Ok, After reading this thread and the links I'm getting interested in gps and satnav.
I currently have a chance to purchase either the navman PiN or a HP ipaq 2210 through work. So here is my choice as I see it:
Now I really want satnav, which the navman PiN has, although it does seem to be limited by the lack of Points of Interest.
The HP 2210 is the better pocket PC but does'nt have satnav as standard so I would have to buy these separetly. From reading this thread I would need to get either a cf or bluetooth gps and some software (tomtom 3 seems to have been recommended).
Without starting a my system is better than yours war, can anyone comment on whether what I have said is correct(!) or if I have missed out any other pros or cons of these two units. Also for the 2210 unit, should I choose a cf or bluetooth GPS unit?
A lot a questions I know, but up untill I had read this thread I totally dismised satnav but now I want it!!!
I used to have the TOMTOM Bluetooth and had nothing but trouble from it so I swapped to CF and it works a dream on my HP 2210 so if i had to buy another it would be a 2210 with CF and TOMTOM 3.
Well, I dont have the in car thingy but I use a GPS Garmin Etrex (Yellow) for GEOCACHING!!! http://www.geocaching.com/ I have six caches placed under username 'Queeny'. I think a few people on this list might be interested...you could do the caches nearest to where you pitch tent!!! We're a secret society though, so hush hush
Hi MartinE - I chose a CF card primarily because they are cheaper. Also, I *think* the Bluetooth options require a separate power source for the receiver. This could be a problem if you are out walking with it? VERY pleased with my 2210 plus CF GPS - best pressie I've bought myself. Remember yo will probably also need a good size memory card for the maps etc. The advantage of the 2210 is that it has both CF and SD slots. The maps (and all my other apps) are on a 256mb SD card, leaving the CF slot free for the GPS card. By the way, I expect it varies from car to car, but in mine I don't need to attach the external aerial that comes with some of the cards.
I have been thinking a bit more over the weekend about whether to get the Navman PiN or 2210, and seem to be siding with the 2210. The Navman is a good package and as it comes with satnav 'as standard' it saves buying all the extras, but it seems to be let down by the lack of user definable features such as Points of Interest. The 2210 is a great little Pocket PC on its own, so I don't really begrudge buying the extra satnav gear, as it doesn’t come out much more than the Navman.
I thought that the bluetooth GPS had a rechargeable battery so you can just pop it into your pocket when you are out and about. Although I'm a bit concerned about the problems chindley had with bluetooth. Has anyone else found this a problem. I was going to ask about having a spare SD slot for the 2210. It seems that there are no worries there then.
dvisor, I believe that some cars manufactures put a coating on the windscreen which can reflect the GPS satellite signal away and so is not received by the receiver inside the car. It appears that your car does not have this problem.
If anyone has any other advice please let me know.
Hi - it's definitely the case about the coating, I've seen references elsewhere about it in instruction manuals etc. But, you may also need the external cable if you can't mount your iPAQ in a position where you can both see it, and it can see the sky. You don't necessarily run the cable outside the car, it should suffice to stick it on top of the dashboard. The important thing is that the GPS has good "visibility" out of the windscreen. I'm lucky, I can mount mine on the air vent and the GPS card sticks up in the air slightly and gets good reception through the windows. When you buy the SD card, get the largest you can for your money. Sounds obvious, I know, but there is a vast difference in the prices. When I bought mine the best deal was on a 256mb, which is fine, but you can now get 512mb for the same price if not less. Worth trying ebuyer.com, as they often have good deals and I think postage is free on many memory cards at the moment.
dvisor, Have you every had any problems with your SD card corrupting? One of the GPS sites (pocketgps.co.uk) were complaining about it. My only encounter with SD cards at the moment is with my Digital camera and have not had any problems.
yes my picasso has "heat reflective windscreen" so I have the external antenna, however I just have it placed at the side window and it works fine.. you find that most cars now have an area of black dots above the mirror or round the edge of the windscreen this is where the heat reflective coating has not been applied.
Hi MartinE. I've been using my SD card for about 6 months now, but had no problem with corruption. I think there was an issue with battery drain when using an SD card even when the iPAQ was switched off, but a downloadable patch solved this (I never got this problem neither).
Topic: GPS satnav
