weight OS like XP. I'd recommend 1gb of RAM with XP and more with Vista.

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You'll need:
- Netbook or other computer
- GPS either built in or a USB GPS
- RAM Mount

Netbook
I like the new ones that are coming out. In my opinion they hit the sweet spot of price, performance, screen size, and overall size. In particular, I like that they are either a laptop or a tablet (convertible). A tablet takes up much less room in the truck, but a keyboard is nice for email, annotating waypoints, etc.

I haven't used any of these, but the new models that I like are:

Gigabyte M912 (With XP instead of Vista) convertible in black

Asus t101h - Convertible between laptop and touchscreen tablet, integrated GPS, Atom N270 processor, 10" screen. Should sell for less than $1000 Hopefully close to $800.

Asus 91 - 8.9" screen same specs as T101h but a slower processor. I'm not sure if the processor will be fast enough for Overland Navigator yet. ~$500

GPS
The Asus units above have a high quality GPS built in. You may want an external antenna, but you shoud try it first. If you go with a current model such as an Asus EEPC where there isn't a GPS, then the Globalstat BU-353 is a very high quality GPS for about $35. I also like and personally use the MightyGPS Weatherproof GPS (Same innards, but mounts cleaner).

Mount
The easiest way to mount it is to use an off the shelf product. RAM makes very good products and has recently released a universal netbook mount. Pair that up with a vehicle specific arm and you are set.

Hope that helps,
Craig