The Navman Pin 570. Any good?

[realslimcookie]

Hello,
I have been looking at this sat nav unit for a while now and it is on Amazon for £229 delivered.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000B5M3VS/qid=1137412733/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl/202-4723577-9581410

Does anybody have this unit. The three reviews on Amazon all give it the thumbs up.

Regards,

Realslimcookie.

[jtf]

the original navman pda's were terrible. they had major software probs. personally i think tomtom's are a much stronger product. they have better built quality and a much simpler GUI and as a plus you can download all the speed camera sites foc from a forum. and berfoe everybody says that you can do it on the navman aswell yes you can but its crap

[realslimcookie]

Thanks jtf for your reply, what about this then ---

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/uk/en/sm/WF05a/21675-21679-21679-21679-297609-12158042.html

Regards,

Realslimcookie.

[Orson]

I bought the Navman Pin570 last week, but haven't had much chance to get into great depths with it yet, so depending on how long you want to wait, I could give you a better review in a few days time.

I didn't want a TomTom as I didn't like the bulkiness of them, and although the TomTom One is better, I preferred the Navman ICN510. But what swung me to the Pin570 was the PDA functionality.

My first impressions are that it's a well built piece of kit, with good build quality. I'd looked at the Medion in Halfords, and this was better build to me, and I'd seen a review in PC Pro magazine that said it was better than the Acer. That review is online here (http://www.pcpro.co.uk/labs/134/gps-kits/products.html). *(EDIT)* After clicking around that site, it is asking for registration - just thought I'd let you know
The review also includes a similar model HP to the one you link to. However, in the magazine review, it says that the SmartST software on the Navman doesn't do certain things, which is clearly does :rolleyes: such as Turn by Turn direction list, & automatic re-routing.

I've tried the navigation function, and I'm pretty impressed with it. I've only tried it on my daily to & from work trips, but it sent me on roads I didn't know existed, and saved a bit of mileage too. You can fine tune the software with your own preferences, i.e. shortest>fastest, which type of roads to avoid etc, which I guess is pretty standard on most systems. When you go wrong, it recalculates the route very quickly (couple of seconds), and the instructions are clear, both on screen, and the spoken instructions, which are loud enough, so long as you don't have your radio on too loud!

On the downside, the supplied windscreen mount is a bit wobbly on bad road surfaces, but now I've had it a few days, I'm looking at the screen less anyway, but I may consider making myself a custom mount and hardwiring it (the mount, not the Navman) into the car. It has locked up on me once, but it was in the car directly over a non-turn-off-able heater vent :suicide:, and I was pushing buttons like a kid, so I'll forgive it that one, but the suspicion is there now.

What I haven't done yet is connect it to my PC (due to imminent upgrade), or import the Speed Camera Database, or use it to go any distance, or to a location I don't know, but this weekend will put that right, so I'll get back to you when that happens if you like.

Overall, at first (and possibly second) impressions, I'm impressed.

Hope that helps.

Cheers

[realslimcookie]

Thanks Orson for your info, i would be very interested to know how you get on with connecting it up to a computer etc. I noticed last night that Comet have stopped selling the Navman 570, i am beginning to wonder if it is gonna be hard to get hold of. Amazon say they have one but with 1 to 2 weeks despatch time i have been down this road before.

Regards,

Realslimcookie.

[Orson]

I believe Currys have also stopped selling the Pin570. When I found this out, I phoned Navman, and the person I spoke to assured me that it was still a current model, and would be supported for "some time" :rolleyes:. To be fair to her, she did take a bit of time & enquire with colleagues etc, she didn't just fob me off.

I ended up buying mine from www.globalpositioningsystems.co.uk (http://www.avforums.com/forums/www.globalpositioningsystems.co.uk) who do a price match service, which they did with no problem. I had the price match details sent through to me in the morning, I ordered at about 3:45pm, I got a couple of texts confirming details etc, about 6pm I got an email with a web link to City Link tracking details, and when I got to work at 8:30 the next morning, the parcel was on my desk :eek:. I also got the price match details mixed up, and had some friendly communication with them while they gently pointed out that I was in the wrong, so I'd recommend them. They also do a MMCX External Antenna for under £20, which is about half the price of the Navman one, in case you need one.

I'll let you know how I go on with the PC connectiion, but it will probably be early next week.

Cheers

[realslimcookie]

Orson,

You tried any of the below links with your Navman yet??


POI's
-----
http://www.getoutguide.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/poidownloads/

Safety Cams
------------
http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/uksafetycameras.php

Regards,

Realslimcookie.

[Orson]

I've downloaded the $afety camera database, but not installed it yet. I intend to connect the Navman to my laptop, which I'm in the process of upgrading. I've had a look at get-out-guide, but until I've done the cameras, I haven't looked into anything in great detail. All being well, I should get my laptop finished & office installed by tomorrow, and I'll probably have a try at the camera database tomorrow (Fri) evening. Then I'll be going past all the ones I know on my way home to see how it works.

As an update, I've had no more lock-ups, and I'm still impressed with it. So far so good :smashin: The only thing I'm not overjoyed about is the battery life, which although I've not timed, isn't that great. That said, I have the unit set to always on, no power save, no screen dim etc, so I wouldn't expect it to be too great. I've got a round trip of around a couple of hundred miles to do on Sunday, to somewhere I don't know, so that will be more of a test for it (and I deliberately haven't had a look on a map or Autoroute :eek:).

I'll let you know how I get on.

Cheers

[Orson]

Well, in answer to your original question, yes!

I've used it a bit more, connected to PC with outlook etc, and although there are a couple of little quirks, overall, I'm pleased. I'll gladly do a more comprehensive review if you want.

Cheers

[realslimcookie]

Orson,
Glad to here that it is good, i am closer to a decision in joining the NAVMAN club, i would really appreciate a more comprehensive review certainly with the safety cams and Poi downloads as they would be excellent for me. I have looked at that website where you bought yours from and there are good reviews all round from people who have bought from there about the seller and the unit.

Cheers for all your input so far,

Realslimcookie.

[Orson]

Review pending soon. Been ridiculously busy at work, but the good news is I've been using the 570 lots, so I'm better placed to give you more accurate info.

[realslimcookie]

Looking forward to the review, it must be good though as you have said you are using it lots so that sounds positive.

regards
Realslimcookie

[Orson]

Better late than never...

The Pin570 – Supplied with soft case/sleeve, in-car mounting bracket (suction type or adhesive pad), in car charger, 240v charger, and USB lead.

Overview
A well built, solid (for a PDA) piece of kit. No sign of anything flimsy that could break off. The buttons don’t feel cheap or fragile, and the GPS aerial is firmly hinged onto the body. The screen is bright enough, and the buttons along the front can be changed to open whichever applications you prefer. I haven’t fitted a screen protector yet (I will), as I’ve still got the plastic that came on the screen in the packaging. This is probably a lot thicker than the screen protectors, but the device works okay with it on, even the handwriting recognition. The GPS aerial folds into the back of the device, but even when folded, sticks out about 3mm, but I’ve not found this a problem, as the edges of the aerial are chamfered, so it doesn’t catch when putting it in a pocket or its sleeve. A minor niggle is the on/off button, which is on the top left side, and it isn’t recessed enough for me. I’ve only caught it once, but if you put the device into anywhere i.e. a case or pocket, where it’s a bit too snug of a fit, it’s likely to get switched on. And as I run mine without any power saving mode… :rolleyes:
The other thing that is going to be a real irritation to me is the stylus. It fits very snugly into the 570, but getting it out is a pain. The top of the stylus is plastic, and has 3 little ‘blobs’ (I’m sure there’s a technical term!) which is supposed to be the grip to pull the stylus out of the body of the unit. These things only project a tiny fraction, and just don’t provide any grip. The lower ‘blob’ on my stylus has already disappeared (presumably under my fingernail), and the middle one is looking worn. What it should really have is a series of ridges, or be rubberised in some way, so I’ll probably, (make that have to), have a look for some replacements.

PC Connection
To connect to a PC there is a supplied USB cable. A cradle would be better, but Navman just don’t do one. From looking on the net, it seems that the cradle for an Acer PDA n35 does the job, but I can’t confirm that.

Connecting to a PC provides a backup, and access to the POI editor, but as far as the SatNav side goes, that’s about it. I suppose there will be software updates etc, but I wouldn’t have thought that they’d be too often. Disappointingly, there’s no PC interface to the navigation software, so no route planning on the PC, which would have been really nice. All route planning has to be done using the Pin570, (and that’s a bit quirky, but I’ll get to that) which obviously isn’t as nice as doing it sat at the PC, and then transferring. There is synchronisation between the device and a PC using MS ActiveSync. I know some people have had problems with this software, but I’ve used it before on a different PC connected to a Dell Axim PDA I had a couple of years ago, and I did have some problems with that, but so far do good this time. The version of ActiveSync supplied with the Pin570 is newer than the one I had used previously, so I’m presuming they’ve fixed the problems. You can synchronise emails, Word & Excel documents, and contacts from MS Outlook to the 570, which you may or may not find useful.


In-Car Installation
The in-car holder/bracket has a suction cup for the windscreen, or an adhesive pad. I’ve only used the suction to the windscreen, and it hasn’t come off yet! The supplied bracket holds the Pin570 securely enough, but is a bit wobbly on some roads. I bend mine down (it’s flexible!) so that it the bottom of it touches the dashboard. I have stuck a small bit of foam pad on the bottom of the bracket to cut out noise, & to minimise the wobble

I have a heated front screen, so I bought an additional aerial, but haven’t used it yet. I have mine positioned to the right of the steering wheel, and I’m guessing there’s enough of a gap between the edge of the glass and the heating element to let the GPS signal through, as I’ve been okay. The only problem this gives me is using the in-car charger, as my cigarette lighter socket is on the centre console, next to the handbrake, so the cable path is a bit awkward. That said, I very rarely use the in-car charger while driving, The battery seems good for about 3/4 hours using GPS (and I run everything on full), and I’ve not had a single trip journey longer than that. If I’m going to be in the car a lot, I tend to drive, park, plug the in-car charger in, and lock the Pin570 in the glove box while I’m not using it, or if possible, take it inside wherever I’m at, and plug into the wall.

Navigation Software - SmartST 2005
The one main area I had anticipated using the synchronisation was to be able to pull contacts from MS Outlook on my PC, through to the SmartST 2005 navigation software. Unfortunately, there is a problem here, and as yet, I haven’t managed to resolve it. Although the SmartST software does allow you to select from your contacts (pulled through from outlook), and although the address boxes seem to be filled in correctly, when I try to calculate a route, I get an error message “saying unable to find location, please be more specific” at which point I have to manually enter the address from within the software, which then works okay. I haven’t found this to be a ‘job stopper’, but it is really annoying because if you re-select the postcode, it blanks all the fields, so you have to remember the address correctly. If you just type the street name again, you can select it there.
Selecting addresses is quite easy. The post code search is 5 characters, but that includes the space, therefore “NG1 2” is as much as you can search. That’s okay for me, but you still have to enter the street name, but the selection is filtered to the ones within that postcode. If you don’t know the postcode, you key in the area (town etc), & then street, followed by house number if you wish. This process takes about 15 seconds, so like I said, I don’t find it an issue. The software ‘filters’ as you type, so by touching the Area field, and typing LON and waiting a second, the screen displays all towns/cities starting with LON, adding a D filters again, and so on. This is all split second stuff, and very straightforward.

You can have multiple destinations, but there isn’t a way to optimise them, you just go to one after the other. As I mentioned earlier, the trip planning is quirky, but once you get used to it, it’s easy enough to master, but displaying the results on a small screen isn’t ideal. You can view the map in 2D, 3D, & follow the layout, or you can view a turn list. You can switch between these views, but annoyingly, you can’t scroll down the turn list, select a particular junction, and have the map automatically display that area.


In-Use (The interesting bit)
The unit takes around 1 minute from switching on to get a GPS fix, depending on how long since it’s been used, and where it was last switched on. For example, if I use the Pin570, arrive at a destination, switch it off, get back in the car a couple of hours later, then switch on, it gets a GPS lock in a matter of seconds. If I use the Pin570, arrive at a destination, switch it off, get back in the car later, don’t switch it back on, go home, switch the unit on the next morning, it takes a minute or so to obtain a fix. All I do is go put the Pin570 in the car, go back & lock the house, and by the time I’ve got in the car & belted up etc, it has a lock.

http://img436.imageshack.us/img436/3359/pin5700iw.jpg


The unit is a breeze to use, and has some nice features. There are a choice of displays, 2D, 3D, or a Turn List. I always use the 3D. This display shows the name of the next road at the top above the map, with a ‘next turn’ icon, which is a little 2D picture of the next junction at the top-left of the map. I find this particularly useful. Then there is the 3D map, and at the bottom of the screen, there is the distance to the next junction, again, very useful, along with current road name. You can also display current speed, current time, viewing angle, distance to destination, estimated arrival time (which I use, and it’s very accurate), or journey time. The 3D map itself shows the road layout ahead, and being in ‘portrait’ mode, it gives a better view of what’s ahead, as the map always scrolls down the screen, irrespective of whether you are going North or South etc. You can customise the display to show various details, such as road names, map grid, topography, and vary the display colours. One feature I really like is the ‘autozoom’, which as you approach a junction, zooms the 3D map in much closer to give you a clearer indication of the road layout, and them zooms out again after you’ve passed through. You can also choose which Points Of Interest you want to display on the map, including the dreaded speed cameras. You can also set up alerts for the POI’s, and vary them for different types. For example, I have it warning me a quarter of a mile before a mobile speed camera, and 20 seconds before a Gatso type. I should mention that this will warn of all cameras within these criteria, irrespective of what direction you are travelling, or whether they are on your route. For example, if you are on a road that runs parallel to another road which has cameras on it, you will get warnings from those cameras, provided they are within the range you set-up. Again, this doesn’t really bother me either, and probably serves to slow down my driving anyway. Incidentally, the place I got mine from pre-install the camera database before delivery.
It is very easy to switch the various POI’s on & off again, by individual category. So you may want to display only certain types of speed camera, or only certain companies petrol stations (subject to the correct downloads!)

There is a choice of male or female voice for the audio, which is loud enough for me to have the radio/cd on at a ‘reasonable’ volume (the wife would call it loud), and still hear the voice okay. However, that is with the volume of the Pin570 set to full. I think it could do with the option to have it a bit louder, as anyone a little hard of hearing will struggle depending on background noise.
The voice announces the next junction/turn well in advance, several hundred feet usually. Then it re-announces around 350 feet before the junction, which works really well. This, coupled with the little 2D-turn icon shown on screen means, that so far, I haven’t missed a turn. Which brings me on to the next bit. Re-routing.
Purely for research purposes (honest!), I have deliberately taken the wrong turn, to see how the Pin570 reacts. So far, every time, the automatic re-routing worked within 100 meters, sometimes much less. Firstly, the unit chimes to alert you to the fact you’ve gone wrong, and then announces the new route, by telling you to continue for so many metres, or rarely, to make a U-turn. This will depend on how you have your preferences set to avoid motorways & quickest vs. shortest, etc, but even so, if you continue wrongly, the unit will continue to re-calculate from your location. It works really well, and takes the pressure off when you decide to make a detour.

I have had an odd problem with the software, in that it will not route me on a particular road that I use almost daily. It’s a by-pass to a village, and when I’m on the road, the software recognises it, with road name & number, but no matter what I do, I cannot get the software to navigate using it. I’ve even set a start point at one end, & destination the other end, and the software still re-routes me through the village, without using the road at all. I’ve narrowed it down to a problem with the roundabout at one end of the road, but that doesn’t help me much!
The other thing that isn’t so great is addresses on industrial estates/retail perks etc. Some of this may be due to them being new, but not others. The software really wants a house number to be spot on accurate, and won’t accept things like Units 1 – 4. But my view is if the Pin570 can navigate me across country to within a couple of hundred feet, I can manage the last bit myself.

Pocket PC
Very briefly, as I’ve not used it to any great extent for this yet, this works as well as a Dell Axim I used some time ago. I make notes at the odd meeting, set reminders etc, all of which synchronise with MS Outlook on my PC, and everything works as it should. I use it to transfer the odd Word or Excel file I need to look at, which to me is useful. I’ve got a few applications I’ve downloaded which look interesting, so this is all a real bonus, and a useful one, as far as I’m concerned.

Summary
The unit is now a few weeks old, and still looks and feels as good as new. The sat-nav side works very well, and other than the quirks mentioned above, the software works well too. I’ve used it almost daily, from short journeys where I know where I’m going, to ones of a couple of a couple hundred miles where I’ve no idea where I’m going, and I’ve got there, on time too. The route planner could be better, but it does its job. If I were using it for multi-drop deliveries for example, I’d probably look for something else, but for a couple of destinations a day, it’s great. And if you can be bothered to tweak it with your own preferences (speeds, areas to avoid etc), it gets better. Add into that the Pocket PC functionality, (which I've barely started to use), and this makes a great piece of kit for me.

[partyweb]

Nice review Orson. Am quite tempted to go for this now.:smashin:

[realslimcookie]

Orson,
That is an excellent review of the Navman 570. It seems to be a very useful piece of kit for the price. The review was definatley worth waiting for as you have literally covered everything.:smashin:

I am considering waiting for a few months and getting tom tom mobile 5 series 60 to run on my N70 mobile instead.

Regards,

Realslimcookie.

[hornydragon]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000B5M3VS/pricerunner-21/ref=nosim

Now £129 from amazon, i almost bought an iCN330 today as it was £99 but the lack of POI cameras put me off (always been tempted by a PDA to) does this still work? any updates? I would use it as a GPS unit 90% of the time PDA10% i guess can you use it with a WiFi card etc or other accesories? seems a good deal whats included in the box? Car and mains chargers? US lead Mount anthing else? price doesnt seem to have changed much considering its been out for 8 months been many updates? does it update teh map or still use the CD I notice the ulock for the Euro maps ws £99 which seems very very steep! (although Navman maps are!) French map for the 330 is £89 but does come on a nw SD card. Whats the memory like?

[Orson]

Well, I'm still using my Pin570 fairly regularly, and I'm still pleased with it.
I bouught mine from www.globalpositioningsystems.co.uk (http://www.globalpositioningsystems.co.uk/m-navman-brl.html) and in the box was a mains charger, in-car charger, USB lead & windscreen suction mount (along with the PDA & Map memory card!). I also bought an external antenna (which would sit inside the car :confused:) but I've never needed to use it in mine, even though it has a heated front screen.

As far as I know, they haven't updated the UK maps for a while, but I'm guessing this is true of other sytems, but they have updated the routing software, although I haven't bothered.
I have updated the speed camera database from www.pocketgpsworld.com (http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/subscription.php) which was a bit fiddly, but easy enough.
The maps are all stored on a SD Memory Card, and one of the first things I did was to buy a bigger card & copy the maps to it, so that I had some more storage for PDA functions.
I think other maps are 99 Euros not GBP £, which is a bit better.

I happily paid about £200 for mine, so for £129, it seems a real bargain to me.

Hope that helps, but if you want to know any more, just ask!

Cheers

[hornydragon]

thanks Orson one thing thats puts me off these in general is the fact i have to dismantle my car when i park already so one more lump of technology doesnt thrill me or my pockets. So is the suction mount easy to remove and would th unit work if it was mounted not on the screen?

"goAudio" offer it with the POI speedcamers pre installed which i think is quite good especially if they match Amazons £129 price

LOL GoAudio are part of Yoonoo same company you bought yours from, just sent them a pricematch request see what happens

[Orson]

I got mine on a pricematch, so I assume they will if they're part of the same company.

Yes, the suction mount comes off easily, it has a lever which makes it stick to the screen, which you just move to un-stck it. I (when I remember or can be bothered) do that & put it under the seat, and take the Pin570 with me.
Tha is one of the reasons I liked this over the TomToms, because it fits into a shirt pocket easily.

As for the unit working if it wasn't on the windscreen, I'm guessing it would struggle, as the roof of the car would get in the way & block the satellite. I've neither a softtop or sunroof, so can't comment on those :(
One way would be to have one of the MMCX antennas. This is a thick round disc (about a Jammie Dodger size) on the end of a couple of meters of wire, which plugs into the PDA. The disk part needs to be in line of the satellite, the PDA can then go anywhere.

Hope that helps.

[hornydragon]

Thanks Orson I missed the 5pm deadline for it to be delivered tomorrow so i may wait til next week although it would be good to have it for next week daft question but if you use one of these can it navigate around the congestion charge zone in london? ie spec to avoid it on all routes? the bulk of a tom tom puts me off too and if i have to carry it around the PDA part is at least potentially useful... oodly enough Go Audio wouldnt price match but www.globalpositioningsystems.co.uk did So i have it sitting in a basket and a few days to decide

[jasontyler]

I was a bit skeptical as this is my first gps system. but first reaction is wow works spot on.

I got it for under 129 at handtec

http://www.handtec.co.uk/product.php?xProd=128&xSec=1

bit reluctant to share this info with mates as they think ive paid 200+ for it:smashin:

finally the service and speed of delivery was brilliant - recommended!

[Orson]

hmmm... why am I hungry & thinking of Monty Python...

Anyway Hornydragon,

I haven't got any experience with the congestion charge, being from ooop north (I got called a southener the other day, by someone in Leeds!)

I haven't ventured that far south. There is nothing specific for avoiding the London congestion charges, however, you can set up to avoid certain areas, but how fiddly that would be I don't know. I've got 2 set up on my system, and they work just fine. I would guess that there would be some clever cloggs who has set the charge areas up as POI's which you could download, (or create your own?), and you could set it to warn you, just as you do for speed cameras. How practical this would be I don't know, but you can set POI's to notify you up to 20 miles away, so maybe?

Hope it goes well for you, I use the PDA more than I thought I would, so that is a bit of a bonus.

Cheers

[hornydragon]

Hope it goes well for you, I use the PDA more than I thought I would, so that is a bit of a bonus.

I think i will plump for it always fancied a PDA............