Sat Nav via mobile....

I’ve been using Tom Tom 3 with an iPAQ for a year or so with excellent results. v5 has just been launched which includes Western European maps (you were previously confined to the UK) and is from user’s accounts much quicker and easier to use than v3. It ilso includes 7 character Post Code search which v3 didn’t – although an add on to do this is free. I really can’t fault it at all and it’s made driving anywhere so easy that I’m now an arrow following moron. The Bluetooth GPS receiver included has never given any problems. It’s quick at recalculating and has the added advantage that you can pocket it if you’re on foot – the CPS receiver is the size of a box of matches and has an 8 hour battery.




I have no experience of Tom Tom Mobile but should I come into ownership of a suitable phone with a big enough screen, I’d be very tempted. It would certainly cut down on the clutter in the car, but TBH I’m so happy with the present installation that I see no need to change for the sake of it.

Cheers for the pictures.
I like the look of the Acer 35 pda, as it seems contained all in one, and for the pirce seems reasonable too.

andy c!

No substitute for built in Sat Nav but portability has it's advanteges. The marketplace has mushroomed - there's bound to be something that suits you just nice. Tom Tom sell kits including PDAs. http://www.expansys.co.uk is also a good supplier. I'm sure most systems are much of a muchness but the accessories took a bit of sorting out. The rubber sucker mounting kits didn't cut it for me - I got a Brodit Clip which is custom made for car make and model, plus a cradle which is wired for power, meaning you don't have to arse about shoving it into the PDA - you just slide it into the cradle (which I screwed onto the top of the Brodit Clip). Cradles that clip into the air vents are a good second solution IMO. Good luck with it.

(In your position I think I'd be seriously looking at just buying something to run off the phone, although the larger screen size of a PDA plus touch screen operation could win it).

the N35 is about £50 cheaper at ebuyer!

I have a mate who has got one, so will have a botchers at that to see what its like...

andy c!

Thanks for the tip Andy. Heading off there now...

Get a HP Ipaq with Tomtom 5.

All other sat systems are trash and inbuilt car systems worse. All other pdas are trash. Mobile phone ones are pathetic, but good to show mates on the first day you buy one.

I spent a day in a Jaguar S class last week. The garbage satnav couldn't find the place when we got to the last mile, never got us out of the miles of traffic jams (like it should) and you couldn't see the 2" lcd rubbish screen anyway. Junk.

quote:

Originally posted by andy c:
HI,
Having just got a Nokia 6680, my first phone with bluetooth, my thoughts turned to linking a mobile satnav device like Tomtom or the Nokia equivalent to it, so as when abroad etc I could use my phone etc.

Another option would be to get a pda with satnav in built.

Any of you out there use this way of satnav?
What problems/benefits/issues did you find?
Any useful forums on this topic?

thanks for any replies.

andy c!

For maximum accuracy, you will need a system that's connected to your car's ABS computer. Also, TMC traffic information can be very helpful. So if you think in-phone satnav is not good enough and you're going to waive the plastic anyway, my suggestion is to go in-dash.

I've used Becker, Blaupunkt, iPAQ and currently BMW's integrated system (DVD spec). Can't conclude on the VDO based (?) BMW system as I'm still fine-tuning it, but of the other three, the Becker was definitely the best.

Cheers,

Edo

Maximum accuracy and connected to the ABS computer - this could be important if you are normally travelling in places with a high percentage of tunnels eg Paris so that you can track the movement as you go underground. It could be of marginal benefit in very wooded countryside however the number of road junctions is much reduced in such countryside. In normal towns I have not lost direction because of the buildings blocking out views of the satellites.

Having used the Hertz Never Lost system in the US I have bought a Magellan Roadmate 700, which we can move between cars and also into rental cars. I have also had the US maps and software enabled so that we can use it when we are in the US.

So not answering the original question but I tend to choose standalone boxes so that a failure of one device does not remove other functions. Also you can upgrade the phone or PDA without having to select a replacement device that has a satisfactory SatNav capability.

As is always with these advise giving threads - YMMV

Thanks for the constructive replies.
To be fair, I am thinking of the pda route initially - I'd use the pda anyway for other reasons + built in satnav (Acer N35). Have read up on the destinator software and it seems ok.

Won't make a decision just yet, tho. Will do some more research.

andy c!

quote:

Originally posted by Derek Wright:
Maximum accuracy and connected to the ABS computer - this could be important if you are normally travelling in places with a high percentage of tunnels eg Paris so that you can track the movement as you go underground. It could be of marginal benefit in very wooded countryside however the number of road junctions is much reduced in such countryside. In normal towns I have not lost direction because of the buildings blocking out views of the satellites.

Without the ABS pulses, you will not likely lose direction, but the system will be less accurate. For me, the difference is enough to make me spend more on an in-dash unit.

Cheers,

Edo

The accuracy difference is less than the width of the road in a forward direction (the makers claim accuracy to within 3 meters) - you will possible get more of an error re the lateral position of the vehicle, which cannot be corrected by ABS pulses, and get strange readings that show you to be near the road rather than on the road due to the way the road has been defined on the map -

Even without ABS connection I have found that driving over a dual carrriage way to turn right gets correctly reflected on the moving map.

The quality of the digital maps also contributes to error - the number of times I have driven out over a desert or lake that supposedly does not have a road over it is quite fun.

quote:

Originally posted by Derek Wright:
The accuracy difference is less than the width of the road in a forward direction (the makers claim accuracy to within 3 meters)

This accuracy can only be claimed for a vehicle that's standing still. If you're driving, say, 80 km/h, you'll have moved some 20 meters between GPS signals if the signals come in every second.

quote:

The quality of the digital maps also contributes to error - the number of times I have driven out over a desert or lake that supposedly does not have a road over it is quite fun.

I too, have enjoyed driving "OFF ROAD" (as my systems was warning me) at 150 km/h. The new CD I bought later took that bit of fun away from me.

Cheers,

Edo

As detailed (at length) I ended up with an iPac and TomTom Bluetooth.

I wanted a multi-function device that had a life separate from the bike. This combination has proved a delight and resolved my habitual wanderings and map wrestling.

I use it with Sony in ear headphones - it plays music and the road alerts come through clear when required. There is the bonus of being able to download speed camera locations, along with POIs for petrol stations and the like.

I've just ordered an Ottercase cover for the pda - which should make it a little less "precious".

Adam,
forgive my ignorance of the ipac+tomtom unit, but did you need to use wireless internet with this, or can you d/l new maps via their site etc?

andy c!

Adam uses his combination because he is clever and listens to advice.

Like Mick.

Tom Tom have threatened to make new maps available via download but to date they have only come with upgrades.

The system is updated by accessing the website and downloading. It's then transferred to the PDA via synch.

I've just ordered the v5 upgrade - very good price for what's in the box (but only if you're a v3 user).

Cheers

harry

BTW - v5 now includes routes for walkers and cyclists. Or so they say.

hi,
got that,
so I need either a good pda + tomtom, or the Acer N35 then? I don't want to commit to a fitted in car satnav as I need to transfer between several vehicles, depending upon what I'm doing...

andy c!

Andy - plenty of PDAs and sat nav apps out there at all prices. It just happens that from my research, Tom Tom 3 was the perfect match for my needs. It's turned out to be every bit as good as I'd hoped. Doesn't mean it's right for you but I can vouch for it with with Bluetooth running on an iPAQ5550 - FWIW. One of my needs was the ability to use it in different cars and on foot.

Cheers

quote:

Originally posted by Adam Meredith:
I wanted a multi-function device that had a life separate from the bike.

Multi-function, that's correct. Once these devices' functions will integrate, they will really become great. They store your appointments and they give you your driving directions, so what more do they need to know before they start ringing because your next appointment is a thirty minute drive and you have only thirty-five minutes left?

Cheers,

Edo