RoadCOM RC300

[slash909]

review attached here:

Review of RoadCOM RC300 transferable/handheld satellite navigator

Stuart Ashby, Jan 2006, UK.
www.ashbysoft.com

This package is presently available in the UK from the trade discount store Makro, and the high-street and internet retail shop Woolworths.

Sale price presently 200-210 UKP.

Package consists of handheld/transferrable GPS/PDA hardware, navigation software package and ancilliary parts for in-car mounting and computer connection.

Hardware is the GPSmile51 by HOLUX (http://www.holux.com.tw/Temp%20web/GPSmile51.htm) supplied OEM to NUTool group Ltd who badge it as 'RoadCOM' for the UK market.

Hardware is a Win CE PDA platform based on the Centrality Altas CPU 200MHz core, and includes 3.5" backlight touchscreen TFT LCD (NOTE: this is NOT a transreflective screen!) and dedicated navigation controls with a funky orange illumination. Unit operates in landscape mode only. Oh yeah, there is a stylus hidden around the back, for those with terminally large fingers, but you don't need it for basic operation.

Integral SiRF star III GPS chipset and fold out antenna complete the package. Sensitivity appears very good and time to fix is within claimed specs.

System has 3.7v Li-ion battery which provide ~8hrs running without the backlight on (but see above!)
All configuration data is in battery backed RAM so if your not quick to change the battery you lose all your customisation.

Physical controls are provided for audio volume, but not display brightness which means you have to leave the GPS software to change this setting. Not great if your trying to get the balance right in the car at night whilst on route to a destination!

Backlight is on a timer which can be set seprately for battery or external pwr operation. However, be careful becuase the pwr key will not just re-activate the display but will 'standby' the unit even if the backlight was OFF.

Audio output is loud and clear via a 15mm rear mounted speaker. 3.5mm earphone jack and a single earpiece are also provided.

A single SD/MMC card slot hosts a supplied 256MB Sd card containing the navigation software and which can be used to host any other media you wish to play back on the device. Beware! With the UK dtabase installed there is practically NO space left - a bigger memory card is essential if you wish to use the multimedia features without changing cards around all the time. Also there is no slot cover, so don't bang the unit against the furniture or the card might pop out unexpectedly.. and the O/S really didn't like that :-)

A (delicate looking) edge connector provides for all other I/O on the base of the unit. An adaptor cable is supplied for USB i/o and pwr, and the car kit provides for a 12V cigar socket adaptor.

Firmware burnt into the FLASH is Microsoft Windows CE .Net 4.2 core. 'nuff said :-)

Also burnt into the FLASH image on the device are an MP3 player applicaiton and a photoviewer.

The MP3 player is basic, and supports one playlist at a time. More damming however, is that it is not possible to play music and run the navigation software at the same time, a rather major drop-off in my opinion since these are precisely the two things you will want to be doing whilst driving from A to B!

The photo viewer is a waste of time and space - the whole point of using this device istead of your camera's rear LCD is that it has a bigger screen. However this software only uses 1/3 of the screen to show the pictures!! Plus it has no slide show features. Useless..

The navigation package is "smart2go" from Gate5 and is supplied entirely on the SD card including the executable. Hmm ;-) It appears to be a thinly 'RoadCOM' branded version of their standard UK package, and comes with a reasonably comprehensive POI database supplied with the maps from TeleAtlas. These list petrol stations, resturants, parking, venues (cinemas, leisure ctrs, etc), railway stations, airports, sights (churches, castles, etc) - very impressive! BUT no speed camera DB :-( Grr.

In addition it includes POIs for a selection of Hotels, and more guide-like information can be purchased from smart2go.com.

For an in-depth review of smart2go, check elsewhere via Google :-)

Stu, Jan 2006.

Comparison chart data:

map data provider: TeleAtlas
maps can be copied directly?: ?
routing cross map boundaries?: n/a - UK map is complete.
coast to coast?: n/a
remembers route?: no
spoken street names?: no
nav by street only?: no
custom POI?: ? probably (files accesible on SD card)
custom voice?: ? probably (files accesible on SD card)
lat/log navigation?: no
POI alerts ? probably not
landscape orientation: yes
multi stops: yes
multi routes: no
voice quality: good
separate map/nav view: yes
switch between map/nav: easy
street names: yes
3D view: yes
angle of view: no
directions list view: no
nav to city centre: yes
nav to postcode: yes
avoid raod blocks: yes
calculate diversion: yes
set divert distance: yes
manual re-route: no
avoid tolls: yes (also motorways, ferries)
permanent avoids: no
configurable snap: no - replaced by auto zoom
nav to contacts: no
nav to favourite: yes
nav to POI: yes
rout by addr: yes
least turn: no
special routing: shortest or fastest options for car, bike, walking
trip record: no
playback: no
co-ordintate display: yes
GPS status view: yes
satellite view: no
works on PC?: no
works without GPS?: yes
automatic setup: yes
ease of install: very simple
stability: average
usability: good
auto map zoom: yes
large button?: yes
on screen keyboard: yes
auto saftey screen: no
custom saftey screen? no
switch to saftey: no
speed al;ert: no
dynamic maps: ?
POIs: yes
search place name: yes
search post code: yes 5 digit UK
search street name: yes
north up navigator: no
track up navigator: yes
online update: no
test route: yes BUT only with stop overs?
walk option: yes
runs form storage card?: yes
taps for home: 2
taps to exit: 2

[dooster]

Just a little point about the photo viewer on this unit. You can get it to display a picture in full screen mode. First start by opening a picture as normal in the little preview window. Then press the top most button on the control pad (the one with the magnifying glass icon). You can then zoom in and out with the + and - buttons. When your zoom is at the desired level, you can pan around the photo with the stylus

[slash909]

doh thanks doorster ! Would have helped if the manual actually explained anything about the software, but my copy says nothing..

[Melismobile]

My Dad bought one of these & was told it had European maps, but I can only see Uk & Ireland listed in the choices, although it recognises some Euro places but won't calculate the route. Their help line dosen't answer , so does anyone know offhand pls ?

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