GPS Tuner Atlas is the most recent release of a highly developed long running GPS solution for Windows Mobile. While engineered mostly for off road use, GPS Tuner Atlas claims to bring all of the features you want to the table and more. These features everything you would expect from a GPS and one huge bonus is that maps are stored on your Storage Card allowing the program to work in areas without a data connection. Using Map Tuner on the PC-Side, a user can select which areas, and to which detail, of maps to store on the Windows Mobile Pro device. Since nearly all newly released Windows Mobile phones have GPS, it makes sense to have a full featured application that takes advantage of this. Keep reading for an in-depth review, many screenshots, to find out how GPS Tuner Atlas measures up and if it meets up to the claims.

Expectations and Claims

First a quick list of expectations and claims. I expected GPS Tuner Atlas to provide me with a more completely converged device by taking advantage of the excellent hardware, including GPS, of the Touch Pro2. One of the appealing features of an installable GPS application on a Windows Mobile phone is upgradeability. It is extremely easy to update software and since GPS Tuner is a company that focuses solely on the software I expected to find a highly polished application with an ergonomic interface as well as an abundance of features that one might want from a GPS application.

Key features:

  • Built-in Tele Atlas maps
  • Digital Globe Satellite Imagery coverage
  • User generated raster maps (My Maps)
  • 3D map view with Digital Elevation Model
  • Real time revolving digital compass, selectable Compass tools
  • Orientation by Sun Azimuth
  • Speedometer with speed limit warning
  • 41 selectable Trip Computer tools (Save, Load, and Reset is possible)
  • Selectable tool window size
  • Push track data into Trip Computer to get a full track analysis
  • Flexible Waypoint management (Waypoint, POI: GPX)
  • Units and National Grids (Selectable Metric, Imperial or Nautical units, 24 National Grids are supported)

 

Map Tuner

 

First we will take a look at Map Tuner. Map Tuner is the PC side component of GPS Tuner Atlas that you will need in order to manage your base maps, detail maps, topo maps, satellite imagery and user created maps. From this point you can install the maps to your device or to a storage card. The amount of and quality of the maps you choose to install is entirely dependent on you and the size of your Storage Card. Since storage cards have greater storage capacity and lower cost this isn’t an issue for this review. I have a standard 8GB storage card and did just fine with using less than 4GB of it. Of course I chose to install detailed satellite imagery of the entire Phoenix Metropolitan area so it did take quite a bit of storage memory.

The first task you will want to do is installing the Base Map to your device. You can select from various different regions or all of them if you want. If you travel cross country frequently then I would suggest installing the entire US so you will at least have streets, areas and points of interest nationwide to use. I installed the regions in the Western United States as that is where I spend the majority of my time. The base maps have basic relief features and do not include satellite imagery.

 

You are able to see the elevations of hills, valleys, etc.

After selecting Base Map you are presented with the choice of where to install the Base Map to. For now, we will go with Windows Mobile Device.

This next step seems to be more of a verification step that doesn’t seem necessary. Nevertheless, it’s good to know what my Device and App IDs are for future reference.

Selecting the Base Maps is easy as pointing and clicking. Map Tuner will automatically tell you how much memory will be needed for each area. The files are optimized so it won’t take much space.

There are Base Maps available for other parts of the world as well if you have the Global version.

The Satellite Maps feature gives you a great amount of control over what you see on your device.

In this screenshot I have used the Low Detail tool to select the satellite maps for the entire Phoenix Metro area. It is a large area but only took up several hundred MBs.

I used varying levels of the Detail tools to select different Satellite Map resolutions. You can see the varying colors depicting the amount of detail that will be downloaded to my device. The table to the left in the image shows exactly how much space will be needed for each region so I can adjust accordingly.

The next step is where planning ahead really pays off. Since I’m downloading Satellite imagery Map Tuner pulls these from the internet. Depending on your connection speed and level of detail it could take awhile. I would suggest downloading these the day before a trip as doing so last second will surely delay you. This is also the screen where it shows the progress of transferring the maps to your device. As a word of note I would advise using a USB connection instead of Bluetooth as the transfers will go faster and your device will remain charged at the same time.

GPS Tuner Atlas


On your device is where the rest of the magic happens. Above is an image of the maps screen when you first open it up. Top Right you can see a Red Satellite Dish, this denotes the fix of the GPS. Red means no lock and Green means locked. The Arrow in the top left is for map orientation, if you see just an arrow then the map will orient to you and the direction you are facing. If there is an N above the arrow then the map will orient North. The Arrow within a Circle on the middle right will take you to your current location on the map. The Plus and Minus will zoom you in or out. Not shown is the angle buttons, these will show up once you zoom into an area. The Green button with the three black circles will take you to the Main Menu. The other two on the bottom are for Tools and Map selection.

From the Main Menu you can select a number of different items like Compass, Trip Manager, Map, Trip Tools and More. Of note is the SOS button, which can be a very handy feature.

The compass is as you expect. The Sun icon shows where the Sun (or Moon) is relative to North and your position as well as your target or next waypoint. Tapping on the Compass will lock it in place should you need to. The three data fields below the Compass are completely configurable to the 41 Trip Tools available in GPS Tuner Atlas.

The Presets menu will allow you to choose between the various activities that you might be using GPS Tuner Atlas for. These will in turn adjust different settings in the application appropriately.

The Trip manager is where many of the tools surface. From here you are able to Add New Waypoints, Find Points, Areas, POIs, Load and Save files (POI, Tracks, and Routes in both GPX and KML), turn on/off Track Recording, view My Points, Tracks, Routes, and POIs and handle Recording and Playback of Logs.

Adding a new waypoint gives you several features that you will find helpful. From these screens you have complete control over your waypoints including the ability to add a picture or sound to your record. This is where I ran into my only bug. GPS Tuner Atlas really didn’t like the slide out keyboard on the Touch Pro2. I wasn’t able to use the physical keyboard to enter information and had to use the GPS Tuner virtual keyboard which was slightly tedious. A few times the application hung while trying this. It is an inconvenience but the application is still VERY useable without a physical keyboard.


From the Find screen you can access GPS Tuner Atlas’ onboard database of My Points (waypoints), POIs, Route Points, Map Points, Streets and Areas. Map Points include Food, Attractions, Services, Emergency and Geographical POI. Areas include Cities, Lakes, and Wilderness Areas. You can search by proximity to your current location or map center.

The Map view is where Atlas distinguishes itself. With the ability to view base maps with relief, load satellite imagery or custom maps and view from different angles, GPS Tuner becomes an indispensable tool for any outdoor enthusiast that also happens to have a Windows Mobile device with GPS (like the Touch Pro2 :D ).

This is a view of the Satellite Map without any waypoints added or changing the view angle.

In this view I have added a waypoint and changed the view angle so I can see the elevation of the hill in front of me. This is Papago Park in Phoenix, Arizona in case you were wondering.

In this image I have stored a few waypoints and selected one off the screen. The Compass icon in the lower left corner is displaying the direction and distance I need to go\

In this image I have used the route tool to draw a route on the map. Top Left shows me the Route’s Length. The compass icon is telling me how far I need to go to the first point. From here I can choose to edit the route, save it or clear the map. The Distance tool is almost the same except it will measure the distance you draw on the map without creating waypoints.

Tapping on the wrench icon will bring up several map settings from which you can change the display mode, cursor type, Infobox, track width and what is shown on the map.

Tapping on the icon that looks like a folded map will let you choose which maps are displayed. My Maps is where your custom maps will be displayed. Detailed maps are where the GPS Tuner Detailed Maps would be displayed. Currently the detailed maps cover only Germany with many more on the way. There is a way of incorporating digital topo maps into My Maps that I will discuss in another post.

Tapping and holding on the map will bring up this screen which will allow you to add a waypoint, set a target, or center on the GPS cursor.

Tapping the curved arrows will change the angle of the map when in 3D mode.

The SOS feature is handy as well. The drop down menu lets you select from three different messages; Panic, Wounded and Info. The message is sent as a text message to a number you (should have) previously entered in the Settings. Checking the details box will include your Battery and Altitude info. All messages will include a time stamp and GPS location (if you have a GPS fix). The Panic message says “I’m okay but I need rescue” along with the previously mentioned information. The Wounded message says “I’m injured and need rescue” and the Info message will just send a time stamp, location and the detail information (if checked). You might want to use the Info message to check in with family or friends on one of your forays.

The Trip Tools screen will let you load up the Trip Computer, Graphs or the Speedometer.

The Trip Computer has several screens of configurable data fields that cover all the information stored about a trip: Longitude, Latitude, Altitude, Speed, Actual Time, Sunset, Sunrise, Direction, Length, Moving Time, Total Time, Max Speed, Max Altitude, Target Distance, Moving Average Speed, Average Speed, Vertical Speed, Acceleration, Max Acceleration, Minimum Acceleration, Acceleration from 0 to 60, Acceleration from 40 to 80, Tilt, Climb Distance, Climb Elevation, Climb Rate, Climb Time, Descent Distance, Descent Elevation, Descent Rate, Descent Time, Flat Distance, Flat Rate, Flat Time, Deviation, Battery, PDOP (Percent Dilution of Precision), Easting, Northing, ETA (Estimate Time of Arrival) and ETE (Estimate Time Enroute). Tapping the Layout button will change the display between Six, Four and Two fields of data shown at a time. You can use the Left and Right Arrow keys to navigate between the screens.

The Graphs screen will display a visual representation of the data you have collected. You can choose to compare multiple tracks at a time as well as compare the data collected.

The Speedometer includes selectable Alarms for different speeds. I couldn’t find where to adjust the alarms which is a minor flaw.

From the Settings screen you can adjust the GPS, Map, Units, Display, System, SOS, Track settings or Reset.

The GPS Settings screen will give you control over how GPS Tuner Atlas accesses the GPS info. I did not need to change any settings on the Touch Pro2 in order for it to work.

The Units Settings screen will let you switch between feet, miles, meters and kilometers for the different measurements as well as choose what Datum and Coordinate system you want to use.

At this time there were no additional skins or color schemes to choose from. This could be a bug or a feature that will be enabled in future releases. It would be handle to have two additional colors for night time, one for driving and one ultra low level.

The system settings take us into how GPS Tuner Atlas handles approaching positions, turns, recovery, the device sleeping and display. It’s handy to be able to change the delay time for the application to come to the top as sometimes we might want to stop and take a picture or do something else with our device.

Track Settings lets you adjust when points are recorded on a track in addition to Auto Start and Saving.

Map Settings permit you to adjust the Display Mode, Cursor Type, Infobox and Track Width.

Conclusion

Cons:

  • Does not use physical keyboard on the Touch Pro2
  • Cannot insert a picture for a waypoint directly from the camera (must navigate to a previously taken picture)
  • Doesn’t have OTA download capability (in case you forgot to download a map)

Pros:

  • Complete control over the maps that are on your device including Base Maps, Satellite Imagery and Custom Maps (like Topographical Maps)
  • Highly Configurable, nearly every feature is adjustable
  • Very Ergonomic interface, finger friendly and optimized
  • Tons of features and data collection points

Note: A second and third review/post will follow this one that highlights using custom maps (like topographical maps) that you download or scan in from your computer. This is a very useful feature of GPS Tuner Atlas and isn’t included in this review as it will be a Tutorial. The third will be a tutorial on importing and using the files in Google Earth and sharing them with others.

GPS Tuner Atlas delivers on every claim it makes. Despite the few Cons it will enable any enthusiast to get more out of the outdoors with a rich feature set and dependable architecture. The design and screens is well polished and geared towards the end user. GPS Tuner Atlas overcomes the interface shortcomings of Windows Mobile with an aesthetic and useful interface that many developers should look to for inspiration. It is light-years ahead of any Off Road GPS Navigation application for Windows Mobile. I give it four and a half Shadows out of five. To purchase GPS Tuner go to http://www.gpstuner.com

If you want more information about GPS Tuner Atlas you can visit their website GPSTuner.com. There are several versions available with the major differences being the Base Maps available. The version in this review is the Full version with Global Map Content. The North American Map content version is available for $92.90 and the Global for $123.90. This cost is well below the cost of comparably featured handheld GPS units and is well worth it for anyone that frequents the outdoors.




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