GoogleMaps version 3.0 and higher won’t install onto Windows Mobile 2003 any longer. And that’s a pity, since the old devices like e.g. the HTC magician is a good companion for cycling.
The statement, that it doesn’t work took me a while to figure out. If you download a new GoogleMaps version (as of now 3.0.1.6) from e.g. Softpedia, C|NET or ZDNET, you will see a error message if you try to install this .CAB file onto your PDA running Windows Mobile 2003. But all of them claim, this version (3.0.1.6) is meant to be for Windows Mobile 2003 also.
The original Google site doesn’t give a clue at all, for which Windows Mobile version it is supposed to be. It only says “Windows Mobile (download binary)”, and if you start the download, a file called GoogleMaps_compressed.CAB is being downloaded. Also here no sign for which platform it is supposed to be. If you’ve downloaded it and you try to install it, this is what you get:
The file GoogleMaps.CAB is not a valid Windows CE setup file
Unfortunately looking for this error message in Google or Bing isn’t really fun, because almost the only thing you find is, that other people do suffer from the same problem too, but no one has really a clue about it.
Finally I’ve found this thread, where is stated by a Google employee, that GoogleMaps higher than version 3.0 won’t run on Windows Mobile 2003. It runs only on WM5 and WM6 devices.
It was even more difficult to find the last working version. I’ve found version 2.1.0.10 on a some kind Rapidshare alike clone, downloaded it and installed it myself. I’ve also checked it against viruses before I installed it, but I’m using Avira AntiVir, what is a free, but probably not the best virus checker. So feel free to check my version I’ve downloaded yourself.
It’s not said, that version 2.1.0.10 is really the last know version of GoogleMaps for Windows Mobile 2003, but the versions 2.2.x, 2.3.x and 2.4.x looked kinda weired to me.
Download GoogleMaps version 2.1.0.10:
Just copy the CAB file to your Pocket PC, and start it.
PS: While I was looking for the solution of this bug, I’ve found a very interesting software collection for Pocket PCs regarding GPS tracking and data collection. It has some relation to the OpenStreetMap project. Have to check some of them out. Also interesting was a Open Source Route Service based on OSM, which includes routing for bicycles.
To be continued…
Damn, the link is down now 🙁
Sorry Mike, my fault.
The URL was buggy. It’s corrected now.
Thanks for the feedback.
Hey, Thanks for the info! Do you have any of the later 2.x versions you mentioned, or do you know where I can get them? I have WM5 but version 3 has some new “features” I wish I could get rid of.
Thanks,
DaveO.
@DaveO.
Sorry, no – I don’t have the links anymore, I’ve never bookmarked them at all either. I just spent some time googling for 2.x versions in general, and this is how I stumbled across them.
Regards,
Andreas