Google Maps(iphone) on Treo?

[01grander]

Is there a version of google maps for the treo that is similar to the iphone version? I wanted to be able to find restaurants like on the iphone.

[comiken205]

Yes, The Treo has had the Google Maps application long before the iphone came out. From your blazer on your treo go here

Google Maps

Download the app and map away!

[RichC]

And it work great! Google Maps


click for larger image

[comiken205]

Indeed it does, indeed it does!!

[RichC]

Speaking of Google Maps on the Treo, I haven't tried to use the Palm GPS with it yet. Any opinions? (so far Tom Tom is doing a pretty good job, but the BT 'reconnect' after a phone call is pretty flaky IMHO -- is it just me?)

[NavyStore]

NOTE: This is a copy of a post I placed under Treo 700wx - GPS Issues about a week ago. I wasn't sure how to use the permalink, so I figuired cut & paste was just as good.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

I just returned from a trip to St. Louis, Chicago & Tulsa (flew to STL & drove to CHI/TUL then back to STL) and used the Navibe GB735 Bluetooth GPS Receiver for Treo 700wx with both Yahoo! OneSearch (has GPS/traffic in it) and Google Mobile Maps. Both rely on your data plan to download maps & find nearby businesses/directions.

The GPS receiver worked like a charm when I was driving (except in the canyons of downtown Chicago-got a lot of deflection from the TALL buildings) but the data downloads caused troubles in the hill country between Joplin & St. Louis, MO. The receiver found up to 11 GPS birds (per Google) and the BT setup with my phone was easy (using coms 4 & 8). The one disappointment I had was not getting a GPS signal on the airplane either on the ground or in flight, unless it was right up against the window (relax-I was on the runway in Spokane when I tried it). Since you will have this on your dashboard or in the windshield, you won't have any issues like that. (Note: I got some sticky Velcro and attached the soft side to the receiver and the rough side on my car & worktrucks windshields. The LEDs show best when pointing up & placed in the corner-but don't leave it up there on a hot day...) Battery life on the GPS Receiver was about 10 hours of continued use, but it sucked down my Sedio 2400mah battery, so have a car charger!

As for the software; I'd suggest using the Google. While the Yahoo is great if you have used AvantGo in the past & have a MyYahoo & Flikr account, but it didn't find popular businesses in both St. Louis & Tulsa (Ted Drewes Frozen Custard & MexiCali Border Cafe) unless you were within a few miles of them already... The Google software found businesses much easier (we had researched what we wanted to see before the trip) and also saved/displayed the GPS location when I selected the 'Use GPS Location' so instead of plugging in my parents home address, I just saved the GPS data.

Mind you, my recommendation is based on my experience and my Treo 70wx has been buggy since day 1. It could be that the Yahoo! software is a Beta, it could be that I haven't yet patched the upgrade or it could be that I expect to much from my rig.

One thing I really liked about the Yahoo! over the Google was that OneSearch will allow the user to both change the zoom level (street up to multi-state region) as well as the hybrid map. At street level zoom, the hybrid map was great around Chicago & St. Louis, since it helped direct us to several museums and small shops in downtown locations. The downside of this is the lack of warning before a turn and errors caused by road construction (new on/off-ramp configurations). It helps if you familiarize yourself with the route before you leave & it also helps to have your spouse/passengers know how to use the software as well.

Hope this helps! If you have any questions, feel free to email me directly as well.

[01grander]

Thanks for the replies. Does the search feature for food and such work? Also i didnt want to start a separate thread to ask this but how easy is it to break a treo? Im a little worried b/c a friend had a 650 and dropped it and went thru 3 before switching phones.

Sorry didnt refresh to see last post.

[LotusLord]

Originally Posted by 01grander

Also i didnt want to start a separate thread to ask this but how easy is it to break a treo? Im a little worried b/c a friend had a 650 and dropped it and went thru 3 before switching phones.

It really depends on where they hit, and how far they fall. I dropped my 650 a few times and it was no worse for wear. forgot, another forum mod, dropped his 680 recently and it wrecked the screen. It all really depends. I'd try to be very careful with your Treo though.

[NavyStore]

If you want to thanks a person, it's better to use the 'THANKS' button at the bottom of a post (it looks good for us)...

As for the 'Falicy of fragile Treos', my first smartphone was the Kyocera 6035. It was built like a tank and survived a few falls from upwards of 5 feet. Then it fell out of my hands one day onto some gravel, the screen broke laterally thru the lower 1/3rd... it would still make calls, but was useless otherwise.

By this time I had already upgraded to the Kyocera 7135 and that was my primary phone for almost 3 years. Day in & day out, it sat on my hip and saw me through my day. It was virtually bullet-proof and I had it set for dual-NAM (my personal and work numbers were both on it) until one day the vocoder just stopped. It wouldn't make or recieve calls at all - no text, data, nothin...

That's when VZW sent me the Treo 650. It was a free replacement, and I really liked that I could use my old add-on software (games, AvantGo, eReader, BackUp). Sadly, the dual-NAM wasn't supported, but it was a good phone. I had that for about 4 months, but then that handset died! The phone wouldn't power (you hit the button & it would show its' powering - but never fully completed start-up, the LED stayed red...). So I upgraded to my phone to the 750wx a few days after it came out.

My 700wx has fallen (it's been Monaco & HC1 armored aluminum hard cases) twice, once from about 25 feet, and survived just fine. The big problem I've had with the 700wx has been software issues & cell signal... which is why I'm looking at the HTC Wing & Treo 750's.

So, as you can see from my experiences, the Treo line is pretty resilient, but prone to hardware & software glitches. Hope this helps you out.

[jstant]

I had a 650 for about 2-1/2 years with a few minor drops (nothing over 3-4 feet) and no car vs Treo incidents , but it was definitley well-used. Lots of bumps while wearing it on belt clip or in a pocket around the office. I've had the 755 since May now and it's only taken one fall off my desk. While I'm not horribly hard on my phones, they go everywhere I go and I don't really "baby" them.

That being said, your Treo is going to take a dive (or two) at some point and the one saving grace for any Treo is a GOOD CASE! I use a Piel Frama or Sena leather flip case at all times and don't really feel that form-fits (leather, clear plastics, silicone) offer as much protection, but no matter what your case-type preference - don't skimp and use it!