Origin Technologies

craigpenton · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 11, 2007 Posts: 27

Hi Dennis,

It is expensive and the short answer is the speed-camera element of the unit. I have used the Origin B2 for a few years and when it recently got damaged by the dog (!!) I started to look at satnavs with a speed camera add-on. Once you have used a dedicated speed-camera detector you quickly get used to the advanced features.

I have used the PGPS database on a Tomtom go unit and although it represents excellent value for money it isn't as comprehensive/acurate as the Origin database (the exception being mobile locations thinking about it!). Also, and for myself far more importantly, the hardware/alerting side of other satnavs is nowhere near as good as the B2 (and by the looks of it the Pogo). A few examples of differences are:

- 'better' spoken camera alerts (spoken camera type etc)
- 'better' approaching alerts (with the Origin units they go quiet if you are under the speed limit and go loud if you breach the limit again)
- can specifiy a time interval before the camera to be alerted (rather than distance)
- much higher visibility of on-screen alert (although I can only compare this to TT, Miomap and Syrius)
- directional - a biggie! (although I know the Mio version of the PGPS database has some directional camera information it's not quite there yet ... i.e. on my test between work and home none of the cameras on route had this information set correctly)

That's all I can think of at the moment but I hope you get the drift Smile

Basically, you would probably only consider the Pogo if camera detection is your primary use. It cost me £350 for the B2 three years ago so £350 for the PogoDrive seems like pretty reasonable value for money and I expect they will sell quite well.

Cheers!

Craig

PS This is in NO way a criticism of the PGPS database!

philpugh · Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 4:25 pm Post subject:

Just out of interest really...

Is the TIME to camera really that? I.e. does it calculate the point to warn you based on your current speed or does it just say that for a 30mph limit and a 25 second warning thats x metres away? (Which is what you get with some of the nice add-on s/w from this site eg Ash's camera manager)

Whilst the first may be clever - I could see that under certain circumstances it would lead to multiple warnings as you slow down after the initial warning.

I'm yet to be convinced that spending that sort of money on a camera warning system is worth it - the database would have to be extremely well managed.

As for your other requirements - you can get virtually the same with a nuvi (with a few minor tweaks thanks to contributors to this site) as far as I can see.

Now I'm NOT trying to start any mine's better than yours - honest. I guess it all depends where one puts ones priorities. I prefer the ALL-IN-ONE approach - less things to carry around!
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Phil

craigpenton · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 11, 2007 Posts: 27

Phil,

Totally agree! ... this is very horses-for-courses and unless you really need the speed camera advanced functionality this would be an odd purchasing choice (IMO).

Regarding your question about alerts/time ... yes it does the 'clever' version based on your current speed (the B2 does anyway). You are also correct that it is possible to be alerted multiple times for the same camera ... but this is a good thing! There is a camera near here where there are traffic lights before them and if you get caught on a red you are indeed warned before you get to the lights and again as you pull off. Just in case you really are daydreaming then it's a very useful second reminder Wink

Craig

BBQKing · Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 5:10 pm Post subject:

Hi

Yes, the time to camera is based on your speed! Although I haven't observed it for the full countdown (only glimpses) as I'm driving on my own during my initial tests. So it sounds identical to the Origin b2 unit. Also, you only get the verbal warning if you are over the speed limit for that camera, along with the warning beeps. If you are under the limit, you will get 2 beeps. If you increase you speed to over the limit, the audio alerts will increase, ie more beeping, plus red border around the screen. In ALL cases, you will also get visual identification of the camera, the speed limit, and time (or distance) to camera. Directional functionality works very well too - I have several warnings on my TT's when using PGPSW camera database. Not so with the PogoDrive.

You will also find that alot of interest was generated because of the downward decline of support for the DriveSmart. Many users in this thread are ex-DS forum members who have been "dumped" by DS company. In its time (and still is for now) the DS unit had gone that little bit further for users looking for an excellent Speed Camera Detector. With little chance of the database being updated as it should, its usefulness will slowly decrease.
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"To Err Is Human - To Really Foul Things Up Requires A Computer! (or SatNav)"

DennisN · Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 7:06 pm Post subject:

rushkins · Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 7:12 pm Post subject:

Just to put my pennyworth in, as some of you know I have recently acquired a TT510 about 2 months ago, and have had a DS unit for 12 months. Unfortunatley I cant compare my TT to any other sat nav as this is my first one. Having siad that I find the TT is quite adequate as a sat nav, and seeing that I do 800 miles a week with various destinations I havn't been to before I have no problems. As for the speed camera database I obviously use the PGPSW database and find this very accurate. I find the most important cameras to be aware of are the safety vans, as the signage aren't that brilliant and the black emblem on a white background are everywhere now. Therefore I set my safety van warning to a siren which certainly wakes me up and keeps my aware especially on motorways. Therefore even though the pogo sounds a good bit of kit I would still prefer my TT, for this reason.

My sinopsis is that I feel I have a decent sat nav with a decent speed camera database.

Anyhow thats my thoughts, and we can't all be right all of the time. Laughing

nuttynurse · Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 7:50 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the confirmation on the Exeter camera Dennis.

Well I have been out for a drive around and was frustrated to find a shortage of cameras when I needed them. However I was alerted to two DS2 I didn't know existed in two locations. And I had to drive to Evesham to get a Gatso to trigger the pogo. I have to say it is a nice visual and auditory alert system. To help answer an earlier question I guess one advantage of buying a Pogo Drive graigpenton, is that it is a bigger screen than the Alert and you can just have the Safety only feature which when triggered is excellent feature. I have to confess I am disappointed to find that whilst Origin state Mobile Camera detection in their literature this isn't actually true, it doesn't alert to any mobile site that I know of and passed on my journey. A very definite black mark here and one I think they should remove this from their listing as it is very misleading and dishonest and probably a justifiable reason for returning it under the Trades Descriptions Act if so inclined. I guess this means that as mobile camera detection is such a lucrative pass time for those with lasers guns we very much need to have a second detector still, the DS or whatever.

ORIGINS LIST OF DETECTION FEATURES
Gatso Cameras
Truvelo Cameras
Specs Cameras
DS2
Speedcurb
Watchman
New Multi lense 'Daddy' Gatso
Accident blackspots
Mobile Laser sites - Moble Hand Held Guns
High Risk Zones

Pogo Drive Safety Alert Key Features
It also says under this heading that Alerts for user defined, personal locations are settable. I guess its because I have been used to the DS that I though this mean just pressing the button and selecting the type of camera location you wanted to add to your user definable database. On the Pogo, and I might be wrong here, you press the on screen some what ghosted out camera image and answer yes to record the camera site. However, this record is only actually installed until it has been uploaded to Origin next time you are connected to their site where it is verified before being added to the next released database. This does not mean that you can, as with the DS, record a mobile camera, etc, for your own user definable alerts. If that makes sense. Again somewhat misleading me thinks.

The map I found showed a pretty accurate image of the road being followed. One thing that did worry me and I will need to experiment a bit more perhaps. When in Tewkesbury I set the satnav to take me home. However, instead of turning right I turned left. I wanted to see if it would recalculate, it didn't, it kept telling me instead to turn around at the next safe place and this went on for miles. Tapping the screen, having stopped of course, I came across the recalculate option on the menu. I know my brother's Garmin i3 though a few years old will attempt to recalculate automatically. It did appear to recalculate later on a short journey to collect my daughter from work, so I don't know. I also though that some of the distances it gave to destination were wrong and I'm not sure you actually got a different route to destination my accepting one of the options for fuel, quickest, etc. But perhaps I didn't give it a long enough journey to plot. Still its early days with many miles to travel in the next week.

nuttynurse · Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 7:55 pm Post subject:

I have to say rushkins, my disappointment with the Pogo at this time is the apparent lack of Mobile Safety alerts especially as this is listed as a detection feature. This appears to be a great oversight on Origins part.

BBQKing · Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 7:59 pm Post subject:

BBQKing · Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 8:02 pm Post subject:

nuttynurse · Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 8:25 pm Post subject:

I would agree that my lack of knowledgaye may well account for my recalculation experience today. I'm not trying to condemn the Pogo, I like it, just trying to give an novice point of view.

I think you better visit the web address you just gave me and look at the opening page. It does indeed list mobile sites.

nuttynurse · Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 8:29 pm Post subject:

Oops hit a few wrong keys above. More than usual. Anyway, don't you think that as a Verified site, the information it gives should be accurate?

BBQKing · Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 8:32 pm Post subject:

craigpenton · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 11, 2007 Posts: 27

BBQKing · Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 9:08 pm Post subject:

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