Origin Technologies

BBQKing · Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2007 3:45 pm Post subject:

Hi All

Just an update on my little PogoDrive unit. Earlier I expressed slight reservations on the SatNav. This is to let you know I am now warning to the SatNav side of this device very nicely. Yes, not quite the "bells & whistles" of a TomTom, but definitely up there with regards to how it navigates with the likes of TT. At the moment, its taken pride of place on the windscreen, and both my TT Go 300 and TT 6 Navigator have been relegated to storage.

As for using the SatNav with integrated Camera Detection, I don't think I could do without it now. However, it won't stop me supporting PGPSW camera database, and am quite willing to contribute towards them, for my TT's and my wife's Garmin i3.

Thanks
_________________
"To Err Is Human - To Really Foul Things Up Requires A Computer! (or SatNav)"

BBQKing · Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2007 3:46 pm Post subject:

My typing is pants lately - I mean "warming to the PogoDrive", not "warning"!!
_________________
"To Err Is Human - To Really Foul Things Up Requires A Computer! (or SatNav)"

craigpenton · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 11, 2007 Posts: 27

That's excellent news BBQ 'cos I have bought one today and will hopefully receive it tomorrow! :D

I'll let you know how I get on.

Cheers for your help over the last several pages! (and NN and others of course!)

Craig

craigpenton · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 11, 2007 Posts: 27

Got it! :D

Not been able to do much with it yet (see below) ... initial impressions are very good though.

One big gripe though. The unit doesn't come with a (home) charger! I rang Origin and they confirmed this is correct and when I asked if it would charge over the USB connection they said yes. I left it on all last night and guess what ... no battery this morning! :x

My car power socket only supplies power when the car is running so I currently have no way of doing a decent first charge. (and to be honest I'm not sure I would want to leave it in the car anyway!)

MAJOR oversight IMO

Anyway, if I get it charged and have a good play I'll report back later.

Craig

BBQKing · Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2007 12:39 pm Post subject:

Hi

My cigarette lighter socket is always live - didn't really think about the drawback of non live ones. I do agree though that a mains charger should be supplied as well.

Hope you have good experiences with it.

BB
_________________
"To Err Is Human - To Really Foul Things Up Requires A Computer! (or SatNav)"

westewoo · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 17, 2007 Posts: 29

i got mine on saturday. i have done about 340 miles so far with the unit and the speed detection side of thing works very well, as i expected it to, as its from origin, but the mapping is ok. there was slight inconsistancies, when traveling on the motorway, some junctions would tell you there number and location and others would'nt. the unit only does this in you are here mode, and not on navigate, or plan a tour, or safty only modes.
at the minute, my drive is not displying any service stations, i've asked origin, and they tell me to turn them on in points of intrest, but all i can see are hotels. anyone any idears? for anyone thinking of buying one, its early days for me with the unit, but i would score it at 8 out of 10 Smile

nuttynurse · Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 7:23 pm Post subject:

Hi westewoo

Re finding "petrol stations in POI"

1 make sure you are in the start-up screen having pressed 'M' button.
2 Press the 'Setting Menu' icon.
3 Press the 'Navigation' icon
4 Press the 'Displayed Elements' icon
5 Press the 'Points of Interest' icon
6 Scroll up or down the menu using the 'Arrows' on screen
7 When you have got to the desired poi, simply press on the square box to place a 'x' into it this will then display i.e. petrol station, etc.

Hope this helps.

nuttynurse · Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 7:42 pm Post subject:

westewoo. How do you find the pleasant female voice at motorway speed? Whilst I find her audible at say speeds upto 50/60mph her voice tends to become increasingly drowned out at higher speeds, the only option being to use the audio output with a head set.

The navigation side of the Pogo is o.k. as you say. Mapping is solely an A to B affair with little means of being able to influence your own preferred route over that of pogo. Optimisation does seem to me to influence matters much either. I find that road junctions aren't always their rightful priority and the voice directions aren't always given when the screen instructions are updated but all in all it will get you where you want to go as long as you accept that it isn't perfect.

As for the Safety feature I have'nt previously owned any Origin units but I do like its alerting features and the information it supplies on screen. Pity it doesn't do safety van warnings. If you are a former B2 owner do you know why they choose not to cover mobile sites.

nuttynurse · Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 7:47 pm Post subject:

westewoo · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 17, 2007 Posts: 29

hi nutty n. i agree with you about stella,(the voice) if your doing 60 on the motorway, and have the fan on, she would have to sat on your knee to here her. can you phone andrew at origin, and tell him she's quiert, and if enough of us complain, we may get something done about it.
as for laser site. they are'nt listed because all origin previous models from the blue i. the b2, and b2 solo.all had very good laser sensor supplied with them, as will the pogo alert, when it finnally apears.
the other thing origin dont have on there database is red light cameras. i asked the question why back in 2003, and they told me "if your daft enough to jump a red light you deserve the fine and points". i think this is a fair point.
:D

Snoopydog · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 11, 2007 Posts: 52

Hi Nuttynurse can you tell me how the Pogo camera database compares to the DS, like you I am a user of the DS but I can't decide whether to change to the Pogo Alert or stick with the DS and use the pgpsw database.
I don't need satnav.
All help appreciated.

Snoopydog

nuttynurse · Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2007 7:32 pm Post subject:

Hi westewoo,

Well as the Pogo Drive isn't fitted with a 'Laser Detector' input they should reconsider this missing feature set. As for the argument they give re. not including 'Red Light' cameras into their database, I think you could equally apply that argument across the entire spectrum of safety cameras, couldn't you. I mean if we all drove at the correct speed limit all of the time why are they selling devices that warn us of gatzos and the likes, if we are daft enough not to see them, don't we equally deserve to get the fine and points on our license?. I don't condone jumping lights but in a strange town or city it all to easy to be distracted trying to find your way around. But going back to laser detectors, they just detect don't they? Surely once you have heard the warning that you have been targetted, the games over is it? I know there are laser detectors that interfere with the laser itself jamming it momentarily but whilst DS were supposedly developing these devices its database meantime kept you alert to potential mobile sites and gave you the means to input your own mobile, gatzo, red lights etc also. In this respect the DS was and alrounder and this is what I and most other former DS users are looking for in a replacement.

Darren · Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2007 7:54 pm Post subject: Re: pogo drive.

nuttynurse · Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2007 8:32 pm Post subject:

Hi Snoopydog,

To date the Pogo Drive has alerted me to 3 types of camera !

1. Gatzo's. All but one which I came across in Falmouth. I did however press the option to record this to memory ready for uploading to Origin for their verification.

2. Specs. On the M5 at Exeter. It worked very well. And again on the return journey home just prior to coming over the Tamar Bridge. Here however I was alerted to the Specs just before going into the tunnel where midway through I lost my satnav link, having regained it the other side the Specs warning was going haywire and I had to reset the Pogo. I was left feeling bewildered. I don't blame the Pogo for this behaviour however as this is, as I understand it, likely to occur on any unit.

3. DS2. Though having driven through these areas before I was unaware of their presence. They are of course used in conjunction, I believe, with mobile units and aren't visible as such.

What the Pogo Drive doesn't alert too is: 'Red Light' cameras and 'Mobile Sites'. The 'Pogo Alert' by all accounts will connect to a external laser sensing device whilst the Pogo Drive will not. Whether such a device will have either the capability of the 'Pulsemaster' or the 'Defender2' i.e. either just telling you that you been caught or giving you time to slow down having jammed the laser momentarily I don't know.

Visually and audibly the Alert given by the Pogo is great. The screen, in part, turns red and and literally screams at you verbally telling you the speed limit, if you over it, as well as showing it on screen at the same time.

Whilst you get the impression that you can save your own user definable sites, this is misleading. On the screen is a camera icon which you can touch with the option of saving a camera site the the Pogo has not alerted to. This record is uploaded to Origin they verify the site and add it to their database if authenticated. It does not, as far as I have found, give you any menu options familiar on the DS for saving your own sites.

Whilst you do not want satnav, the one advantage of the Drive over the Alert is you get a 3.5inch screen as opposed to one I think less than 2". But thats just preference.

Updating the Pogo database is a very simply affair compared with the the sometimes frustrating attempts to get the DS usb link speaking to the computer. But then I suppose the DS was more about user involvement than the Pogo.

I was an ardent fan of the DS but running the DS side by side with the Pogo, the DS database was clearly out of date and did not alert to either of the Specs cameras. If the Pogo had mobile sites included, I would have been happier so for the moment I am using them side by side solely for this lacking feature on the Pogo. Hopefully Pogo may be persuaded to reconsider their stand on mobile sites.

I guess as you have got your DS still giving the pocketgps database a go on it is perhaps worthwhile. If you don't as yet subscribe to this database its only £19.00 to do so and so very little to try. The boffins are still, I believe, trying to iron out the details of making it work on the Ds but no doubt they will win out in the end. I will give it a go on my DS sometime soon. However, I think the DS is dead and resigned to the bin I would certainly not look to depend on it anymore as I once did. I looked at other options such as the Snooper Syrius and Road Angel's offerings, but felt more convinced with the quality and reputation of the Origin units. Time with tell how this particular unit develops as it is a new unit. But I like it.

Hope this helps.

craigpenton · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 11, 2007 Posts: 27

Hi All,

I've still not got an antenna for my Pogo so still can't really report back yet ... well unless you have a Clio 182 ... in which case I can tell you that you will need an external antenna! Confused

Anyway, I have also learned that I don't have the latest firmware (in fact I learned more fundamentally that this unit is in fact firmware upgradeable ... cool! :D ). Earlier tonight I spoke to Dave at Origin (nice guy) who said he would email the firmware through. For whatever reason that hasn't turned up. Anyone have the March 19th firmware that they could email me?

If however you are like me and were unaware of newer firmware and you are experiencing problems then this may be good news. I was told the March 19th firmware was a must-have.

Craig

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