My Garmin DriveSmart 50LM GPS navigator

I planned to replace my 8 years old Garmin Nuvi 255W (which is still working fine, but just old and a bit slow compared with the new models nowadays) with the new Garmin DriveAssist 50LM which is a 2-in-1 device combining GPS navigator with driving cam recorder.

However, the Garmin DriveAssist 50LM cannot be easily found in local market yet, and I'm unable to get its price detail. I ended up purchased the Garmin DriveSmart 50LM, which is similar to the DriveAssist but without the driving cam recorder function. The price for this AECO set is slightly below RM950 with some free gifts (screen protector, carry case and home USB charger).

This Garmin DriveSmart 50LM GPS navigator contains most of the functions in my Garmin Nuvi 2565LM, and with quite a number of functions not found in the Nuvi 2565LM.

The main improvement found is its ability to integrate and work with smartphones (Android and iPhone) via Bluetooth connection. Apart from the normal Bluetooth hands-free calling and address book function which is already available in Nuvi 2565LM, after installing the 2 apps: Foursquare and Garmin Smartphone Link in the smartphone, you will gain these functions in the DriveSmart 50LM:

• Getting notification from smartphone and popup on the GPS screen, including new SMS, Whatsapp, calendar alert, etc. There is also an option for the GPS to read out the notification message for you.
• Searching of POIs to encompass the numerous up-to-date Foursquare POIs.
• Viewing Foursquare location information including user ratings, restaurant pricing information, operation hours, etc.
• Sync of favourites and travel history with the phone.
• Display of weather information and temperature provided by the phone.

There are also some small functions not found in the Nuvi 2565LM available, including the fatique warning which will remind you to take a rest after 2-3 hours of continuous driving.

The search function has also been improved and easier to use.

This DriveSmart 50LM comes with 4GB internal storage, which is large enough to accomodate many maps, JCVs and other data. There is no need to put in micro-SD card for additional storage, although the micro-SD slot is still there.

This AECO set comes with lifetime free MalFreeMaps and City Navigator Singapore/Malaysia NT map, updatable from Garmin's website.

Similar with the Nuvi 2565LM, software update of this DriveSmart 50LM can be done using Garmin Express installed in the computer.

After connecting the Garmin GPS to the computer with USB cable, the Garmin Express can be used to:

• Register the product for warranty.
• Perform software update.
• Install additional language files.
• Backup favourites to PC.
• Transfer favourites among different Garmin navigators own by you.

However, there are still things I don't like about this DriveSmart 50LM, including:

• It is using mini-USB cable (same as the one used by 255W) and not micro-USB cable (the one used by 2565LM). As most of the smartphones and tablets nowadays are using micro-USB (and the latest such as HTC 10 is already using the new USB type-C), this means mini-USB cable is rarely used. This means the GPS cannot share the same USB cable with your smartphone as the connector is different.
• When connected with smartphone using Smartphone Link, it is able to display new Whatsapp notification, but not until the Whatsapp message detail. When tap to read, it will just read out the sender's detail, but not the message content.

Garmin nuvi 2565LM Sing/Mal GPS firmware v8.00 update

I have just updated the firmware of my Garmin nuvi 2565LM Sing/Mal GPS from v7.60 to the latest v8.00.

This new version is said to have improved the route calculation issue.

You can find this firmware update here: http://www.garmin.com.sg/products/ontheroad/nuvi_2565lm_sg_my/#updateTab

The instruction on that firmware update webpage is very clear and easy to follow.

Besides, the latest MalFreeMaps 2014.10 with latest Singapore MCE (Marina Coastal Expressway) data is also available now. You can find it here: http://www.garmin.com.sg/mapupdate/

Garmin releases MalFreeMaps 2013.20 and MalSingMaps 2013.20. Now MalFreeMaps lane assist feature is available.

About 2 weeks ago, Garmin released Navteq City Navigator SG/MY NT 2013.20 map update. Now, the MalFreeMaps 2013.20 and MalSingMaps NT 2013.20 are also made available for free download.

The long anticipated Lane Assist feature is finally available in this new release of MalFreeMaps 2013.20 now.

Click here to download the installation file of MalFreeMaps 2013.20 and MalSingMaps 2013.20 from Garmin server.

If you have moved the MalFreeMaps and/or MalSingMaps map files from Garmin Nuvi 2565LM internal storage to microSD card, you have to do it again, because the installer from Garmin will respectively install the new MalFreeMaps and MalSingMaps into the GPS internal storage memory.

Move the map files from Garmin Nuvi 2565LM internal storage to microSD card

The Garmin Nuvi 2565LM SG/MY GPS navigator comes with 3 preinstalled maps, namely:

• Navteq City Navigator SGMY NT (gmapprom.img)
• MalSingMaps SGMY NT (gmapprom1.img)
• MalFreeMaps SGMY NT (gmapsupp.img)

These maps, especially their junction view JCV files, have taken a lot of internal storage space of the GPS, left over with just around 200MB of free storage.

Unlike my Garmin Nuvi 255W GPS navigator which only supports 1 map file, namely gmapsupp.img in the SD card external storage, the Garmin Nuvi 2565LM SG/MY GPS navigator supports multiple unlimited map files in the microSD card external storage.

When the free space in the Garmin GPS internal storage become lesser and lesser, you will experience the GPS acting slower and slower. Therefore, it is a better idea to move the map files from its internal storage to external microSD card, in order to make space for the GPS to work smoother and act faster.

Note that at least 1 map file (the gmapprom.img) must be kept in the GPS internal memory, or else your GPS with no map in its internal storage might face problem booting up.

MalSingMaps is initially stored as .System\gmapprom1.img in the GPS, while MalFreeMaps is initially stored as map\gmapsupp,.img in the GPS.

In order to access the hidden .System folder, you need to drop down the Organize menu and select "Folder and search options" in Windows Explorer. Then, go to the View tab and make sure "Show hidden files, folders, and drives" is checked, while "Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)" is unchecked.

Alternatively, you can also open the command prompt window and use the "cd" command to access into the hidden .System folder.

Here are the steps to move MalSingMaps and MalFreeMaps from Garmin Nuvi 2565LM internal storage to microSD card. A class 10 microSD card is recommended for faster read/write speed.

• Create a new folder in the microSD card and name it as "Map".
• Create another new folder in the microSD card and name it as "Garmin".
• Create a new folder inside the Garmin folder and name it as "JCV".
• Move the 3 files gmapprom1.img, gmapprom1.sum and gmapprom1.unl from .System folder of internal storage to Map folder of microSD card.
• Move the 3 files gmapsupp.img, gmapsupp.sum and gmapsupp.unl from map folder of internal storage to Map folder of microSD card.
• Move the 4 files SGMYMAL.JCV, SgMyMal.sum, SgMyMfre.JCV and SgMyMfre.sum from .System\JCV folder of internal storage to Garmin\JCV folder of microSD card.
• Use the "Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media" function to unmount both the internal and external storage of the GPS from Windows.
• Check that you can still access to the 3 maps in the GPS, including the 2 maps that are now residing in your microSD card instead of the GPS internal storage.

• Check that the junction view in your MalSingMaps and MalFreeMaps are still available to you.

Congratulation, you have just freed up about 672MB of valuable storage space from your GPS internal storage. Your GPS internal storage should have around 950MB of free internal storage space now.

If you want to install more maps into your Garmin Nuvi 2565LM GPS, just put the map file into the Map folder in its microSD card, and put the JCV file (if available) into the Garmin\JCV folder in its microSD card. The map files in the Map folder can be of any name, as long as the extension is .img.

Garmin Nuvi 2565LM, my 2nd GPS navigator

My Garmin Nuvi 255W GPS navigator which I bought in 2009 is still working fine, but for some reason my family needs a 2nd GPS navigator, so I have purchased a new Garmin Nuvi 2565LM.

It is a genuine AECO unit that comes with 2 years warranty and with AECO and MCMC stickers, sold at RM650 with some free gifts (screen protector, carry case, home charger, etc.). This price is even cheaper than the price I bought my Garmin Nuvi 255W about 4 years ago!

Some of the differences/enhancements of Garmin Nuvi 2565LM from Nuvi 255W includes:

• A larger 5" screen (255W has a 4.3" screen)
• Supports microSD card (255W supports normal size SD card for additional storage)
• Faster and stronger GPS satellite signal detection. It is able to get some GPS signal even indoor near the window.
• Better and faster search function. It no longer need to specify the location for the search target as in 255W.
• Automatic speech recognition (ASR) to issue voice command without the need to touch the GPS.
• Bluetooth integration with Android smartphone, which is able to make or receive hands-free call as well as displaying the phone's address book on its screen. When getting a call, it is able to display the caller's name or phone number. If a Point of Interest (POI) contains telephone information, it is able to make call using the Android phone as well.
• Customizable Main Menu. I think the default layout is pretty good, so I haven't tried this.
• Remember last parking spot (when it is removed from its mount).
• "Go Office" beside "Go Home".
• MyTrends predictive routing.
• Route preview among faster time, shorter distance and cost saving.
• Custom avoidances by area or by road.
• Trip Planner.
• ecoRoute, which I haven't tried yet.
• Built in compass.
• Calculator.
• Unit converter.
• User definable display on bottom left-hand-side of the map. Can display either one of travel direction, elevation, time of day, vehicle speed, time to arrival, distance to arrival, etc.
• Integrated driving recorder, which I haven't tried this. It needs an additional GDR camera to function.
• Rear camera video support.
• Preloaded with 3 maps - City Navigator, MalFreeMaps NT and MalSingMaps NT. Also preloaded with Custom POIs including AES spots.

One thing I dislike about this Garmin Nuvi 2565LM is that, its speaker volume is softer and screen display is dimmer when using battery compared to when it is plugged to the car charger. This could be a "feature" to save the battery juice, but the variance should not be too big. I find it to be either too soft when using battery at 70% volume, or too loud when using charger at 90% volume.

Garmin releases MalFreeMaps 2013.10. Now able to show upcoming highway exit junctions info.

Garmin has made available MalFreeMaps (MFM) NT 2013.10 map update now.

You will be excited to find out that this version of MalFreeMaps NT 2013.10 is able to show the upcoming highway exit junctions info.

 

 



The upcoming exit junctions info in Garmin's highway mode is a standard feature of the GPS, and you should have seen it in the NAVTEQ City Navigator map or MalSingMaps released by Garmin. However, this feature was not available in previous version of MalFreeMaps.

Thanks to the great work of the MalFreeMaps community and Garmin engineers, now this feature is also made available to MalFreeMaps.

One other lacking feature in MalFreeMaps is Lane Assist. The MalFreeMaps community is currently working hard on it, and you can also contribute to the Lane Assist of MalFreeMaps development as well. Click here to find out how you can assist in developing MapFreeMaps Land Assist.

Click here to download the installation file of MalFreeMaps 2013.10 from Garmin server. Besides, the new MalSingMaps 2013.10 is also released. You can also download it at the same place.

How to choose a good USB data and charging cable for your mobile phone

Most of us will have a few USB data and charging cables for our mobile phone, i.e. one at home, one in office, one carrying together with our laptop, etc.

Do you encounter the problem of slow charging, or worst still, unable to charge with the additional USB cable that you bought? Perhaps you can find the solution after reading this.

First of all, although most of the USB cables look alike from their external appearance, they might be different inside the cable, and probably that is the ready why certain USB cable unable to charge your mobile phone, certain can charge but at a very slow rate, certain just work as fine as the original USB cable that come with your phone, and certain even can charge faster than the original cable.

There are 5 wires inside the USB 1 and USB 2 cables, and there are more inside USB 3.0 cable. Since most of the mobile phones nowadays are using USB 2.0 connector, so USB 3.0 is out of our topic here.

The 5 wires are:

• 2x 28 AWG data lines
• 2x 20-28 AWG power conductors
• 1x drain wire

and those 5 wires are connected to the 5 pins in your micro-USB connector.

In fact, there are two kinds of USB cable: fully-rated and sub-channel. The main difference between them is that fully-rated cable can be used for typical peripherals operating at the rate of 480 Mbps (high speed) signalling, while the sub-channel one at the rate of 1.5 Mbps (standard speed) signalling. The construction inside the cable fully-rated and sub-channel cable is different.

As you can see from the diagram above, the fully-rated USB cable is shielded by braid and aluminium foil.

You can probably see some printed codes on the good quality USB cable, including something like this: "28AWG/2C and 24AWG/2C" or "28AWG/1P + 24AWG/2C".

The first code is normally the specification of the data signal pair, which is normally 28AWG. "2C" means 2 conductors, and "1P" or "1Pr" means 1 pair. "2C" and "1P" are basically the same.

The important part is the second code, which is the specification of the power distribution pair. The minimum requirement is 28AWG, and the lower the AWG number the better. This is because lower AWG wire is thinker, and therefore the electrical resistant is lower.

Therefore, charging with a "28AWG/1P + 28AWG/2C" USB cable is normally slower than a "28AWG/1P + 24AWG/2C" cable.

Certain USB cable comes with a ferrite bead at one end, which function is to filter high frequency noise to improve signal transfer.

As a conclusion, when you buy additional USB cable to charge your mobile phone, you should look for:

• USB 2.0 support
• High speed 480 Mbps data transfer rate
• The packaging mentions it is a "charging" cable and not only a "data" cable
• Power conductors of 24AWG/2C or better (for faster charging speed)
• (optionally) the ferrite bead

Remember not to only look for the information on the packaging of the cable. Sometimes you will find the specification printed on the cable is different from that mentioned on the packaging.

MFM Custom POI 20121023 for Garmin released - including AES cameras alert

Contributors in MalFreeMaps (MFM) forum have just released MFM-CPOI 20121023 (WAV format only) Point-Of-Interest (POI) files for Garmin GPS navigators.

These custom POI will enable your Garmin GPS to alert you on the following points when you approaching them:

• MFM-Accident Area v2.6
• MFM-AES Cameras v2.1
• MFM-AES Mobile Camera v1.8
• MFM-AES Traffic Light v2.0
• MFM-Checkpoints v3.0
• MFM-Expressway R&R Stop areas v5.0
• MFM-Latar_Toll v1.0
• MFM-Ngvstations
• MFM-Night Market POIs v2.22
• MFM-NKVE_Cameras v1.0
• MFM-Pasar Tani v2.3
• MFM-Power Grids v2.0
• MFM-Railway Crossing V2.5
• MFM-Redlight Cameras v1.9
• MFM-Road Junctions
• MFM-School Zone v2.0
• MFM-SGRC_B_W_091206
• MFM-SGRC_S_W_091206
• MFM-Sharp Bend v3.6
• MFM-Speed Traps & Camera v5.3
• MFM-State Border V1.0
• MFM-Toll Plazas v2.1
• MFM-Tunnel v1.3
• MFM-Touch n Go Hubs v1.0

You can install the full list, or just some of them, by copying the respective GPI files into the Garmin\POI folder (create one if it doesn't exist) of your Garmin GPS.

 

This compilation contains POI alert for the Automatic Enforcement System (AES) installed by JPJ recently.

 

Click here to download the MFM-CPOI installation file from MalFreeMaps forum.

 

Garmin portable friction mount to hold GPS navigator on top of car dashboard

If you have a Garmin GPS navigator, you are most likely mount it with its suction cup onto your car windscreen in order to use it.

The suction cup rubber tend to age and lost its suction power by time, and can cause your GPS navigator to fall off from windscreen while you are driving. 2 years ago, I've posted a solution to prolong the time of possible fall off by reactivate the suction cup power with hot water. Another common method is to make the suction cup wet by putting some water (or saliva!?) onto its base before putting it onto the windscreen.

Now, I found an alternative solution, which is to use Garmin portable friction mount to place the GPS navigator on top of the car dashboard.

This friction mount holds the Garmin GPS on top of the dashboard with strong grip and unlikely to be affected even when sharp cornering or emergency breaking. It has a sticky pliable base which can bend according to the dashboard shape.

After using, you can easily take it off from your dashboard. Although there is sticky material at its bottom, it won't leave any residue on the dashboard.

It's holding arm is foldable to adjust the position of the GPS when use. You can totally fold it down when not in use.

I bought it online at the cost of RM88 including shipping.

Alternatives of US-based GPS satellite navigation

The usage of global satellite navigation system has become more and more important nowadays, from military to civil uses. For example, location based service (LBS) in smartphones has high level of reliance on it.

The current global satellite navigation system used by most of us are depending on the Global Positioning System (GPS) of US NAVSTAR, which has 24 to 32 satellites in operation. The actual number of operating satellites varies from time to time due to maintenance and/or replacement, but the minimum in operation in any time is 24.

GPS has been operational since 1978, and made globally available since 1994.

Due to political, and more importantly, millitary reasons, some other nations have also developed their own global satellite navigation system as alternative to the US NAVSTAR's GPS.

These include the Russian Global'naya Navigatsionnaya Sputnikovaya Sistema (Global Navigation Satellite System, GLONASS) which is currently supported in iPhone 4S. GLONASS has been operational since 1995, but fell into disrepair after the collapse of Soviet Unoin, and was later recovered and restored in 2011.

China is developing a regional navigation system called BeiDou (北斗导航系统), which has 12 satellites and will implement for Asia Pacific region by this year (2012). They have plan to further expand it into a global navigation system by 2020, under a project called Compass. By that time, BeiDou system will have 35 satellites in operation.

The European Union also developing their own Galileo positioning system, but seems like they are facing some progress delay due to financial issue.

Indian is also developing the Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS) with 7 satellites, mainly for their own use.

Garmin releases MalFreeMaps NT 2012.10 for free update

Good news to all MalFreeMaps (MFM) supporters!

Garmin has worked together with the MalFreeMaps community to come out with its first release of MalFreeMaps NT 2012.10 map for Malaysia / Singapore / Brunei.

This MFM NT map supports Junction View (JCV), compared to the community version of MFM.

Its map file gmapsupp.img is 52.03 MB, much larger than the gmapprom1.img map file of MSM NT 2011.40 (38.87 MB).

You can click here to download the installation file of MalFreeMaps NT 2012.10 from Garmin server.

Adding maps and custom POI to Garmin-Asus A10 GPS smartphone

Just like all other Garmin GPS devices, Garmin-Asus A10 GPS smartphone also supports multiple map and multiple custom POI file.

You can add maps into this phone by creating a new "Map" folder either in /storage or /sdcard and put the Garmin map with .img extension inside that folder.

Putting the file in /storage will utilize part of the phone's 4GB internal storage, and putting the file in /sdcard will utilize the storage in your micro SD card in the phone.

If the map comes with JCV file, create a "Garmin" folder either in /storage or /sdcard, and then create a "JCV" folder inside your "Garmin" folder, then put the JCV file inside it.

To put the custom Point Of Interest (POI) files into the phone, create a "POI" folder inside your "Garmin" folder and put the custom POI files with .gpi extension inside that folder.

Besides, the maps that preinstalled in the phone are resided in the /storage/.System folder.

When you have multiple maps in the phone, you might want to choose which map to use for your GPS navigation. Here is the place to do the selection: go to Settings > Navigation.

Then tap on the phone's Menu key again to show this pull-up menu.

Select "Map Info" and you will finally reach the place to select/deselect your maps.

Garmin-Asus A10 Android smartphone stock clearance sale (RM5xx) - a good companion for smart tablet

Garmin-Asus A10 Android smartphone is on stock clearance sale nationwide now!

This Android smartphone with Garmin Nuvi 1690 GPS features used to sell above RM1200 for the standard package itself, and now you can get a complete set with all the following items at a price of RM5xx only:

• The standard package - the phone, indoor charger, USB cable, earphone and battery
• Car charger and windscreen suction mount cradle
• A10/M10 desktop battery charger and 1 additional battery
• A10 anti-fingerprint screen protector
• 2 years warranty from SiS

This is really a very good deal to buy it as a companion phone for Samsung Galaxy Tab or some other Android smart tablet or Apple iPad, although we know that Garmin and Asus had discontinued their deal in producing future Garmin-Asus smartphone, and the Android in Garmin Asus A10 remains as 2.1 (Éclair) only.

Why? Because firstly, the Garmin-Asus A10 has a built-in Garmin GPS with Nuvi 1690 features, with a very fast responding and good signal reception GPS chip inside (compared with other smartphones with GPS or a-GPS feature). This phone can locate your location within seconds once its GPS feature is turned on!

The "Where To?" and "Where Am I" app are commonly used GPS feature. Beside that, you can also install additional GPS app into the phone, such as Sygic.

Secondly, the Samsung Galaxy Tab is too troublesome to use as a phone. The A10 with small 3.2" screen is nice to carry in your pocket and work as a phone. It has nice speaker that make your ringtone louder than most Android smartphones too.

So, with this companion, you can:

• Use the A10 as your phone, GPS, calculator, and perhaps basic camera
• Use the Galaxy Tab for Internet, gaming, reading, and other smartphone functions

In fact, I have found out a way to tether the Internet access of your A10 to Galaxy Tab, so you just need one SIM card with data plan in the A10 for this companionship to work seamlessly.

The pros of A10:

• Small size, easy to carry in any pocket. Good companion for tablet
• Superb Garmin GPS function
• Garmin maps are popular and have worldwide coverage. Free unlimited map update available for MalSingMaps (MSM), MalFreeMaps (MFM), etc. Many custom POIs and travel guides can be downloaded from the Internet too.
• When attached to its car GPS cradle, incoming phone calls are handled by the loudspeaker on the cradle. You don't need bluetooth or wired headphone for hand-free phone conversation
• Long lasting 1500mAh battery (can last for more than 30 hours without charging if not using GPS)
• Built-in 4 GB internal memory, and support additional memory (up to 32 GB) with micro SDHC card
• Its phone casing and accessories are solid and of good quality, same material with Garmin GPS products. Better protection from scratch and drop.
• The current cost of RM5xx is competitive to standalone basic GPS device and entry level Android phone. With A10, you get both of them in a single device! In fact, its hardware spec is better than Samsung Galaxy Y S5360 and HTC Explorer.

The cons:

• The 3.2" screen size with only 320x480 resolution is good enough for GPS and general phone function, but is small for other smartphone functions which you can use the 7" and above Galaxy Tab to handle
• The 3.2" screen is a bit small when use as GPS in car, but the voice is loud and clear
• CPU speed at 600Mhz and 512 GB RAM is good enough for GPS and general phone function, but not powerful enough for many apps that need higher resource, which you can use the Galaxy Tab to handle
• Latest firmware is Android is 2.1 (Éclair) update-1, able to install and run most Android apps in the Market, but lack of new features in Android 2.2 (Froyo), 2.3 (Gingerbread) and above. You will need to root it and install Barnacle Wifi Tether as tethering is only built-in in Android 2.2 onwards

You can consider this phone if you are still using Galaxy Tab as your phone (make this a good companion) or you are considering entry level Android smartphone such as Samsung Galaxy Y S5360, HTC Explorer, etc. At almost the same price, this phone has better hardware specs, Garmin Nuvi 1690 GPS functions, and come together with a lot of accessories.

The real fact about your Lithium-ion battery life and death

Nowadays, Lithium-ion battery is commonly used to power up electronic gadgets including laptop, netbook, tablet PC, mobile phone, cordless phone, digital camera, GPS navigator, PDA, MP3 player, etc.

There are quite a lot of information in the Internet teaching you how to prolong the lifespan of your Lithium-ion battery, but not all of them are true. Some are even misleading and ridiculous.

The information below is summarized from 2 websites, namely:

1. batteryuniversity.com
2. howstuffworks.com

which I believe to be more reliable source to learn about the real fact of your Lithium-ion battery life and death.

Here we go:

• Lithium-ion batteries age. They start degrading as soon as they leave the factory. They will only last 2-3 years from the date of manufacture whether you use them or not. You should fully make use of your Lithium-ion battery, because it will still die off even if you store it aside and not using it for long time.
• Lithium-ion batteries are good in holding charge. A lithium-ion battery pack loses only about 5% of its charge per month when not in use. (Compared to 20% loss per month for NiMH batteries)
• Lithium-ion batteries have no memory effect. You don't have to completely discharge them before recharging.
• If you completely discharge a lithium-ion battery, you can no longer recharge it. It is ruined. However, the battery has electronic mechanism to prevent it from complete discharge by stop working when the voltage is too low. A fully discharged battery left for a long period of time will lose its charging capacity.
• Lithium-ion batteries can handle hundreds of charge/discharge cycles. Don't worry about recharging it often.
• Lithium ion chemistry prefers partial discharge to deep discharge. Your battery can have longer life if you charge it often rather than charging it after deep discharge.
• Lithium-ion batteries can have as much as 4,700 discharge cycles if you recharge it at every 10% drop in capacity; 2,500 discharge cycles if you wait until 25% drop; 1,500 discharge cycles if you wait until 50% drop; and only 500 discharge cycles for 100% full recharge.
• Avoid leaving them in high temperature, such as in a car parked at sunny outdoor. Heat causes lithium-ion batteries to degrade much faster than they normally would. Keep your battery below 30°C (86°F). Extremely high temperature might also cause battery explosion.
• When stored in 0°C, Lithium-ion batteries suffer about 6% permanent capacity loss in 1 year. At 25°C, they suffer about 20% permanent capacity loss in 1 year. At 40°C, they suffer about 35% permanent capacity loss in 1 year. At 60°C, they suffer about 40% permanent capacity loss in 3 months.
• Normally, there is built-in mechanism to prevent Lithium-ion batteries from overcharging, so you don't have to worry about battery degrade due to overcharging. However, if such mechanism failed, overcharging might cause excessive heat generated, which is harmful to the battery's lifespan.
• Most lithium-ion batteries cannot exceed 4.20V/cell. While a higher voltage would boost up the battery's capacity, over-voltage shortens its life.
• High charge levels and elevated temperatures hasten permanent battery capacity loss. This is the reason why some people prefers to remove the battery from laptop when it is on A/C power (so that the battery will not be always fully charged, and expose to the heat generated by the laptop). 
• Storing the battery at 40%-60% state-of-charge instead of fully charged can prolong its life.
• Avoid ultra-fast charging and discharging. If the charger allows, lower the charge voltage limit to prolong battery life. In this case, sometimes charging the electronic gadget by connecting it to a computer's USB port is more preferable than charging it with wall socket charger.

My YB-642 Yoobao Long March Power Bank with 11,200 mAh capacity

Nowadays it is pretty normal for us to have a few mobile devices powered by rechargeable battery, including handphone, GPS navigator, tablet, digital camera, PSP, MP3 player, etc.

Some of those high end mobile devices are fast in consuming battery, require us to recharge their battery very frequently. For example, we almost have to recharge our smartphone (Android, iPhone, ...) and tablet (iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab, ...) on daily basis.

During the recharging period, the mobile devices are no longer mobile. They might be still usable while plugged in a wall socket for battery recharge, or they are temporary unusable because the battery is taken out to be charged by external charger. A common way to overcome this is to prepare additional batteries, so that the mobile device can still be used by replacing the flatted battery with the spare one.

However, different mobile device uses battery of different size and capacity. Their battery is charged with different charger too.

Imagine that we are going for outdoor activity in a place with no electricity supply, such as camping or mountain climbing, for at least a few days. How to solve the battery power need of our smartphone, GPS navigator, tablet, and even torch light?

I have just bought a YB-642 Yoobao Long March Power Bank with 11,200 mAh capacity at the price of RM185.50 from an online store, which I believe is the perfect solution.

A power bank is an external battery with high storage capacity, that is able to provide power to the mobile device through its charging mechanism. Yoobao produces a few models of power bank, and I have chosen YB-642 because of its high power storage capacity of up to 11,200 mAh, which is very long lasting.

The size and look of YB-642 is similar to old style PDA, and its weight is just 253g, not heavy to carry.

Inside the package, there are:

• The YB-642 power bank itself
• A micro-USB cable to charge the power bank
• A power adapter that convert AC 100-240V power to DC 5V-1000mA
• A DC3.5 switch cable that connect YB-642 to one of its connectors
• Connectors for mini-USB, micro-USB, Apple (iPhone, iPod, iPad), Nokia, Samsung phone, Sony Ericsson and PSP
• User manual

YB-642 has 2 USB output interfaces. The left one (marked as 1A) is able to output DC 5.3V-1000mA max, suitable for most mobile devices that accept 1000mA charging. The right one (marked as 2A) is able to out DC 5.2V-2000mA max, suitable for tablets and other devices that need a higher charging current.

YB-642 is very easy to use, just put it to the device and charging will automatically begin. Disconnect its cable and it will automatically turn off itself. See it in action charing my HTC Incredible S smartphone.

YB-642 is able to charge up to 2 mobile devices at the same time, by using both of its USB outputs.

YB-642 is also able to provide current to Samsung Galaxy Tab, which accepts 2500mA charging. Just plug the Samsung Galaxy Tab to 2A output of YB-642 using the USB cable that comes with the tablet. Although it cannot effectively recharge the battery of Samsung Galaxy Tab which require 2500mA current for recharge, plugging YB-642 to the Samsung Galaxy Tab enable you to use the tablet for a much more longer time.

YB-642 also has a LED light in front, which you can use it as a torch light. Push its button for more than 2 seconds to toggle the torch function. The LED torch can last for 540 hours (over 22 days) in a fully charged power bank when its USB outputs remain unused during the period. This is very handy and useful for outdoor activities.

Garmin releases MalSingMaps Malaysia/Singapore/Brunei NT 2011.30 for free update

Garmin has made available MalSingMaps (MSM) Malaysia/Singapore/Brunei NT 2011.30 (2011-Q3) for free update now.

You can click here to download the installation file of MalSingMaps Malaysia/Singapore/Brunei NT 2011.30 from Garmin server. The download file is split into 4, and you just need to download the file relevant to your Garmin GPS navigator:

• nuvi 3790V or 3790
• nuvi 1250
• nuvi 2575R, 2565, 2465, 1460, 1350, 765 or 255w
• nuvi 205 or 205w

The installation file for nuvi 255w is 234MB (245,858KB), about the same size with its previous version released in 2011 Q1.

For nuvi 255w, the installation program requires you to have an SD Card slotted in your GPS before it can proceed. Just like the previous version of MSM NT 2011.10, it will install gmapprom1.img (44,484KB) and SGMYMAL.JCV (215,715KB) into your SD Card instead of the flash memory of your GPS. If you prefer them to be in the GPS internal flash memory, you can manually move them from your SD Card to the flash memory, and I've done that without any issue. Anyhow, the gmapprom1.unl file is still updated in the flash memory of the GPS.

During the installation process, you'll be asked for the unlock key. The key is stored in the existing gmapprom1.unl file in your Garmin GPS navigator, which you can open with Notepad or any text editor. Just copy and paste the key to the installer when asked.

I couldn't find any description about what has been changed in this new version of MSM.

The end of Papago! GPS support for X3 / X5 / X6 / Reality 7 / OEM and final MalFreeMaps for those versions

Maction has forced an end support to all earlier version of their X-Series Papago! GPS by end of August 2011, which include the hardware and software (Android, iPhone, Win CE, ...) version of X3, X5, X6,  Reality 7, and OEM versions. Those will be replaced by the new X8 version using a new map format with no backward compatibility.

They have also officially requested MalFreeMaps (MFM) to cease providing map updates to all earlier versions of Papago! by end of August 2011, and only provide future map updates for Papago! X8.

As such, MFM-PPG-110823 is the final MalFreeMaps map release for those earlier versions of Papago!.

I can understand their move, which I believe is a bold business decision to fight against piracy to their software. The pirated Papago! GPS software had been used in some China-made GPS gadgets and also embeded GPS in car audio-visual devices, selling at cheap price. Beside that, cracked versions of Papago! for Android, iPhone, Win CE, Symbian, etc. are not difficult to be found, downloaded and installed from the Internet.

In fact, Garmin GPS also faced the same software piracy problem before, until they ceased the production of software version of Garmin Mobile XT GPS navigator.

Anyhow, this is a very risky move of Maction. Regardless whether it is legal and/or ethical to do so, for sure they have lost in customer satisfaction, loyalty, and brand reputation. But this will also kill off some of their competitors who pirated their software and produce cheap GPS gadgets.

Existing users of genuine Papago! are told to bring their devices to Papago! service centres for upgrade to version X8, either free or at cost, based on the terms and conditions.

Are you a Papago! user? What do you feel about this drastic action?

Garmin releases MalSingMaps Malaysia/Singapore/Brunei NT 2011.10 for free update

Garmin has made available MalSingMaps (MSM) Malaysia/Singapore/Brunei NT 2011.10 (2011-Q1) for free update now.

You can click here to download the installation file of MalSingMaps Malaysia/Singapore/Brunei NT 2011.10 from Garmin server. The download file is split into 4, and you just need to download the file relevant to your Garmin GPS navigator:

• nuvi 3790
• nuvi 1250
• nuvi 1460, 1350, 765 or 255w
• nuvi 205 or 205w

The installation file for nuvi 255w is 237MB (243,671KB), almost the same size with its previous version.

For nuvi 255w, the installation program requires you to have an SD Card slotted in your GPS before it can proceed. It will install gmapprom1.img (42,128KB) and SGMYMAL.JCV (215,403KB) into your SD Card instead of the flash memory of your GPS. This is something new from all the previous nuvi 255w MSM updates. Anyhow, the gmapprom1.unl file is still updated in the flash memory of the GPS.

In fact, you can move gmapprom1.img and SGMYMAL.JCV back to the flash memory of GPS after the installation.

During the installation process, you'll be asked for the unlock key. The key is stored in the existing gmapprom1.unl file in your Garmin GPS navigator, which you can open with Notepad or any text editor. Just copy and paste the key to the installer when asked.

Garmin releases MalSingMaps Malaysia/Singapore/Brunei NT 2010.40 for free update

Garmin has made available MalSingMaps (MSM) Malaysia/Singapore/Brunei NT 2010.40 (2010-Q4) for free update now.

You can click here to download the installation file of MalSingMaps Malaysia/Singapore/Brunei NT 2010.40 from Garmin server. The download file is split into 4, and you just need to download the file relevant to your Garmin GPS navigator:

• nuvi 3790
• nuvi 1460, 1350, 765 or 255w
• nuvi 1250
• nuvi 205 or 205w

Due to this improvement, the installation file is much more smaller than the previous version. For example, the installation file for nuvi 255w is now 237MB only (compared with previous version's 743MB)

The installation program will update gmapprom1.img, gmapprom1.unl, gmap3d.img and SGMYMAL.JCV into your Garmin GPS navigator. As nuvi 255w doesn't support 3D maps, if you are installing to this model, gmap3d.img will automatically be removed during the end of the installation process.

During the installation process, you'll be asked for the unlock key. The key is stored in the existing gmapprom1.unl file in your Garmin GPS navigator, which you can open with Notepad or any text editor. Just copy and paste the key to the installer when asked.

Version highlights:

• Update Traffic Message Channel in Singapore
• DPOI of Singapore
• Add more POIs, postal code data and laneinfo of Singapore
• Extended road shield of Singapore & Malaysia
• Trails are built into the map
• Road Signs value-added
• Synchronize to Malsingmaps v5.00
• Extending more Junction Views for complex intersection around Malaysia

Surprisingly, this version has a smaller SGMYMAL.JCV file of size 217,747kb only (compared with the previous 352,764kb), but it contains more Junction View pictures and more lane assist triggers.

It seems that the Garmin release of MSM has improved a lot over the year. However, I still prefer using MalFreeMaps (MFM) as the later contains much more POIs and also able to provide more precise route to the destination.

Software update to v3.10 (2010-09) available for Sing/Mal version of Garmin Nuvi 205/205w/255w

The new software version 3.10 (2010-09) is now available for Sing/Mal version of Garmin Nuvi 205/205w/255w.

This version will:

• Improve the stability of the GPS software system.
• Synchronize to English v6.60.

The size of installation file nuvi255W_SG_v310.exe is 11,239,424 bytes.

The update process is similar to that of previous version. You can refer to this article written for earlier version here for detailed steps of upgrade.