Windows Navigation

[oscar the grouch]

I use android for alot of my gps stuff but I have a surface pro that I want to be able to use. is there any easy touch screen nav apps for windows 8+ yet? Looking for something like gaia or my trails or motion x. anything that will let me download topos for offline use really.

 

[Longrange308]

You could probably use Google Earth at the very least, no?

 

[oscar the grouch]

does that work offline?

 

[tarditi]

Google Earth offline

This article explains how to:
Save Google Earth data, so that you can access it offline.
Google Earth works best with a live internet connection. You can, however, cache (save) small amounts of data that you can access when you're offline.

To do so, log on to the internet and visit the imagery you'd like to view while you're offline. Please pay attention to the Streaming indicator, which appears just below and a little to the right of your images. When this indicator has reached 100% for the imagery you're viewing, Google Earth has gathered all available data for that specific altitude and settings, so you can disconnect from the internet.

Please remember that once you're disconnected, you'll be able to view cached areas only.

https://support.google.com/earth/answer/21423?hl=en

 

[oscar the grouch]

interesting. seems like it would be a pain.

 

[AFBronco235]

I'm surprised you haven't found MapsPro. Its about the only really good GPS software you can find for the Surface tablet series. Works great and too many map types to list. They do include several topo maps. Downloading maps is easy. It does work a lot like google maps, but you can download at any and all zoom levels, though its best to do smaller groups at a time since even a moderately sized map with zoom levels down to street level can have several thousand images to download. You should have a MicroSD card slot that you can use to hold the maps you download, or a thumb drive if that is your preference. Its a very intuitive app too.

If you can pair it with a true GPS and not cell tower triangulation, you can even keep track of the trails and paths you take. Very handy for finding your way out. (BTW, the surface pro uses cell tower triangulation and NOT gps. You have to get a cheap GPS dongle to get real GPS readings.)

 

[smiper]

+1 for MapsPro. I use it on my little ASUS 8" tablet with a built in GPS receiver (no WiFi/cell). I haven't used it on a trail yet, but it seems to work well on the bus. It also imports and exports .GPX and other formats so you can share routes with others.

 

[dstock]

+1 for MapsPro. I use it on my little ASUS 8" tablet with a built in GPS receiver (no WiFi/cell). I haven't used it on a trail yet, but it seems to work well on the bus. It also imports and exports .GPX and other formats so you can share routes with others.

Have you had any issues with it keeping up with your location? I tried to use a route I loaded but then it wouldn't update the location. Probably user error on my part but found it pretty frustrating.

 

[smiper]

Have you had any issues with it keeping up with your location? I tried to use a route I loaded but then it wouldn't update the location. Probably user error on my part but found it pretty frustrating.

It's not the most accurate receiver, but it does alright. Are you sure that you're getting a GPS signal? Turn off the WiFi (but don't go into airplane mode) and check the offline settings to make sure you have a GPS signal.

 

[dstock]

It's not the most accurate receiver, but it does alright. Are you sure that you're getting a GPS signal? Turn off the WiFi (but don't go into airplane mode) and check the offline settings to make sure you have a GPS signal.

Yup, was for sure getting a signal, would keep up fine until I asked it to follow a route, then it seemed lost. Probably OE on my part, I will keep messing with it.

 

[AFBronco235]

If you're still having bugs or errors, just let the designer know. From what I can tell, MapsPro is the brainchild of one programmer and he's the ONLY guy working on it, so he's got a LOT of bugs to fix and it just takes time. If you have a problem and let him know, he can generally fix it. Also, make sure you've got the latest update for MapsPro loaded. I took it on an 800 mile road test a few weeks back and it had some issues that I reported, including loss of signal, but otherwise, held up okay for what it was.

 

[dstock]

If you're still having bugs or errors, just let the designer know. From what I can tell, MapsPro is the brainchild of one programmer and he's the ONLY guy working on it, so he's got a LOT of bugs to fix and it just takes time. If you have a problem and let him know, he can generally fix it. Also, make sure you've got the latest update for MapsPro loaded. I took it on an 800 mile road test a few weeks back and it had some issues that I reported, including loss of signal, but otherwise, held up okay for what it was.

I will say Fabien, the guy programming, is very responsive and even followed up later to see if I had resolved my problem! Thumbs up to him!

I will keep messing with it, maybe I am just to used to my Garmin, which while not perfect I seem to do better with it. Time will tell.