Road Trip Revolutions: The MyGuide 500 Navigation System Reviewed [Archive]

Doug Raeburn

01-12-2006, 05:00 PM

<img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-dec05-MyGuide-00.jpg" /> Product Category: GPS/Navigation Unit Manufacturer: <a href="http://www.oncoursenavigator.com">OnCourse Navigator</a> Where to Buy: <a href="http://www.buygpsnow.com/item.aspx?itemid=8500">BuyGPSnow.com</a> Price: $499.00 ($599.00 - $100 instant savings) Specifications: See Technical Specs tab at <a href="http://www.buygpsnow.com/item.aspx?itemid=8500">BuyGPSnow.com</a> Pros:<ul><li>Built-in GPS receiver;<li>Controls and overall design optimized for a navigation system;<li>Default landscape mode;<li>Controls oriented for landscape mode;<li>Volume control hardware buttons;<li>Screen orientation hardware button;<li>Seamless map for entire USA;<li>Excellent navigation software;<li>Great value when compared to dedicated portable navigation units.</ul>Cons:<ul><li>No Bluetooth or Wi-Fi;<li>Single memory card slot;<li>Limited RAM headroom.</ul>A Pocket PC with a built-in GPS receiver and bundled navigation software is nothing new; we’ve reviewed several such units over the past couple of years. In the past, such units have been mostly traditional Pocket PC designs, with at most only an antenna to distinguish them in appearance from their “non-navigation system” counterparts. The MyGuide series changes all that. With its landscape design and specialized navigation controls, it looks much like the dedicated navigation systems marketed by such big names in the GPS world as Garmin and Magellan. The MyGuide 500 has the right look, but does it have the right stuff to go head-to-head with those purpose-built units? Read on to find out! <!> <PAGEBREAK> What's the Skinny? Since the introduction of the Pocket PC, it’s been the affordable alternative to the expensive built-in navigation systems offered on many automobiles. Pocket PCs have been used with separate direct connect and wireless GPS receivers; some Pocket PCs have had a built-in GPS receiver. That hardware has cost from 1/3 to 1/2 of the MSRP for the built-in units, and you got the added benefit of a fully functional PDA as part of the bargain. The competition in this market space is getting stiffer. The big names in handheld GPS units, Magellan and Garmin, now offer dedicated automobile navigation systems. Another contender is from TomTom, one of the better known publishers of Pocket PC navigation software, who offers its Go range of auto nav systems. Meanwhile, the Pocket PC vendors aren’t standing still, either. Recent advancements in Pocket PC technology make the MyGuide 500 from Typhoon among the best Pocket PCs for GPS use. Changing the Landscape of Pocket PC GPS Nearly all automotive navigation systems, from factory installed to the dedicated units described above, use a screen oriented in landscape mode. Personally, I like the portrait mode on my own Pocket PC, but if we assume that the manufacturers of the dedicated navigation systems are catering to the marketplace, landscape is the way to go. Earlier versions of the Pocket PC operating system did not provide native support for changing screen orientation, so the developers of navigation programs designed the programs with portrait orientation in mind. With the release of Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition, Microsoft added native support for screen orientation. Rather than using third party software products to change screen orientation (which often required a soft reset to complete the change), Pocket PCs with WM 2003 SE can change screen orientation on the fly with no reset required. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-dec05-MyGuide-01.jpg" /> Figure 1: Yes, landscape is the default. So the big news about the MyGuide 500 is that it’s one of the first Pocket PCs to be designed with landscape mode as the default. So we now have a Pocket PC that matches the standard configuration of the dedicated navigation units. While most Pocket PC navigation systems are Pocket PC first, navigation system second, the MyGuide is clearly designed with its navigation system functionality as the priority. As with such units available previously, the GPS receiver is built in. But the MyGuide goes beyond that with a control configuration specifically tailored for landscape use, as well as buttons designed to support the needs of a navigation system. Note in Figure 1 that the program buttons and navigation pad are oriented for use in landscape mode. Program button 2 (the right button on the top row) can be set to start the OnCourse Navigator software and shows the power status of the GPS receiver. Program buttons 3 and 4 work as zoom buttons when the GPS software is running. And finally, dedicated volume buttons on the left end of the unit can be used to easily adjust the volume while driving. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-dec05-MyGuide-02.jpg" /> Figure 2: A view from the top. Looking at the unit from the top, you see the power button, the SD slot, the hold button, the portrait/landscape button and the headphone jack. The hold button locks the controls so that a course can’t be changed accidentally. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-dec05-MyGuide-03.jpg" /> Figure 3: And one from the bottom. There’s not much on the bottom by comparison. Here you find the stylus and the mini-USB port, which is used for charging and syncing. <PAGEBREAK> What’s Inside? The built-in GPS receiver is based on the latest SiRF Star III chipset. This chipset provides much improved sensitivity and reduced power consumption when compared to previous chipsets. The lithium ion battery is claimed to last for 8 total hours of operation, or 5 hours with the GPS on. The battery is replaceable, leaving open the option of buying and using a spare battery. Aside from the addition of the GPS receiver, the MyGuide hardware makes it a mid-range Pocket PC in today’s marketplace. As such, it comes equipped with Windows Mobile 2003 SE, a 3.5” transreflective screen with QVGA (320 x 240 resolution), an Intel® Bulverde PXA-270, 312/416 MHz CPU and 64 MB RAM/64 MB ROM. Additional features include a single I/O capable SD slot, IrDA and a USB v1.1 mini port. Of the more common “high-end” Pocket PC features not included with the MyGuide, there are two that I’d miss. First, with the increasing availability of Wi-Fi service in restaurants, schools and other locations, the lack of Wi-Fi might be a drawback for some potential buyers. Second, given that the maps for OCN5 take up almost the entire included 1 GB SD card, another memory card slot would be welcome. However, since 2 GB SD cards are now becoming available, that would be another option. Of course, the GPS hardware, software, SD card, windshield mount and car adapter bundled with the MyGuide would set you back $250 or more if you had to buy them for a standard Pocket PC. So the manufacturer clearly decided that the sophisticated GPS functionality provided by the MyGuide would offset the lack of other high-end features, especially at an MSRP of $599. I feel it’s a reasonable trade-off, one that keeps the MyGuide very competitive with its dedicated GPS competition. Using the MyGuide The MyGuide’s QVGA screen is well suited for a navigation system. It’s very legible under all conditions, including sunlight and at night with the backlight. The built-in speaker pumps out lots of volume, so you can hear the voice commands without difficulty. The supplied windshield mount and bracket seem well-designed and durable. The mount sticks to your windshield tenaciously, and it’s rigid enough so that shaking of the unit is minimized while driving. The mount allows for easy removal of the MyGuide, which makes taking the unit with you (for use as a PDA and for protection against theft) a simple matter. As a Pocket PC, you have access to the built-in apps, including Pocket Word, Pocket Excel and Pocket Outlook, as well as the ability to add additional applications. This kind of functionality can be a big advantage over the dedicated nav units. <PAGEBREAK> OnCourse Navigator 5 Overall, the MyGuide hardware design is well suited for its role as a navigation device. But even with the best hardware design, a navigation system is only as good as the software. Fortunately, the MyGuide comes with OnCourse Navigator 5, a product whose previous version I found good enough to become my choice for personal use. OCN 5 is very similar to OCN 4, with some differences that I’ll point out as I cover them. Installation Installation is simple. The installer runs automatically from the SD card the first time you run OCN 5. It guides you through the process of going to the OCN website to provide a device ID, and an activation code is immediately sent to you. If a hard reset is required, the installation process will run again upon first use of OCN 5. This could be useful when on the road… however, an Internet connection is still required for activation. Maps With most navigation software, the first thing you have to deal with after installation is deciding which maps to bring with you. Not so with OCN as installed on the MyGuide… its entire set of included maps (continental US, in this case) is installed on the SD card. As a result, OCN 5 provides seamless navigation from any point within the continental US to any other point. Separate maps for Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico are also provided. Different versions of OCN 5 provide maps for Canada and Mexico. Other versions offer seamless maps of nearly all of Europe. Since seamless maps for entire countries or continents are available, the corridor routing feature of earlier versions of OCN has been dropped. Setting Up Routes When setting up routes, you encounter another of the more significant changes in OCN 5. Recognizing that people with varying levels of experience with the product or varying comfort levels with complex technology will be using OCN 5, it now provides two user modes – Standard and Extended. While Extended mode offers full functionality of all OCN features, Standard mode simplifies use by hiding more advanced features. I’ll show the main navigation screens in Extended mode first and then I’ll show the same screens in Standard mode to illustrate the differences. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-dec05-MyGuide-04.gif" /> Figure 4: Main screen (Extended mode). Figure 4 shows the main navigation screen in Extended mode. Tapping on the Navigation button allows for a variety of options for single destination routes. Routes with multiple stops can be created by tapping on the Route planning button. The Show map button shows your current position when not in Navigation mode. OCN can store a home address and you can set up a route to that address in one step by tapping on the Home button. The Voice Command button on the upper right can set up a route to any destination for which you’ve set up a voice prompt. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-dec05-MyGuide-05.gif" /> Figure 5: Choose your destination (Extended mode). The screen shown in Figure 5 is presented to you when you tap on the Navigation button on the main screen. The following options are provided: * Address – enter an address for a destination; * Point of interest – select a destination from a list of points of interest (POIs - restaurants, accommodations, etc.); * Select on map – select a destination directly from the map; * Recent destinations; * Favorite destinations; * Contacts – select a contact to route to that address. I’ll go into more detail on these choices in just a bit, but let’s stop and look at the same screens in Standard mode. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-dec05-MyGuide-06.gif" /> Figure 6: Main screen (Standard mode). Note that in the main screen in Figure 6, the Route planning and Show map options are missing. This screen is limited to the simplest route choices… favorite and recent destinations, as well as Home and Voice command. For more options, tap on the Navigation button. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-dec05-MyGuide-07.gif" /> Figure 7: Choose your destination (Standard mode). The options to enter an address and select a POI are available here. In Standard mode, this is as complex as it gets. <PAGEBREAK> Entering an Address <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-dec05-MyGuide-08.gif" /> Figure 8: OCN 5 has street smarts. This screen is used to enter an address for a destination. You work from top down and left to right, and your previous choices provide a filter to limit your subsequent choices to valid ones. For example, once you’re selected Madison as the city, only streets that are in Madison will be available to choose. And once you’ve chosen a street, only valid numbers on that street are available. If you don’t know the exact address number, you can select a cross street in the Intersection box to get close to your final destination. Points of Interest <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-dec05-MyGuide-09.gif" /> Figure 9: Yeah, I’ll actually be staying at the Motel 6 a few blocks away… As stated before, POIs can be located in a browsed city, as in Figure 9. As with address entry, previous choices filter subsequent choices. So you specify a City or ZIP and the categories available there are displayed. Select a category and the POIs in that category are listed. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-dec05-MyGuide-10.gif" /> Figure 10: At least I don’t have to drive far to max out my credit card… Another option is a POI near the current GPS location. Here you start out with the radius for which you wish to look for a POI. Then the categories and POIs that match are displayed. Route Planning <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-dec05-MyGuide-11.gif" /> Figure 11: Maybe I should have worn my dressy flannel shirt… Combined with its seamless maps, OCN’s route planning feature brings it into the big leagues as a navigation tool. You can plan an entire cross country route with intermediate stops for hotels, tourist attractions, etc. Working from the route planning screen, you select waypoints in the same manner as you would select a single destination and add them to your route. You can calculate the route at any time and the distance and approximate time from the previous waypoint is displayed. <PAGEBREAK> Road Trip <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-dec05-MyGuide-12.gif" /> Figure 12: A basic map view with icons. Figure 12 shows one view of the map while navigating. Your position is indicated by the green triangle and the map scrolls continuously as you drive. The map is set to orient in driving direction, meaning that your position will always point up. As an alternative, you can specify that north is always up, in which case the green triangle will, for example, point right when you’re driving west. Screen icons are displayed in this view, allowing you to change north orientation and zoom level, among other things. If you want a more expansive view, tap on the “icons” icon (the little orange dot) to hide them. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-dec05-MyGuide-13.gif" /> Figure 13: Hiding the icons gives you a bit more breathing room. Figure 13 shows the screen with the icons hidden. Hiding the icons also enables autozoom, which automatically changes the zoom level based on speed (zooms in as you slow down, zooms out as you speed up). With the icons hidden, the info bar also expands; it's shown here with the additional values of estimated time of arrival, time to destination and distance to destination. You can configure the values that are displayed through the settings. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-dec05-MyGuide-14.gif" /> Figure 14: Approaching a turn. In Figure 14, we’re approaching a turn. Note the two street/highway names displayed at the bottom of the screen. The top street name is the street onto which you’re going to turn, while the bottom name is the street or highway that you’re currently on. A graphic representing the turn with an arrow is displayed on the left. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-dec05-MyGuide-15.gif" /> Figure 15: Autozoom brings you up close and personal. Figure 15 illustrates the autozoom. I was about to make a right turn and I was stopped at a stop sign. As you can see, OCN has increased the zoom level significantly from the previous figure. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-dec05-MyGuide-16.gif" /> Figure 16: The ubiquitous 3D view. Of course, OCN provides a 3D map view for those who prefer it. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-dec05-MyGuide-17.gif" /> Figure 17: Lots of options. The menu in Figure 17 comes up with a brief tap on the screen. Useful options on this screen include mute, night mode and block road. With the latter, you select a value to tell OCN approximately how long the road closure is, and it will navigate around it to get back to your route. The excellent voice instructions are retained from the previous version. A very clear female voice delivers the instructions very politely… all instructions are preceded by the word “please”. When traveling on a highway, OCN will warn you about two miles in advance of the next turn to allow you to get in the correct lane. Then it warns you again as you close in on the turn. The distance before the turn at which the warning sounds varies depending on your speed. At highway speeds, it usually warns you at about 1600 feet prior to the turn, and then gives you the final instruction right at the turn. My only beef with the instructions is that OCN sometimes instructs you, for example, to turn right when you’re really only “bearing right”. An example would be where a two lane highway with no median splits into a four lane highway with a median. At the split, OCN instructed me to turn right when I was only bearing right very slightly. Such instructions can be a bit confusing. Rerouting is virtually instantaneous, so you can feel free to deviate from the recommended route at any time. OCN will handle the changes quickly and efficiently. <PAGEBREAK> Some Minor Issues While I found the MyGuide to be a very capable navigation unit, I did run into some minor issues while using it. The first issue was that, on occasion, OCN couldn’t find the maps when first started up. To correct this, I’d have to exit OCN, eject and re-insert the SD card, and start OCN again. The issue was easily corrected, but it was a bit of a nuisance. Second, I ran into a memory allocation error a couple of times. I’ve seen this same error on a friend’s Pocket PC with OCN 5, and I believe it’s because 64 MB of RAM is marginal for this program, especially when you let Windows Mobile’s memory management take care of closing applications. I eventually got to the point where I would check the running programs before I started using OCN, and I’d close anything other than ActiveSync and my screen snapshot program. When I did that, I didn’t encounter this error. I’d recommend running an application such as WisBar Advance that allows you to close programs rather than “smart minimize” them. I’ve been running OCN 5 on my Loox 720 with 128 MB of RAM for several months and I never encountered the memory error. How Does It Compare to the Dedicated Units? Unfortunately, I haven’t had the opportunity to use a Garmin or Magellan unit. However, from a price/feature perspective, the MyGuide appears to have an advantage over the competition. The roughly comparably priced Garmin StreetPilot i3 ($428 USD MSRP) comes with a 128 MB storage card and a much smaller, lower resolution screen. A Garmin unit with more comparable specifications, the StreetPilot 2720 ($1076 USD MSRP) has only dedicated storage (no memory cards supported) and has only a slightly larger screen for the additional bump of nearly $500. The Magellan RoadMate 300 ($523 USD MSRP) has a roughly comparable screen size but only internal storage, and doesn’t include an SD card, although it can accommodate them. The more expensive RoadMate 700 ($749 USD MSRP) has a slightly larger screen and uses an internal hard drive in place of flash memory storage. So it has generally comparable features as a nav unit at a higher price. Finally, none of the dedicated units mentioned above have the additional capabilities of a Pocket PC. So if the idea of a navigation unit that provides lots of functionality when you aren’t on the road appeals to you, the MyGuide is clearly a better choice. Conclusions With the introduction of the MyGuide 500, fans of Pocket PC navigation systems have an option that matches the form factor advantages of dedicated navigation units. OCN 5 remains a top choice among Pocket PC navigation software, and the new seamless maps eliminate another advantage that dedicated units could claim. And in my opinion, the value quotient clearly favors the MyGuide 500. When the MyGuide 500 can match the capabilities of the higher priced dedicated units at a price more in the league of the entry level dedicated units, there’s little reason to look anywhere else. Doug Raeburn is a data architect specializing in data warehouse design. He lives in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, USA.

bbarker

01-13-2006, 02:39 AM

Which GPS chip does it contain? This is an important consideration.

Doug Raeburn

01-13-2006, 01:11 PM

As I stated in the review, the built-in GPS receiver is based on the latest SiRF Star III chipset. It's the Star III+, if that clarifies things.

bbarker

01-13-2006, 09:58 PM

Thanks. That's the best chip available. I don't know how I missed that in the review.

Great review, btw.

Doug Raeburn

01-13-2006, 11:04 PM

Thanks. That's the best chip available. I don't know how I missed that in the review.

Great review, btw.

Thanks! Glad to be of help.

OnCourse

01-14-2006, 09:01 PM

Hi Doug,

Happy New Year to you and thanks very much for another excellent review!

Some comments on the review if you do not mind:
1) In an event of a hard reset or re-installation of OCN5 is needed, a user may prepare ahead of time so that a re-activation is no longer needed.

Tip: User can backup / make a copy of the "device.bin" file from PDA Main Memory/EasyPocketNAV/OnCourse Navigator and copy that to your SD card first. After OCN5 is re-installed, copy the device.bin file from your SD card and drop (overwrite) it onto the original path. When you launch OCN5, the activation wizard will never pop up again and you are ready to use OCN5 right away.

NOTE: In your File Explorer, you may only see the file name listed as "device" and file extension is hidden by default in the Pocket PC File Explorer.

2) The memory allocation issue can be minimized or totally avoided if the unit Windows Media Player or other CPU / Memory intensive program are not running at the same time. We normally advise users to allow at least 28MB to 30 MB prior to launching OCN5. After OCN5 is installed on MyGuide, the PDA main memory should have at about 31MB free.

Again, thank you very much for the excellent review!

mcewena

01-27-2006, 12:47 AM

Great review, interesting unit.

Given that I'm looking at a PDA almost exclusively for the autonav GPS function (OK I may listen to the odd mp3), is this unit worth the premium over say a Navman PIN or Mitac 168 or is it overkill?

I know the base software with these other two units is fairly outdated now but, you can purchase a Pin with an upgrade to their 2005 version of their maps (Teleatlas) & software for $300 from newegg.com http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16858108405

I still think OCN5 is a great product and the Navteq maps are worth it, but I can get their competitive upgrade for $80, that gives me all the North American maps. http://www.oncoursenavigator.com/item.aspx?itemid=5003 You'd have to buy the Myguide 700 to get that amount of map coverage (or the 300/500 with several optional maps).

I mean saving 30 seconds on a route calculation with the extra processing power is OK, but saving $200-300 is better... ;) However I don't want to cheap out unnecessarily either.

Doug Raeburn

01-28-2006, 02:09 AM

Those are all very nice units... if I was actually in the market, those sale prices on the older units would be hard to resist.

OnCourse

02-03-2006, 08:58 PM

Great review, interesting unit.

I still think OCN5 is a great product and the Navteq maps are worth it, but I can get their competitive upgrade for $80, that gives me all the North American maps. http://www.oncoursenavigator.com/item.aspx?itemid=5003 You'd have to buy the Myguide 700 to get that amount of map coverage (or the 300/500 with several optional maps).

I mean saving 30 seconds on a route calculation with the extra processing power is OK, but saving $200-300 is better... ;) However I don't want to cheap out unnecessarily either.

Thanks for your post but technically your comments are incorrect.

The Cross Upgrade for OCN5 for $79.00 comes with OCN5 (L) map with all regions which is different from the map coverage available in the MyGuide 500 and 700.

[Reviewed here] MyGuide 500 - comes with a seamless USA (OCN5 XL package) maps which you could route from coast-to-coast, plus 1GB card included.

MyGuide 700 - comes with a 2GB included with seamless North America (OCN5 XXL package) which you could route from any point in Canada to anypoint in USA. Example, Vancouver, British Columbia to Key West, Florida.

Hope this clears up the map package included. Have a great day!

mcewena

02-20-2006, 06:19 PM

The Cross Upgrade for OCN5 for $79.00 comes with OCN5 (L) map with all regions which is different from the map coverage available in the MyGuide 500 and 700.

[Reviewed here] MyGuide 500 - comes with a seamless USA (OCN5 XL package) maps which you could route from coast-to-coast, plus 1GB card included.

Thanks for the update, it helps as I find your map grouping/naming a bit confusing. (ie all regions vs. seamless).

So is Canada included in "seamless USA"? I'm guessing probably not if you have Seamless NA as well ;)

I'm having real difficulties figuring out which model to buy. I live in Canada but do holiday driving in both Canada and the US, and am planning a UK trip next year. I guess I could live without the seamlessness assuming I could plan my US route from the boarder point ahead of time from my living room.

It's unlikely I'll need the whole of USA and Canada at one time so the 2Gb 700 seems like overkill. The 500 doesn't get me Canada so I'd have to buy an optional map right away with it, I could buy a 300 with Canada and the optional US east coast (and later UK), but I understand you've dropped the "corridor" route selection so I don't know if 256Mb will be enough memory (I guess I could buy a 512mb card and use it)...

sigh, nothing's simple ;)