[Spooky]

Thinking of PDA for Sat nav purposes when in car but there are so many out there that I have no idea as to what I would need and what costs would be involved
Was thinkin of Tomtom 3 but no idea what PDA to use etc
Anyone got some opinions
Spooks

i have the tom tom with an ipac 5550. nightmare to set up, but once it works an abolute dream. Off course i went mad and bought the ipaq because i need my emails on the go, a finger print reader and access to to mobile msn....NOT

My mates just about to buy the dell axim with tom tom 3 for around 400 quid....and is a tight sod so no doubt thats a good deal!!

[Crocodile]

I have the iPaq 2210 with Tom Tom 3 wired. The PDA's fine but the mapping data in Tom Tom is not all that. I think the question you need to look at is will you get additional use from the PDA other than for navigation? If not, you may be better off considering an all in one solution such as Tom Tom Go. Look here & here for more info.

[Spooky]

Thanks for the replies guys.
CWOJ your mate sound just like me, look after the pennies they say
Crocodile thats what worries me, I would like Sat nav ( tend to get lost easily) but I cannot think of too many other uses for a PDA to be honest.
£400 is not cheap for a bit of kit to gather dust
Had considered sat nav ICE but the costs are too prohibitive its too easy to attract attention also ( ie steal me steal me), I'll look into the ones you mentioned but even then I think they may still be more expensive than the PDA option......... might need to move into IT so I could use a PDA lol
Again thanx
Spooks

no worries, don't get me wrong though, i use mine sat nav every day and its saved my life more than a 100 times. so for 400 quid its still worth while. Its just i spent around 600 for the finger print reader...must have had a James Bond moment

[woody67]

I use TomTom on an old Ipaq 3360, with a Royaltek GPS recever. It works just as good as any of the latest kit.

I dont think it makes any difference what pocketpc you use - the software will work the same.

Aldi have a regular deal for a complete setup for about £299 - but you have to be quick as they sell out fast.

Makro have a current offer for 299 plus vat.

If you're not bothered about pocketability, then buy one of the cheaper less glamorous units for under £150, and get a gps receiver for about £60 and add TomTom for about £100. A mount and memory card will add about £40.
But you could opt for different software and save about £50.

Have a look at the supplier links from www.pocketgps.co.uk

[swarrans]

I don't know if I'm alone here, but my experience with a wired TT3 plus Ipaq 2210 has been less than satisfactory.
Adding the aftermarket postcode searching facility makes it much more useable, but mine keeps on crashing and locking up and will only respond again by a soft reset - Microsoft anyone?!

If I was able to start again I would definitely go for either Tomtom Go (I'm assuming it will be better as it's not a Pocket PC operating system, but who knows?)

Grumpy and disappointed!...

Simon

[Ekko Star]

DO NOT buy an Ipaq 5550 for GPS whatever you do !

Might be top of the range model but it is next to useless as a GPS device simply because you wont be able to hear a thing. Absolutely useless speaker on board that you cannot hear for the life of you in a car.

I sent mine straight back when I realised this and kept my Ipaq 3970. The 3970 along with a GPS jacket and TomTom3 is recognised as THE best PDA GPS solution there is.

It is now a discontinued model so you may be able to pick up a 2nd hand one pretty cheap, but they are always in demand cos everyone wants one for use as a GPS device.

If you want ultra cheap go for a 2nd hand 3630 or something and stick the software and jacket on that. Either way anything you get needs to be loud. The old Ipaqs are the loudest in the business.

[Crocodile]

A mate of mine is considering a GPS solution for his XDA II. Anyone have any recommendations (or reasons not to)?

Ekko Star
Which GPS jacket are you using & how do you mount it in the car?

[Ekko Star]

I use a Navman 3450 jacket. Works brilliant and I've got 2 sets of software on the PDA TT3 and Navman ST. The package comes with a windscreen suction mount and car charger. Superb.

Any 12 channel jacket will be good, Emtac do one for £90 !!!

I also have an XDAII, but not hooked up as GPS as yet. This PDA is loud, so will work good for Voice Commands. Navman 4400/50 or similar is considered good, but being BT I can imagine the connection dropping intermittantly in hot sunlit conditions in the car ( not likely in this country eh ?)

Ask any specialist dealer and they'll tell you......

3970+TT3+12chJacket = BEST PDA GPS solution there is

[Crocodile]

While I'm appalled at the outof date map data in Tom Tom 3 , I haven't suffered the problems you describe with the same setup. Things to try:

Download v3.03 from Tom Tom (here)?

Make sure that you haven't got a lot of programs running in the background. Don't know if you're aware but tapping the X doesn't close the program it just hides it - go to Programs > Settings > System > Memory > Running Programs & stop everthing before running Tom Tom. I've read elsewhere that closing Tom Tom with "Exit Application" before switching off the PDA helps.

Try to borrow another memory card in case it's that. I'm using a 256Mb Sandisk CF.

[swarrans]

Thanks Steve, I updated the software yesterday and it has managed 2 journeys today without locking up. Which is nice.
Not only do I not have any other programs running in the background, but I haven't got anything else on the PDA! ie I'm using it purely for Sat Nav.

It would be great if the software update has cured the problem, but I suspect it won't. The CF card issue is an interesting thought, might give that a go....

Simon

[CARLOS]

I also use a IPAQ2210 with TomTom3 and i haven`t had any problems with it locking up, It works very well and i haven`t had any problems with the map data either.

Have a look over at http://www.pocketgps.co.uk/ great site with all the answers.


BTW, I use TT3 & MultiMap both running on iPAQ 5550's with no problems at all!

[Madders]

I just ordered a Tom Tom Go so will let you know how I get on......

[swarrans]

Just as an update, since I upgraded the software to version 3.03 I haven't had a single lock up from my 2210 wired TT3 combo!
At this rate I'll be keeping it rathe than selling second hand which was looking probable - although I think I would still prefer Go.

Simon

[Demon]

If its just for sat nav.. and money IS an issue.

1. Dell AXim X30 (No WiFI/Bluetooth) £152 From dell
2. Seidio GPS2500 amplified car holder + Wired GPS from www.seidio-europe.com £96
3. 128Mb SD Card - £15 from anywhere
4. TOMTOM3 £95

So thats £263 without TOMTOM3 or £358 with TOMTOM3.. I bought TOMTOM, but I noticed some guys in work had downloaded it from the usual P2P places.. (not sure how updates work, but they reckon they had the latest 3.03 version, which I've only just upgraded to)

The main strength in this setup is the GPS2500 mount, its amplified, so no problems hearing it, and is moulded to the PDA model, so you just slide the PDA in, and its all connected, and looks good. www.pocketgps.co.uk have just reviewed it.

The dell X30 has a very good IR transmitter that means you can use the PDA as a remote control for all your Home Cinema stuff..

How good is the X30 IR transmitter ?? is it better than the X5 ? as the X30 doesnt have a CF slot to install an IR Extender.

Im looking to use a PDA for Sat Nav, Remote and WI-FI.


Spike