Navman PiN - Pocket PC with GPS

[Jonathon Watkins]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/04/27/navman_pocketpc_gps/' target='_blank'>http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/0...n_pocketpc_gps/</a><br /><br /></div>We've previously posted about quite a few Pocket PCs with built in GPS available in the UK / Europe. For example, there's the <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=25881&amp;">Medion Pocket PC</a>, the <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=26041&amp;">Mitac Mio 168 Pocket PC</a>, <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=26675">Typhoon PPC</a> and the <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=27184&amp;highlight=gps">Tchibo Pocket PC</a>.<br /><br />Now the <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/04/27/navman_pocketpc_gps/">Register reports</a> that Navman are going to be releasing a similar unit based on the Mio 168, called the PiN (Personal Interactive Navigation). The Pocket PC will run Windows Mobile 2003 and will have the usual hardware, consisting of a 300Mhz XScale processor, 64MB RAM, 32MB ROM, 3.5in QVGA display and a SD/MMC slot. It should cost around £399 and you can read more about the device at <a href="http://www.navman-europe.com/product_details.php?id=AA00XXXX">Navman's site here</a>.<br /><br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/product_main_image_AA00XXXX.jpg" /> <br /><br />"Navman's version ships with the company's own navigation software, SmartST V2, and a Europe-wide map package. The PiN ships with street-level maps for 16 European countries: UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Austria, Switzerland, Portugal, Spain, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Sweden, all on CD-ROM and ready to be copied over to the bundled 128MB memory card - large enough for a single country. The PiN also ships with a in-car power adaptor and a windscreen mounting kit."<br /><br />"SmartST V2 uses to the map data to calculate and display the routes you choose. The software can display maps in 3D mode or the more traditional map-like overhead view. Drivers can be guided by spoken directions so they never have to take their eyes off the road. SmartST can also conjure up alternative routes to bypass roadworks and traffic jams, and will quickly get motorists, cyclists and walkers back on course if they take a wrong turning."<br /> <br />So how many of you guys are using GPS with your Pocket PCs? Do you prefer to have GPS built in, do you use external Bluetooth modules or do you use some other system? What are your thoughts on GPS and Pocket PCs? Is it a nice toy to have, or do you use it seriously to replace dedicated GPS systems?

[SeanH]

I think the best GPS solution is an external Bluetooth GPS. A GPS needs a good view of the sky to operate. Here are some details on why built in GPS units do not work well.
http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=26846&highlight=
Sean

[ctmagnus]

I've had enough problems keeping a fix using a GPS attached via a serial cable. I really don't think having the GPS antenna physically attached to the unit is a good idea.

[carrigaline]

That sounds interesting. I have just begun to look into GPS and have looked at the various main players but I can never open the teletype website (www.teletype.com) - are they out of business?

[Anthony Caruana]

Looking at the picture and the Mio m168 I have, this device is identical to the Mio with the only difference being the bundled software and some minor rebadging.

I've had enough problems keeping a fix using a GPS attached via a serial cable. I really don't think having the GPS antenna physically attached to the unit is a good idea.

I use the m168 a fair bit and find that it is able to get and hold a satellite fix in less that 2 minutes. My biggest issue with this and any other PDA based GPS solution is the screen size. As I mentioned in the post referred to by SeanH, these sort of devices are full of compromises. The big question is what are you prepared to compromise on.

[bbarker]

So how many of you guys are using GPS with your Pocket PCs? Do you prefer to have GPS built in, do you use external Bluetooth modules or do you use some other system? What are your thoughts on GPS and Pocket PCs? Is it a nice toy to have, or do you use it seriously to replace dedicated GPS systems?
In a car I think a separate antenna is the best approach. I have one attached with a serial cable and it works well, although I haven't used it much of late because I haven't traveled to where I needed it. I would prefer a Bluetooth unit.

Can it seriously replace a dedicated unit? Yes. Again, my experience is limited to in-car use. I've rented Hertz cars with their Neverlost system and it works great. But my Pocket PC with GPS works just as well and it's easier to enter destinations. It's not as convenient as a factory installed unit in the dashboard, but it's a lot cheaper than either a factory or add-on GPS system.

[SassKwatch]

So how many of you guys are using GPS with your Pocket PCs? Do you prefer to have GPS built in, do you use external Bluetooth modules or do you use some other system?
External Bluetooth here. Works well enough.

[obarnes]

I have two options, a Pharos iGPS CF which is nice and compact but has poor TTFF, however, once fixed is not bad, but my preferred option is using my Garmin eTrex Vista hooked up via serial, very quick TTFF plus you get to save tracks easily and transfer to Mapsource on the PC if needed. I have TomTom on my Loox PPC. Reports on the Garmin iQue with integrated GPS show quite good TTFF and signal strength - I guess it depends where you want to use it? Having my eTrex near the dash in car means I can put the PPC anywhere I like...

Olly.

[pr0vider]

I used the NAVMAN system on an Ipaq 3955 via a CF sleeve almost two years ago and the experience felt clunky and left a lot to be desired. When I purchased my next PDA, an Ipaq 2210, I decided to utilize a less cumbersome and less expensive system to find my way around in unfamiliar territory; Mapopolis' series of static maps. While this system doesn't give me real time or audible directions, it suits my needs at a far lower price and requires a lot less hardware to keep track of. :wink:

[Jonathon Watkins]

.... and requires a lot less hardware to keep track of. :wink:

That's the thing isn't it, you need to weigh up what you are prepared to accept in terms of compromises.

I don't need a GPS system at the moment, but it sure would be a nice toy to have. :) With the external Bluetooth modules, it is possible to carry them around with you when you want GPS outside your car? How does that work as a solution? Can you just unclip the BT module and sling it in your bag & still use it?

[SassKwatch]

With the external Bluetooth modules, it is possible to carry them around with you when you want GPS outside your car? How does that work as a solution? Can you just unclip the BT module and sling it in your bag & still use it?
A lot depends on the strength of the GPSr obviously, but yeah, you can do everything you describe above. There are even some topo map packages, so you can basically go anywhere you want and have some sort of 'map' available for viewing.....regardless of whether you're driving thru NYC or hiking/mountain biking thru the middle of the Utah desert.

When driving around in the car, I just set the BT GPS in the console tray between the front seats and it picks up just fine there. When I get out of the car, I either carry it in hand or throw it in a webbed section of a day pack.

The only limitation when out of the vehicle is the same limitation that haunts us everywhere else....battery life. The GPS itself supposedly gets about 6hr of continuous use (I haven't yet tested the actual limit on mine), and then whatever the pda is capable of.

[ChuckD]

I just recently purchased an iPaq 3835 and a Navman 3450 GPS sleeve. After I purchased the GPS, I read some reviews saying that the Navman has a very slow TTFF, and various other things that were "wrong" with it (such as accuracy issues). I don't know if I got a defective unit, but mine works perfectly. TTFF is around 20 seconds tops, and I've never had a problem with accuracy... the combined iPaq and and Navman unit is kind of large, but you can take off the sleeve. It also comes with a window mount, and the best thing is that the entire unit is powered with one power cable (so you don't have to worry about the notorious bluetooth power drain).
I like it, and have thought about keeping the Navman sleeve when I upgrade to the iPaq 5555 here in a few months.

Does anyone else have a Navman sleeve? I am wondering how real-world experiences add up against some of the bad reviews I have read on the unit. Mine functions flawlessly.

[gdrural]

I am currently researching the Mio and Navman Pocket PC /GPS both seem to have external antenna option this is essential for in car use. I require the product to on sell to growers but need to have the product supplied WITHOUT mapping software. Dose any know if this possible. :?:

[edeab220]

lol...of all the people to sell it:

http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product%5Fcode=312999&cmid=dsr&ref=dsr