New GPS/PDA

[superkev6969]

Hi

Been trying to get up to speed on GPS etc so I can buy my son a PDA and automotive routing system for his 21st in August (he gets lost a lot).



I think I have got my requirements down to haveing easily read clearest and up to date UK maps, blutooth GPS, and a PDA which I can add O/S type maps and street type maps, do emails, play mp3,s and has the best screen currently available.



Current thought is HP 2210 with Navman Blue tooth, alt is the TomTom bluetooth or perhaps the new HP5150.



Anyome any thoughts, suggestions apprieciated.



also



do I have to pay to keep the maps up do date and which system is best for up to date maps.



Thanks in advance



Kev
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superkev

[DavidW]

Reviews of both the Navman SmartST Pro software and TomTom Navigator 2 are already on this site.



The hardware of the two Bluetooth GPSes is similar, though not identical (Navman have higher battery life, but the TomTom GPS has a built in rechargeable battery).







Though there are various architectural differences that could be discussed in detail, I think that, for many people, the 5150 has little to offer over the 2210 if you don't already have one or more iPAQ expansion packs (which can only be used with 3000 or 5000 series iPAQs).



The 2210 is a smaller, lighter unit that has a CompactFlash slot built in to the main unit - most people that put an expansion pack on a 3000 or 5000 series iPAQ do so to give themselves a CompactFlash slot.





Keeping maps up to date is typically done by upgrading to the next release of the navigation software - certainly that has been the case for TomTom Navigator.





Only very brief answers - but I hope that moves you forward.







David

[superkev6969]

Thanks for that a - 2210 with pc2003 it is then - I just need to check with TomTom/Navman re compatability.



Now just the navigator v Navman issue to settle:-



Do map updates appear regularly with both these and do I have to pay for them?



Which maps are the clearest.



I intend to add some Memory-map software. If I choose one or the other will I be able to use this with the GPS.



Kev


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superkev

[Dave]

The only issues with the 2210's Mike and myself are experiencing is that they consistently seem to be locking up (hard) requiring a soft reset. This usually happens when you switch them on, or up to a few minutes after which tends to be quite annoying. We're trying to isolate it down to a software problem, but it may be a hardware problem.

[MikeB]

Well I think I have isolated the lockup problem to Icbar. I removed that 2 days ago and have not had a lockup since.



As far as using Memory-Map goes, there is no problem. It will happily reside in the same PDA as your street navigation software and use the same GPS. You wont be able to use the two applications at the same time as only one can connect to the GPS at a time.



Generally map updates only come with new releases of software. This is because of the size of the map data, requiring a CD to distribute it. Bug fixes to the applications are available as downloads from the Internet as these are often not too large.
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Mike Barrett

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