First time buyer, needs sound advice.

J2J · Occasional Visitor Joined: Sep 27, 2004 Posts: 11

I have finally made the decision to invest in a unit, but after considerable 'research', I remain unsure about what to buy.
My requirements;
Probably PDA based, (I have not yet bought one!)
99% of use will be UK, but I occasionally travel to France and Germany on business/holiday and would like to use it, when hiring a car.
I also need to incorporate a 'safety camera' detector program for UK, which hopefully will work 'seamlessly' in conjunction with the GPS.
Finally, would it be possible to purchase the relevant software to use it on holiday in Florida?
Whatever I buy, it must be easy to set up and operate. Budget is flexible, depending on how closely the unit fits to my requirements.
Don't want much, do I? Seriously, I would really appreciate some sound advice, from those who know!

lbendlin · Posted: Mon Sep 27, 2004 6:33 pm Post subject:

Right now only TomTom seems to fit your requirements - Western Europe maps preferably. Maybe CoPilot 5.

For your Florida holiday (if you still plan one after this year's hurricane season) you can get TomTom USA or any other tool - Mapopolis, Copilot etc.
_________________
Lutz

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J2J · Occasional Visitor Joined: Sep 27, 2004 Posts: 11

Tom Tom looks OK for UK & Europe. Is any mapping available for Ireland? Also, is it possible to purchase software for Florida only? I would like to obtain this before I leave the UK, as I am picking up a hire car from Tampa Airport and driving to where I hope the house I've rented, will still be standing!!
Any suggestions on a hardware setup? I need to swop easily between different vehicles, (I intend to fit a powered bracket in my company car), but will be transporting the unit in my hand luggage on flights and setting it up in hire cars at my destination. It needs to be simple, not too many bits and cables.

lbendlin · Posted: Tue Sep 28, 2004 1:26 pm Post subject:

You cannot purchase "Florida only" They all come in packages "All of US and then some" Have a look at Mapopolis, there you can download maps and try them out for nine days.

For the mount you will want to keep your options open. Sometimes a vent mount works best (but only if it has the locking brackets), sometimes a gooseneck windscreen sucker is better

I cannot recommend any of the cheap pressure jackets (where you squeeze the sides to hold the PDA) I personally think they are useless. If you plan to use one anyhow, enhance it with some velcro (what's the english word for that? ) both on the jacket and on the back of your PDA.

Make sure your cigarette lighter charger can charge both your PDA and the Bluetooth GPS if need be (via a Y cable for example)
_________________
Lutz

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