Garmin GPS Navtalk GSM phone anyone?

[carl]

Hi,
Anyone out there who has experience of the Garmin GPS Navtalk GSM phone? Adding GPS to a GSM mobile phone seems to be a great idea going a long way to increase portability. Does the small screen make make it (too) hard to use? What about using it in-car with or without a Bluetooth headset?
Carl

[Darren]

In principal it is a great idea but the problem with these convergant devices will always remain. You end up with a compromise of devices and function and to upgrade either you have to throw the dishes out with the dishwater.

The Navtalk was an OK GSM Phone coupled with a mid-range mapping GPS when it was launched. Now it's a basic cellphone (No Bluetooth here!) coupled with an ageing mapping GPS. With seperate devices you can upgrade the seperate components individually as better options become available. It is for this reason that I do not see cellphone/PDA's dominating the market anytime soon
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Darren Griffin

[carl]

Thanks, Darren
for your quick answer telling me exactly what I need to know in deciding not to buy the Navtalk!

I do think that you overstate the broader issue of convergent applications somewhat. Isn´t the Garmin iQue 3600 an example of a succesful convergence between a handheld computer (Palm 5) and a GPS unit? I guess that it is the difference in timing that explains why you at Pocket GPS like the iQue but not the Navtalk. In a year or so, the iQue will be as sadly out of date that the Navtalk is today - right?

Also, converged applications tend to cost less than their separate counterparts together, sometimes even less than some of them individually.

Well, none of my remarks contradict your assessment of the Navtalk. Nevertheless I want a replacement for my Ipaq and the infamous Navman 3300 sleeve. What do you think about Motorola A835 and the "Guru" positioning service offered by the "3" service provider? Or is Navman 4300 a better choice? (Living on an island I just wish I knew if the new SmartSt Pro v2 software is aware of ferries or not!!)

Carl

[Darren]

You raise a good point with the iQUE. Yes it's a successful combination of PDA and GPS but..... it restricts you to Garmin's Navigation software as it does not use a standard protocol! Had a similar PocketPC solution been produced that allowed the use of any NMEA compliant software then it may be a different matter but times move quickly and you would still very soon have an out of date PocketPC that lacked features you desired. Upgrading this would mean thrwoing away a still functioning and viable GPS or vice versa, if or when they produce a reliabl GPS receiver that works indoors (they are working on this feverishly as I write!) then you would have to chuck the whole caboodle in order to take advantage of a new receiver even though the PDA section may be functioning fine.

Yes it may be slightly cheaper to buy a convergant device in the short term but it could be a whole lot more expensive in the long game
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Darren Griffin

[Darren]

In response to your query regarding 3's LBS service. AIUI, although these are being touted as GPS services, they do not have GPS receivers in the handsets, they are simply using a triangulation system using cellphone base stations to locate you.

If you are looking for a replacement then have you considered TomTom Navigator and a Bluetooth GPS? You can buy a BT GPS happy in the knowledge that it will work with any BT equipped PDA and TomTom is a good ferry aware package
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Darren Griffin

[carl]

Thanks again, Darren,
GPS indoors sounds almost too good to be true, but why not - ordinary radio receivers work indoors (at different frequencies, surely). Do I overinterpret you if I get the feeling that you are subtly steering me away from Navman towards TomTom? In Sweden I can get a TomTom 2 + TomTom Bluetooth receiver bundle for at least 110 euro less than its Navman counterpart. Am I missing something if I go for the cheapest alternative? (I do miss the Swedish language driving instructions that Navman promised over a year ago...)
Carl

[Darren]

If you were to ask 10 people to choose a GPS System you'd likely get 10 different opinions! I can say that none of the PocketGPS team have settled on Navman as there application of choice and TomTom is still the most popular app amongst us and we've tested a fair few now
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Darren Griffin

[Skippy]

[ptnchicago]

I feel very strongly that the PDA-cell phone combination is the wave of the future. I have had a Treo 300 for a year, and just got a Treo 600.

With Palm Opsys, we certainly have compromises, but everyone hates Microsoft, so we go with Palm.

The future – mark my words – is a PDA/GPS/Cell phone. Maybe not for everyone. But for you and me.

Patrick -- Chicago

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