How exactly do I turn my Palm TX into a GPS?

[lisag]

I have a Palm TX and I am thinking of using it as a GPS in the car, and am just trying to understand exactly what I need and how it works. Can some kind person help me with the following questions (please )

1. GPS receivers are available quite cheaply on ebay - are they all ok, or is there anything I should avoid?
2. Does the GPS receiver always connect to the Palm via bluetooth - is this a reliable connection?
3. Once I have the GPS receiver connected to the Palm I will need some software - what software is good / bad or are they all the same?
4. How big is the software in mb - will I need a massive memory card to hold it?

Thanks very much for any advice
lisa

[rickyt]

I've just done a Google search ...................it's free you know and come up with this :
This PDA is bundled with TomTom 5 which will turn your device into a GPS navigation solution! You can access maps covering Western Europe, including millions of points of interest to help you find fuel, restaurants, parks, airports and more. Voice guided, turn-by-turn directions help you keep your eyes on the road. Maps included : United Kingdom.

this snippet of information was about the :
Palm TX - PDA with TomTom 5 GPS Navigation System

you are able to buy the TX bundled with TOM TOM.

I dont know nowt about the TX but if it has bluetooth you can buy a bluetooth GPS reciever and with the desired software TOM TOM you will have a satnav system . If you want to check out the latest developments and software new on the market always check e-bay .It will be there first .

[crocodile]

1. I would always be wary of no name receivers but others seem to have used them with success. Holux & Globalsat are two of the more respected brands.

2. I have no experience of the Palm but BT connectivity on Windows based PDAs seems solid enough.

3. Tom Tom are a rather poor company from a support perpective (IMO) but their software is probably as good as it gets. I fon't think the latest Navigator 6 software is available for Palm yet so you would have to track down V5.

4. The software isn't very big, it's the maps that require space. Tom Tom's latest GB map is 240Mb although that also includes major roads of western europe.

You will also require some form of PDA holder for the car. This will need to power the Palm & maybe provide amplification for spoken instructions, depending on how loud the Palm goes.

You can find a whole lot more info on a dedicated Palm/GPS forum here.

I would have to say though that given the continuing falling prices of all-in-one units, buying into PDA based SatNav is becoming pointless. The Tom Tom One (GB) can be bought for around the same cost of buying software, GPS receiver & PDA holder for the Palm.

[lisag]

Thanks very much for the info, I appreciate your time in replying. I am tempted to go for a separate stand alone unit, but I already have the Palm TX and looking on ebay it seems I could get the GPS receiver, software and 1gb memory card for under £60 -that's what is tempting me. Mind you, if it doesn't work very well it will still be a waste of £60!

[rickyt]

Originally Posted by crocodile

1. europe.

I would have to say though that given the continuing falling prices of all-in-one units, buying into PDA based SatNav is becoming pointless. The Tom Tom One (GB) can be bought for around the same cost of buying software, GPS receiver & PDA holder for the Palm.

I disagree . I like the idea of a PDA and it's functions .ie mp3 player , movie player , internet browser ,word/excel and more viewer as apposed to a stand alone SatNav kit. I'll use the PDA part of it more than I'll be using the satnav but it's built in & there if and when I need it. I would recommend someone to buy something like the Navman 570 as an upgrade to a new PDA and Satnav device combined .I'm delighted with mine which replaces my old sony clie t675 and now have satnav to boot. So there :-)