Woolworths/Maplins Roadcom 300

blackrat62 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Sep 08, 2005 Posts: 47

Both Woolworths and Maplins seem to be doing this satnav.

Maplins list it at £179 + vat (£210) and its £199 at Woolworths.

Maplins list it as having a SIRF III 'receiver', MP3 player, photoviewer - and it seems to be 'pocketPC based.

Listed here:

http://www.woolworths.co.uk/ww_p2/product/index.jhtml?pid=50502166

Is this unit any good?

Anyone know what navigation software it uses (5 digit postcode search & Teleatlas maps) and what hardware unit it is based on?

blackrat62 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Sep 08, 2005 Posts: 47

When I say 'Maplins' I mean 'Makro' - DOH!!

slash909 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jan 02, 2006 Posts: 17

I'm doing some digging right now..

I notice the RoadCOM brand is recently trademarked by NUTool up in Doncaster:
http://www.patent.gov.uk/tm/tmj/journals/6614/domestic/2406067.html

Odd becuase they are better known for garage tools and the like.

I've asked them about the unit by email - see what I get back(!)

I found one review here:
http://www.reviewcentre.com/review180323.html
..by someone from doncaster (!) so perhaps one of the staff at NUTool group ?

I guess it's a cheap chinese unbranded import which NUTool are badging themselves for the UK market. Makro claim SiRF3 chipset, Woolies claim Centrality altas CPU. both claim 20 parallel fixes so seems plausible.

If you can find another unit on the market that looks the same it probably is the same device.
Any one recognise the hardware?

Stu

slash909 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jan 02, 2006 Posts: 17

ah-ha! I have gone out and bought one 8)

Hardware is by HOLUX in Taiwan; check out the FCC ID page for details:
https://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/oet/cf/eas/reports/ViewExhibitReport.cfm?mode=Exhibits&RequestTimeout=500&calledFromFrame=N&application_id=950217&fcc_id='RJINAV-51XX'

Firmware is WInCE .net 4.2 core, plus a launcher screen, mp3 and photo viewer.

Nav software is 'smart2go' from gate5; looks like the standard Uk edition of their smartphone package, sans the bluetooth GPS head. Maps and additional POIs by TeleAtlas.
See http://www.smart2go.com for details of upgrades..

It is all RoadCOM branded and UK focused, so I guess NUTool Group are expanding into the sat nav market to compete with TomTom and co.

Will review in more appropriate thread (!)

Stu

emsef · Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 5:45 pm Post subject:

I'm a bit wary of the smart2go software, as I had a Cable & Wireless unit which was running that.

The box of the RoadCom in Woolies states that it has "Navteq Inside"?

Any ideas?

matt

slash909 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jan 02, 2006 Posts: 17

Seems like the supplier has ditched the smart2go package in favour of a more standard system. Good, now where do I get my upgrade?

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