GPS Help please

[mrmina]

I have changed jobs recently and as part of the change i'm more involved in onsite visits and road travel about 80% of the time. So no more sitting behind a desk and looking at porn . I'm sick of looking at the melways and it would be handy to have a GPS.

Another thing i wanted was a PDA or a PDA Phone.

But it would be handy to have a PDA-GPS-Phone.

I know there are a few PDA-GPS and PDA Phones on the market. This will mainly be used for work, so it wont be on the bike (i dont think).

Which one is good, which one is shit?

Should i get a PDA and a GPS seperate so i dont compromise on features?

Any recommended brands/models?

Do all of them come with navigation software and maps?

What about upgrading maps?

Can i get a PDA (or a PDA Phone) and turn it into a GPS? if yes what do i need and what features does the PDA have to have?

The ones i have been checking out are these:

Asus A636: http://au.asus.com/products4.aspx?l1=8&l2=0&l3=0&model=552&modelmenu=1
Navman PiN570: http://www.navman.com/Navman/Templates/productinformation____13023.aspx

any other brands that are similar to the asus a636 or the navman pin570?

As u can tell, i know jack shit about these.

Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks.

[red_dave]

If you buy a PDA/Mobile phone combo, i've seen software from Navman that can be loaded onto them...

[Johnnie5]

reality , forget a combined unit always a compromise

i recently bought a Garmin Quest after using a different brand of rubbish

benefits of the quest

small
waterproof
excellent cig speaker for car
quick easy mount into cradle

you can also get a ram mount to use on the bike , i dont care about voice commands on the bike so no need to hard wire onto the bike and hence the 20 hr battery life is perfect for a day ride

the quest also has a track log showing your route, speeds etc

if you dont care about track log or waterproof then look at the garmin Nuvi

the voice commands are easy to hear and understand, the unit has a lot of features , has a car dashboard screen which is configurable to show current speed, max speed, distance and time to destination amogst other stuff

purchased from here http://www.ja-gps.com.au/, know their stuff well

[javaman]

Get a vanilla-falvored PDA (i.e iPAQ) + a GPS receiver (preferably bluetooth). See me to get the p0rn

That if you don't need weatherproof. If you do, get Garmin 60c.

[aardvark]

reality , forget a combined unit always a compromise

Yep. A mate has a PDA with the GPS attachment. It's slow, clumsy and shite.

[zbeast]

My old man is up to his 5th Navman pin570 in 18 months. Fortunately for him I work around the corner from their head office so can drop off and pick up for him.

[Rossi]

Mina,
I have the Navman PIN here and despite what most people think I like it,
being a Pom and not knowing which frickin way is up I have found it reasonable at getting me to my location. I like the fact it links to my calender for appointments
Nip round & you can have a look or I'll bring it with me on the next outing
By the way dont get buying without seeing me 1st

[the kid]

I have been told about a new Tomtom ? designed for bikes that has blue tooth for the voice commands . Sposed to be very good .

[Johnnie5]

I have been told about a new Tomtom ? designed for bikes that has blue tooth for the voice commands . Sposed to be very good .

the tom tom isnt a bad option but if you want to use it in the car then not worth it as it does not have a speaker , you need to use an earpiece or bluetooth headset

Garmin have also just released a 'bike' unit on the US webpage , the cost is right up there and prob wont be in aus for a while

[mrmina]

Mina,
I have the Navman PIN here and despite what most people think I like it,
being a Pom and not knowing which frickin way is up I have found it reasonable at getting me to my location. I like the fact it links to my calender for appointments
Nip round & you can have a look or I'll bring it with me on the next outing
By the way dont get buying without seeing me 1st

sweet as mate

[mrmina]

i was at a harvey norman and they have the tomtom rider I guess its for bikes.

Anyway i've sussed out a few places and they all seem to think there is a new model coming out soon in place of the Navman pin570.

As for pricing, its hilarious. Anywhere from $899 to $520. How can someone quote $899 for the same thing as another store whose quoted $520. And the price of $899 came from a big retailer, and not a pissy little shop that doesnt have buying power. I asked them to do a better price (not letting them know what the other price was) and they came back with $749..... unbelievable

[Maty10]

As Strika is discovering PDA phones are crap. Too small to be any good as a PDA, too big to be any good as a phone. And no one else can figure them out except you (maybe a good thing).

I run a no phone PDA with built in GPS (ACER n35). Its certainly not the latest and greatest PDA, but its better than most. I think the best option would be grab a decent enough plain jane PDA with bluetooth, then grab a Navigation package with a GPS mouse (bluetooth receiver). You'll obviously have a phone thats doing its job, why change that.

I run the copilot nav package, and can't fault it. I haven't used navmans or tomtoms stuff so I can't compare, but copilot does everything I think needs to be done well.