Magellan GPS Companion for Palm V/Vx

by Magellan

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3.2 x 1 x 6.8 inches ; 3 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B0000560PY
• Item model number: 980588-01
• Batteries: 2 AAA batteries required. (included)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: November 28, 2000

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

There are two solid reasons to buy a GPS: navigating unfamiliar areas by knowing one's exact position on the planet, and the sheer coolness factor of having such a device. The Magellan GPS Companion meets both the geek chic and practical utility tests by working with an existing Palm handheld. The price is low enough that a frequent traveler shouldn't think twice about substituting this device for bulky, conspicuous maps--although you might miss the charm of meeting strangers in unfamiliar empty neighborhoods.

The GPS Companion snaps right into the Palm V or Vx's serial connector, and uses its own batteries to avoid running down the Palm handheld's power. The unit ships with two software packages, one for wayfinding and navigation and another for attaching position to street maps. The unit uses the standard GPS interface, so any Palm application that can use a GPS has access to this device's telemetry.

You'll find yourself turning to the GPS Companion time and again. The accompanying CD-ROM includes detailed maps of the entire United States and territories and protectorates like Samoa. Maps range from a few kilobytes to several hundred kilobytes depending on the scale of detail (cities get more detail), so even if you have several megabytes free on your Palm, you'll have to pick and choose which maps to download.

The CD-ROM has organized each map into a set of folders by state or territory, and then by county. You can also use search features in the Mac or Windows operating system to find city names, but the CD-ROM uses truncated MS-DOS style naming, rendering Poughkeepsie residents potentially out of luck unless they search on "poughkee."

Downloading maps is as easy as adding the data file to the installer list in the Palm OS desktop application. The Map Companion application lets you choose to view maps even if you're not in the geographic area of the map. You can also use it to delete any installed map.

The most useful combination of options in Map Companion is turning on GPS Scrolling and GPS Position from the Navigate menu. The menu doesn't change based on whether the features are on or off--we had to rely on tiny text in the lower right that reads "GPS POS + SCAL" to show when both were enabled.

It could sometimes be hard to get a fix on our position when we were near buildings or inside. In our testing, we had to be in a clear area for the fix to take; after that, the unit performed well in a car over city streets. The up/down scroll button on the Palm can be used to dynamically scale up or down. The maps automatically add detail with street names and landmarks as you zoom in closer.

We consistently found about a four-second lag while traveling at 30 mph. And you don't want to use this device when behind the wheel. The display requires too much attention and could cause you to veer into someone else's lane. Hand the Palm and GPS Companion over to a navigator in the passenger's seat.

The Nav Companion software offers wayfinding tools that allow you to mark positions and then trace your way between them. The software is rather clunky and doesn't provide turn-by-turn information, nor does it integrate with Map Companion to let you overlay a route on top of an existing map. Nav Companion would certainly help for off-road endeavors, such as wandering aimlessly in the woods (which we are not wont to do). But given the limited battery life and the citified nature of the Palm, we doubt you'll take this on your next mountain sojourn.

We tested the unit with a few other Palm OS applications, including the Vindigo city guide. Vindigo uses intersection information to offer contextual choices for dining, dancing, and entertainment. It worked seamlessly with the Magellan, even as we drove down a street. Vindigo kept updating intersections from its selection menu, and we could find restaurants up to half a mile away as we cruised about.

The Magellan unit is a great bargain, and relatively easy to use. It requires probably 60 to 90 minutes to become comfortable with the Map Companion software, after which it became almost second nature to use. --Glenn Fleishman

Pros:

• Full set of U.S. maps on CD-ROM
• Fast learning curve for most features
• Uses own batteries rather than tapping the Palm's power
• Fully compatible with other Palm applications that use GPS data

Cons:

• Nav and Map Companions don't speak to each other and use different interfaces
• Mapping lags a few seconds behind actual position while in motion

Product Description

MAGELLAN COMPANION FOR V/VX ADD ON GPS FOR PALM V/VX

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Neat toy, weak software, January 10, 2001

By 

Floatplane Guy "imelanson" (Redmond, WA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Magellan GPS Companion for Palm V/Vx (Office Product)

I got the Magellan GPSCompanion from my wife for Christmas. Wow! It fits so easily over my Palm V, the software loads easily, what a great idea! I travel a lot on business, and looked forward to using it to navigate in a way similar to the GPS Units in rental cars. Match made in heaven, right?

Well almost. Two software packages come with the unit; NavCompanion and MapCompanion. One allows plotting, waypoints etc. like a first generation GPS unit. The second has maps, but the two don't speak. Kind of a cruel joke... Also, the documentation for both programs is practically non-existent, so you learn by doing.

MapCompanion doesn't provide directions, only markers for where you are and where you need to go. Combine this with a small monochrome display on the Palm, and things get unworkable pretty quickly. Also, the software calculates distances to destination in a straight line; great if you're orienteering straight over mountains and can walk across lakes, slightly less useful for those of us who travel by car.

I also tried the unit in on a flight to see if I could track our speed, direction, and position, but couldn't get a signal fix from my window seat, even at 30,000 feet. OK, no big deal on this one, but wouldn't it be fun?

Travelling several hundred miles results in the unit taking several minutes to acquire a fix, and actually it isn't that much faster even at home. In terms of accuracy, standing in one spot and setting the waypoint function several times over the course of about 30 minutes gave readings up to 200 feet different; pretty neat but well outside the 13 or so feet advertised.

However, when all is said and done, I'm sure that better software will come, or may already be available in the aftermarket. This will greatly improve the unit's practical utility, but it sure is a neat toy, even if only to tell you within a couple of hundred feet how far you are from your desk from your gate at the airport in Chicago!

49 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a useful addition the the palm, January 8, 2001

By 

"mikeinstamford" (Norwalk, CT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Magellan GPS Companion for Palm V/Vx (Office Product)

I purchased the Magellan GPS attachment for my Palm Vx two weeks ago and, overall, have been very impressed.

The GPS attachment itself is very compact and attaches with no increase in the Palm's footprint, though it doubles the Palm's thickness and the antenna does stick out a few inches. While very stylish, one caveat is that the unit no longer fits inside the Palm's hard-case when the GPS unit is attached - so it's back to using the flimsy screen cover that came with the Palm.

Satellite acquisition time usually takes between a minute and three minutes: this is a bit longer than car or boat based systems, but not unreasonable given Magellan unit's size and price. I've been able to track satellites while driving and hiking, though bridges and heavy tree cover caused some loss of signal strength.

I was initially concerned about the quality of the Magellan unit, as it feels very light (the body is a converted Palm modem case). Also, the unit's `clip' that attaches to the small hole in the back of the Palm was slightly mis-aligned and I had to bend them a bit to make the GPS attach to the Palm. However, the GPS has survived a few drops and dings, so it appears sturdy enough for use on the go.

Battery life is better than I would have expected: usually about 8 hours with the 2 AAA batteries. The documentation says that the unit turns itself off after a few minutes of inactivity, but it would have been nice if there was a `on/off' light just to be sure.

The provided software works well, but is fairly sparse, given the capabilities of the Palm. The NAV Companion software is very cool: it displays speed, direction, satellite signal strength, etc. as well as tracking waypoints and mapping routes. I haven't made much use of the Map Companion software, but it allows you to see your position on downloadable maps. The maps are fairly large, so if you have a Palm V, you may be pressed for memory space. I've also been using the GPS with the Vindigo city guide software with great success.

The Magellan GPS unit is basically identical to the Rand McNally Streetfinder GPS unit also sold on Amazon (Magellan manufactures both units). The Rand McNally unit received TERRIBLE reviews; however, most complaints were about the Rand McNally software NOT the GPS unit itself. Actually, the Rand McNally version is only $20 more and comes with a car power adapter and car mount (which cost quite a bit more if purchased on the Magellan website), so the Rand McNally version might be a good alternative if you plan to use it in the car - though I wouldn't install the lousy Rand McNally software!

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magellan GPS clip-on for Palm Vx, February 3, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Magellan GPS Companion for Palm V/Vx (Office Product)

It works much better that I expected for such a compact unit. The maps are great, they cover any corner of the US and then some: (Porto Rico, Hawaii, Guam, Alaska). It's not as good as my wife's $2000 car navigation system, but for the price, hey, it is a good substitute, and I can take it with me anywhere. The map program has a little pointer (tracking indicator), you set your destination, and it will keep you on course till you reach it. It gets the fix and keeps it even if you have it on your lap. It's easy to use but, definitely, at first I was a bit confused. Only after reading its manual I fully realized that to get the satellites I had to set the correct date/time/GMT and tap Start, or I'll have to wait a long time. Only after the proper "initialization" it started to work beautifully. Duh, I wish someone had told me before.