Newbie trying to get started

[G1OSE]

ok here goes
i am new to all this i have only been looking for a while but want to get the right thing and at the right price

what i want to do is get sat nav on a portable system as cheap as possible but...
i need it to be bluetooth due to my front window of the car
i also need to be able to get usa maps for when im on my hols

the pda need not be the flashiest around but needs to work fast enough with the task in hand
so i have been looking at ipaq 1940 2210 etc
i have been looking at tomtom but any voice guidance will do as long as the maps are avaliable for both countrys

my questions are
whats the best pda for me
whats the best gps system for me
whats the best software for me
do any pdas have the option of outputting the picture and sound to my in car tv?
and lastly whats the best deal for me on the market as im trying to keep costs down

cheers people

[dmac]

[G1OSE]

will that do the other bits i need like usa maps?
can it output sound and picture? can any?
whats the best price on this set up at the moment?

[DavidW]

I'd forget about the in car TV - especially as most programs make some sensible use of the touchscreen when you're driving (TomTom Navigator 3 certainly does). It's not an easy thing to get video out of a Pocket PC - there are some Toshibas that can be fitted with a VGA output, but none of this is well standardised on Pocket PC.

I'd personally prefer the 2210 over the 1940 - the 2210 has some hardware features that its baby brother lacks, though you may not miss them (the real one is a serial port - as the 1940 has no serial port you can't use a wired GPS).


You may well find wired GPS is OK - though it can be very awkward to fit if you want to position the GPS in the only area of your windscreen where the GPS will work on a heat reflective screen (often behind the rear view mirror). On the other hand, you may find yourself wanting to wire an in-car power supply for a Bluetooth GPS (there can't be many more frustrating things than your GPS batteries going flat mid-journey) - so Bluetooth might leave you no better off in the 'ease of installation' stakes.

Having said that, the cost premium of Bluetooth GPS has come down dramatically over the past year, so there's no longer a huge cost saving in going wired rather than wireless.


USA maps - the only way to get those with TomTom Navigator is likely to involve buying Navigator 3 USA when it comes out (should be either the end of this month, or early June).

If the rules are the same as Navigator 2 and it's possible to use the Navigator 3 Western Europe maps with Navigator 3 USA, it may make more sense if you want the USA maps to buy Navigator 3 USA and the Western Europe maps (which include the UK). This won't cost you much more than buying Navigator 3 USA and Navigator 3 UK (somewhere around 20 pounds), with the added bonus that you get detailed maps for the whole of Western Europe.

However, TomTom may surprise us and allow purchase of the USA maps for an existing copy of Navigator 3. This would be a departure from the way things were done with Navigator 2.


Don't forget to add to your prices the cost of a decent SD card (256MB really is the minimum I'd recommend - 512MB is nice but rather more pricey - do try to avoid Sandisk and rebadges thereof, otherwise you may find yourself tossing the Sandisk card and buying another).

You'll also need the appropriate car chargers / cables / mounts etc. for whatever installation you plan.

Finally, a good screen protector can help, both in terms of making the screen anti-reflective, and protecting it from damage. I recommend Pocket PC Techs' WriteSHIELD - which are available in the UK from Expansys. If you have the option of buying the Deluxe pack, I would - the cleaning spray included in it is excellent.


For pricing - some dealers offer bundles, which may work out as a good deal.



David

[G1OSE]

i forgot to mention i am using a Origin B2 camera detector and it has a re-radiating aerial for use in my car behind the windscreen can i take the output from this?
if so can i get away without buying a reciever and just use some software?
cheers

[DavidW]

Unless the Origin has a feature to connect a serial cable you'll still need a GPS (I'm not well acquainted with those products).

If what you have is really a re-radiating antenna, rather than an external antenna connected to the Origin with a cable, you won't need another one of those - just place the GPS you want to use with your Pocket PC near the re-radiating part.



David

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