ALK CoPilot Live Laptop 8

CoPilot Live Laptop 8 is the Media Center of GPS systems, and that's a good thing. Using an ingeniously simple user interface, CoPilot offered turn-by-turn directions in an easy-to-read onscreen format without much fiddling with settings and signal acquisition.

ALK, creator of CoPilot for a number of platforms, has focused on turning laptops and handhelds into turn-by-turn GPS units as opposed to a fully blown mapping system. CoPilot Live Laptop 8 is one of the better systems in this roundup, featuring a full planning module and an easy-to-read UI for in-car navigation, complete with voice prompts and speech recognition. Laptop 8 also supports the Wide Area Augmentation System, or WAAS access, an improved version of standard GPS that promises pinpoint accuracy.

CoPilot Live comes with an install disc and a map disc. The map disc can be copied to the laptop's hard drive for quicker access. The supplied dongle is a standard USB-to-serial Rikaline GPS antenna with a SiRF Star II chipset and a built-in WAAS demodulator. The package also includes a suction cup for attaching the unit to a window and a short manual, although we were ready to go right after installation.

You begin your trip by entering a destination. Acquiring an initial GPS signal took about 10 minutesNa bit of an inconvenienceNbut once we were connected we were able to move through tunnels and low-visibility areas without losing the signal for more than a minute.

The trip was seamless. CoPilot picked up our current location and gave us up-to-the-second updates as we drove. We had all the most important info at our fingertips, including ETA, ground speed, and the next turn, all on one easy-to-read screen. In Safety Mode CoPilot turns off the map in transit and only shows a small portion of it when approaching a turn or difficult-to-navigate area, thereby ensuring the driver isn't distracted by an ever-changing map.

There are two other operation modes, Planning and Live, which are more traditional mapping systems, but most functions are available in the main Guidance mode. We really like the enhanced 3D map view, which lets you see streets at an angle, giving you a better view of what to expect on your left and right as you drive. Guidance mode also allows you to add and remove stops to your trip and even has a speed warning for leadfoots and a fuel-cost calculator.

Amazingly, CoPilot can also interface with other CoPilot users through the CoPilot Live Web. This system, which requires a consistent Internet connection (via a cellular network, for example) allows each vehicle within a certain network to see and send messages to each other through the CoPilot mapping system. This feature, while overkill for some, makes for a great tracking tool for vehicle fleets or big families.

CoPilot would actually be a very good piece of Tablet or touchscreen PC software, as there is limited input and extremely large buttons for quick navigation. CoPilot offers two choices for voice interaction: computer-generated and prerecorded. Both voices are available in both sexes. The computer-generated version is more than acceptable, with a digital twang reminiscent of an evolved Speak and Spell, while the prerecorded voices are as sonorous and soft as 2010's Hal. Speech recognition was limited, with only a few key phrases recognized, like, "ETA," and, "How far," along with basic commands like, "Detour."

This was, by far, the best laptop system we tested. Designed with the driver in mind, CoPilot was well suited to our small car and could even be used in conjunction with a laptop stand in a larger vehicle. An intuitive UI and great consistent signal strength make this device a real winner.