Dave Potter
08-16-2004, 05:00 PM
<img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/Potter-Jul04-iGuidanceV2-0.gif" /> <br /><br /><b>Product Category:</b> GPS software<br /><b>Manufacturer:</b> <a href="http://www.inavcorp.com">iNav Corporation</a><br /><b>Where to Buy:</b> <a href="http://www.semsons.com/ignavsof.html">Semsons & Co.</a><br /><b>Price:</b> Regular price: $119.99 USD - Sale price: $99.99 USD<br /><b>System Requirements:</b> Windows ME/NT/2000/XP, Pocket PC 2000/2002 or Windows Mobile 2003. iGuidance works with any GPS receivers that are based on the NMEA protocol using serial, USB, CF card, or Bluetooth interface. USB-based receivers must come with an USB-to-Serial bridge driver that is Microsoft digital certified in order to work with iGuidance. <br /><br /><b>Pros:</b><li>Excellent 3-D navigation graphics with 'Geo-features' which differentiate between land, bodies of water, airports, etc;<br /><li>Intuitive, easy to use interface with full screen mode;<br /><li>Turn-by-turn visual instructions with voice prompts;<br /><li>Extensive list of Points of Interest (POI);<br /><li>Multiple routing options and automatic re-routing for wrong turns.<b>Cons:</b><li>iGuidance can get a bit confused in areas where multiple roads cross (complex interchanges, etc.) or in downtown areas with lots of tall buildings;<br /><li>Voice prompting is a tad too aggressive at times;<br /><li>Locked up my Pocket PC on a couple of occasions requiring a soft reset.<b>Summary:</b><br />Being a relative newcomer to the world of GPS based navigation solutions, I had no preconceptions regarding iGuidance or any other Pocket PC navigation/mapping software (with the exception of MS Streets & Trips 2004 - yuck!). So, when I began testing iGuidance version 2.0, I really had no idea of what to expect. Would it be easy to use? Would it be accurate? Would it guide me to my destination quickly or would I wind up taking the milk route? <br /><br />So begins the saga... Want to find out how the story ends? Read on intrepid traveler!<br /><br /><!><br /><PAGEBREAK><br /><span><b>Installation</b></span><br />There's really not much to say here - the installation procedure was quick and simple. The only major installation option worth mentioning concerns platform choice - i.e. - using iGuidance on a laptop, Pocket PC or both. Piece of cake for me - I chose both. After the typical Pocket PC installation process was complete (I chose to install iGuidance on a SD memory card on my iPAQ 4150), I was left with two icons on my laptop's desktop. The first being the laptop version of the iGuidance application itself and the second being the iGuidance Map Loader. Like I said - piece of cake!<br /><br /><span><b>Loading Maps</b></span><br />The iGuidance Map Loader boasts a brilliantly simple user interface consisting of two tabs - 'By Region' and 'By City'. The regional tab presents users with a map of North America with each state/province labeled for easy identification along with an alternative check box style listing. To select a region, users merely click on the map or check off the appropriate check box. Once region(s) have been selected, users select a 'Target Location' (Pocket PC Memory Card, Pocket PC Main Memory or C: drive on laptop - make sure you have enough space!) and then click 'Generate Map'. The 'By City' option lacks the map interface, but is nonetheless just as easy to use<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/Potter-Jul04-iGuidanceV2-1.jpg" /> <br /><i>Figure 1: The iGuidance Map Loader - By Region - can you say 'easy to use'? I knew you could. :) </i><br /><br />I was pleasantly surprised at the size of the maps too. They were much smaller than I had feared they would be. I loaded the entire provinces of Ontario and Quebec (Oh Canada!) and the file size was only 53MB! By comparison, New York State was 69 MB and California was 109 MB.<br /><br /><PAGEBREAK><br /><span><b>The Interface</b></span><br />When iGuidance is first started, users are presented with a warning screen along the lines of 'Don't Navigate and Drive' - good advice that we should all follow (hint - hint). Following this, the general map interface loads showing you your current location.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/Potter-Jul04-iGuidanceV2-2.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 2: iGuidance Pocket PC version - general map interface. Note: The first time you run iGuidance, you'll want to configure your 'GPS Options' under the 'Tools' menu.</i><br /><br />The magic button is, of course, the 'Menu' button. Click it and you see the menu displayed in Figure 3. Choices range from destination selection to setup options and preferences. <br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/Potter-Jul04-iGuidanceV2-3.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 3: iGuidance main menu.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/Potter-Jul04-iGuidanceV2-4.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 4: Route Options.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/Potter-Jul04-iGuidanceV2-5.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 5: Display Options.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/Potter-Jul04-iGuidanceV2-6.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 6: GPS Info.</i><br /><br /><PAGEBREAK><br />Destination selection is particularly nice as users are guided, step-by-step though the process - almost like a wizard. Very nice!<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/Potter-Jul04-iGuidanceV2-7.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 7: iGuidance destination selection main menu.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/Potter-Jul04-iGuidanceV2-8.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 8: Selecting a destination by address.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/Potter-Jul04-iGuidanceV2-9.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 9: Selecting a Point of Interest (POI) destination. Note that many of the choices have multiple sub categories</i><br /><br /><br /><PAGEBREAK><br /><span><b>Ahhh - the Graphics!</b></span><br />As I indicated earlier, I am a relative newcomer to GPS based navigation solutions, so other than my less-than-remarkable exposure to MS Streets & Trips, I really have nothing to compare iGuidance V2.0 with other than screenshots I can find on the web. Having said this, my impression is that iGuidance v2.0 is one of the better graphical experiences out there - if not the best. I personally found it to be more than adequate (by a long shot) and was particularly impressed with the accurate 3-D bird's-eye-view representations of the roads I was driving on. Correction - I was <u>blown away</u> at how accurate the graphical representations were. Even geological features like forested areas, rivers, streams and bodies of water were accurately represented.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/Potter-Jul04-iGuidanceV2-10.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 10: An example of iGuidance's 3-D bird's-eye-view. Note the forested areas depicted by green shading.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/Potter-Jul04-iGuidanceV2-11.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 11: Another example of iGuidance's 3-D bird's-eye-view in full screen mode. Note the stream on the right hand side of the screen depicted by a wandering light blue line.</i><br /><br /><PAGEBREAK><br /><span><b>Navigation</b></span><br />After testing iGuidance for approximately one week I drew a few conclusions regarding navigation:<li>90 to 95% of the time, iGuidance plotted the best route possible - although, there were a couple of situations where the plotted route was a little bizarre;<br /><li>Automatic re-routing in the event of a wrong turn was generally quick and accurate and required no user intervention whatsoever;<br /><li>iGuidance got a bit confused in areas where multiple roads cross (complex interchanges, etc.) or in downtown areas with lots of tall buildings. This sometimes triggered iGuidance to try to automatically re-route me, then when it figured out what was going on, it re-routed me again back to my original path;<br /><li>Voice prompts were concise and accurate about 90% of the time but there were some instances where the prompt didn't accurately mirror the graphical route;<br /><li>Voice prompts were overly aggressive at times. Being told of an upcoming turn three or four times in some instances. A less verbose option here might be appreciated by some.<br /><br /><span><b>Conclusions</b></span><br />Getting back to my initial concerns:<li>Was it easy to use? - YES!<br /><li>Was it accurate? - YES!<br /><li>Did it guide me to my destination quickly? - YES!And finally - would I recommend iGuidance version 2.0? - <u>ABSOLUTELY!</u>