Help Which Direction Do I Go For?

[La passion]

Firstly congratulations on an excellent website.



But now the problem...I'm in the process of purchasing my first owned GPS system and the more i look into it the more i cannot make my mind up which system to go for. Originally my iPAQ was the 3970, the speaker had very good output and i was leaning towards NAMVAN. Now my supplier has given me an upgrade to the new HP5450. The speaker output on this is far inferior to that of the 3970.



I have now learnt that the NAVMAN is NOT recommended for use with the 5450 so on recommendation i was leaning towards the Tom Tom 2 product.



The more i read the more inferior the TT2 maps are than those of NAVMAN, and the connection problems of Blue Tooth over cables.



I would prefer to have a system that gives me the same performance that i have used on vehicles with inbuilt satnav systems such as Lexus etc.



So I'm somewhat at a loss as to which way to proceed. So assistance would be much greatly appreciated.



Andrew

[Dave]

You'll get the same quality as you would with most in-car systems with either package. Both have the pro's and con's.



Navman use NavTech maps which are considered the most accurate, searching the database for streets etc is usually pretty accurate, maps are pretty accurate all over the UK but routing is an issue, especially routing you off motorway junctions to rejoin the motorway down the next slip road, or routing down side roads. Navman have resolved some of their routing issues. TomTom is a very attractive package, gives you customisable Points Of Interest including our Speed Camera Database. Maps are more accurate than TomTom Navigator 1, but searching the database can be problematic sometimes. If you know where you're going to in the country, if you can't find the street then sometimes you have to zoom into the map and manually set the destination. Not ideal, but you get used to it.



There's no reason why you couldn't purchase an FM Modulator (although are illegal to use), or a speaker mount system and get louder voice directions from the 5450.

[aero]

I used to have an in-built Lexus system but now use TTN2 with Emtac BTGPS receiver and Ipaq 3970. In some ways it is better than the Lexus system (more customizable), but in others worse. I wish the search facility was better, and that you could use waypoints, but I still like it and would still recommend it. I am not disappointed with TTN2 compared to my previous in-built system.

[La passion]

Thanks for the info, so am i right in thinking that on paper the best one to go for will be the Tom Tom ? I have heard that Destinator also uses the Naman map software ...is this correct?



I think I'm leaning towards the Tom Tom product but I'm still unsure which route (excuse the pun!) to go for cable or bluetooth. I already have a bluetooth voice enabled system on the mobile, by having this and a Tom Tom blue tooth there won't be any conflicts will there?



Re the iPaq's speaker, an FM modulator would be good but i would hate to be without the music in the car . The Arkon pda holder looks like it has all the answers, but it is a pity that the Brodit system dosen't come with a speaker attachment too. Does anyone know of a system which combines the build quality and functionality of the Brodit (no wires to plug ito the pda) with the speaker of the Arkon.



Once again congratulations on an excellent website



Andrew

[hornist]

In terms of the bluetooth vs cable GPS receiver question, I think it comes down to two questions:

1. Do you only intend to use it in the car?

2. What will give you the neatest installation and good signal strength combined?



If you only intend to use the system in the car, and you can install a cabled recevier fairly neatly into a good pickup location, then that's probably best. It's cheaper, probably less fiddly in terms of the connection, and you don't have to worry about recharging your receiver.



IMO the extra money for the BT is only worth paying if:

- you want a neat solution for non-car use (e.g. hiking, with the receiver in the top of your rucksack and your pocket PC in your hand)

- you have an athermic windscreen on the car, and need to mount the receiver in the 'clear' area near the top (or in some other non-windscreen location in the car)

- you can't neatly run the cable from the PC to a dash-mounted receiver



Paul

[Dave]

Andrew, PowerLOC(Destinator), TravRoute (CoPilot) and Navman (SmartST Pro) all use NavTech as a mapping company who go out and map the streets. TomTom use TeleAtlas. Most companies all though they may use the same geodata provider, will change the maps and customise the colours, themes etc to make them look different, but the underlying data is the same.



From a Bluetooth perspective, you'll like this if you don't mind charging the BT GPS every few days.

[MikeB]

Andrew,



From a BT enthusiast: If you only envisage using the GPS as an in-car navigation system, you will be better off buying a serial mouse GPS and spending the money you save on a decent in car mount like the Brodit. (I nover thought I would say that!! [:err:]



However if you do want to get out and about either to another car, on holiday in a rental car, boating, or many other activities where GPS can be used then go for a BT GPS. If you havent bought a PDA yet I can recommend the iPaq 2210s. Powerful and good battery life when used with a BT GPS.
_________________
Mike Barrett

We see you’re using an ad-blocker. We’re fine with that and won’t stop you visiting the site.
Have you considered making a donation towards website running costs?.
Or you could disable your ad-blocker for this site. We think you’ll find our adverts are not overbearing!