im considering getting a PDA with sat nav, as its my first venture into this technology i dont want to spend a lot of cash but just as important and dont want to waste cash on something that is crap. my limited research has brought the Navman PIN 570 to my attention which can be bought new for £129, does anyone have one ? or can anyone suggest a similar priced but better product.
go for a tomtom.lol or, better still, go with an orange contract and get one of the pocketpc smartphones and spend 40quid on a gps receiver! you get the best of both worlds then!
Then you have to spend another £100+ for the GPS software, plus the spec of most HTC variants (SPV/MDA/XDA) is only slightly better than the NAvman. Tomtom devices and software are overrated, TT's popularity is due in no small part to teh easy availibility of pirate copies of map updates. TT also uses teleatlas maps which are nowhere near as complete as navteq maps, especially in Scotland - the latest version of TT still has not got my sister's road on it, even though the estate was built 10 years ago, Navigon et al which use navteq maps, have had the road since at lest the 2003 versions. Considering that the PIN 570 comes with software for £140 it's worth considering, most of the alternatives are more expensive, especially when you add in the cost of software, eg the Mio 350 is £240. However the PIN is based on a design from a few years back and uses WM 2003, not even WM2003se or the current WM5 and does not have bluetooth or wifi, though that is not a major disadvantage. A PDA based gps solution is far more practical than a stand alone gps unit, you can use it for far more, plus it fits in to your pocket easier
I got the oldie version of the Navman PIN - based on the Mitac Mio 168, works very well and currently running TT on it...
I've got a full gps system for sale. TomTom5 and Dell Axim X30i. I advertised it on here a couple of months ago. If you're interested, bung me a pm and we can sort something out. Original post here btw, I'm willing to drop the price a bit
You can pick up teh Loox 500 from £200 new, but as they're rebadged Acer PDAs and have the same build quality issues, just don't wiggle the dock connector too much otherwise you've got a brick and it's not covered by the warranty
I've had an Acer N35 for just over a year. The only thing I can say against it is the Destinator software that came with it was a bit poor, when compared to TomTom 5. But compared to other PDA's with GPS built in it wins hands down. One of its best features, compared to the others, was the fact that the antena folds flush into the unit, as opposed to something like the Mitac where the antena sticks out the back.
How was Destinator poor compared to TT5? I know TT is slightly more user friendly, but the poor map coverage outside of England (ie in Scotland and Ireland) lets it down. Destinator has more complete maps, it also has the ability to use POIs (speed camera databases) just like TT, in fact it has all the same functionality. Plus it came with the PDA, so you didn't have to spend £150 on software. The Acer N35 has serious build quality issues - unlike Mitac, Acer doesn't cover problems with the dock donnector under warranty, that's why there's so many being sold on ebay as faulty. the current Mitac models have antennae that fold flat and also swivel, it's the old Mio 168 (which has been discountinued) that had the bulging antenna - then again it was the first PPC with GPS built in (The Garmin Ique was a palm device and was 3 times more expensive)
I've been looking online, and didn't realise that there was a new version of Destinator out. The version of Destinator I have does have some advantages over Tomtom, the big one being the fact that it warns you far earlier about turns, and it handles roundabouts better with a clearer description. Tomtoms 3d view is far superior, in fact Destinator 4 doesn't really have a true 3d view. General use is also better, as you can pretty much navigate the whole thing with your finger, and don't need the stylus, which is all but impossible in Destinator.You can also search by postcode. I can't comment on Tomtoms maps outside England, as I've only ever used it in England (and Florida, but thats using additional maps). Destinator PN might have addressed alot of the issuses I had with destinator 4, but I would think that the Acers still ship with same version as mine. And when I was looking at a GPS/PDA all the other systems shipped with different software, which IMHO didn't match Destinator,let alone TT (Although thats only based on a brief try in the shop) As for build quality, I've had mine for about 18 months, as has my dad, and never had an issue. Bear in mind that the enviroment I use it isn't ideal either, and its been on many a building site with me (although I don't leave it in my tool box )
