Setup/Installation
You should have the installer EXE file downloaded from either HandMap.net, or an affiliate site like PocketGear.net.
- Connect your PocketPC to your PC via USB cable, or via Bluetooth. Make sure ActiveSync is installed and running on your PC. Once connected the ActiveSync tray icon should be green
- Run the HandMap installer EXE file from your PC.
- You should then see the Windows CE application installer window ask whether to install in the default application folder. Select 'Yes'.
If you are upgrading from an older version, just answer 'yes' to the message box displayed on your PocketPC, asking whether to overwrite the old version.
Your PocketPC should now be setup with the correct program files needed to run the program, and a short-cut added to your 'Programs' screen.
NOTE: Make sure your PocketPC Owner Name is set before your run HandMap! Go to the 'home' screen, select 'Start', then the 'Settings' option, then 'Owner'.
Installing Maps
Run HandMap on your PocketPC by selecting the 'Start' menu, then 'Programs'. HandMap should be in the list of installed applications. After running HandMap for the first time, you should be able to use the PC HmpInstaller utility, which you can download here.
The easiest way to install maps is to use the .HMP file association which HmpInstaller can setup for you. With this setting, simply double-click on .HMP files you download from the web site (in File Explorer on your PC, for example), or select the 'Open' button in your web browser when you download the map files from the web site. This should launch the HmpInstaller application on your PC, which will attempt to copy the map to your PocketPC's 'map directory'.
Viewing Installed Maps
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From the main HandMap screen on your PocketPC, tap the 'View List' link, or press the 'V' key on your device.
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The Maps screen should show all the map files (.HMP extension) you have in your Maps Directory.
Press the 'down' arrow key on your device to select a map, then press the middle (enter) key to select. (or you can just tap on the list item). Other actions can be performed for the selected map by tap-and-hold with the stylus.
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After a short wait, you should see the map view screen, and the 'Loading map...' notice at the bottom. Once the map is loaded the map will be drawn at the outer-most zoom level. Not much detail will be displayed at this level.
To zoom in, zimply press the enter key (in the middle of the direction keys, usually).
Use the direction keys to pan the map left/right/up/down.
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The toolbar at the bottom has the following functions from left to right: (icons and menus)
- Tools menu
- Search (Find Name, Find Nearest, Find Coord)
- Zoom in (+)
- Zoom out (-)
- Mode select (Drag, Calc Dist, Show Coord, or Sketch)
- Move map (on/off)
- Filter view (categories)
- Help
Switching Maps
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You can switch to another map from the map view screen by doing a tap-and-hold on the map, then selecting the 'Switch Map...' menu.
A list of maps that cover the selected point will then popup. Just tap on an item to switch to that map.
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The Tap 'Modes'
By default, HandMap is in Drag mode (when in the map view screen). In this mode you can pan the map view by dragging the stylus on the screen.
In Calc Dist mode tap on a starting location, then drag the stylus to see the straight-line distance (in miles or kilometers).
In Show Coord mode, tapping, or dragging the stylus, will show the longitude/latitude (in decimal degress) of the tap location.
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In sketch mode, you can do free-hand sketches on your maps. Use the 'Tools' > 'Sketch...' menu to select different pens to sketch with.
Your sketches are saved, and they are scaled when you zoom in and out.
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Putting Maps on External Cards
You can specify where you want HandMap to look for installed map files in the 'Settings' menu from the main screen. Select the 'Storage' menu item, then edit the 'Maps Directory' setting here. The SD card is usually accessed by specifying '\SD Card' (without quotes) in this text box. This would equate to the root directory of the SD Card. You could, for example, create a 'Maps' directory on your SD card, in which case you would specify '\SD Card\Maps' in the Maps Directory setting.
Notes on Map Viewing
When you see the 'thinking' tag displayed, HandMap is in the process of rendering the current map view. You should see a progressive draw, as each layer is drawn. Note: you can interrupt this process at any time; you don't have to wait for it to finish! So, you can pan left a number of times, or zoom in, then wait for the final map view. You can also select any menu item while the map is still rendering.
Also note that road names are not drawn for minor roads until you are zoomed in to an 'appropriate' zoom level, ie. when there are relatively few minor roads being shown.
NOTE: on any screen, you can tap the OK button on the top-right to go back to the previous screen. In the Map View Screen, the OK button or the 'Tools' > 'Home' will take you back to the main screen.
Finding a Street or Feature by Name
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When in the map view screen, tap the search toolar icon, then select 'Find Name...'.
Note: A quick way to enter the Name search screen is to just type in the first letter of the name at the map view screen.
In the 'Name:' text box just start entering the start of the name, eg. 'mai'. You should see the list below fill up with streets and features starting with those letters.
Tap on an item in the list to select the feature/street you are looking for. The map view screen will then be centered over that feature.
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The My Places database
You can have locally-stored places on your PocketPC, which can, currently, be obtained through the HandMap Web Community, through Yahoo! Local (USA), or places created by you that are submitted to the Web Community.
Each place has a name, a category (category/sub-category), a rating (0..5 stars), and free-form notes. If you see a place in your travels that you think is of interest, then you can create a 'Web Place' which is uploaded to the Web Community.
Downloading Places
In the map view screen, tap the search toolbar icon, then select the 'Find Nearest...' menu, then select the 'Web Comm' or 'Yahoo USA' panel.
- 'Web Comm' for access to the HandMap Web Community.
- 'Yahoo! USA' for Yahoo Local access.
For 'Web Comm', select a Category of places you are interested in by taping the 'Select..,' link.
For 'Yahoo! USA' just enter a keyword to search for, eg. 'pizza', or 'shoes', etc. (without the quotes).
Both searches are just for the current map view area. So, you need to move the map view to where you are looking for something, then select 'Find Nearest...'.
Once you have entered your search criteria just press the 'Download!' button. The wait cursor will be shown while the wireless request is sent, and while the response is still being received.
The results (places found) will be stored in your local My Places database, and will be drawn on the map with yellow-and-black icons.
Selecting Categories
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The screen to the right is for selecting a Category (and subcategory, optionally).
Tap on the '+'/'-' boxes to expand/collapse branches (ie. sub-categories).
Tap on the item you want.
Note: for 'find nearest' or the 'My places' screens, you can select just a 'Category', which will match all of the sub-categories.
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Searching for Places (on local device)
Some maps have places with categories already embedded in them. You can search for places, by category, by positioning the map view to where you are interested in, then selecting the search toolbar icon, then 'Find Nearest...', then select 'Search' panel. This function searches both embedded map category places, AND your My Places database!
Select a category, as in the 'download' instructions above, and you can also select a radius to limit the area you want to search in.
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Tap on an item in the list to center the map view over the the selected place.
Or tap-and-hold on an item for other actions for the selected place (eg. 'Details').
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You can also search for ALL of your locally saved My Places, by going back to the Main screen, then selecting the 'Web Community' link, then 'My Places' panel. Here you can select a category (All is the default) to refine your search, then select an item in the list.
Selecting an item will go straight to the map view screen, and load whichever map is best for viewing the selected place (your My Places database may have places that span many different maps). You can also tap-and-hold for other actions you can perform on the selected place (eg. 'Remove' to remove from your local database).
Nation-wide Address Search (USA only)
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To find a specific postal address, go to the main screen, then select 'Web Community', then select the 'Yahoo USA' panel. Here you can enter a specific address, -OR- the name of a town, city or natural feature (eg. 'Lake Placid'), then press the 'Find!' button.
A wireless request is then sent out, and a response contains the exact position of the address. If found, HandMap selects the best map you have installed to show the location, and centers the map at that location. Note: you may have to zoom in to get a better look.
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Creating Web Places
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In the map view screen, tap-and-hold on a location where you want to create a new place. Select the 'Create Web Place' menu item.
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Enter a Name, then select a Category (and sub-category). You can specify some rating (0..5 stars).
Some places you may want to add may be an event, which only is active for a short period of time. If this is the case, select the 'Life:' setting to indicate how long this place is valid for. Otherwise, leave at the default 'Permanent'.
Enter in as much useful information as possible in the 'Notes' text box, like Telephone number, or opening hours, etc.
Press the 'Upload!' menu when done, and a wireless request will be sent to add the place to the HandMap Web Community.
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Linking Contacts to Map Locations
In the map view screen, tap-and-hold at a location where a contact (in your local Windows Mobile Contacts list) is. Select the 'Link to Contact' menu item.
A screen will then show you your contacts in a list. To narrow down the list you can enter the start of the first or last name. Select the desired contact to link to the location specified.
An icon should then be drawn on the map showing that a contact is linked there.
Looking for Linked Contacts
From the main screen, select the 'Contacts' link. Only linked contacts are shown! Select a contact in the list to see where that contact is on a map (HandMap will choose the best map installed and center the view where the contact is located). You can also tap-and-hold to perform other actions on the selected contact (eg. Unlink).
Using a GPS Receiver
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In the map view screen, select the 'Tools' > 'Settings' > 'GPS' menu item.
Tap the main buttons to toggle the operation state on and off.
Set the Port and Baud rate settings if you need to change the COM port or baud rate that your GPS receiver is connected through.
For Bluetooth receivers, you will need to check the Bluetooth/Com Port settings on your device, and whether pairing has been setup for your receiver.
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When a connection is successfully made you should see the status line:
GPS> no-fix, sats: 12...
When a fix is obtained (2D or 3D), the status should change to something like:
GPS> sats: 12, trk: 270, speed: 0...
...and there should be a light-blue arrow on the map view screen showing your position and heading.
HandMap can automatically move the map view screen as you move when the Move Map toolbar button is checked. If you want to move the map somewhere else yourself, without turning the GPS off, just uncheck this toolbar button.
Note: The status line (at the bottom of the map) should have an animated '...' at the end. If this has stopped for some reason, then the receiver is NOT connected or transmitting anything to your PocketPC.
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