GPS Navigation (english menue) for Beijing
- Joined: Feb 1st, 2009
- Posts: 4
Hi there.
I am wondering if there is any GPS Navigation available for the Beijing city/region which works with an english menue.
Have seen nice systems from Mio (Mio370) at GOME store, but nobody could explain it to me. And the webpage of Mio China (www.mio.com.cn) is in chinese characters as well. So it is hard for me to spend my money.
Even when it is most times easy to find the orientation in this fantastic city I would like to have such a toy.
Any experiences or advice?
Thanks.
VSP
V
Re: GPS Navigation (english menue) for Beijing
I've never tried it in China yet, BUT googlemaps combined with a data plan and phone with a gps receiver works for me. I'm able to get satellite views and streetmaps as well as weather and traffic (where available....probably not in Mao-ville). That works all over the US and Europe for me on my Windows Mobile 6.1 phone.
Good luck.
chaoyangman
Re: GPS Navigation (english menue) for Beijing
Yes there is...get a Garmin at bainaohui (besides Landao) it's the shop at the left side of the escalator on ground floor. Around 2000 rimbimbim, excellent machine!
bobby_liu
Re: GPS Navigation (english menue) for Beijing
HarryC
Re: GPS Navigation (english menue) for Beijing
An alternative solution, get a Windows CE smart phone with GPS receiver and install something like this (GPS Tuner). This allows you to upload your own JPG map and it will display your position on that map. You can actually use their own utility to download tiled google maps to your PC which can then be used. An image map is less versatile than a vector map but if sufficiently detailed will suffice anyway, and with this solution you are not tied to any particular vendors maps. I haven't done it but would like to. Smart phone is also your phone (duh), your personal organizer, your mp3 player etc. Basically a Windows iPhone. Needs the GPS receiver, a lot of newer ones do.
They only come up to your knees
um harry, u can be fat and be anorexic. - BeijingDays
ultrageez
Re: GPS Navigation (english menue) for Beijing
Trainer, this is your loucky day. I just went through the painfull process of searching for the right GPS navigator for my car.
I have the first generation Iphone with google maps, and it's so slow without wifi it just doesnt help (plus I wanna do some serious driving, won't work with the Iphone batteries seeing how I do plan to listen to my music! anyway, would be a pain)
So I needed a navigator with detailed chinese maps for my wife copilot and smooth english menus and voice for my ease of use.
It came down to 2 choices: either the Magellan Maestro or the Garmin 260W.
There you go, you don't need to look any further.
The Maestro is 1600 rmb, the Garmin is 1800 rmb. BUT, you can add the bluetooth handsfree to the Magellan, and that will bring it up to 2000 rmb. I tested it with my iphone, worked like a breeze, the speaker volume was fine and the iphone still picks up voice whereever u put the phone in the car. (not that phone isnt loud enough in speaker mode)
BUT, the finish of the Garmin beats the Magellan. The voice/sound quality is much better, and the maps have a nice graphic finish to them.
YET, the Magellan is very good on cross country localization. Don't ask me why, apparently the Garmin has trouble keeping with the maps when you far off in the sticks.
This is because Magellan is a brand designed for adventurers (no kidding) - yachting mostly. So if you end up in the middle of nowhere, or in the middle of the pacific ocean, I guess you can rely on your trusty ol magellan.
Garmin is really made more for the city and highways.
I went with the Garmin, and am very happy!
there ya go!
ultrageez
Re: GPS Navigation (english menue) for Beijing
Ahh sh*t, bloody perfectionist side of me...
2 points I forgot: BIG WARNING on the battery quality in all these other products on the market. Really. Don't go for a chinese brand. There have been account of batteries EXPLODING. Very dangerous while you're driving. This is because we all end up driving for long periods of time and the requires the batteries to be always working at full capacity.
And the other point that goes hand in hand... Garmin and Magellan are 2 US brands.... Go for safe and u'll be fine...
trainervsp
Re: GPS Navigation (english menue) for Beijing
Thanks to all of you (esp. to ultrageez!!)
It seems this weekend will cost me app. 2k RMB
But I am really looking forward to have one of this nice toys. The Garmin machines are very popular in Germany (my hometurf) as well and I can use it during holidays (mountainbiking in the Alps) over there. So the decision is made and now has to be executed.
Thanks again and have a nice day.
Trainer VSP
Evgenius
Re: GPS Navigation (english menue) for Beijing
There are many GPS Navigators in China now with english language. I have mine in english (mostly in english). Just check places where they sell em. Around landao maybe? Saw many in computer center there.
SiGoTuri
Re: GPS Navigation (english menue) for Beijing
@ ultrageez
Don't go for a chinese brand?!? Why spending ¥400 on a 4.2' PND or ¥500 on a 5' high definition one with 3D maps, when you can spend ¥2,000 on a 3.5' Garmin or TomTom one with outdated maps from 2008?
Guess what, Garmin's devices are also made in China and China is the world's #1 manufacturer of lithium batteries.
The best chinese GPS navigation software is Careland / Kailide / 凯立德, but it's Chinese only (incl. Cantonese, Szechuan, Minnan).
The one with English option is 易图通 (Yi Tu Tong).
Look for one with WinCE 6.0 (meaning it has a 500 MHz processor), but one wit 400 MHZ and WinCE 5.0 will also do the job. Avoid older units with 372 MHz processors.
I recommend Sansui and Aemape brands.
Nidaye
Re: GPS Navigation (english menue) for Beijing
Is Yi Tu Tong available for the iPhone? I couldn't find it on the app store. I'm currently using Autonavi with my iPhone, the price is right and it also supports the iPad now. The maps are offline so it works without a data plan, but this also means that the app download is huge (close to 2GB!). It also does not have an English interface but it's also not hard to figure out.