SilverFish
Registered user
I've had TomTom Nav 5 running on my PDA for a week now so I thought I would share some of observations with you...
Setup:
Orange SPV M2000 (PocketPC Phone Edition with slide out keyboard, more on this later)
TomTom Bluetooth GPS (from a mobile bundle I bought earlier)
TomTom Navigator 5 Software only
Otterbox 1900
RAM Mount on handlebars
Although the screen is very high quality, reflection is still a bit of an issue, more so in our recent excellent weather. Still quite usable though.
For audio, I used the custom lead I had made up from my old SPV C500 smartphone. Speaker and Microphone are both very loud and clear going through my Autocom. It actually works better than it did on my C500.
For power, I had to cut a hole in the rubber bung at the bottom of the Otterbox. The PDA car charger seals this up fairly well, and would stand up to all but the fiercest of storms. Im quite happy to leave it as it is until something better comes along. Otterbox will be producing a replacement bung/pod thing to better facilitate this.
Getting the PDA into the box and all wired up takes a minute or two. The Otterbox comes in three parts and is assembled around the PDA, with a velcro strap securing it in place.
The touch sensitive screen works very well, though does get dirty quickly as a result. It also comes with a removable hard plastic flip up lid if you'd prefer.
When mounted on the LHS of the handlebars (via a RAM U-Mount) it does partially obscure the temp guage and gear indicator. A tilt of the head should see you right though.
The Bluetooth GPS receiver is very sensitive, more so than my old Quest. It locks on to 8 or more sats usually under 20 secs (longer if it hasnt been used for a few days) and the Bluetooth connection is reliable. I keep it in my tank bag where I can power it up if the battery runs out (5 hour life). When in the car, I can put it in the glove box and still get a very good signal from it.
For a complete and very good review of TomTom Navigator 5 and all its many features, please go to PocketGPS
Here are my experiences from bike use:
A nice large touch screen which works well with gloves on.
Screen can be rotated to landscape if you prefer.
Audio instructions are loud and clear through Autocom. Volume can be linked to speed.
Speed camera warnings are very worthwhile.
Locating nearby POIs doesnt seem to work properly with mine. TomTom are working on a fix, but it doesnt affect all users. POI warnings work ok, but you cant locate a nearby petrol station for example. Other users have noticed this, and you can still use Ver 3 POIs or create your own just fine.
Route calculation can be set to avoid motorways, but it will still use dual carriageways. I find the shortest route option is the better one for varied A & B roads.
You can now navigate to proper UK postcodes, the town centre or junctions/anywhere on roads.
Planning journies via the itinerary feature works nicely, allowing you to enter addresses or browse via the map. Itineraries can be saved and loaded, and copied to other users via email, bluetooth or whatever. You can also set each point to be either a stop or drive by.
One bug Ive had is that TomTom will not allow you to use its soft keyboard for entering addresses. Instead it will always force you to use the hard, slide out keyboard - which is completely useless when its mounted in the Otterbox. TomTom are aware and are working on a fix. TBH, I tend to create all my locations as favourites, which is quick and clean and bike friendly.
The info bar on the screen can be party customised to show your speed. Unfortunately the colour scheme for the info bar is light blue on dark blue so is virtually unreadable during the day.
So far Im very happy with it all, especially for the amount of money involved (PDA free on upgrade, software at mates rates, only the Otterbox and cradle cost me, a shocking £90...
Mike
Setup:
Orange SPV M2000 (PocketPC Phone Edition with slide out keyboard, more on this later)
TomTom Bluetooth GPS (from a mobile bundle I bought earlier)
TomTom Navigator 5 Software only
Otterbox 1900
RAM Mount on handlebars
Although the screen is very high quality, reflection is still a bit of an issue, more so in our recent excellent weather. Still quite usable though.
For audio, I used the custom lead I had made up from my old SPV C500 smartphone. Speaker and Microphone are both very loud and clear going through my Autocom. It actually works better than it did on my C500.
For power, I had to cut a hole in the rubber bung at the bottom of the Otterbox. The PDA car charger seals this up fairly well, and would stand up to all but the fiercest of storms. Im quite happy to leave it as it is until something better comes along. Otterbox will be producing a replacement bung/pod thing to better facilitate this.
Getting the PDA into the box and all wired up takes a minute or two. The Otterbox comes in three parts and is assembled around the PDA, with a velcro strap securing it in place.
The touch sensitive screen works very well, though does get dirty quickly as a result. It also comes with a removable hard plastic flip up lid if you'd prefer.
When mounted on the LHS of the handlebars (via a RAM U-Mount) it does partially obscure the temp guage and gear indicator. A tilt of the head should see you right though.
The Bluetooth GPS receiver is very sensitive, more so than my old Quest. It locks on to 8 or more sats usually under 20 secs (longer if it hasnt been used for a few days) and the Bluetooth connection is reliable. I keep it in my tank bag where I can power it up if the battery runs out (5 hour life). When in the car, I can put it in the glove box and still get a very good signal from it.
For a complete and very good review of TomTom Navigator 5 and all its many features, please go to PocketGPS
Here are my experiences from bike use:
A nice large touch screen which works well with gloves on.
Screen can be rotated to landscape if you prefer.
Audio instructions are loud and clear through Autocom. Volume can be linked to speed.
Speed camera warnings are very worthwhile.
Locating nearby POIs doesnt seem to work properly with mine. TomTom are working on a fix, but it doesnt affect all users. POI warnings work ok, but you cant locate a nearby petrol station for example. Other users have noticed this, and you can still use Ver 3 POIs or create your own just fine.
Route calculation can be set to avoid motorways, but it will still use dual carriageways. I find the shortest route option is the better one for varied A & B roads.
You can now navigate to proper UK postcodes, the town centre or junctions/anywhere on roads.
Planning journies via the itinerary feature works nicely, allowing you to enter addresses or browse via the map. Itineraries can be saved and loaded, and copied to other users via email, bluetooth or whatever. You can also set each point to be either a stop or drive by.
One bug Ive had is that TomTom will not allow you to use its soft keyboard for entering addresses. Instead it will always force you to use the hard, slide out keyboard - which is completely useless when its mounted in the Otterbox. TomTom are aware and are working on a fix. TBH, I tend to create all my locations as favourites, which is quick and clean and bike friendly.
The info bar on the screen can be party customised to show your speed. Unfortunately the colour scheme for the info bar is light blue on dark blue so is virtually unreadable during the day.
So far Im very happy with it all, especially for the amount of money involved (PDA free on upgrade, software at mates rates, only the Otterbox and cradle cost me, a shocking £90...
Mike
