I have a waterproof Garmin Nuvi GPS that will directly accept OpenStreetMap data on micro-SD card. It is in bicycle mode and running on a DC-DC converter from my e-bike pack. I am quite satisfied with it despite being 20 years old. The external storage and well defined format have saved it from becoming e-waste.
danieldk · 10h ago
Garmin is really good when it comes to open maps. I can still put new OpenStreetMap maps on an old Garmin 62s like it's 2010. I recently replaced my Apple Watch by a Garmin Fenix 7 Pro and even though it's not really advertised, it just accepts good old map .img files. I put on the Dutch cycle network overlay without any issues, just like I did with my Garmin GPSr units.
internet2000 · 13h ago
$10 for an accessible Windows CE PDA is a pretty good deal. If I were OP, I'd fire up an appropriately old version of Visual Studio and vibecode some patches to the open source app he found.
neumann · 1h ago
Oh Snap - I have this one!
I bought unopened in box in a salebin for $20 after it went obselete. The maps are still great, but the battery only lasts 2-3 hours and I mostly wanted it for all day back-country/gravel exploration.
thread_id · 17h ago
Thanks!!!! This is a great article. There are many tool references to research. "Obsolescence is a choice. Reverse engineering is resistance."
dwayne_dibley · 9h ago
“Why are there no laws requiring device manufacturers to open source all software and hardware for consumer devices no longer sold?”
See stop killing games.
roywashere · 13h ago
Raymii is one of my heroes! :-) great and accessible hacking on this device
Why is there so much added pixelation in photos where part of the bezel is shown? Is the author trying to hide fingerprints?
grishka · 3h ago
Or reflections. It is very noticeable and very weird.
aeblyve · 12h ago
I don't miss the world of a million purpose-built gizmos like this. Smartphones are a very good thing, so long as android is still mostly free.
Fun exercise nonetheless
CommenterPerson · 11h ago
Sorry disagree here. I use a Garmin for driving. Don't wish to contribute to the surveillance economy. I love what the OP has done and look forward to more such.
bayindirh · 9h ago
While smartphones are good all around devices, and Apple showed that a smartphone with a good camera, DAC, screen and sensor suite can exist, purpose built devices still beat them.
They have longer battery life, more predictable performance, and a wider range of operation parameters.
I’ll always prefer my specialized equipment for serious music listening, my ebook reader for longer reading and honestly pen and paper for serious note taking. They perform better and I get more performance with less effort.
aeblyve · 6h ago
I had a nice ebook reader at one point, but now I prefer Zotero on Linux and Android for reading.
I have an iPhone that I believe was damaged in this way.
So you’d probably want a purpose built bike computer, an older phone that you don’t care about the camera, or perhaps there are fancy vibration dampening mounts that could work.
ddtaylor · 16h ago
Not sure if I missed it, but are those updates going over HTTP without SSL as well?
MobiusHorizons · 13h ago
The article says they used mitmproxy which installs a system certificate
ddtaylor · 12h ago
I think the payload after that though is that MITM proxy delivering an HTTP link to an EXE that anyone can payload with MITM, same attack surface.
fsckboy · 13h ago
>There is no other input than the touch screen, so I can shoot and nothing more, but hey, it runs DOOM!
hook Doom up to the internal nav, then you can ride your bike around and shoot. "I know you love riding your bike, and I know you love playing Doom, so I put your bike into Doom!"
firebot · 14h ago
Osmand(fDroid) + brouter
Best offline navigation there is. You can even customize your navigation profiles.
danieldk · 10h ago
The nice thing about real GPSr units and things like Garmin watches is that they (depending on the model) can last a week to even weeks. E.g., if you use a GPSmap 67s for 8 hours per day, it lasts 3 weeks. In the older units you can even put AA batteries.
Cycling with a phone with the screen on and at full brightness (which is what you need on a sunny day), a phone will last a few hours at most. The magic of good GPSr units is that they use a transflective display, the sun is your 'backlight'. (And of course using something more akin to a microcontroller than a smartphone SoC.)
Also, in contrast to smartphones, these things are really rugged. Like last year I was cycling through the alps and accidentally dropped my GPSmap at ~30km/h (without a case or protection, who puts them on a GPSr?). It only has some scratches.
MayeulC · 10h ago
It is really good, and Brouter-web is really useful too.
However, that combo is a battery hog. For some reason, OSMAnd drains a lot more battery when using it in guidance mode with Brouter, even though routing is much faster than with the built-in algorithm.
I heard that Locus maps has a much better brouter integration, though it is unfortunately closed-source: battery-efficient, automatic brouter detection, profile selection from within the app.
I also wish the brouter app would get a fresh coat of paint (a UI redesign), but that is secondary.
morsch · 13h ago
Too bad that using brouter with osmand is so complicated.
u8080 · 10h ago
Organic Maps is also very solid project
MayeulC · 10h ago
It is, but brouter's navigation is really much better. Just yesterday, I was in a relatively unfamiliar, small (european) city which I needed to cross. Organic Maps was sending me trough small streets I would have shared with cars. I fired up OSMAnd + Brouter to compare, and ended up picking the latter: it sent me trough bike/bus-only roads, then a park, to reach a dedicated bike lane along the river, far from any traffic. The trip was a pleasure, though maybe a few percent longer.
lutusp · 12h ago
It's an example of modern tech capitalism: you buy a nifty consumer product, after which you don't own it, it owns you.
The few exceptions to this rule are run by conscientious developers who make sure their products don't rely on their maker for continued support. But by this generous act, such companies fall behind their predatory competitors.
It's late-stage capitalism at work. You buy some food, but you don't eat it, it eats you.
SoftTalker · 10h ago
The joke's on them, I just try to avoid "nifty consumer products" now. After getting burned a number of times, I have developed a very strong "no gadgets" rule. And if it connects to the internet or needs regular "updates" to remain usable that is an additional major strike against it.
I bought unopened in box in a salebin for $20 after it went obselete. The maps are still great, but the battery only lasts 2-3 hours and I mostly wanted it for all day back-country/gravel exploration.
See stop killing games.
Huh, intresting.
Fun exercise nonetheless
They have longer battery life, more predictable performance, and a wider range of operation parameters.
I’ll always prefer my specialized equipment for serious music listening, my ebook reader for longer reading and honestly pen and paper for serious note taking. They perform better and I get more performance with less effort.
I have an iPhone that I believe was damaged in this way.
So you’d probably want a purpose built bike computer, an older phone that you don’t care about the camera, or perhaps there are fancy vibration dampening mounts that could work.
hook Doom up to the internal nav, then you can ride your bike around and shoot. "I know you love riding your bike, and I know you love playing Doom, so I put your bike into Doom!"
Best offline navigation there is. You can even customize your navigation profiles.
Cycling with a phone with the screen on and at full brightness (which is what you need on a sunny day), a phone will last a few hours at most. The magic of good GPSr units is that they use a transflective display, the sun is your 'backlight'. (And of course using something more akin to a microcontroller than a smartphone SoC.)
Also, in contrast to smartphones, these things are really rugged. Like last year I was cycling through the alps and accidentally dropped my GPSmap at ~30km/h (without a case or protection, who puts them on a GPSr?). It only has some scratches.
However, that combo is a battery hog. For some reason, OSMAnd drains a lot more battery when using it in guidance mode with Brouter, even though routing is much faster than with the built-in algorithm.
I heard that Locus maps has a much better brouter integration, though it is unfortunately closed-source: battery-efficient, automatic brouter detection, profile selection from within the app.
I also wish the brouter app would get a fresh coat of paint (a UI redesign), but that is secondary.
The few exceptions to this rule are run by conscientious developers who make sure their products don't rely on their maker for continued support. But by this generous act, such companies fall behind their predatory competitors.
It's late-stage capitalism at work. You buy some food, but you don't eat it, it eats you.