PathAway Newsletter
Welcome to the August 2006 - PathAway Newsletter. In this edition:
PathAway GPS 4 - Standard Edition
Latest Updates

Windows MobilePalmPathAway GPS 4 -Standard Edition
Latest Updates

If you haven't upgraded to PathAway GPS 4 Standard Edition yet, now is the time. According to user reports, the latest builds are very robust and the new features make it well worth the upgrade. Download the most up-to-date build today

Here are the highlights of the new features added for PathAway 4:

- Multimedia Points: Add photos and sound to captured points. Included support for camera phones for photo capture. Click on points and play their sound or display the picture. Proximity indicator shows a thumbnail of the nearest point (if there). Click on the thumbnail for a full view of the picture.

- Track Up Navigation: Automatic or manual map rotation in 90 degree increments. Set your map to automatically rotate to your direction of travel.

- New View Screens: GPS Sky View, Satellite Data View, and Compass View. GPS Status views let you see the strength of your GPS signals. Compass view provides large size graphical display compass showing heading, steer course, turn instructions and more...

- Goto Location: Enter specific location coordinates to set a new position on the map.

- PocketMode Feature : You can now track via your GPS, and save battery life at the same time. Once you enter PocketMode, PathAway turns off the screen (or backlight depending on device), and locks the keys but continues to record GPS data to your track log. If you're using a Bluetooth GPS, simply connect the GPS, enter Pocket Mode, and put the device in your Pocket! No need to worry about accidentally hitting keys to issue unwanted commands. Use the special key sequence (or power button) to exit Pocket mode and return to the View screen.

- Split Track Here: "Click on a track point and "Split" the track into two at the selected point. Great for dividing up lengthy tracks that only need to be in separate segments.

- Calibrate by 3 or More Known Points: Now you can Calibrate maps that do not have horizontal and vertical longitude and latitude lines, and do not have a known projection. PathAway 4 features new algorithms to accurately calibrate maps by choosing 3 or more known points. Maps no longer need to have perfectly horizontal latitude and vertical longitude lines. Calibration can be done via Map Manager (using Known Points - Skewed), or on the handheld by selecting the "3 or more known points". option in the Calibrate Map dialog.

- Primary and Secondary Position Coordinate Display: Choose two different Position coordinates to display on the dashboard. Now you can show both lat/long and UTM (or any other supported Grid format) at the same time. Or choose a different Datum to display in.

- Select Any Datum or Grid format for display: Previously, you could only display the datum used by the current map. Now you can select any datum for use on the display. Even select different datum's for primary and secondary coordinates.

- New Coordinate Grids: Quebec-MTM, MGA, GGRS87, Swedish Grid, Irish grid, Israel Grid.

- New Datum's: RT90, GD94, EGSA87.

- Toolbar Hide/Show: Expand your view of the screen by hiding the toolbar. Windows Mobile versions can hide the toolbar and the top Taskbar to give you the entire screen for viewing.

- Manual And Proximity based Route Point Targeting: Manual means user must select "Advance Route Point" before PathAway will target the next point in sequence. Proximity means you must enter within a proximity of a route point before the next point will be automatically targeted.

- Measure distance between 2 points: Want to know the distance between 2 points on the map? Simply select Measure... from the Popup menu, and click on the 2 points.

- Large size Icon and Text Menu display: Double the size of the icons for better viewing, or enlarge the text on the menus for arms-length viewing, or easier finger selection.

- Coordinate Grid Lines on Map: Show the latitude and longitude lines on the map. Automatically determines best gapping between lines to keep the screen uncluttered.

- Import GPS data from Data Logger NMEA file: Download data logged in your Data Logger GPS, (I.e.. RoyalTek BlueGPS.) and import the NMEA file directly into PathAway.

- Support for SDIO GPS: Now use your SDIO slot as you GPS receiver. Direct support for SDIO GPS devices added. Ie. Stellus StarNet SDIO GPS.

- New Data Import Formats: GPX, LOC Supported via PathAway PC Conversion Tools, or handheld from the new "Import..." option via Database dialogs. Great for GeoCache users.

- Elevation alarms and warnings: Receive audible alerts when you rise above or fall below specified elevations in relation to the track or route you're following.

- GPS fix acquired and lost alarms: Receive audible alerts when a GPS fix is acquired or lost.

- Custom Alarm Sounds: Add your own sound clips to be used for any of the available alarms. Even attach a sound to a specific point to be played as the "in-proximity" sound.

- On-Map Display of Estimated Travel Time: PathAway displays the Estimated Time Enroute (ETE) on the map by showing rings indicating the time to reach points on the map. By default, ETEs are set in 1,2, 5, 10, 30, and 60 minute intervals. Customizable in the Preferences->Time dialog.

- GPS Connection Retrys: Option to maintain trying to connect to GPS even when communications are temporarily lost. See the GPS Configure->Advanced Dialog.

- Set Speed and distance decimal precision: Now modify the decimal places on the screens used for reporting speed and distances. See the Preferences->System dialog.

- Depth Tracking: Option to record "Depth" (if available) in elevation data field instead of altitude. See the Preferences->System dialog.

- "Auto Detect" baud rate: Turn on Auto Detect, and the system will cycle through baud rates until it receives a valid GPS stream. See the GPS Configure Dialog.

- Elevation Correction: Automatically adjust elevation to correct for SIRF II Elevation error, or set a fixed elevation adjustment to be applied to all elevation data received from GPS. See the GPS Configure->Advanced dialog.


The following features have been added to PathAway GPS 4 for Palm OS:

- Folders Management: Select folders on storage cards for accessing maps and data.

- Bluetooth Detection: Remember last Bluetooth Device connection.

- Hard Key Mapping: customize or disable the hard key buttons.

- Time zones: Now select in 1/2 hr increments.

- New Dashboard info: Time to Next point, Time to next Turn.

- GPS Configure-Advanced Options: Added option to set the timeout between checking GPS data, and communications buffer size.

- Line to Next Point, Line to Next Turn, Circle Next point: In Preferences-Map Display, options to show/hide Line to Next Point, Line to Next Turn, Circle Next point and turn using Proximity distance parameters.

- Calculate Area of a Route or Track: Track or route must be set as Activated, or Follow. Context menu (click on map) Route Menu->Calculate Area or Track Menu->Calculate Area.

- Pinpoint feature to improve the accuracy of a captured point. Stand still and take multiple samples to average the current location, and pinpoint the accuracy.

Note: Some of these features already exist in PathAway GPS 3 for Windows Mobile.

Download PathAway GPS 4 - Standard Edition Today

PathAway GPS 4 Professional Edition - Pre-Release
Development Update

Under development is the New PathAway PRO Edition. It will have all of the features of the Standard Edition plus new features targeted towards advanced users and professionals!

As features are added, we are posting pre-release versions of the program for you to try out and provide feedback. Here are some of the new features added recently:

  1. On-the-Fly download of Web Maps. The latest feature being tested is the wireless downloading and display of Web-based maps. With this feature enabled, you'll be able to have maps automatically downloaded as you travel. Zoom in and out to retrieve maps of higher or lower scale. Support is currently available for Google Street and Satellite maps. We're currently working on adding more sources including TerraServer. See the Options->Preferences->Web Maps Dialog.
    Note: Current support is only for Windows Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition handhelds.

  2. Send Location via HTTP: In addition to sending your location via SMS (text Messaging), PathAway PRO now can send the location to a server via HTTP. The advantage of this is that it is usually much cheaper to send a small data packet directly to a server than it is via SMS. As well, the data sent is instant, whereas SMS location can get delayed by the SMS Transmission service provider. If you would like to test this out you can use our FindMe server to view a posted location on a Google map. To do this, set the Send address to:
    http://pathaway.com/cgi-bin/locpost.cgi
    Then to view the location, go to the web page http://pathaway.com/findme/, enter the "Owner name" of the user you would like to view, then get the Map showing the user's location.

  3. Location Send Triggers: PRO now offers the following options to trigger the location send feature:
    - Time Interval: Send location at the specified time intervals.
    - Distance Interval. Send is triggered every x distance traveled.
    - Distance Interval from Start. Sends your location as you cross the threshold of the specified distance from your start location. If you move back towards your start location, the trigger will again send the location. This feature is very useful for search and rescue purposes where the distance from a start location is needed in order to determine a search radius.

  4. Receive and Track Locations via SMS. Enable this feature to receive SMS location messages from others. Their location, time, speed and heading will be displayed on the map.

  5. Pace Yourself: The new Pace feature allows you to define a certain pace that you are trying to maintain, and PathAway will monitor your travel, and display your pace time and distance information on new dashboard items. Set the Recover Distance, and PathAway can tell you the required speed to travel at for the specified distance in order to catch-up to the desired pace. Great for sports training, rally racing, and arrival time scheduling. See the Options->Preferences->Pace Dialog.
    Note: Pace by Current Route is not implemented yet.

More features are being added and tested on a regular basis, so check with us regularly. There is a Prerelease of PathAway GPS 4 - Professional Edition available at http://pathaway.com/. Note the pre-releases all expire after 15 days from posting, so you'll need to return to the prerelease page when the program expires.

Got something to add to the PathAway GPS 4 - PRO Wishlist? Send it to us and we'll make sure it gets serious consideration.

 

New Free Tools by Third-Party Developers

Third-party developers are developing some great tools to help you create and manage your customized navigation solution. Here are some of the latest developments:


GPSBabel (http://www.GPSBabel.org)
: GPS Babel OpenSource project now supports conversion of PathAway Tracks, Routes, and Points. GPSBabel converts waypoints, tracks, and routes from one format to another. It returns to us the ability to freely move our own waypoint data between the programs. It does not convert, transfer, send, or manipulate maps. Babel processes data that may (or may not be) placed on a map, such as waypoints, tracks, and routes.

Updates - Get the Latest Software Revisions

We are actively updating the software on a regular basis. Check your version number that appears on the 'About PathAway' screen on your Handheld, against the posted latest version on PathAway.com.

To install the latest, simply go to the Download page and install over top of your current version. Your data will not be affected. If your version is quite old, you may need to reenter your Registration key, so make sure you have it handy before installing.

These latest revisions are FREE if you have a registration key for any version 4.x of PathAway. These revisions contain new features and increased stability. Check the Release Notes for details on the improvements.

About PathAway GPS 4

If you get out and go places, PathAway is the companion to take with you.

PathAway provides affordable navigational support for aviation, boating, automobile (on and off-road), hiking, cycling, touring, rally racing, motorcycle touring, ballooning, scuba diving, fishing, hunting, paragliding, mountain climbing, ultra-light flying, canoeing, snowmobiling, athletic training, outdoor education, geocaching, mapping/GIS, mining, military training, surveying, site inspection, telematics, field data collection, security, search and rescue or any application where location is important.

Key Features:

  • Palm OS and Windows Mobile Platforms.
  • GPS Navigation with most GPS Devices (including Bluetooth)
  • Import your own Maps using PathAway Map Manager
  • Intelligent Moving Map Display
  • Map Projections, Grid, and Datum support
  • Add Personal Points of Interest/Waypoints
  • Record and Follow your Tracks
  • Track, Multi and single Point-to-Point Routing
  • Navigation Warnings and Alarms
  • Onscreen Trip Statistics on a Customizable Dashboard
  • Large Compass Display for position status at a glance
  • Palm OS and Windows Mobile versions
  • Transfer Data To and From GPS Devices

Platforms Supported:

  • Palm OS 3.5 and higher
  • Windows Mobile - Pocket PC 2002
  • Windows Mobile - Pocket PC 2003
  • Windows Mobile 5 - Pocket PC
  • Windows Mobile 6 - Pocket PC

Visit us at http://PathAway.com for all the details

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Enjoy,
The PathAway Team


Palm
PathAway GPS 4
for Palm Powered
Handhelds

Download Now *
* Free 15 day trial

Upgrade Now!
only $29.95 US! *
* Previous version registration key required.

Buy Now
$59.95 US





Windows Mobile

PathAway GPS 4

for Windows Mobile
Handhelds

Download Now
* Free 15 day trial

Upgrade Now!
only $29.95 US! *
* Previous version registration key required.

Buy Now
$59.95 US



visit us at
PathAway.com