PDAs as GPS

[Borealis7]

I dont know anything about PDAs. In fact, i try to avoid them completely, but recently i decided road maps are SO last millenium and its time for me to move on to GPS.

Im looking for a relatively cheap solution, that would function as a GPS and i came across the Mio P350. Now, i know the 168/169 series is cheaper, but that has an external antenna and i understand it breaks easily, so im looking into the P350 becuase of its 400MHz processor and internal GPS antenna.

specifications:

CPU: Samsung S3C2440 400Mhz
memory: 64MB SDRAM + Rom 128Mb
screen: 3.5" LCD
resolution: 320*240, 65k colors
battery: 1200mA lithium
expansion slots: SD/MMC, SD IO
GPS: 20 channel SIRF III
OS: Windows Mobile 2005

No BlueTooth, No WiFi.

As far as i see it, the pros outweigh the cons for this one: i wouldnt use it for any internet related activity or office work anyways, and i can load anything i want through USB cable.

There are a few things i wanted to know before buying it though:

how does the entire navigation application issue work? how big are the popular applications including map sets? (what size SD would i need for maps of europe?)

how important is the ROM size? is 128MB enough and what can i actually do with it?

if the device gets stuck, and i do a hard-reset, will there be data loss? also in what cases would i have to re-install the OS? (if thats at all possible...the guys at the store probably do it for you if necessary...)

also, chime in if you have negative/positive experiences with this device.

sorry for asking stupid questions...I REALLY dont know anything about PDAs.

 

[uli2000]

Personally, Id go with a dell x50 or x51 that has bluetooth (can find them >$200 used), buy a bluetooth gps (~$50) and mapping software (free-$150, depending on what features you want). Just mount the bt gps on your dash with velcro/double sided tape. As far as map size, Id get as big as a card as you could handle. The dells take cf in additon to sd, so buy a cf microdrive 4gb or bigger, I figure you could get all europe on it. Most mapping programs Ive seen, the US tends to run 1gb-2gb.

 

[Matilda]

I don't know much about the pda gps tie-ins. My only GPS experience is with portable GPS - and so far I've been really luck with the TomTom line. I recently used the ONE XL which was pretty sweet - it has a widescreen and is super easy to cart around b/c it's so small and light. Are you totally devoted to getting a gps/pda combo or are you open to a handheld type device?