Windows Phone Thoughts: Road Trip Reloaded: OCN All in One GPS Reviewed

Setting Up Routes


Figure 4: The main menu

Now that we have some maps to use, let's check out the route creation capabilities on the Pocket PC side. Get past the obligatory legal nag screen and OnCourse Navigator presents you with the main menu screen as shown in Figure 4. From here you can choose to set up a route with single or multiple destinations, look at the currently chosen map or change maps. With one tap on the "Go home" button, it will figure out a route from wherever you are to get you home. Settings are also accessible from this screen.


Figure 5: Methods for choosing destinations

Tap on "One destination" and you'll be taken to the screen shown in figure 5. Here you can choose to input an address to find a waypoint. You can also select from points of interest, or select a waypoint directly from a map.

Recent destinations can be displayed, and if you've saved some frequently used destinations, you can choose from that list as well. Finally, OnCourse Navigator can route to an address that you have stored for a contact. You can even invoke OnCourse Navigator from within your Contacts app, or through the Contacts view in popular PIM programs such as Pocket Informant and Agenda Fusion.


Figure 6: Choosing a destination by address

To enter an address, you first choose the city and zip code. Afterwards, you enter a street name and OnCourse Navigator will find it if it exists in the chosen city. Finally, enter the street number and again OnCourse Navigator will attempt to match it. As an alternative to entering the street number, you can tap on the Intersection display and OnCourse Navigator will display streets that intersect with the first street entered. Great for when you don't have an address, but know that your desired destination is at a particular intersection.


Figure 7: If you like wiener schnitzel, this is the place…

To select a destination by points of interest, specify the city and the category. There are also subcategories, such as different types of cuisine when you select restaurants. After setting up these parameters, OnCourse Navigator will display the specified points of interest. As with many of these programs, sometimes the points of interest are a bit outdated… for example, a local restaurant that changed names 4 years ago is still listed under its old name.