Sorry for starting another satnav thread, but I am thinking of getting satnav for my new car (www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=39175 ) ... and the other threads sem to be looking for a different set of requirements, so I don't want to disrupt them.
I have read lots of praise for the TomTom Go, but it's a bit bulky, and since I'll have to carry it around when I leave the car, I'd prefer something slimmer (I like carrying a handbag rather than a suitcase!).
I can see a few alternatives:
* PDA plus add-ons, as discussed in another thread
* a Navman standalone unit (they look slimmer in the photos, but are they really?)
* Mobile phone with add-ons (something like www.totalpda.co.uk/Nokia-6680-with-TomTom-mobile-G...x )
I like the idea of a standalone unit; one gadget that does one job well. Less keen on a PDA, 'cos I don't need a PDA, but I can see the benefit of something combined with a phone, cos I need a phone anyway so why not have one mounting point in the car which charges the phone and gives me satnav?
So I have three questions:
* any recommendations on phone/satnav combinations, and are they good enough to be worth getting for the satnav rather than because I want a new phone?
* Any good experiences of Navman? Are they are useable as TomTom?
* Do any of the alternatives allow me to set a speed alert? I don't want need to be warned about cameras, but I would like something that would squeak if I exceed 30mph.
Thanks for any help you can give.
Name-change time: NoWheels Almera = NowWheels
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I have a TomTom One, much thinner than the Go's and the screen is a million times better. Cheaper, too.
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Yes look at tom tom1
Its slimmer
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Tomtom One-yes a lot thinner than the Tomtom Go series, and better insides too-newer chipset for quicker satelite pick-up, faster chip than the lowest Tomtom Go set.
A PDA will alwasy be thinner, but then you have to add the satnav gubbings, either a holder for the PDA or a bluetooth sat nav unit which then means you have both the PDA and satnav pick up to power/recharge.
Seriously look at the Tomtom One before you decide-Tesco usually sell the One and Go range, and have dummy models on the shelves which you can prod and poke, get a feel for size etc.
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My Dell Axim x50v is considerably slimmer than any of the TomTom 300/500/700 range and half the thickness of the TomTom One.
No idea why the TomTom's are so enormous when the PDA does so much more, is much more powerful, has a better screen yet is half the size.
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I recently purchased a Mitac Mio 168 PDA with AA Navigator Satnav.
Absolutely brand new but unwanted present on Ebay so I got it for half the new price which is normally around £320. Comes with all cables and mounts and discs etc.
It measures 4"H x 3"W and is 3/4" thick at the top where the GPS folds up and down adding another 1 1/2" to the height when in use.
It is 1/2 " thick at the bottom. Screen size is 3" x 2".
I realise it does not fit all your criteria but it is certainly slim enough to fit into my inside jacket pocket without problem and it easy to use.
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Unless I'm mistaken that Dell Axim isn't a phone, which I think is part of the shopping list.
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Dinner the other week in Chinatown. One of those present, an actress, called for the limo that was imposed on her instead of more money. It was a people carrier driven by an Asian bloke.
First satnav I've seen in operation, indeed the only one. He made heavy weather of finding his way from Leicester Square to Savile Row where we had left our car, a distance of three or four hundred yards at most. Also had to keep looking at the thing instead of the road.
What on earth is wrong with maps and just knowing your way around? I know satnav is a nice toy but really...
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I've got TomTom mobile on my Nokia phone. It works a treat, and no wires. The GPS module connects via bluetooth.
I've used it on a Nokia 6260 - worked well, but could be a little slow to start up. (phones fault)
I currently have a Nokia N70, it works very well and quickly, BUT be warned that the N70 has bluetooth problems - it drops the bluetooth connection at ramdom. This is quite annoying.
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What on earth is wrong with maps and just knowing your way around? I know satnav is a nice toy but really...
Hi Lud, I pride myself on having a good nose for directions, and I like maps. When I used to travel around Europe on my bicycle, I could navigate my way through just about any town with ease.
But it's a different matter in a car. Fine on the open road, and fine in town if someone else is driving, but if I'm on my own I don't like keeping the map perched on my lap, leaning against the wheel, trying to read contradictory -- all whilst trying to drive with out killing too many people around me.
The first time I bever tried satnav was on a journey to Leeds, whose swirling underpasses and loop roads usually disorientate me so badly that I go round in circles. The satnav told me which lane to be in, and I drove much more safely as well as much more directly. I started that journey thinking it was a toy, and finished it an instant convert.
Name-change time: NoWheels + Almera = NowWheels
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Maps are all well and good but you'd need an A-to-Z for every town you visit, not ideal.
I have my reservations about sat-nav. Tom-Tom has tried to send me the wrong way up one-way streets on a few occasions, and I'm not 100% convinced of the general accuracy.
No system is infallible. For example, try looking at the map of Beverley in Yorkshire on the AA site. There is a road in the centre which actually goes straight on but is in the AA database as being a staggered junction, so sends you right-then-left. "Hilarity" ensues as you realise you don't know where you are, you have your boss breathing down your neck to get to a site, you only have a list of directions (no map) and the directions are wrong. And of course, no-one you stop in the street has the first idea of where the road you're going to is situated. Grrr...
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Forget the business with the Bluetooth connection GPS and charging it separately+ intermittently loosing the bluetooth connection , the best alternative is to buy a PDA with a compact flash card socket into which a Compact flash card GPS can be plugged in.
This eliminates the disadvantages of the bluetooth system,which although is more new fangled, isnt that convenient.
I have been using Tom Tom on my PDA with a Holux GM-270 CF GPS for just under 4 years now,and its been absolutely brilliant.
Although there should be more sensitive GPS recievers now.
Or better still , get a PDA with an inbuilt reciever like the Mio or Garmin IQue.
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confirm that a good satnav system is the mio168. woeks very well and if you use the postcode option takes you to the door.Have used it daily for a year without any problems.If you also want to charge a mobile phone you nan purchase an attachment which plugs into the cig lighter with 2 outlets.Tomtom is the best system to use.
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Satnavs are getting cheaper and smaller all the time. If you want to go for tiny how about the smartnav system? That doesn't have an intrusive screen, just a button for asking directions where you talk to a real person. It is permanently up to date as it downloads the directions to your unit each time you ask it to go anywhere. A big upside is that when you are somewhere you don't know then you access to a virtual concierge service that will tell you where the nearest whatever is, as well as a button to press in an emergency situation. It seems to use the same maps the RAC use and I have found their directions on their website to be really good. Alternatively go on the website before each journey and print off your instructions and memerise them. Cheapest navigation system going ;-)
There is a portable version if you don't want it wired into the car:
www.metalhouse-ltd.co.uk/id15.html
Downside of the smartnav is the cost (£439 fitted) and the small charge per year to use it - either all you can eat or per journey charge. You can now get a screen add on but if you are around Leeds/Bradford you might want something unobtrusive to stop the local thieves helping themselves!
teabelly
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Thanks for the suggestion, Teabelly. Looks tempting, but at over £400 to buy, plus £10 a month after year 1, it starts to get expensive -- nearly £700 over three years :( I can't justify that sort of expense.
After doing more research, I'm feeling a bit dissuaded from the whole idea.
The TomTom units sound easy to use, but don't seem to have much coverage of Ireland, which I'd like. Garmin now appears to offer full coverage of Ireland, but while the C310 looks OK on functionality, it's as bulky as the Tomtom Go units. And both of the require a cable dangling down to the power supply, which feels like a bad idea, and pevents me from charging my mobile at the same time.
The best idea so far seems to be a phone-based solution, since I could mount a cradle for the phone and have only one gadget to faff around with -- although that means having a more expensive mobile than I want, which seems like a bad idea 'cos mobiles get dropped and mislaid.
Name-change time: NoWheels + Almera = NowWheels
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Except the obvious fact that smartphone, bluetooth GPS, software, cradle, car chargers possibly additional memory card won't be any cheaper than ready PDA solution there are quite a few disadvantages to GPS on phone:
- Screens are tiny, about half size of PDA and 1/3rd of TT Go series. Street names will be harder to read.
- Symbian or Windows based smartphones are slower than PDAs, refresh, recalculations with bluetooth data flowing at all times is a strain for something that wasn't really designed with sat nav in mind. You will get frustrated.
- You're in London traffic, maze of small streets, sat nav on - phone rings...
- You will be in constant search for power points and chargers.
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I've been running TomTom Mobile since the first week it came out to the public (when, funnily enough it was much the same price as it is now) and in response to the above points:
- Screens are tiny, about half size of PDA and 1/3rd of TT Go series. Street names will be harder to read.
Agreed. It is manageable but a larger screen would sometimes be nice.
- Symbian or Windows based smartphones are slower than PDAs, refresh, recalculations with bluetooth data flowing at all times is a strain for something that wasn't really designed with sat nav in mind. You will get frustrated.
No, no you won't. It will take a minute or so to do a cross country calculation but navigating back to the route or a short journey of less than 100 miles is no problem.
- You're in London traffic, maze of small streets, sat nav on - phone rings...
I can't see NW answering the phone in this situation - but it is potentially a problem although you can answer the phone without leaving the sat nav. app. Occasionally a phone call can cause a dropped Bluetooth signal, which is not ideal.
- You will be in constant search for power points and chargers.
No. I just have a cigarette lighter doubler that stays unobtrusively in my centre console. No problem at all with charging both phone and Bluetooth unit.
That said, I'd still go for the TomTom One - TomTom for the interface. The reason I'd go dedicated is that it's much simpler not to have to launch an app. to run satnav and there are obviously also no Bluetooth issues to contend with.
I don't regret my decision because my TT Mobile was less than half the price of the TT Go at the time but now the difference is significantly less.
Also, running TTM5 on a Nokia 6630 with the original GPS unit from TTM4, I have issues with Bluetooth synchronisation, something my previous Orange SPV E200 never had with TTM4 - but presumably this doesn't apply to TTM5 and the new GPS unit.
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If they have taken away the pay per journey option then they've just lost a second possible customer, as I'd only have one if you could do that. Looks like it will be tomtom mobile for me :-)
If you want a decent pda phone which isn't like a brick then the nokia 9300 would be a good one to choose. They are usually free on £25 pm contracts so that would save you quite a bit over the first year. Then you can switch straight onto a lower tariff after 6 months (or whatever the limit is) then down to payg once your 12 months are up. They have bluetooth and infrared and are the same size more or less as a 6310i so they should fit cradles designed for that phone. Check your home contents to see whether the phone would be covered for accidental damage/loss etc including loss or theft from a car.
If you're brave there are usually some sim free ones on ebay :-)
teabelly
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"Any good experiences of Navman?"
yes - I have an old Navman PiN 300 and it works very well in this country and on the continent (both in the car and when trying to find places on foot or locating where you have parked the car when going for a wander!!). It's very small and I just stick it in my pocket when leaving the car. Windscreen mount works well with one lead to the "cigar lighter" - don't forget that you can get double adapters for this for charging mobile at same time.
Latest version, which will run any satnav software (see above) is the 570 - quite a few on ebay eg
tinyurl.com/l5psh
I am unable to compare Navman with other systems - no experience of them.
By the way - also run "Memory Map " on mine when out on the hills/mountains on foot have a look at
www.memory-map.co.uk/
it's brilliant - OS maps at 1:50,000 and 1:25,000 for UK.
--
Phil
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