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Hello

I am needing some advice on three different things that will be put together for one purpose. A Smart Phone (Cingular/AT&T), a GPS Receiver for the phone and software for the GPS. I live in San Diego CA. and currently have a contract with AT&T. So I would prefer to come up with a combination that will work on that network.

I would like the phone to run Windows and Office, more specifically Excel, and have a built in camera (currently I am thinking the BlackJack is a good choice).
Then I am needing a GPS receiver with Bluetooth that will work with the Phone and Mapping Software, I am looking for mapping software rather than subscribing to something like Cingular/AT&T TeleNav monthly GPS Service, that can do something like the following:

A GPS/Mapping software that will build routes with putting in 50 addresses or more and will provide a suggestion for the most efficient route possible. If not, then something that will show on a map each location so that I can rearrange the route properly, similar to the way mapquest works with one big exception allowing more that 10 locations.

I do on site customer property surveys and every 3 to 5 days I receive between 10 to 30 work orders, on excel spread sheets, each will have between 1 to 30 addresses. There can be addresses that are next door to each other or across the street from one another on different work orders and addresses that are 50 miles away from each other on the same work order, I point this out because I am looking for something like this so I do not have to do all the grouping of areas manually as well as not having to drive across town from one address to another, overlapping locations I have already been at.

As an added benefit I was hoping that the GPS/Mapping software would allow for the addresses to be imported in form Excel rather that having to manually type in each individual address.

Thank you for your time and any suggestions and/or advice that you might share.

you need a unit w/tsp. and something that can read excel files or has a link to excel. best i can suggest is to get a laptop and a zumo 550 from garmin.
cant suggest anything that will work on the phone and do tsp.

You could geocode the addresses (http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/convert?form=address) in the spreadsheet and save the information as a CSV file and once properly formatted as a Custom POI file, use POI Loader to load them to the GPSr. (The POI Loader help file has detailed information.)

Or geocode them, save the file as a CSV convert it to a GPX and then open it in MapSource and load to the GPSr from MapSource as Favorites.

As Zurk mentioned, you will need a unit with TSP. The Zumo will work or search the forum for TSP for more recommendations.

Can't help with the whole phone thing.

I haven't tried what you're doing, but Google Maps Mobile runs on Windows phones, and behaves pretty much just like Google Maps on the PC, and supports GPS. Sorting addresses, I don't know. You need a good (i.e. unlimited) data plan, as it will be data intensive, being a web application.

I also like DeLorme Street Atlas. It's a PC product, but includes a mobile component for Palm OS or Windows Mobile devices, including Windows phones. Also supports GPS use on the mobile. You have to use the PC to put the maps and routes onto the mobile device, routing on the mobile is possible, but not really useful. Takes FOREVER unless the points are fairly close, and I don't think address sorting is possible in the mobile. On the PC, as you add Vias to a route it keeps them in logical order. If I had to use it for your application I would build a route with the same point for start and finish, then add the addresses as Via points, download the route to the phone. You would not do very well if you had to change it on the fly, though, the routing needs to be done on the PC or laptop.

My phone has GPS built in, or I can Bluetooth to an external receiver.