Windows Phone Thoughts: Lost In Space (or the UK)? Get the Navman GPS 4400!

Gotchas

• Occasionally the GPS unit would lose sight of the satellites, which meant that the software was unable to continue tracking your position. In this situation, there was no audible warning so unless you were in a position of being able to look at the screen (something that is dangerous if you are driving), it could take you a while to spot this.
  
  
• It can be a bit awkward turning the unit on and off because you have to hold the button down until the unit is on or off … but the only way you can tell is by looking for the flashing light, which is visible through the button you are holding down! It would have been better if the light had been visible on its own and not through the button. As it is, you have to try to press the button on one side so that you can still see the light.
  
  
• It would be useful if the Point of Interest functionality could be enhanced to allow the user to find a POI of a given type based on distance rather than name.
  
  
• The "intersection" functionality needs to be improved to make it more functional.
  
  
• The verbal instructions need to be improved so that they don't mislead the driver.
  
  
• The destination functionality needs to be improved to support post codes, or any locally similar mechanism for specifying addresses.
  
  
• As you approach the next turn, the software gives you warning. I had the distance units set to miles, which meant that the software used feet when measuring short distances. My wife thought that announcing "900 feet" was a bit weird and was expecting a distance in yards.
  
  
• As mentioned in the review, there were times, particularly when you come off a major road onto a sliproad, when the software doesn't move from one instruction to the next quickly enough, particularly with the verbal instructions.
  
  
• The colour schemes need improving. Whoever designed the default scheme has failed the first major rule of user interface - never use red and green together! Red/green colour blindness is very common. Unfortunately, the software only gives you a choice of three schemes, with a day and a night mode. It would be better if you could define your own scheme.

Where To Buy
Navman in the US sells directly and through retailers. Navman in Europe sells only through retailers and I would suggest that you visit the company's websites to determine the most appropriate one for you. The retail price is £379.99, €539.99 or $399.95.

Europe website: http://www.navman-europe.com/
US Web site: http://www.navmanusa.com/

Specifications
The software requires 4,671K. It must be installed into main memory, but the maps can be installed onto a storage card. It should work with Pocket PC 2002 or Pocket PC 2003 so long as you have a compatible Bluetooth interface. If you have queries about this aspect, it would be wise to check with Navman first.

The unit is 3.7" x 2.4" x 1.0" (95mm x 62mm x 26mm) and weighs 7.9oz or 223g without batteries.

Conclusions
Despite the long list of Gotchas, I am, on the whole, pleased with the way the unit worked out. The routes calculated have been very good, particularly if you don't know your way around. There are times when you would be better to have someone with you so that they can look ahead on the planned route to give you guidance beyond the verbal prompts, but they were few and far between. There were a couple of times when I literally drove just with the verbal prompts and I did manage to arrive at the correct destinations on both occasions :D

The fact that the system lost sight of the satellites occasionally did worry me. I initially thought it might have been the batteries, but the light was still flashing blue. The problem didn't occur on the way home, so it was likely to be the location of the unit on the car's dashboard. I should have used the suction clamp :oops:

Separating the GPS hardware from the Pocket PC works for me. It allows you to have the GPS unit in the best location for finding the satellites whilst letting someone hold the Pocket PC, or have it mounted in the car. Powering the GPS unit separately means that it doesn't place a drain on the Pocket PC and the three AAA batteries are supposed to last 30 hours - a good long route, then!

Hopefully, Navman will make updates to the maps available at a reasonable cost, thus enhancing the investment of buying this product.