As it is there is only 2GB onboard memory.. how much video can you possibly transfer in 2 GB, videos that you would actually want to watch on a bike trip. It, i think is maily for previewing videos/photos that you click from cameras along the trip. Not for watching on the move.

though costly I foresee a better competition and more products(affordable as well as practical) in this arena of GPS devices with mapmyIndia's launch, that could turn out to be beneficial for us normal tourers.

What's that now? You know me better than to reply with something more obscure than what my brain can manage

I think its a courageous step to bring out such a gadget at such a steep price.

1. Abroad you need GPS more because there are no people around to ask for directions , here its not the case.
2. The phones equipped with GPS and a handle bar mount is good enough for limited use the device has.
3. Newbie tourers will never buy devices like these for 19k. A 10k device would have been much better. (This is 25% of the cost of the bike)
4. Capacitve screen ? Device is almost useless then.

My 2 cents

anyone who buys this map my india is a real fool ,now that nokia has launched free drive navigation on all its GPS enabled phones ,
i just bought a 5230 for 8000 rs & i now have free ovi maps navigation ,
what person would now spend 11000rs on a sat nav now .
garmin and map my india shd count its days.lol

He means a capacitive threaded glove (Making A Glove Work With A Touch Screen).

I havent seen the unit live yet but from what I gather from the comments here the biggest drawback could be only if the screen is capacitive touch, it is IPX6 rated or if the interface is hard/unintuitive to use.

A direct comparsion with my Tom Tom Rider2 (which I have been using since 2007 in Australia and NZ for a total fo 30,000+ kms).

This is how a Tom TOm Rider2 looks like:



It is got a RAM mount (RAM is a company, people sometimes think its a generic name ). The TomTom is supplied with this one: Ram Mounts - mounting brackets and systems - RAM U-Bolt Mount (Short Arm)

The TomTom screen is also 3.5 LCD and it is definitely not small. The Tom Tom is IPX 7 certified, which means it will stay waterproof if immersed in 1 m of water.

The IPX6 certification of the TrailBlazer means that it can handle heavy showers from any direction while being on the bike. While it is ok for being mounted on a bike, the IPX7 just gives that extra confidence while using such an expensive device in inclement weather conditions.

The TB has gpot a faster CPU (500Mhz) than the TTR2 (380 Mhz) going by the clock speed. It could end up being slower if the TTR2 CPU has some advanced features like extra cache memory, or optimized circuits for handling the GPS features.



Good to see the TB has a bike charger as well, (like the TTR2).

And it is actually lesser money than the Tom Tom (which is 650 USD or around 27,000 INR). But, the TB wont be able to provide us with nav in any place outside India (the TomTom has maps for lots of countries, but not for India).

Seeing the on paper comparision with an already established internationak product I think the screen of the TB wont be capacitive (like the iPhone) but a Resistive (like the Tom Tom Rider 2).

Let us not jump to conclusions my friend. And please mind you language. Many people know what options exist. The unit is made for motorcycles to work in inclement weather and not in the comforts of a car or draped with two layers of plastic to protect it from dust and water.

I was just thinking.. if this device, the TB, is released as a 32GB flash / 160GB+ Hard drive version, with a proper SDHC card + CompactFlash slot (With the others supported via adapters).

Would'nt that become just the perfect companion for a Biker Photographer (which most bikers are when actually Touring)?

I mean, the biker can back up photos on the move (Thus keeping a backup if one of the cards goes bad.) , review them on the screen (which is quite decent in size) when the device is not being used for its GPS capabilities (and hence save camera battery), Geotag his photos (if his camera and GPS times are synced, thats possible too.)

Even if they include these features, i for one will ditch my MapMyIndia maps on Windows Mobile and go ahead and buy one of these in a heartbeat.

@Sunny How do you feel about that?

P.S.: Such a device will clearly show its superiority over the cellphone counterparts and end the debate for good. I use a cellphone GPS. I know its limitations.

Sadly.. I have just recieved a mail from mapmyindia regarding feasibility of the above mentioned features. The main bits are quoted as below

So.. anyways.. i am going to Nokia Priority shop and getting myself a Nokia 5800 XM Navigation Edition.

Does it need internet connection for GPS support???

Assisted GPS needs internet connectivity which makes it more responsive and fast. But That is just my experience on phone, Probably it is not required on such a device.

I havent used any of the solo GPS devices but have been using Nokia c5-03 with OVI maps from the past 3 years and they have never let me down....

the thing i want to know is why do I need a device priced @19k when the same task can be done via a cell phone????

for proper touring all you need to do is attach a charger to the bike and a tank bag with transparent waterproof upper pocket and you are good to go anywhere... cell phone networks are available on alomst all the highways and country roads even if one is planning a leh-ladakh trip take a bsnl post paid SIM card along...

also the biggest advantage is that the c5-03 comes with a resistive touch screen so makes it much easier to use with a gloved hand....

There are 2 school of thoughts of using a phone as a gps device and one more having the right set of gps for touring. I use a Road Pilot (Map My India)

Pros & cons of having a mobile phone
1. Compact
2. Not required to carry 1 more gadget
3. Price
4. Google / ovi maps inbuilt in many

1. GPRS required / Data Charges
2. Dust & Delicate
3. Usually we flaunt our phones & will not be interested to see that with dust
4. Fixing the charger for our Mobile phone & we know how our batteries / Fuse works, Mobile phones are critical & we need to keep it for emergency

I would still prefer a GPS device and it had helped in many of the times in unknown destinations. Especially the road maps...if you are a off roader and this is not the device which you can look for, get something from Gramin

I would still prefer having a GPS device

Video play back really??????

Its a Bike!!!!!!

I too think a phone can to the same job well. But always keep one extra phone for emergency calls.
MapmyIndia maps are available for many OS, I have it on my Sony Ericsson LWW( Android). :-)

Sent from my WT19i using Tapatalk 2

If you have the map already downloaded in your phone (Ovi Maps) you don't need internet services to use GPS (not AGPS). The phone will directly talk to the GPS sats and plot your position. The Nokia Ovi Maps on my friends Lumia was very helpful on my trip from Mumbai-Leh.
Nokia has done a very good job of making Ovi maps very exhaustive. So unless you need much POS data I would suggest GPS via phone would be okay.

Mithun