Monday, August 23, 2004
Son of Road Trip - TomTom Navigator Bluetooth GPS reviewed
Posted by Doug Raeburn in "HARDWARE" @ 09:00 AM
Installing the Software
Figure 4: I'm a Texas tiger…
The software installation for the Pocket PC is basically standard issue. However, the PC application for installing maps is a bit different than other navigation products. Rather than installing a "permanent" application on your PC, the map installation is run from the CD every time. While it takes up less disk space, it does take a bit longer to fire up. And, after you select the desired map, if it's not on CD1, it prompts you to quit, insert the correct CD, and start over. I think I'd prefer an actual PC application that you'd fire up, and that would simply prompt you for the correct CD.
Some other products, such as Destinator 3, allow you to make up your own sets of maps. TomTom, on the other hand, comes with a great variety of pre-defined map sets, but doesn't support custom maps. That might be a bit of a disadvantage if your desired map set doesn't happen to fall into a pre-defined set. As you'd expect, TomTom allows you to choose where the maps are stored… with the size of most of the maps, I'd expect that you'd use a storage card.
Using the GPS Receiver
Figure 5: This satellite reception is better than my TV's…
I'll admit that I've been completely spoiled by the Bluetooth GPS units that I've tested. Each one has been great, and the TomTom receiver is no exception. In almost all cases, it acquires enough satellites for navigation in about 10 - 15 seconds. And the signals remained strong… I've never had a problem with GPS reception.
The Bluetooth connection is very easy to set up. The TomTom software automatically launches the Bluetooth Manager if it doesn't find an active connection to a Bluetooth GPS. You must set up your Pocket PC and the GPS as a set of paired devices for the navigation system to work. The pairing has to be done only the first time you establish a connection. Every other time, you simply select the TomTom GPS, and you're ready to navigate. The Bluetooth connection was very reliable.
When using a Bluetooth GPS unit, you can leave the receiver on the dashboard and your passenger can hold the Pocket PC while playing navigator. This differs from the GPS units that physically connect to the Pocket PC… in that case, the Pocket PC must be placed by the windshield in order to get adequate satellite reception. The freedom to allow any passenger to use the Pocket PC to navigate is a definite plus for the Bluetooth units.
