SmartSt and PocketPc - a viable combination ?

[trooperman]

Having just returned from a 3,000 mile trip across Europe towing my caravan, using Navman SmartSt Ver 3 on a pocket PC, I seriously question whether this system is viable.

My initial experiences with using Navman and an Ipaq Hx2110 and Globalsat Bluetooth receiver have been aired under another thread, but the main issues with SmartSt are listed as –

1. Unable to load SmartSt with Bluetooth activated.

2. If switching off the ipaq and then resuming with SmartSt still loaded causes the program to hang. (May be connected with the first problem)

3. Starting a journey with an off-road position , causes SmartSt to hang. (re-boot necessary, but first Stop Bluetooth, then start Navman, then restart Bluetooth...)

4. Switching from map view back to route view when zoomed-out can “stall” the system for up to 30 seconds

5. After making a guided turn, the system often hesitates for a few seconds before catching-up. (Really a problem when in a city with several turns in a short distance)

6. When using the system in Holland, and making direction changes at motorway intersections, on numerous occasions the system would start to re-calculate the route !!!


The final problem was the last straw, and I discarded the Ipaq Hx2110 and SmartSt and used TomTom 4.4 on a spare Ipaq Rx3715.

TomTom worked extremely well for the majority of the holiday. It doesn’t look as good and I had to keep loading different maps as I crossed borders, but It did not let me down at all

I questioned whether it might not be the Navman software that was an issue, but…..

• The globalsat receiver is used with TomTom, Fugawi, OziExplorer and MemoryMap on my ipaqs with no issues.

• The Ipaq Hx2110 is dedicated to Navman , no other software (or even other data is loaded). There is 21Mb free memory and my SD Ram card is a quality 133xspeed.

• I only load the maps that I need for the day and don’t even
have any active POIs.

• TomTom and Navman uses TeleAtlas maps (the same ?)


In conclusion, I have given Navman the best possible chance of working well.

I applied SP2 yesterday that seems to have fixed the first problem on my list (but not the second, and I haven’t had a chance to try the others yet).

IF TomTom can make a product that is reliable in use, why can’t Navman ?

Perhaps experience with one of Navman’s own hardware branded products would be better.

SmartSt and PocketPC – forget it !!!

[icsys]

I guess its luck?

I have SmartSTv3 installed on an iPAQ 2210 and used it to drive from North West England down to the Vendee region in France where I used it extensively to tour around and back again without any problems at all.

I have also used it to drive around Tenerife and also recently in Portugal, again without any of the problems you have experienced.

SmartST and a Pocket PC... I would certainly not forget it.
_________________
Ian.
iPAQ 2210 | Navman 4100 BT Receiver
Navman iCN 635
TomTom GO
Anquet OS mapping

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