GPS System - recommendations?

[leothelion]

Hi folks,

Just thinking about a GPS system, i'm sure a few folk must have them on here!

I've got an HP iPaq 2210/2215 (same thing) which has Bluetooth.

I was looking at perhaps a Tom Tom Navigator system, with a Bluetooth reciever and car kit?

Does anybody have any recommendations or has had any experience of them?

Of interest, I was talking to a mate about car insurance if you have one of these devices, and we reckon if you add any of these items to your car it voids your insurance if stolen, must check that - not that i'd be dumb enough to leave any of the devices in the car!!!!

[essexboygti]

i know the garmin one is nuts hot, but im not sure about bluetooth capabilities....

[LeeXS]

Think Wardy and Big know about the TOM TOM you mentioned!!

[BigOL]

Again if I get round to it, (as I owe a reply to Jimmy about my choice of car) We and my ol'man went round and tested a few GPS systems, mainly we made choices between the Tom Tom and a Garmin Quest. We got the Garmin, but I wanted Tom Tom, but Garmin suited my ol'mans usage better. So will let you know the best bits and worst bits between the two, which personally are the best out there.

[MarkyBoy]

I've used TomTom for the last 2 years on a Pocket PC and it's never let me down!

Originally, I used it on my hp iPaq 5450 with a 256MB SDCard (to hold the maps and personal multimedia files). I also have a Sony Ericsson P900 phone.

Two months after buying the TomTom v1 system, version 2 was announced. TomTom were kind enough to give me a free upgrade (I only had to pay postage costs from NL).

Version 5 is due out in the next 6 weeks. V2 & v3 owners still have an upgrade option.

I've heard there have been some issues with the BlueTooth Driver but as mine is serial, I've not experienced these.

I was a bit shocked at the lack of reception on my first journey using it in the 206! This was until I read the 206 owners manual and took note of the instructions concerning the 206's Athermic windscreen.

Placing the antenna in the "shaded" area, next to the rear-view mirror cured this issue! (I initially got around this by using the Serial antennas "MagMount"). i.e. Bunging it on the roof, outside the vehicle!

If you have an Athermic screen, this might be an important consideration with any GPS system you consider.

Any form of "external" antenna (BlueTooth or Serial) could be mounted like mine, next to the mirror.

Dash-mounted systems with an "integral" antenna might have problems "seeing" the Sats through the windscreen!

Recently, I got tired of carrying 2 PDA devices around (and, as a result, duplicating everything apart from the Sat-Nav system) and decided to "upgrade" to an O2 XDAIIi.

Now I have a Phone, PDA and Sat-Nav in one device.

Being Bluetooth and Wireless is a real advantage (as an IT Consultant), and gains me brownie points wherever I'm seen using it.

"It does what?..."

If you have a Bluetooth headset, the voice prompts can be made to sound through the earpiece. On long journeys though, you *do* need to ensure you have fully charged the headset if you're going to do this!

I'm currently checking out the BlueTooth antenna option, but until I'm sure the problems are well and truly "ironed-out" I'm sticking with my serial GPS antenna!

The only "issue" I have with TomTom concerns its search methods.

On the version I use, Postcode searches work only on the Prefix part. (i.e. BL1, M27, etc.). I'm not sure if this has been changed on v3 or the latest, v5!

There are two roads in my area with the same name, both of which are in the same postcode prefix! The one I live on isn't the one Sat-Nav systems default to!

I'm sure I'd probably find the same whichever system I went for as the Geographical Sattelite data is obtained from the same sources internationally!

(I've lost count of the number of times couriers have called when trying to deliver a package, only to tell me I live in a house whose number goes off the end of the street!)

...I'm more puzzled as to how the two streets can be more than 2 miles apart and still have the same postcode prefix!

All-in-all though, I can recommend the TomTom system.

I'm probably going with the option to upgrade to version 5 once it's released!

In a PDA, it's indespensible - especially if you throw in a mobile phone, too.

Regards
Mark

[toontastic]

My mate works for the RAC and they have just been given the same equipment you've got (not the pickup guys he works as part of another section) anyway long story short they use tom tom and they love it. I'm planning on getting it myself ASAP.

[Bad-Co]

You can get good reviews for most GPS systems here

I done my own review for Tomtom Go on these forums..
I've now updated to TTG version 5, software. which is very good.
The new TTG hardware looks good, and from what I've read/seen stand alone GPS kicks PDA's backside into orbit...
Geddit

[MarkyBoy]

Bad-Co said:

...and from what I've read/seen stand alone GPS kicks PDA's backside into orbit...

It's a matter of personal preference but as I pointed out, I quite enjoy the fact that my PDA+GPS (in a single, slim, pocketable device) allows me to make and receive phone calls, send & receive emails and text messages, play games, surf the net (for free in a wireless enabled location), synchronize documents with Microsoft Word/Excel/Outlook, keep track of my appointments *AND* find my way around the country.

I've nothing against the "Go" (being made by TomTom also, it's probably as good a standalone device as you can get) and would be my second choice.

Still, if I had to make my choices again, I'd still go with what I already have; it suits my personal requirements and brings together multiple devices which would otherwise take up more space in my pocket!

I only ever use the SatNav in the car and if I want to transfer it to another vehicle, I just unstick the sucker (literally) and stick it in the next car, with the antenna on the dash (as it was in my Cavalier, before the word "Athermic" found its way into my vocabulary!)

...Now if I could only integrate my iPod...