[darkpuppet]

The following is a review of the CoPilot Live 8 GPS navigation software for Windows Mobile

I recently picked up a Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 smart phone running Windows Mobile 6.1. The phone has GPS built in and therefore would make a handy hand-held GPS navigation unit.

Unfortunately, my cell carrier, Rogers wants $10/mo for their recommended Navigation software, which ironically is not yet currently available for the Xperia.

You can go the other direction to free software such as google maps, but the text is small and there's no spoken word navigation, and requires a constant cellular connection, making it less than ideal for anything but preplanning a trip or a walking trip in the city.

Being unwilling to spend hundreds for other software optins like Garmin or TomTom software that are locked to a proprietary memory card, I searched around a bit and found the Co-Pilot Live Software by ALK Technologies.

For $35 USD, you get software that you can install on any windows media device, includes complete maps of North America, and two voice options. You can order more maps or voices which can be downloaded directly from ALK's website using your smartphone for convenience.

Now onto the software --

Installation
The bad news about this software begins and ends mainly with the installation process. It will take a few clicks through the ALK website and e-mail to discover the location of the software download. But once dowloaded, installation is a breeze. Extract the files to a memory card with 2Gb of free space, and insert it into your smart phone. Installation will commence immediately and takes only moments.

Using the software
The first time you start the software, you will be prompted for basic configuration... it's as simple as using your finger to select and enter the information requested by the software.

It has a UI uniquely suited for the smaller screens of smartphones. This means you won't be pulling out your stylus to enter an address or set your options. It offers a 3d view with bold lines and large text that make navigating easy, and the spoken voice prompts you at various distances (configurable) along your route.

Since I could rattle on for pages about the features of the software, I'll hi-light the major ones instead.

- offers day and night modes
- can be configured for use on bicycles, walking, or driving to offer information on pedestrian trails and alternate paths.
- spoken voice is configurable and other voices can be downloaded from ALK
- shows thousands of points of interest
- can store your current point, home address, and favourites for later use
- can pre-plan your routes and trips
- automatically recalculates your route when you deviate
- configurable between metric and english standards
- can configure speed alarms, and other notifications
- can download optional maps for nominal fees
- offers traffic, construction, and other services (where available)

All-in-all, the software is of the highest quality and functionality, and while, not as quick to react as some dedicated GPS systems, is more than suitable for daily driving or use.

The only caveat is that if you're using this with your smartphone, you'll want to get a car charger kit as the GPS circuits in the phones tend to eat up power.

The software is available for smartphones, the iPhone, and laptops.

I give it 5 out of 5 stars... the best GPS I've used, and a top competitor to more expensive brands.

highly recommended.