|  GPS
is now a household name and consumers recognize the advantages of having this
capability whether it be in a car, boat or hiking. The technology has been around
for quite a long time, yet recent advancements in data
processing really make today's
GPS systems much more powerful and easy to use. Early models offered few features
and the screen size, battery life and capabilities were somewhat limited, especially
in portable units. I bought my first handheld GPS over 13 years ago and at the
time friends and family laughed at me, but soon they too saw the light and realized
the advantages of such a system. Modern GPS receivers are powerful and faster
than ever. However, no GPS receiver is complete without the aid of intelligent
mapping software. This seems to be where most GPS units have made big advancements
and this is where Alk
Technologies' new CoPilot
Live | Laptop 10 system really shines.
Installation
The CoPilot Live package we reviewed included the GPS pod with an attached USB
cable, one DVD, and instructions. The installation was simple and having both
the application and mapping data on a single disc (earlier versions required two
CDs) was an advantage. Once the GPS pod was connected to our Sony Vaio laptop
(Model K23), Windows® immediately recognized the attached device and the appropriate
drivers were setup. Once launched, the CoPilot application will let the user know
if the GPS receiver is not attached to the computer. A status indicator in the
upper right corner of the screen will let the user know if the computer is receiving
a good signal. Red bars indicate a weak signal while green bars indicate a strong
signal. When first started, it may take a few minutes before the GPS satellites
are acquired. To help accelerate the acquisition time, the user can input the
current city and state. CoPilot
allows users to select routing based on the vehicle type (RV or automobile). If
you choose RV routing, small and narrow roads, tight turns, and U-turns will all
be minimized to provide you with the safest and easiest route to drive your RV
or other larger vehicle. There is also a choice for helping with height restrictions
(12’6” and new 13’ height clearance options), but CoPilot does
not guarantee this accuracy, especially for bridge heights on smaller, local roads.
Users can also select an option to avoid Toll Roads and Propane Restricted Tunnels.  We
reviewed Alk Technologies's CoPilot 2003 several
years ago and we were quite impressed with the capabilities of the system. They
have recently released CoPilot Live | Laptop (Version 10), which leverages on
the earlier product and includes may new and improved features. The advantage
of CoPilot is that the software resides on a laptop for more functionality, easy
upgrades and a much larger screen size. Proof that technology moves ahead is evident
with the GPS receiver. The new model is significantly smaller and more ergonomic
than the earlier designs. The strong magnet built into the base of the GPS pod
firmly
attaches itself to the metal
body of the car. We placed our receiver on the dash and it still pulled in a strong
signal. The 5-foot cable provided adequate length to our laptop.
CoPilot
offers a lot of flexibility with standard in-vehicle navigation (Guidance Mode),
trip planning (Planning Mode), and Live messaging/real-time tracking. Even without
the GPS pod attached, the user can use the Planning
Mode
to plan out a trip. If CoPilot detects the GPS pod, it will automatically go to
the Guidance Mode. CoPilot’s Live messaging and real-time tracking capabilities
can be accessed from within Planning Mode. Planning
Mode
Unlike most of the other GPS systems we have used, the CoPilot has
a Planning Mode that allows the user to plan a trip before starting the
journey. Trips can be saved and recalled at a later time. The cool part is the
software allows the user to search for points of interest, calculate fuel costs,
add favorite places, add custom places, and a whole lot more. Trip planning just
got a lot more sophisticated using the CoPilot software. The mapping software
is very easy to use and allows the user to quickly zoom in and out and drag to
any area on the screen.  There
are four different Map Views. As an alternative to the top-down 2-D view,
users can select the 3-D view that adds a bit more depth and realism to the map
during a road trip. For some, this may be the preferred way to view the road,
while for others like myself, the conventional top-down 2-D view is preferred.
Other Map Views include Where am I, which displays the operator's
location on the map and Destination, which displays the final destination.
The Heading Up will track your position on the map moving upward as you
drive, whereas the North Up setting will always maintain North at the top
of the screen. The user can also choose the Day or Night option, with the latter
reducing glare during night usage. An automatic mode is also available that switches
between Day and Night automatically based on the GPS time.
The
bottom of the display has three customizable lines that allows the user to select
the information to be displayed as they drive. Choices are the same for each line
and include the current road, nearest crossroad, nearest major road, nearest town,
ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival), or speed. Only line 3 appears when the map is
hidden in the Driver Safety view. The bottom right has icons that allow
the user to toggle on or off listening (microphone), speech (speaker), or POIs
(Points of Interest).  Signal
Status
The GPS Status window displays the signal strength of each of the
satellites being tracked with the 12-channel receiver. The GPS pod communicates
to the laptop using one of the USB ports that get mapped to a COM port. Both the
COM port and baud rate can be configured manually or set to auto. There is also
an option to log the GPS messages being received for future reference. The GPS
data window displays additional information such as latitude, longitude and altitude.
Based on the position samples being taken, a speed and heading will also be displayed
as well as the UTC/GMT time and date.
Conclusion
The new CoPilot Live | Laptop 10 GPS Navigation System is a powerful GPS package
that offers significant benefits for the serious traveler with a laptop. For those
who have room for a laptop while they travel, CoPilot offers a whole lot more
than traditional portable GPS systems we have seen. The software is powerful and
provides a lot of flexibility for the user. The maps are easy to use and offer
excellent resolution when compared to most of the portable GPS systems we've seen.
Free
software patches can be downloaded from the TravRoute website. Alk is still so
confident that you will love their product that they offer a refund within 30
days of the price paid (excludes shipping and handling) with any CoPilot product.
(See Alk's return policy for details). If
you need a full-featured GPS system without the limitations of the portable units,
we highly recommend you take a look at the latest CoPilot 10. It is an amazing
product for the price. -
Kevin Nakano |
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