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Anyone here use a PDA GPS?

I have a Dell Axim with Holux GPS and Mapopolis software.

Not too fond of it. The GPS is fast to pick up but very buggy and the software is TERRIBLE.

In order to map out a route, you need to load up maps of each county. The software does not do it for you because it cannot hold all the data in memory. It is a real PITA because I have to get printouts of each county I need to pass through and individually select them.

 
I used to have a Magellen GPS and a Palm Vx setup. But I sold it. 16 color grayscale maps didn't do it for me. But it was great to be able to see where you are.

What Doggiedog said is true, you have to load maps for each county... so if you're doing a multistate road trip, you're SOL unless you bring a laptop.

If I were to get a PDA + GPS setup now (if I had the money too) I'd get a bluetooth+SD enabled PDA and a bluetooth GPS unit and store all the maps on a huge SD card.
 
I got in on that bluetooth Belkin deal where the receiver and software cost $150 (regular price $300.)

So far I'm not really impressed...I think the software has issues with my PDA (stupid Samsung processor, NEVER buy PocketPC unless it has Intel Xscale!!) I have to hard reset before I can use the software, and even then it sometimes locks up. Not convenient when you have to reset your pocketpc at 75mph!! Also its not good on long trips unless you have some sort of powered cradle for your pocket pc, and it has to be in a place with low glare so you can read the screen (even transflective screens aren't very readable under direct sunlight.)

BTW, my PDA is an hp 1945...with plenty of free memory and a 512MB SD card. I'm thinking of selling it and getting a 44xx (whatever the thinnest is.)

Edit: I should clarify that the lockups only happen after 2+ hours of driving, and aren't frequent (after a reset its good for another 2+ hours or more.) Other than that, the Belkin software's pretty decent (they licensed it from a major vendor.) You can load maps either by state, by county, or within a radius you select from your home city. If you've got flash memory it can read the files right off there, and the map loader software on the PC can copy direct to the flash mem if you've got a flash read/write thingy (so you're not stuck with USB 1.1 or bluetooth if that's all your PDA has for data xfer...map files can be 150MB+ with multiple states.)

Also, the software links with your address book, so you can lookup a contact and plot a route to their address without tapping it in. The software mimics the GPS software you'd find in a car, so you can set daytime/nighttime mode, and it gives voice prompts etc.
 
Originally posted by: spartan
I used to have a Magellen GPS and a Palm Vx setup. But I sold it. 16 color grayscale maps didn't do it for me. But it was great to be able to see where you are.

What Doggiedog said is true, you have to load maps for each county... so if you're doing a multistate road trip, you're SOL unless you bring a laptop.

If I were to get a PDA + GPS setup now (if I had the money too) I'd get a bluetooth+SD enabled PDA and a bluetooth GPS unit and store all the maps on a huge SD card.
Click to expand...

I have a 256MB SD card I store all my maps on but the software cannot dynamically load the maps from the card to internal memory. It is a very serious problem IMO and makes using a PDA GPS very inconvenient.

I used to have a Magellan Street Pilot III Deluxe but I sold it because it was slow and very cumbersome to use without a touchscreen.

 
There is a new GPS PDA from Garmin that looks very nice, but the battery life isn't so hot. The iQue 3600

Everything is built in and uses their mapping software. Great for in a car, terrible for hiking.
 
I have a pharos that is a compact flash workin on my Axim X5. I will be using it for a trip to Florida next week if all goes as planned.
 
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