Re: Tomtom sat nav gps with ipaq

["Patrick Lidstone" <patrick@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>=20
> I think I would recommend the wired version of tomtom because it is
> much less in price; although the bluetooth model is software and
> gps device only, the wired model comes with a car kit too to mount the
> ipaq on. I need to buy this spearately to go with the BT kit, which
> will cost another =A340.
>=20
> I found that the gps receiver takes a while to "warm up" but
if I
> switch it on when I walk to the car, by the time I sit down, it
> usually has found where I am. I don't know if the wired version is any
> better?
>=20
> I haven't driven through any valleys so I don't know if you can keep
> the signal. I have lost it once or twice, and I wish it would say so,
> othewise you keep going staright ahead, without realising it has
> stopped working!
>=20

Reminds me, I've been meaning to do a mini-review. I've been
evaluating the TomTomGo over the last 10 days.=20

What is it?=20
It's a self contained GPS sat-nav unit with a 3.5" LCD TFT(?)
touchscreen, powered by an integral rechargeable battery pack. It's
will comfortably rest in the palm of the hand, although it is quite
deep. It'll set you back 430 quid or so from Expansys, PC World et al.

What's in the box?
Unpacking the box, which is an iPod-esque experience in terms of
attention to detail. You find the base unit, a suction bracket thing
for dash mounting, a screen cleaning cloth, a cigar power lead, mains
charger with assortment of travel adapters, a USB cable, an SD memory
card, a CD, a quick start chart and a more detailed instruction
manual. The only thing missing - and it's a strange oversight - is
some kind of carry case. The SD memory card is pre-loaded with a
detailed map of the UK, the CD contains a copy of this map and a
generalised map of Europe. Detailed maps of European territories are
apparently available for download.=20

First impressions...
Turn the device on, and the first thing you notice is it's fully
charged :-). Nice touch. An animated cartoon greets you, asking for
the SD card to be slotted in. You oblige, and are then taken through a
series of setup steps, covering choice of voice/language/sex for
speech synthesis and so on, and are completed in a few moments. The UI
is very intuitive - it's of TiVo quality. The suction bracket thing
should suit any car - it can be adjusted in a multitude of ways, and
in another nice design touch, the the ciggy cable can plug into the
bracket, rather than the unit, to provide a semi-permanent installation.

Navigating
The first time you turn the device on it takes a long time to first
fix - a good half an hour in my back garden, anyway. Fortunately
subsequent fixes take only a matter of moments (less than 30s I'd
guess on average). To set up a route, you just key in the first five
or six digits of the post code or select the town, then street, then
intersection, using a large on-screen keyboard. Street name matching
is very intelligent (doing a good job of matching, say, Missenden to
Great Missenden). The default UK map is also very detailed - it knows
some obscure streets that my VDO Dayton in-car unit doesn't know, and
it knows house numbers for many of those in turn. It also has an
extensive directory of points-of-interest such as hotels, railway
stations and airports.
Route calculation is classic tom-tom. The route directions are clear
and accurate.=20

Moving Map display
By default your chosen route is drawn on a 3D projection, with
principal streets named and points of interest (e.g. petrol stations)
highlighted. It sounds gimmicky, but is actually very effective. The
bottom half of the screen presents a summary of the next change in
direction and distance to that junction, ETA and total journey time,
elapsed distance and total journey distance, as well as current speed.
The map changes background colour when satellite coverage is lost. The
moving map display is supplemented by clear spoken instructions -
although these obviously compete with the radio and SWMBO. The screen
is bright, but doesn't work well in direct sunlight. I doubt you'd be
able to use this unit satisfactorily in a convertible. If you don't
like the 3D display, you can opt for a conventional flat map, or turn
the map off altogether.

Urban use
The satellite receiver is very sensitive, but still loses coverage
_very_ occasionally in dense urban areas such as central London for a
few seconds at a time (say once or twice on a typical medium length
journey). Outside of urban canyons, it performs flawlessly. The map
display is such that short interruptions in coverage aren't a problem
- you still have several hundred yards of route planned out in front
of you. In the case of total loss of satellite coverage, the unit
attempts to use its own internal gyroscope to estimate position.
Performance of the gyroscope above ground is less than stellar
(perhaps because the unit is coming in and out of coverage
intermitently), but it works very effectively in tunnels and
underpasses. If you take a wrong turning, route recalculation is very
fast. Battery life is excellent - I reckon you'd easily get 6 hours
continuous use on a full charge, making the cigarette cable very optional.

Conclusions
The performance of this unit rivals that of in-car units. It's
seriously good, even allowing for occasional loss of coverage in urban
areas. The fact that it can be swapped between vehicles may give it an
edge for some users. The fact that there are no cables, wires or
convoluted start-up procedures, and the long battery life, gives this
the edge over two-box iPaq based solutions. Overall, this is the TiVo
or iPod of the handheld sat-nav market, for me at least.

Patrick