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Using Handhelds, GPS and Eastern European Maps?
RedDork asks: "I just graduated with a BS in Comp Sci and am planning a trip to Europe this summer with a Computer Engineer friend. We are renting a car and driving around much of eastern and western Europe including Croatia and the Czech Republic. We were originally intending to use a GPS and a handheld (iPaq 3870) to navigate, but are now having trouble finding maps for the previously mentioned countries. Additionally, we don't know what software or GPS units are behave the best with the iPaq platform. We were wondering if any of our fellow Slashdotters have done this kind of thing, and what recommendations they have for software/hardware/map combinations."
take a look at http://gpsdrive.kraftvoll.at/ for a fairly good program. You can download maps from mapblast and expedia (I don't know if they have all the east-european countries, but take a look. If you can't download the maps, you can scan in some paper maps, enter a few co-ordinates and scale and use that instead.
I've been looking for the best GPS solution for iPAQ and this is the best one;
I am using NAVMAN GPS jacket for iPAQ.
It comes with mapping software and European maps of diffrent countries and resolutions. (Vector maps of course). The "Eastern Europe High resolution" I am using is really high resolution map that have even a lot of streets in cities. Very detailed. Weights only 4 MB. By the way NAVMAN is sleek, small jacket, has CF slot built in!
Bundled SmartPath software itself is just what it needs to be. Much better than others.
Probably the best GPS solution for iPAQ out there.
Check out at navman.com. I bought it from expansys.co.uk.
I have an eMap and whil eit is different then the III+, I could still reccomend Garmin GPS units. The GPS III+ also has expandable (yet proprietary) memory modules allowing you to upload detailed maps to it. They also have a European CD as well (alsp works with the GPS12MAP and NavTalk).
Gorkman
Nope, maps of that area of the world DO NOT exist. I lived there and, well, when they see you guys coming they're going to firing up the kettles 'cause the fresh meat done arrived in town.
Here's some advice from an old timer.
Instead of taking a GPS and fiddling with it all the time, you could (HORROR), try a service station after you arrive in Central Europe, or (SHREIK) try local language portals like www.seznam.cz or (EEEEE!) even call their national tourism offices in New York and Washington DC.... or the most dastardly thing of all..... order a European road atlas from Amazon.co.uk.
Low tech, but effective.