Review: Emtac Wireless GPS and Mapopolis - Page 2

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	Review: Emtac Wireless GPS and Mapopolis - Page 2	By Larry Garfield, Monday 27 January 2003

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Software

Mapopolis can zoom in to a one block radius or out to an entire state

The Emtac includes a CD with mapping program Mapopolis and the full North American library of Mapopolis Platinum+GPS maps. It also includes a one-year subscription to the Mapopolis web site to download European maps. The CD auto-runs a simple installer app when inserted into a Windows PC that lets the user select which maps to transfer to the handheld on the next HotSync. More adventurous users can also load the maps directly off of the CD, as they are stored in standard .pdb format.

Mapopolis itself is a 282 KB program, by no means small. Maps are available on a county by county basis. Some larger counties are broken up into multiple maps but still sold as a package. Map files can be anywhere from 300 KB to 2 MB, depending on the area, and must be in RAM in order to be used. The program does allow the user to transfer maps to and from a memory card, but we were unable to make use of a map unless we explicitly transferred it to RAM first. Users with 16 MB devices can now justify their purchase easily.

Mapopolis also supports Maplets, which are small user-created data files that contain no geographic data but do include user-defined locations which appear directly on the map. Maplets are backed up at HotSync and may be exchanged freely with other users.

Mapopolis seems to defy most Palm UI conventions. The main view is, of course, a map. Users with color devices can set any of the colors used easily. Users can pan the screen by dragging the stylus. Palm OS 5 users will be happy to hear that Mapopolis includes ARMlet support, so panning and zooming is virtually instantaneous. For users of older Palms, panning and zooming speed is respectable but not amazing. The program can zoom anywhere from about 3000 miles (4800 kilometers) down to about 800 feet (240 meters), or about 2 city blocks, and automatically changes the level of detail as appropriate.

A toolbar at the bottom of the screen provides access to the Zoom controls, a rotate button, buttons for more or fewer streets and landmarks, a recently searched locations popup, and the menu. The menu is unusual, as instead of a bar at the top of the screen it is a full screen form of its own, with several buttons down the center. The menu offers access to the map management form, a Find function, Directions, Maplet editor, GPS information, and Settings. In an unfortunate quirk of the interface, nearly every OK and Cancel button in the program returns the user to the map view, even if the menu was the most recently viewed form.

The Find function lets the user search for a location in any currently loaded map or maplet by address, street, or "place", which includes specific and unique locations such as schools or museums. The user can also search for an address in the Palm Address Book and display that location on the map. Mapopolis' location data is usually fairly good, although some small businesses are misplaced by a half block or so. Major points of interest are all where they should be.