Re: Mini Review: TomTom Go 700 in car GPS
- From: "zoaran substitute" <nettid1@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: 24 Jan 2006 03:27:01 -0800
Peter Lee wrote:
> zoaran substitute <nettid1@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> and would
> > > wholeheartedly agree with your comments.
> >
> > Can I ask a few questions? Knowing me, I'll probably have a whole bunch
> > more, but here's for starters...
> >
> > 1. Can you copy the TomTom maps, software, whatever, onto a different
> > SD card? I'm not looking to pirate, merely to get everything in one
> > place [1] so I don't have to switch cards whenever I want to 'do' GPS.
>
> as others have said - yes - just a straight copy does fine.
Bingo, this is good news.
> > 2. Can you use the normal Palm functions whilst using GPS? What happens
> > if the Palm is on (say) tasks and the TomTom wants to tell you to turn
> > left?
>
> As with all Palm applications, they only run one at a time, so the
> TomTom pauses if you switch to another app.
We-ell, since PalmOS 5, the GUI apps run as task-switchers, but you can
now get services running in the background (eg playing MP3s, polling
for email, etc). I'm not sure how well this works or the
technicalities, however (hence my question).
How much of a 'pause' is the pause? You don't get voice prompts etc,
fine; but if you (say) take a call then switch back to the TomTom app,
does it take several seconds to renegotiate with Bluetooth and GPS? Or
is it pretty-much instantaneous?
[snip]
> > 4. How much free RAM should I have to run the application? How much RAM
> > does the application itself take up? How much space does a UK map take
> > on the SD card?
>
> Don't know about free RAM - I've never really considered that on a Palm,
> I just thought it was a matter of storage RAM, which is why you need an
> SD Card.
Well, it's usually OK but some apps need to decompress stuff into spare
RAM, for example image viewers; storing a 200K JPEG takes 200K, but
decompress it to a working bitmap and you could be talking a couple of
meg.
I suspected that the same might be true of the maps - their 'stored'
format might be highly compressed - but if you say you've never
considered it, then it can't be a problem!
> There are 2 UK Maps, one of which includes majot European
> roads. That takes up about 200k. Just UK is about 100k
Tiny then. I was expecting hundreds of megabytes.
> > 5. How does the cradle work? It appears (at least for the Treo 650)
> > that the cradle merely holds the unit in place; you still need to
> > connect power as a separate fiddly cable (ie the dock is not powered).
>
> There are quite a few different cradles. My last one (stolen last week)
> was hard-wired to the car's power supply, so slotting the Palm into it
> automatically charged it, and connected it to the GPS receiver. I'm now
> waiting for Palm's Navigation Companion, which has the GPS thingy built
> in to the cradle. Just a bit neater. I also had a cig. lighter cable,
> for use in other cars.
Hmmm. Ok, worth considering then. I'll see how I go with the bundled
cradle, but it sounds like powered ones are freely available from third
parties.
Does having the GPS thingy built into the cradle mean a massive
reduction in hassle compared to a Bluetooth GPS?
> > 6. Are the voice prompts loud enough on a Palm? Can you turn them off
> > and still navigate without problems?
>
> they were fine on my T3. The software will still show you your route
> etc without.
Cool.
> > 7. Where did you buy it?
>
> www.totalgps.co.uk
> The new one's coming from Amazon.
Ta.
> > 8. Can you install the POI files and other fancy stuff using a Mac?
>
> Absolutely. The POI files are just drag and drop onto the SD Card.
Great.
> > 9. It's already been said that you need a PC to install the map
> > updates. How exactly does this work? Do you download an EXE file, plug
> > in the SD card, and run the EXE, or is it more convoluted? Can it be
> > done via Virtual PC?
>
> Not so - TomTom now supply a Mac OS X installer for updates etc.
That's good then... :)
> > 10. Is there any reason (other than screen size) that I should consider
> > getting a 'real' TomTom rather than the software running on a Palm?
>
> I don't even think the screen size is any different.
I'm on a Treo, the *shape* is different. It's a square; the sides are
the same length as the TomTom's short sides. Resolution is higher
though, 320x320 compared to TomTom 500's 320x240.
> You might appreciate the hands free capability of the TomTom 500/700,
> although I tried it in my friend's car, and really prefer a headset.
Hands free? Headset?
Oh, you mean for making and taking calls? I'm not sure that would give
any advantage over using the Treo's hands free facility.
Hmm, that's a point. Would the Treo be OK paired with both a bluetooth
headset and a bluetooth GPS unit?
> I prefer having in on a Palm, for 3 reasons:
> Easier to carry out of the car (less bulky)
Right.
> The ability to go online (you can browse to a company's site to get
> their postcode/address if you're not sure where they are)
Good point.
> The ability to check emails when I'm out and about.
I thought I'd do that, but I don't.
> The latter 2 are another reason why I replaced the Bluetooth receiver
> with a wired one on my last setup, and why I specifically looked for a
> wired solution this time round.
Does the wired one give 'net access or something? *slightly confused*
> And don't you already have a Palm?
Yes. Hence a lot cheaper to buy a TomTom for Palm than to buy a
standalone. But I'd be less interested if it meant constantly faffing
with cables, bluetooth pairing, multiple SD cards, etc etc. I want to
make sure that there's no chance of me chucking it out of the window in
frustration!
A standalone TomTom is click-and-go; I want to get as near to that as
possible while still being a) cheaper and b) one less box to carry.
> > [1] and one place that's more convenient; I have a SanDisk Ultra2
> > SD+USB card <http://tinyurl.com/87csk> which can slot right into a USB
> > port without a card reader. So having *everything* on there would be
> > useful.
>
> So how's that work then? Surely the SD Card slot is too thin for a USB
> plug?
Imagine the USB plug with the metal shroud stripped off.
Better pics here:
<http://www.engadget.com/2005/01/06/sandisk-ces-sd-card-with-built-in-usb-adapter/>
<http://www.deviceforge.com/news/NS4490992129.html>
It's *brilliant*, I tell you, *brilliant*. An absolutely tiny usb key
by itself, but it takes up *zero* space for me (since it's always
slotted in my phone). No need to carry card readers - I can snag stuff
off any machine with USB and I always have it on me and ready to go.
Best. Purchase. Ever.
-zoara-
.
- References:
- Mini Review: TomTom Go 700 in car GPS
- From: Ian Robinson
- Re: Mini Review: TomTom Go 700 in car GPS
- From: Peter Lee
- Re: Mini Review: TomTom Go 700 in car GPS
- From: zoaran substitute
- Re: Mini Review: TomTom Go 700 in car GPS
- From: Peter Lee
- Mini Review: TomTom Go 700 in car GPS
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