Navman SmartST Pro Unlocked!!!

[Dave]

Mark, Terry is correct. It doesn't mean the software's unlocked in terms of POI's, it means it's unlocked so it's not locked to a specific piece of hardware. SmartST Pro would only work with the Navman sleeves, but now it works with any GPS receiver providing you are using the Bluetooth version (BEU activation key).

[tedkay]

4400 - it's a good job this forum exists 'cos otherwise I'd never have heard of 4400, or the much discussed SmartST upgrade. That'll be because Navman have no mention of it anywhere on their very limited website. Could this be because they don't want to wind-up the poor sods who have endured their buggy software? The comparison drawn by another writer in this forum between Tom Tom with their frequent and ongoing free upgrades, and Navman with their virtually complete lack of them, is very valid. I switched to Tom Tom a while ago, having bought Navman first, and the whole Tom Tom experience is hugely better. Not least because there are a lot of add-on software writers busily filling in the gaps Tom Tom left. I reckon this gives a clue as to which software is considered the most likely to be around for a while. Still, I understand Navman are now under new ownership .............

[tedkay]

......... hmm - re my previous post about 4400 not being mentioned on the Navman website - in fact it is. I didn't see it 'cos I'm bookmarked to their 'products' page and its'not on there. Silly me, fancy looking for one of their products on the products page! Now I'm wondering if in fact they do have a wonderful array of free updates somewhere, just not on the support/download pages??

[onbashi]

I'm glad someone else has mentioned what most navman users have been thinking for some time now,



all I will say is that if i am classed by navman as not elegible for a free update it will be returned and a refund demanded on the grounds that the product i purchased is faulty and does not do its job to a satisfactory level.



I dont want to be misunderstood here but why should we pay for someone elses mistakes, I appreciate the fact that lots of resorces had been pumped into making the software better but should it really be at our expense??

Hmmm!
_________________
In The Land Of The Blind The One Eyed Man Is King!

[sfi1]

I have to agree with the previous comments regarding Navman support in that they don't keep customers informed on fixes that they are working on. TomTom have regular updates which at least shows that they are working on problems encountered. Only time will tell what they do about updates to the current version but have a feeling that they may bundle it with updated maps which presumably have to be paid for.

I really like the design of the program and think the maps are far more accurate but if they can't fix the routing problems then feel that i will have to change to something like TomTom. I'll stick with them for a little while longer as i've found that TomTom has its own routing issues but these are clearly with the maps and you have to switch maps between countries.



In summary all i'm asking for is product that provides decent routing and reception. Is that too much to ask for a GPS navigation system ?

[Dave]

The only problem with fast and frequent updates is it can introduce lots of new bugs requiring even more faster and frequent updates.

[gracar]

I agree with Dave and actually I don't even think it's the frequency of updates that should be the issue under discussion.



What I find annoying is to discover, through this forum (thank you), a couple of things that I think Navman should have addressed directly with their current users. We'd like some communication - a simple e-mail that says something like the following would improve customer relations and build product loyalty...



"We are about to launch, bundled with our new GPS receiver an unlocked version of SmartST - this software will be available to you on the following terms..."



"The latest version of SmartST addresses the following issues and is available for download from...."



as it is users scramble around and discover, for example, that depending on which Navman website you log onto there are multiple "latest" versions of Smart ST.



That can't be good me thinks!
_________________
Graham

[sfi1]

That's a nice thought but I'm not sure whether they'd be prepared to send out emails. Updating the website a little more would help.



I think most users are prepared to wait for service packs if they know what they are attempting to fix, especially if one of the fixes happens to rectify their problem.



If you do forward a problem you get the normal "it's been passed to the programmers" but you never get any feedback saying something like "we've identified and fixed your problem and hope to incorporate it in SP2 with an anticpated release date of .........



To be fair, they did announce SP1 was coming although i can't recall at what point they actually identified the list of changes. Its a shame that after months of waiting it had to be re-written almost immediately!

[onbashi]

it has been known for quite some time now that low sat fixes are due to interference from the pocket pc processor and i have learnt to live with the fact that i cant use mine in central london for that reason, now that a new and much improved sleeve is available why am i not entitled to an upgrade for free as the product i purchased from them is only four months old and is of no use to me where i need it most??



i personally believe that the software has so much potential but how much do we have to pay to get what we need in the long run



spending £400 on a product that doesnt do what you expect is not a nice feeling, i think that reviewers like dave are doing a great job (Keep it up) informing people of the pro's and con's of each package available but unfortunately for people like me finding out too late proves to be quite expensive
_________________
In The Land Of The Blind The One Eyed Man Is King!

[palace]

Hi Dave,



does the unlocked version of the software mean I will be able to integrate speed cameras or am I still dreaming ?



Mark

[Telboy]

palace,



my understanding of the 'unlocked' software is that it is no longer tied to the Navman sleeve and can be used with any gps hardware.



I do not beleive you can yet customise the POI's. Like you, I'd like to have speed cameras (oops, safety cameras)displayed on the maps.



I guess we'll have to keep waiting.



Terry

[onbashi]

i've not suffered any major probs myself apart from poor sat fix times and reception over all it is a good looking bit of software but does not have the features of tomtom,

my main gripe is why should we pay for something that doesn't offer what it states, especially when its still in its warranty period surely ALL software, map and hardware upgrades that eliminate problems in previous versions should be offered f.o.c at least whilst its under 12 months old, £400 is a lot of money to pay for something that doesn't work correctly.



Another gripe is why updates cant be more regular to try and get things right in small chunks rather than leave consumers in the lurch for 3 months until a service pack is released that attempts to resolve everything at once...
_________________
In The Land Of The Blind The One Eyed Man Is King!

[Zaphodski]

I have Navman 3400 with an HP3970. Will I benefit from the ....44 service patch (I currently have 41) ? Also, anyone noticed any problems with the clock on the Ipaq when using Navman....?
_________________
Zaphodski

[Dave]

I'm unaware of any other changes in this version of the software apart from it unlocks the GPS Hardware.

[onbashi]

i think zaphodski is refering to the ....44 patch for the exixting smartst pro software, i have this patch installed, not that good mate! i have noticed that the software fixes a bit quicker but it stays in 2D for quite some time so doesnt really help and does nothing special with the reception side of things.



i hope the unlocked version is free, someone i know has tomtom with a leadtek reciever so we compared them, made mine look poo! he had 8 sats, i had 5.

i asked him if he has problems in central london, his answer was YES it drops to about 6 sats but doesnt lose a fix often and then he laughed, well now i know the sleeve is no good and i need this unlocked version because i cant use mine in central london at all especially in the kensington area


_________________
In The Land Of The Blind The One Eyed Man Is King!

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!