gps in india?

anony_mouse · Post by **anony_mouse** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 11:56 am

I am looking for a good gps in india.
has anybody found anything useful?
how is this one? http://www.mapmyindia.com/navigator/

kallu · Post by **kallu** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 12:16 pm

I read in TOI some days back that http://satguide.in/ has slashed prices by 50%. I dont have any personal experience though

picket · Post by **picket** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 11:47 pm

Any body any experince with making satguide software work on a GPS device from the US?

Like PAL-NTSC is there a difference in the signal/display device..any info?

According to the website, the compatability criteria is :

SatGuide is compatible with all devices which have the following features;

The device should be based on windows mobile 2003/2003Se/5.0 Versions.

The screen size of the device should be 240x320.

It should have an inbuilt GPS receiver else you will need to make it GPS enabled by purchasing an external Blue Tooth GPS Receiver.

Tarun, my intension is not to hijack the thread..the info might help us both.

restlessdesi · Post by **restlessdesi** » Tue Dec 18, 2007 12:03 am

#1,

My biggest gripe against using GPS in India is that street names are either missing or not visible easily along most intersections while driving.

I use the other GPS "Greatly populated streets" of India for directions :)

shapra · Post by **shapra** » Tue Dec 18, 2007 4:48 am

I remember reading on http://www.team-bhp.com/forum about this. Some folks have used this for trips between the metros.

anony_mouse · Post by **anony_mouse** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 2:03 pm

Just a followup, I have bought the GPS about 2 weeks back. I bougth from this company (http://www.mapmyindia.com/navigator/).

so far, I have been completely satisfied. I have used it for a 3000 km trip across rajasthan over christmas and new year. It has very detailed maps for delhi and adjoining area. and i am told that they have maps for banglore, bombay etc.

nextgen · Post by **nextgen** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 8:38 pm

Thats good to hear..so how as coverage beyond delhi..ie. around rajasthan..it was of some use or not there ? Since this is not well understood topic, it will really help if you can post a little more detailed review. Thanks

anony_mouse · Post by **anony_mouse** » Sat Jan 05, 2008 9:05 am

Out of major cities (Delhi, Bombay, Bangalore), they only have full coverage of National Highways and State Highways. This is usually adequate. I used it extensively during my Rajasthan trip. The maps and directions many times were more accurate than what people will know. (for example, nobody was sure what is the best way to get from Delhi to Bikaner and I heard 3 different routes from 3 different "experienced" travelers I spoke to. however, the route that GPS gave me was completely different but when I did the analysis it was actually shorter than the other 3)

They seem to know quite a lot about some of the major cities in Rajasthan (Jaipur, Udaipur etc) but because they coverage was not complete - I did not trust it.

They also have a free, web version of their software (sort of mapquest for india) that you can try at www.mapmyindia.com. that will give you a good idea if the software will work for the routes that you care for. here is a link to directions from IIT, Delhi to IIT, Chennai as an example (http://www.mapmyindia.com/online/?from=IIT%20Delhi&to=IIT%20Chennai&via=&type=best&q=dir#)

nextgen · Post by **nextgen** » Sat Jan 05, 2008 10:59 am

Thats very helpful. Thanks a lot. Now the only main point is the cost :) they are selling it for 22k..while decent GPS are available in US for $150. Wish there was a method to just buy the maps from India and load them up in US based GPS navigator :)

anony_mouse · Post by **anony_mouse** » Sun Jan 06, 2008 12:46 am

yes. at $550 they are definitely expensive and I am not sure if I can justify the price. To be fair, in US a comparable GPS is not much less. you can buy cheaper models but similar specs and screen sizes from a good company (like garmin) will be at least $400.

while, I highly enjoy telling new, better routes to my driver when we are travelling thru delhi (and my driver is very good with delhi routes) - I do think the price is high.

you also have to pay for map upgrades at about INR 1000 everytime you want it.

For whatever its worth, you can buy just the software (for about INR 6500) and load it on any windows mobile device if you have any lying spare.
I have also heard that airtel is currently doing trial of the same software and it is currently available on blackberry 8800 (will be available on more devices soon).

I am just happy to support an innovative indian company. I read some interviews of their CEO and I liked the guy for his passion.