Looking for Rec's on Memory, GPS

[Sheena]

Hi guys. I've finally decided to upgrade my beloved iPaq 3635 and get one of those flashy new models. Still going iPaq of course (nothing worth being disloyal yet), so I got my heart set on a 3975.

Now, since I've been a good girl :roll: and saved a few pennies, I got 3 big extras in mind. Hopefully you guys can point me in the right direction about them:

:?: * Memory. I plan to upgrade the internal RAM as much as I can afford. The PPCTechs guys seem to be the way to go for that. Also for large expansion cards, both CF & SD. Maybe 500MB or something like that. I've never used anything larger than 128MB, is there a problem with the speed in larger sizes? I need something that can take all my many files as well as the maps for the...

:?: * GPS. I read the articles in PPC magazine this month. All the reviewed packs have something I like & something I don't, so it's hard to decide. I definitely need something I can take with me, not just a car-mounted option. It would be nice if it worked in a laptop too, but that's extra. Mainly I need good reception for NYC. All my current cards are CF so I'll get the sleeve required and there must be room left for the card.

Any help you can provide will be much appreciated. Many thanks!

Rosie :)

[spursdude]

Well, with SD, speed problems vanish as sizes get larger. You shouldn't have any problems with speed of your storage cards.

[disconnected]

I've also just decided to get a GPS receiver. I've never used one before, and don't know much about them yet, but there is a website devoted to GPS solutions for Pocket PC -- www.gpspassion.com

They have reviews and forums, and you can sign up for membership, which gives you access to discounts at some of their affiliate sites. I just signed up, and I'm planning to get the Fortuna GPSmart, which should connect to my iPAQ 3975 via Bluetooth. It also has a screen so it can be used as a stand-alone unit, although I don't have plans to use it that way.

To use with it, I already have Mapopolis (Platinum Plus GPS maps, although not with voice directions), so probably won't upgrade to the voice version for now.

[Janak Parekh]

Also for large expansion cards, both CF & SD. Maybe 500MB or something like that. I've never used anything larger than 128MB, is there a problem with the speed in larger sizes? I need something that can take all my many files as well as the maps for the...
I wouldn't worry too much about the speed. SD won't be as fast as CF, but it should be fast enough. The big difference is cost.

Mainly I need good reception for NYC.
I'm no GPS expert, but isn't this a major challenge? Unless you're far uptown or in one of the outer boroughs and not surrounded by very tall buildings... :lol:

--janak

[Sheena]

Thank you all for the rec's, here's more detailed comments:

>spursdude< & >janak<
I thought SD cards were faster than CF!!! I've never used any though, but I'm very happy with the CF ones. The problem I think is that some GPS systems need the CF slot and that would leave me with only the SD one for my own files. :?

>Disconnected<
Great link! I'm reading some extensive reviews there too. :D

>janak<
::waiving from midtown:: Yes, our little jungle is a problem for GPS systems (I've heard), but it's kind of hard to get lost in the city. The boroughs & the island of course are a different matter, as is NJ where I *always* get lost, even with maps! :oops:

:idea: Hey, while I have your attention, would you say it's better idea to spend extra $ on Bluetooth (getting the 3975) or spend it on adding memory on a much cheaper model (3800 series or 3950)?

Many thanks again.

Rosie

[spursdude]

>spursdude< & >janak<
I thought SD cards were faster than CF!!! I've never used any though, but I'm very happy with the CF ones. The problem I think is that some GPS systems need the CF slot and that would leave me with only the SD one for my own files. :?
Check out this thread (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=11795), where Jason Dunn himself speaks out on the subject of speed. The conclusion: CF is faster.