Sunday, September 14, 2008

Navigon FreshMaps Map Update Service

Navigon FreshMaps Map Update Service

Navigon Fresh Maps Map Update Service

The product was delivered in due time. I was not in a hurry and when it was sent through the postal service you just need to be patient. The product worked as promised and was much more reasonable on price than any where else I found. Just be sure to look good at the code needed to start the system because they are not very clear sometimes and the only problem I experienced was entering the proper code to get the update.

FreshMaps...a difficult and frustrating installation

This review deals with my problems installing FreshMaps onto my Navigon 2120 GPS. I make no comments as to how the updates worked once finally installed. (I will try to comment, at a later date, on the functionality of the product once I've had time to assess it) I purchased the Navigon FreshMaps card, and activated the service through the Navigon website by typing in the access code found on the card. So far no problem. I then attempted to download the FreshMaps that were now available from a program I'd previously downloaded, called 'Navigon Fresh'. BTW, I believe all downloads from Navigon are now done via the 'Navigon Fresh' program. Having it on my computer would enable me to do the following very useful things... 1.) update software. 2.) download FreshMaps and 3.) Make Backups of the my GPS Navigon SD card on my computer. I connected my GPS to my computer via the correct USB cable and pressed the down load link. A message appears stating there was no MN (My Navigon) software on my SD card. I checked my SD card...there was a MN file on the card...what's up??? Next I tried connecting the SD card to my computer via a SD reader. Eureka, success! When I pressed download FreshMaps it responded, but when it came time to actually download the software, it tells me the Navigon SD card is full and I'll have to delete something from it to make room. Apparently the 'new' software doesn't overwrite the 'old' software. So I start deleting some files from my Navigon SD card (making a backup first), but I still got the 'not enough space on the SD' message every time. Getting a larger, 4 GB SD card for example, was not an option, as no one makes anything larger than 2GB card for regular SD. There is a 4GB SDHC card (Scan Disc High Capacity) but this would not function in my Navigon GPS (I know, I tried). So I decided to go out and buy another 2GB SD card (more $$ spent!!). I inserted it into the reader, pressed download, and I got the message 'no MN software' on the SD card...WOW, stymied again!! So as a last resort I copied a 'MN' file from my backed-up copy onto the new blank SD card and...it worked! Finally after all the snafus, I was able to begin the download of the NEW FreshMaps I'd purchased. And even then, this download took 4-5 hours on a DSL connection! BUT, I got it downloaded, installed and my GPS is now working with the latest maps. Conclusion: I guess what is SO annoying is the lack of download/installation instructions with this product. There was no hint as to any unusual installation procedures on the FreshMaps package or the Navigon website. What should have been a seamless, easy download/installation, wasn't; it turned out to be an exercise in frustration. I was lucky, if I hadn't thought to copy the 'MN file' onto the new blank SD card this update would never have downloaded and worked. You know, maybe I missed something obvious in the download procedure or I didn't see something, a 'it's right in front of you' moment...but I don't think so. I hope my trials and tribulations with this product will help someone else. This very well may be an excellent set of updated maps, but if you can't download/install them a little easier than this, it's hardly worth the effort. For the inconvenience and the lack of the barest of info regarding downloading and installation procedures... 1 Star R.Nicholson

Fresh Maps

Seems easy enough. My Navigon 2100 Max came with the latest version, so i'm just waiting for their next update.

RATE WHAT?

HOW CAN YOU RATE AN ITEM THAT ISN'T OUT YET, PURCHASED THE PRODUCT ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT ITS NOT OUT YET "COMMING JULY OF 07" WELL IT'S JULY 28th AND STILL NO PRODUCT----- NAVIGON SAYS "WE LET YOU KNOW WHEN READY?????

Navigon rocks

While the next map update with this service is not scheduled until July 08 there is a free software update that includes a map update available already on their website. I really like how the product handles and the convenience of the map update.



Keyword : navigon

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