Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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103 of 121 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Enlightening Experience!, November 14, 2007
First, to the guy who wrote the review stating there is no "text to speech", it is included! You just have to go to the languages and choose a version with a "TTS" option...
This is is very nice device. If you have looked on the web at videos of the IGo version 8 software, then you know exactly what you are getting. The unit acquires satellites very quickly from a cold start (less than 10 seconds). Routing and recalculating is good. Certainly on par with the two leaders in the GPS market (Garmin and Tom Tom). The screen is magnificent! The graphics are the best I've seen on a GPS device, although I wish I could modify the screen colors. You see terrain, texture, overpasses, bridges, etc. in 3D! The buildings and attractions are quite interesting, too. I can't wait to visit a 3D rendered city that's included in the map. (I browsed Atlanta and NYC). There are a few icons on some screens that are not accessible yet because HP has not yet opened their new Ipaq website for updates. I cannot add any contacts, etc., from Outlook yet. I'm sure the website will open soon as it is already up, just no way to access anything. Overall, a good device and one I would definitely recommend. Here are a few more features:
Navigation - HP UI built on latest iGO8 engine from NavNgo-Text to Speech, Loquendo engine
Maps - TeleAtlas2007.07 full US and Canada with 3D terrain, landmarks, 2D buildings
Points of Interest - Extended Info USA database, over 12 million
Planning - IPAQ web services to tailor and integrate your travel
Screen - High Definition 4.3"WVGA (800 x 480) 3X -5X higher resolution
Processor - Centrality (SiRF) Titan dual core 600 MHz with 3D graphics
GPS - Centrality 40 channel with Autonomy TTFF acceleration
Memory - 128MB fast DDR memory with 2GB flash storage
Entertainment - Music player with MP3 and DRM, High Def Video player, photo viewer, games (Gameboxclassics, Flux Challenge)
Productivity - Contacts manager with Outlook sync, dial and navto contacts, calculator, world clock
Bluetooth - 2.0 EDR with phone hands free and A2DP stereo headset capable
Connectivity - miniUSB2.0 for high speed data sync with your PC
Digital Terrain Data - Realistic display shows elevation of roads and surrounding landscape
3D City Data - 60+ North America cities
3D Landmarks - North America, NY, 1,400 by end of 2007
3D Icons - North America, 500
UPDATE: Go to GPSPASSION.COM to find the many enhancements made to this device. The possibilities are endless!
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28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thorough Review: GPS and more - a fantastic travel companion, January 2, 2008
Well first off, I'd like to say this is a really great GPS and I'm extremely satisfied with it. It may not be for everyone - like anything, you should do your research first. However, I was irritated to read many of the negative reviews here that appear to be due to lack of knowledge or just plain laziness from not reading the manual, etc. I also feel these posters find something that doesn't fit their needs and immediately give it one star. Ok, so it wasn't for you, it doesn't mean the device itself is lacking! Anyway, I felt I needed to write a thorough review to try and identify the true potential of this device.
I upgraded to this item when Amazon had a Friday sale at a ridiculous price. I paid the same that I paid for my previous GPS - A Via Michelin X930, which fails in comparison to the IPAQ 310. While that GPS was a great companion on the road, it was my first system and I found myself wanting some of the bells and whistles that come with higher level models once I had gotten used to how to use GPS navigation.
First off, I trust HP - even though they are new to the scene of GPS - and feel they have built a very solid product. Calling it a 'travel companion' is very accurate, as it does so much more than navigation.
Many of the reviewers seem to not know how to read a manual or edit the settings before you set up a new electronics product - and I don't mean a really thick book, I just mean the basic scan of key items, etc. Also, it seems they are too quick to give a 1 or 2 star rating without really playing with the device. I mean, this is definitely not a beginners GPS, you do have to sit down and configure some options. First off, this item DOES have TTS support, you just have to make sure the voice you choose under settings has 'TTS' next to it - simple. Second, the re-routing issue people seem to have a problem with is most likely due to them not having 'auto re-routing' selected - again, under settings. Finally, the issue of the system being slow when showing 3D buildings is partially true, but common sense resolves it. I mean if you are in a huge city and have the setting on high, yeah it slows down, but why in the world would you want that many buildings on your map!?! They are a really nice and flashy feature, but there really is no need to have it on the high setting since with that many buildings it would make the map too cluttered. The 'close' setting works just fine for me, and I'm in Houston (4th biggest city in the US). Many of the most recognizable buildings are pretty detailed (like the Williams tower here in Houston). I like how the terrain is also in 3D (which I didn't realize until I went to Austin since Houston is so flat!), and the highway overpasses, bridges, etc. are also 'raised' on the map. Those complaining who live in smaller towns and cities, and therefore are not in 3D, are just nit-picky. It clearly says that it's limited to specific areas (namely the largest cities, of course - not sure how many though). Like I said, this product may not be for everyone. If you want 3D buildings and you live in a smaller city, then wait to see if a product comes out later that appeals to you. Anyway, if most of these reviewers just went into the settings area when they first turned it on and played around a bit, they would find the answers to nearly all of the problems addressed!
I have been very happy with this product so far. The size and weight are perfect, and I like the design a lot. It feels very sturdy and well made. The power button could be located in a better position, but I haven't really had many issues with accidentally pushing it like others had mentioned. However, I haven't really carried it around a lot in it's case, but I'm not really sure how you would press it unless you sat on it it or put pressure on the whole unit - and why would you do that?!
The screen is incredible! It is extremely crisp and clear, and I haven't had many issues viewing it in sunlight - less problems than my Via Michelin. I'm just really psyched about the screen, it is by far the best I have seen on ANY GPS today. It really shines when you put it in 'full screen' mode when navigating. The bars at the top and bottom show info you can live without if you have TTS on, so that is how I use it and it really looks good!
Videos have to be converted to a specific format in order to play, so I haven't used that function yet or really played around with it. Music plays fine and you can select it to play then go and select your navigation (plus settings on how you want the music interrupted, etc.) The device has 2GB built in and has an SD slot for additional cards. One thing I really like is that if you have it plugged in to the outlet in your car, the device will automatically turn on when you turn on the engine. Therefore, if you have music set to 'always play in the background', then it automatically comes on too. I really like that. For those wondering, the music pauses when the GPS speaks, so it can get a bit annoying when you are close to your destination due to the pauses (ie - 'turn right on ... in 500 ft' every 100 ft). I didn't find it overly frustrating though. Pictures are organized well and look great on the screen. I like the file system for music and pictures. It is pretty easy to use and similar to a computer's explorer. The games are a really neat little feature - quite a few of them are a real blast to play, with nice graphics to boot. They are played with the stylus that is cleverly and stealthily stored on the top of the device. My favorites are the 3D racing game (although controls can be a bit hard) and Jewel Master. This device is small and light enough to just carry with you on trips (the protective case is really nice and I was surprised to see it included!) so it's good for bored times at the airport etc. The contacts feature is really cool! I love how you can use the addresses to directly navigate and/or call a contact at the touch of a button. It would be nice if you could sync your phone, but you can sync if you have Outlook (which I don't) so I just entered the people I call/see the most into the GPS.
Ok, so now onto a couple of negatives. The speaker is not too great, which others have touched on. It is a bit quiet on it's own, but not terrible. The male voices especially tend to make it vibrate at high volume. At home it sounds pretty loud, but in the car it could be louder due to road noise, etc. However, it has an audio out jack so you can connect it to your AUX in your car. That is how I use it. I have my mp3's, bluetooth and navigation going through my car stereo and it's great to have all this in one device rather than the two or three I had before. Bluetooth with my Motorola V3t worked flawlessly and I'm glad I can finally talk on the phone through my cars speakers just like a dealer-installed option!
The software is decent. I find the menu system easy to follow and there are not a zillion sub-menus to get lost in. It is easy to navigate to where you want to go. There are a few quirks and bugs, but I figure this was only released in November, and HP are pretty good about updates, so most of the little issues that I have run into (like some funky graphics) will probably be fixed later. They are not big enough to cause major issues though. So far I haven't had any crashes that others have apparently experienced, so I can't really comment on stability just yet.
Battery life is also decent. I have a little 'cubby' in my car that lets me just put it there so I can glance at it (but I mostly use the TTS) but it's also in easy reach for entering details. Anyway, for me the charge lasts a week or so with use solely when I'm the car (with music set to 'always on' and backlight at roughly 50%) before the handy 'battery getting low' message appears. I really like this feature since usually you have a little battery icon going low or turning red. This is a full-out message that you have to press 'OK' to get rid of. If you continue to leave it, it eventually has a message telling you it will shut down in 10 secs. I would say the battery lasts about 3+ hours if you had it on continuously. I heard with Bluetooth on it drains the battery faster. The device completely charges in about 2.5 to 3 hours.
So, onto the navigation features:
The device is extremely quick at gaining a satellite signal. I switched it on in my apartment and it literally picked up and fixated on my position in a couple of seconds! My Via Michelin takes about 2 or so minutes. The scroll wheel on the side is a great addition. You can zoom in and out with it or press it in to bring up a shortcut menu. Entering addresses is pretty simple. I had no problems with routing or re-routing, and it is extremely quick at both. I really think the C|Net reviewer had auto-rerouting turned off, since she rated that so low. You would think a reviewer like that would have things set up correctly before testing! The POI index is amazing! It has 12 million POI's according to the literature, and it really does seem that way - more than I could ever want. It made me realize how little my Via Michelin had, although they were definitely adequate for my use. The maps are TeleAtlas and I heard they were not as good as NavTeq, which I have in the Via Michelin. However, I haven't really noticed any notable differences between the two so far.
One feature I really like is the IPAQ website. This allows you to register your travel companion and create routes to download to your device. This is REALLY useful for long trips since you can take advantage of the keyboard and computer screen which makes it much easier to find and enter POI's, multiple stops, etc. The website was not up and running until a few weeks ago, so that is one reason for some negative pointers here and in other reviews. It is...
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43 of 51 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Numerous Flaws, December 12, 2007
Pros:
Nice big wide bright screen
Looks great
Great features (Bluetooth, Text to Speech, 3D Maps, Elevation, Games)
Menus are actually not bad and not convoluted.
Removable battery
Audio out, USB, and Antenna connectors are all in one spot (right)
One button
Rubberized back side
Includes stylus
Scroll wheel + clicky
Comes with a leather case
Cons:
Froze repeatedly. Freeze upon freeze.
Stutters a lot when Text to Speech was working
The street name on top does not show the whole name and always scrolls
Rerouting and recalculations were bad at best (slow & inaccurate)
Processing was slow. Showed my position one block away after a reroute.
3D landmarks are very sparse. Maybe 1% of many large cities.
3D landmarks are inaccurate and not as seen as most photos.
Power button easily hit unintentionally: Short press=on Long press=off
Map refreshes vary slowly because of 3D
Voice constantly speaks.
Rerouting is persistent to stick to original route despite settings.
Audio output=low
Proprietary USB charging (can't use other 5v USB chargers)
No camera warnings
No speed warnings
Does not tell you if destination is on the left or right of you.
Major points:
PERFORMANCE:I can't recommend this. I have three other devices. The Garmin Nuvi 350, Mio C310x, and a built-in by Bose. I would have to say, when compared to these three, these three work much better. This device froze so many times when I was driving that I think it might be defective. Other than that, it freezes in other places too like if you search for movies or music if you do not have an SD card inserted. In general, the device is slow to respond. Load time after a hard reset is slow and starting the navigation software is slow too. Acquiring a signal is somewhat quick, half a minute quicker than other handhelds, but not as quick as the built-in Bose.
THE 3D: The 3D maps are much different that what you see in the pictures on Amazon or their website. For example, the Transamerica Building in San Francisco does not look like what you see in the photo, it is some rectangular tall structure. Although it might be insignificant, I believe it is false advertising. Not getting what they show. Yet, it is different and new compared to other devices, but this is not good enough.
VOICE & RECALCULATION: Text to Speech is very rough. 80% of the time it mispronounces and I can't even guess what it is saying. San Jose sounds like "San Jos Eh" and Junípero Serra sounds like "Jnprlsra" or something like that. Insignificant, yes but if I did not know the area, I would be frustrated. Rerouting is terrible. With the other three devices running at the same time, all except the iPAQ insisted to stick to the original route. I tried changing the settings, yet it still did the same thing. It was not until 3 blocks later, it gave up, but was lagging, miscalculating my position, pin pointing me a block back, even after I had made a right turn. There was one instance I was heading to work. It was about a mile away. I went straight after exiting the highway instead of taking a right and a left to a parallel street. The iPAQ then insisted EVERY block for the next MILE to take the next right then left to take the street parallel to the one I was on. It was really not necessary since I did so right before the destination. It really should have known to give up and reroute me correctly.
ACCURACY: I was driving on Highway 280 at night. For about 2 miles, it kept telling me to take left and right turns for no reason. It sounded like it thought I was on local streets instead of the highway. On the map, it showed me off and on the highway, so I think it was not sure where exactly where I was. Going through short tunnels and even some large overpasses, iPAQ would loose GPS signal. It would clearly say "GPS SIGNAL LOST".
Bottom Line:
If you don't need the 3D, wait for HP to fix the software or look for another device. Bluetooth, Text-to-speech, and more accurate maps are available in other devices for more or less, without the hassles.
This navigation device is a buck fifty from perfect. It has a long way to go. Software needs fixing mainly. My device froze repeatedly for some reason. Maybe it was an isolated case. Everything else is just annoyances to me, but was still usable if the device was not frozen or rebooted itself. I like many things like the scroll wheel and the wide screen. The 3D landmarks were a nice touch, but it was marginal at best. Buildings are not even close and does not 3D the whole city. The map refreshes very slowly and easily over-pans when you are viewing the map. I can go on and on but this thing freezes too much so I ditched it.
This iPAQ uses a modified iGO 8 software. More devices will be released that uses this software, one of which will be Mio in the C620 in the near future.
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