[Sparky] notified us of his hack to allow interaction with the core of an Aldi GO Cruise 4300 GPS Windows CE OS. All that’s required is a few programs and registry edits to the GPS, which anyone can accomplish within a few minutes. But we suggest you go slow and double-check your work; nobody wants a bricked system. After you’re done you can run such great programs like the one [Sparky] suggest for 4WD enthusiasts, Ozi Explorer.
why not try do it with xp?…
How would you propose installing Windows XP on a dash GPS unit exactly?
I’m willing to learn how companies customize windows ce, I’m going to buy a subnetbook with standard windows ce and I want to customize it (some aplications, themes..), someone know how to do that? Any help wanted.
Thanks.
@Chubidaba:
I did this just recently with a cheap sub $100 netbook. It came from the factory bricked (grrr….) so I found the flash utilities on their ftp server. The system files weren’t zipped or protected, just in a folder ready to be put into the filesystem. All that was required was adding or deleting what I wanted and I had my own customized wince system.
nice link there are others that are just as easily hackable including the cheap omnitech from staples. a lot of these run on ce and are easily customizable
@pilotgeek
sub 100??? elaborate. now.
Mention of OziExplorer reminded me of this suggestion for an article:
how to create garmin/whatever gps maps from scratch.
The government provides all the necessary info included on those $100 map packages for free. What your really paying for is the convenience of having it packaged for your device.
I know the process for garmin handhelds is convoluted, but possible. Seems like ripe hack-a-day material.
The Mio brand of GPS also tends to be extremely unlockable.
I had a C230 that was a great PDA/PMP.
Unfortunately is was only a so-so GPS. :(
@mrgoogfan
It’s getting common, those 7 inches-arm processor, sub-netbooks.
Search alibaba and you’ll find.
here’s a netbook for $85
http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/03/coby-85-smartbook-feels-like-a-hundred-bucks-hands-on/
the sub-netbook size range of computers are actually called smartbooks, as that engadget link above says
@gilgad
When you say the gov’t provides all this data for free do you mean the TIGER census data from the US government?
It’s useful data, but it doesn’t cover everything. plus it’s US only.
More useful is data from the OpenStreetMap project. You can get maps for anywhere in the world and they are all free and unrestricted. You can even download maps to your Garmin device.,
Check out http://www.osm.org
@strider_mt2k
The C320 model is a great GPS and is super-easy to hack.
I run various GPS software on mine, and it’s powerful enough to handle even stuff like iGO 8.
To clarify: the iGo has 3D buildings and overpasses. Pretty resource-intensive compare to 2D software.
“How would you propose installing Windows XP on a dash GPS unit exactly?”
With this: http://www.trossenrobotics.com/roboard-rb-100.aspx
Got this to work with my Nextar M3-04 too, with one slight complication: when you change the shell folder locations, it creates a virtual “SDMMC” folder in “\” and makes the real SD card “SDMMC2”. Does anyone know how to fix this?
3d program is growing very fast and microsoft introducing new feature thats why they are the best
@mrgoogfan :
The netbooks aren’t very good. They have wifi, but run Windows CE and have a 300mhz arm cpu, and 128mb ram. There’s a project going on to try to get a version of linux on them, but with the proprietary chipset, it isn’t going well. On the other hand, it works great as-is for simple web browsing (no video, flash, etc…)
Install TCPMP to watch some video while driving, hehe. But the display framerate should be set higher if it’s not already.
Darn, he ran out of bandwidth on his website…
@Pavel Nice!
I didn’t drill into it to the point where I replaced the GPS software.
I should have tried that before I gave it to my brother in law!
Good stuff!!
Yawn, GPS people have been doing this to different models of GPS’s for years. I hacked my Magellan 2 years ago and added in WindowsCE apps for mp3 player and others. Problem is these hacks are barely functional. they all run outside the GPS UI so you go from big fat meaty finger buttons to little windows UI buttons.
The best hacks are digging up better POI databases and upgrading a $69.00 GPS with a $590.00 GPs’s huge POI DB. or changing the startup graphics so it says the GPS is stolen and has your contact info. You’ll never get your GPS back but it pisses off the thief.
And for those of you with a Mio (and other CE-based GPS devices):
http://netfresco.com/MioPocket/default.aspx
longest sentence ever:
“This is the official web site for the OziExplorer GPS Mapping Software which runs on your PC or laptop and will work with Magellan, Garmin, Lowrance, Eagle, Brunton/Silva and MLR GPS receivers for the upload/download of waypoints, routes and tracks and most brand of GPS receivers for real time tracking of GPS position (Moving Map).”
@pilotgeek
oh i expected that. my main pc is an eeepc1005pe. it has its graphics on the processor. works pretty good for everything (except 3d games of course) upgrading it to 2gb ram, 500gb 7200rpm drive was a given though. (i really like those 7200 seagates, they are a must)
There is also a ‘Free’ GPS engine for WinCE devices (including various GPS models) which uses the OpenStreetMap dataset.
http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Gosmore
You can also modify a lot of GPS software to enable more high end features such as turn-by-turn voice navigation. Sometimes it’s as simple as changing *one line* in a config file!
So much for artificial product differentiation :)
I have been looking for a blog that is about the automotive services industry like this one for a while now. I am always on the look out for automotive blogs and I will add your RSS to my feed.
How can i hack my Navigon 2200.please help