2610 screen update speed

[SilverFish]

I'm looking to my next GPS device, and would appreciate some comments on the screen redraw speed of the 2610. Specifically when navigating though complex junctions such as complicated junctions roundabouts with subsequent turnings immediately after the exit.

I had a Quest for a while but grew increasingly frustrated by how long it would take to update your position during a close series of manoeuvers. Several times I would miss my exit while the screen slowly redraw my updated position. I wouldnt say I was a particularly fast rider, but I do make the best progress I can, but still end up having to stare at the screen whilst it tried to keep up with me.

I sold the Quest and replaced it with a Mobile phone based version of TomTom Navigator, then replaced that in turn with a Pocket PC Phone edition of Navigator 5 as the screen was bigger and touch sensitive as well. Whilst this is much faster at updating the screen, the added paraphenelia of a three part Otter box to keep it waterproof, external Bluetooth GPS's and multiple power and audio leads complicates it all a bit too much.

I'm expecting the new 2720 and TomTom Rider to offer the best of both worlds, but at a premium. So never having used the 2610 myself, could someone please tell me how it compares to the Quest?

The time to plan routes isnt a problem, its just the in journey updates.

Cheers,

Mike

 

[ianboydsnr]

its faster, but not by that much, i would say, if you were disapointed with the quest, then the speed of the 2610 is not gonna float your boat.

 

[ianf]

In general, the screen update time won't improve too much. If you have several junctions in very close proximity it can take the system a fair while to which exit you've taken. The accuracy figure of 20ft would mean you'd need to go 50 to even get a reliable point to start working from. More like 100ft for any gpsr to be sure which road you took. It's not really a factor of the power of the receiver's cpu, but more to do with the sampling needed over distance as well as time to figure out what you just did.

I tend not to get overly fixated on the screen thru junctions. Just rely on voice prompt, or a brief glance to get the exit direction off a roundabout. There's better things to be using your eyes for at those times.

I had an airline limo actually drive through LHR's T1 dropoff zone because his wanky palmpilot thing still thought we were on the ramp, and he was too busy looking at it to see all the other parked up cabs unloading people. Took 20 mins to get round again, and cost me a beer in the lounge.

 

[PanEuropean]

...would appreciate some comments on the screen redraw speed of the 2610. Specifically when navigating though complex junctions such as complicated junctions roundabouts with subsequent turnings immediately after the exit...

Hi Mike:

I was really fascinated when I read your question, because that exact subject - how the GPSR handles screen redraws through complex interchanges and multiple roundabouts - is one of my 'pet issues' that I really concentrate on when I am doing beta testing of the GPSRs. I have a route I follow in Zurich, Switzerland that is full of double roundabouts, triple expressway exits in quick succession, etc., and I always go into Germany and blow through multiple autobahn interchanges at Warp 7, just to see how well the GPSR will provide visual guidance only (I never listen to the sound) in such circumstances.

There was a lot of work done on the multiple roundabout and multiple expressway exit performance of the SP 26xx series in the early days of that product - late summer 2003, between software 2.30 and 2.70. I was pretty happy with the way it performed at the end of this work - the software engineers spent a lot of time fine-tuning and enhancing multiple roundabout performance. If you are having any difficulty with multiple successive turns, create a route (in MapSource) and email it to me - moore99 at rogers dot com - and I will try to run through it when I am in the UK next week. If I find any problems with how the GPSR handles it, I can forward all my data to the engineering team.

In the meantime, if you know that you have a complex interchange coming up, try changing your zoom level on the main map - this will give you a better picture of what you will have to go through. Also, be aware that having the main map set to 'north up' results in faster screen presentation and fewer screen redraws, because the GPSR doesn't have to cope with constantly having to rotate and redraw the big map every time that the moto changes heading. The little maps (half page maps) in the next turn screens will always be presented in 'route up' format, no matter how you have your main map set, this is to keep you oriented properly. But, the little 'route up' images presented in the next turn screens don't dynamically rotate as the main map will if it is set to track up.

I think if you try running through the same roundabout that has been giving you troubles with your main map set to 'North Up', you will be quite happy with the results. Let me know how it goes.

Michael

 

[bum125]

and cost me a beer in the lounge.

I like the way you think.....