Customer Reviews

Rand McNally 0-528-52183-7 StreetFinder Deluxe GPS Navigation System

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Don't buy it! I was first attracted by its fancy look and product description. But I'm totally disappointed at the quality of it after the first use. First, the StreetFinder Deluxe 2000 PC software is like a Windows 3.1 application, hard to use and almost without any documentation. Second, StreetFinder connects to the Internet to get the route direction and draws it on the map. Wierdly enough, each time I ask for the direction from my place (Arlington, VA) to downtown DC, it returns me several connected straight lines that don't fall on any existing roads, which makes it a "mission impossible". Third, If the destination is more than 50 miles away, the route info will exceed the memory of my PalmIIIe (2MB). Fourth, I used it only once, but didn't follow its direction. The GPS system lost its mind totally, not even being able to resume even after I came back to its recommended route. I returned it 2 days after I purchased it. If you get money to burn and want to pay more for less, buy it.

The hardware is frustratingly close to being usable. Unfortunately it forces you to remove the palm cover which makes handheld use challenging. It's often slow to acquire a lock.

The software is nearly useless, a major disappointment. I've tried a number of palm GPS apps (the device is NMEA compliant and works well with all of them), and would rank streetfinder as the worst, for all the reasons mentioned in other reviews, and for others (a 3 CD package intended for use with laptops!).

My favorite palm GPS app is solus pro 2.0, which uses compact vector maps you generate online on the delorme.com website, and can use bulky, unscalable, bitmap maps (and directions) generated using delorme street atlas USA on a non-internet-connected PC.

In summary, if I had it to do over again, I'd get a standalone GPS with a serial cable, and would buy delorme street atlas and solus pro 2.0. That way I could upgrade out of the palm III form factor if I wanted to. I am happy enough with it to have replaced my III with a IIIxe so I'd have enough room for maps.

Although it looked very promising, I found this product disappointing to say the least. The instructions are virtually non-existent. You are on your own when it comes to figuring out to make it work (I'm very good at this stuff, and I haven't been able to get it going. Also, if your Palm Pilot IIIe is relatively full of data, you'll never have enough memory to run this program. It might work alot better with a Palm Pilot IIIxe. Rand McNally should know better. This is like putting out an atlas without legends or an index.

been working on this GPS for about 2 full days, it did work for about 15 mins halfway into the first day but then crashed with a fatal alert blitter.c.line 4867 unimplemented then demands a reset. tried everything, including updated verisons of palm 3.5, hotsync, and streetfinder2000 patch I am able to get it to crash much quicker now (before it took 25 mins of looking for a gps connection before it would crash) the program crashes anytime you zoom, move the screen, or try to use the GPS I do like the nice neat compact design that snaps to the palm, but this does not do me anygood if it wont work.

I found this product to be extremely helpful in my travels, all you have to do is export a map to your palm, then attach the GPS and away you go! It shows you your location in real-time tracking.

I was a little surprised that there weren't any written (hard-copy) directions included with the product, but it wasn't too bad to figure out.

I've got a Palm III (2MB Memory) and my main concern was how much space the maps would take up. My first test was on a visit to a friend's place in a suburb of Minneapolis, and it worked VERY WELL (map size was about 300k). The map and instructions downloaded easily onto my Palm, and the user interface on the Palm software (to zoom, move etc on the map) is designed pretty well.

Bottom line: I would recommend the product to anyone who asks me.

Do not buy this GPS. It is a nightmare of craftsmanship. Not only it takes years to lock on to satellites, it loses signal quite often. The street finder software is good for nothing. It generates huge maps and takes long times. The physical properties of this GPS are not good either. It is made of soft plastic that breaks with minor stress. Mounting a plam on a GOS is not a good idea. When the car moves, using stylus becomes quite a challenge. Deserves zero star.

People attempting to use this thing while driving should have to mount flashing strobes on top of their vehicle. I bought this thing last year (when it was already a few years old) to use with my IIIxe. Why? Because I'm an impulse buying gadget freak. I should have researched more. I only paid [money], as I ordered it new from the marketplace sellers...but sadly, it's not even worth that.

The software doesn't seem to play nice with 98SE or XP...it seems to have a limit on the number of commands you can issue before it crashes out...completely wiping the map you spent an hour customizing. On the Palm, the maps are hard enough to read sitting on the couch...reading them in the car takes some serious visual acuity...we're talking some breed of hawk, here. I had to ask my girlfriend to drive around town just so I could fiddle with the device from the passenger seat.

I don't think I've used it since that day. It just takes up room in my glove compartment. And lastly, no...this thing will not fit in your pocket. Maybe if you frequently carry VHS tapes around in your jeans you won't notice...but I can barely stand my Palm in my pocket by itself. The GPS adds a few inches and about half a pound to the package.

If you really want a GPS, you'll be willing to spend the money on a real one. Stay away from this thing. Just go tear up some money if you have the urge to order it....

This is generally a good product, but there are some surprises one need to be aware of:

1. It is not a fully functional GPS for someone who likes technical details. I expected to find out how many satellites it was tracking, etc. It only tells you if you have a signal or you don't. It frustrating if you want to know if you have several satellites in your particular area for future comparison when in the same area you can't get a signal.

2. The maps are good and easy to load, but you have to be careful with balancing the size of the map and available memory. It's easy to fill up Palms with 2MB of memory. Serious users will need 8MB of memory.

3. I found that the palm will connect maps if they overlap. A pleasant and unadvertised surprise when I had a map of Arlington adjacent to Washington DC.

4. The antenna for the palm III has a very snug fit, and anything on the back of it will push it out and break the connection with the palm. I was disappointed since I had a Velcro strip glued to the back of mine that I had to remove.

5. The window/dash mount is a good one. The problem with using this while driving is that you can't safely use a stylus and some of the buttons are too small to push without hitting several at once. Small, steady fingers or long finger nails help for quick adjustments while driving.

6. This is for road use. I haven't seen any topographical maps (for camping) or marine charts for boating.

7. When you have a signal, it is incredibly accurate. I always saw accurate tracks of my position going up on ramps/exits and when crossing a street on foot.

The product was good, but not up to commercial use. It is missing several features found in marine GPS like bearings to waypoints, course over ground, speed over ground, etc. It was great for finding that friends house deep in a confusing part of town or when coming out of the subway.

I have now had the GPS for the Palm III for a month and still not able to make it work! Help desk is only open M-F 8-5 and thus not able to call to get much help as you need to be outside and talk to them to see if it is working.

The first thing I had to do after loading the software on the computer was to download an update to the software. Still have never been able to make it work. Instructions are very poor.

Guess this Is why there are only 2.5 stars!