hamishmacdonald
03-12-2007, 03:03 PM
I just received the PDAMill -- or I guess they're called NavNGo now -- navigation software title "iGo Europe 2006" on an SD card (http://www.i-go.com). Here's a quick mini-review:
Pros:
- This is a totally subjective judgment, but -- this thing kicks TomTom's butt from here to Sunday. TomTom Navigator 5 was clearly made for the ease of the developer, so it could be ported, unchanged, to as many devices as possible. As such, I found it very awkward to use on the Pocket PC. iGo isn't a standard Pocket PC application, taking over the whole screen, introducing its own button hierarchy, and so on, but it feels like it was made to run on my Windows Mobile device -- or even that my WM device was made to do this!
- Adding TomTom maps involves switching between several CD-ROMs and installing from the desktop. iGo comes with the whole of Europe on a single SD card. No special installation, no activation.
- It works as a stand-alone map without a GPS unit. TomTom was very GPS-dependent, and difficult to use without hooking up my Bluetooth GPS unit, which, frankly, is often more bother than I want. Looking at a map is often sufficient, but TomTom constantly complains about the lack of a GPS signal. iGo, on the other hand, is happy in either mode.
- The interface is stunning. Big, easy-to-read, intuitive, and very snazzy. The maps have several different views, and update instantly as you make changes or zoom in or out.
Cons:
- It was very expensive (164.46 Euro). I'm very happy I like it, or I would have felt like a real sucker on this one.
- It was hard to find. (The only dealer I found was here: http://unbelievable.pt/)
- It comes as a MiniSD card in an SD adaptor, which doesn't pop out easily from my Acer n311.
- I know that the creators are showing a new 2007 version at CEBit, so I may have jumped the gun on this one. But I'm going travelling next month, and this app is amazing as it is.
Pros:
- This is a totally subjective judgment, but -- this thing kicks TomTom's butt from here to Sunday. TomTom Navigator 5 was clearly made for the ease of the developer, so it could be ported, unchanged, to as many devices as possible. As such, I found it very awkward to use on the Pocket PC. iGo isn't a standard Pocket PC application, taking over the whole screen, introducing its own button hierarchy, and so on, but it feels like it was made to run on my Windows Mobile device -- or even that my WM device was made to do this!
- Adding TomTom maps involves switching between several CD-ROMs and installing from the desktop. iGo comes with the whole of Europe on a single SD card. No special installation, no activation.
- It works as a stand-alone map without a GPS unit. TomTom was very GPS-dependent, and difficult to use without hooking up my Bluetooth GPS unit, which, frankly, is often more bother than I want. Looking at a map is often sufficient, but TomTom constantly complains about the lack of a GPS signal. iGo, on the other hand, is happy in either mode.
- The interface is stunning. Big, easy-to-read, intuitive, and very snazzy. The maps have several different views, and update instantly as you make changes or zoom in or out.
Cons:
- It was very expensive (164.46 Euro). I'm very happy I like it, or I would have felt like a real sucker on this one.
- It was hard to find. (The only dealer I found was here: http://unbelievable.pt/)
- It comes as a MiniSD card in an SD adaptor, which doesn't pop out easily from my Acer n311.
- I know that the creators are showing a new 2007 version at CEBit, so I may have jumped the gun on this one. But I'm going travelling next month, and this app is amazing as it is.