INTRODUCTION

WHAT'S HOT

IN THE BOX

The various documentation and SmartST software.

The various hardware included such as the armband, lanyard, suction cup, and power cable.

SETUP

   One of the nice things about this GPS (and possibly problematic) is the fact that you don't ever have to pair with the device. I say problematic because anyone with a Bluetooth device could discover and possibly use your GPS if they were in range. But if you were using this GPS between multiple devices, the fact that you wouldn't have to re-pair between each use is very convenient.

Once you start up SmartST, you are greeted with a Flash-animated intro screen.

After which you are greeted by the Main Menu. From here you can install the SmartST Application to your Pocket PC (Step 1), Install Maps (Step 2), Read the User Manual (Step 3), or even visit NAVMAN for updates.

Depending on the CD you have inserted (in the example above, CD 2) the loadable maps appear in blueish tones. The grey toned states represent maps on other CDs.

By clicking on a state (which highlights it in green) you can see the amount of space needed for said map. In the example above, the map of Idaho is 15.1Mb.

You can also search for a specific city to load by clicking on the Find City button.

You use the left hand side of the screen to choose the storage location, depending on you're own device configuration.

By selecting a location with existing maps, it will display their pertinent information. In the example above, you can see that I have both Oregon and Washington state maps loaded, taking up a total of 59.6Mb.

    Once you have decided on what to load, you click on the appropriate "Add to ..." button. We have selected "Add to Mem Card" (specifically the CF card) in the example above to transfer the Idaho map. Once this process is complete, you are ready to start using SmartST on your Pocket PC.

THE DEVICE & FEATURES

Features:

Specifications:

Antenna

GPS Receiver

Bluetooth™ Specifications

Time To Fix First (TTFF)

Accuracy of Position Fix

Power Connection

Dimensions

Standards

Warranty Period

The GPS receiver, in hand.

The bottom of the unit has a built-in non-slip pad (which works quite well, even on my slippery dashboard).

GPS height

GPS length

GPS width

The power button is on the top of the unit. In order to power on or off the unit, you have to hold this button down for a few seconds.

Once on, the power button will begin blinking blue (intermittent double blink means it's waiting for a connection, intermittent single blink means the connection has been made).

Behind the power button is the lanyard slot (lower left) and the power plug (for use with the included adapter).

On the left side of the GPS, you can see the port for the optional antenna.

    On both sides of the unit are small tabs which you must squeeze (and tweak) in order to remove the back cover. These, I fear, will be the first thing to break off after constant use. Thankfully, with an optimal 30 hour battery life, you shouldn't have to open the back very often.

Here's a look beneath the battery cover. The serial and model number along with the standard FCC information can be found here. Also shown are the 3 included AAA batteries.

    Here's a shot of the included suction cup mount for the GPS (picture taken through a glass door). There are slots on either side of the GPS that, once the suction cup is completely mounted (with the included screws), make the installation and removal quick and easy.

COMPARISON

Compared to my Socket Bluetooth GPS, the NAVMAN unit is just about the same length.

    From the side, the NAVMAN GPS really starts to show it's size. This is more due to the fact that this unit uses standard AAA batteries vs a more compact rechargeable battery. In this case, bigger size doesn't really equate to much more weight.

SOFTWARE

    Depending on how you configure the GPS (using the included instructions which takes more steps than needed to connect to the device, or letting the software find the GPS and selecting it), you will then be greeted with the Loading screen (which only takes a few seconds to complete with the 2 state maps I have loaded).

The loading / title screen is followed by the Legal Notice.

Next are the tutorial screens. Here's the first, which explains the D-Pad configuration (and sadly the only way to take advantage of the software).

Tutorial number 2 explains how to use the Tap and Hold interface. Yet another sore spot that we will discuss later.

Lastly is the Menu Navigation tutorial.

After a brief delay from the tutorial (which you can disable in the menu), you are shown a section of the maps you have loaded. Right now, it says "WAITING FOR GPS" because the unit hasn't acquired it's first fix yet.

    If, for some reason, the GPS does not get connected to the Pocket PC, then GPS PORT CLOSED will be displayed. Unfortunately, if the GPS is not connected properly during one session, then you have to reconfigure the software to let it know there is a GPS attached the next time you wish to use said GPS. The steps required to accomplish this will be shown later in the review.

Above is a animated screenshot of what you would see after the GPS was configured and running (and you were traveling). The red circle with the blue arrow represents you and your heading. All of the non-route maps are displayed in a North-up fashion. According to NAVMAN, this is the only way you can configure a non-routing view. I actually prefer a Heading-up view.

With a route set, SmartST displays the map in my preferred method, Heading-Up. In the example above, the red line displays the route I will be taking to my destination. We'll cover this screen in more detail later in the review.

    By pressing the D-Pad to the right (as explained in the tutorial), you are brought to the Main Menu. From which you control all the features of SmartST. There is no other way to reach this menu other than the D-Pad. A minor annoyance that mostly rears its head when you are attempting to use the D-Pad to Zoom and end up here instead.

    First on the Main Menu is Quick Nav. From here you have 3 slots to assign to various destinations as you see fit. If you've already make a trip, then you can use the Return Trip button to recalculate the route back to your point of origin.

If you happen to turn off the unit between uses, then this screen will appear (as it cannot, strangely, find a departure point).

Once you've configured a Quick Nav, then this screen will change accordingly.

Next on the Main Menu is Destination. From here you can specify a destination via:

Address

Intersection

Points of Interest

Favorites

Contact

or Recent.

    Whether or not this actually qualifies as a bug (or a feature) - the searching capabilities of SmartST do present some issues. Above is an example of a recent destination I was attempting to reach. Which, after 30 minutes of trying, I finally gave up, and loaded a separate mapping program to help me arrive at my destination on time. What happened, you ask? Well, the destination road was Roosevelt Way in Seattle, Washington. But without a zip code, SmartST (while it can still look up destinations) couldn't find the right spot.

    After the trip I did some research and found that SmartST's lookup wasn't working how I expected it to. The first screenshot above shows what SmartST gave as a list when I put in "Roosevelt", the second screenshot shows what "Roosevelt Wy" displayed. "Roosevelt Way" would bring up 0 results. Unfortunately, this wasn't a very happy experience and still makes me a tad uncomfortable when routing to destinations unknown.

    Another item of note is that the Show button displays the location on the map, but doesn't put that location in your Recent list. Only by choosing Go (to create a route) will the location be added automatically to the Recent list.

When using the Points of Interest (POI), you have the option of selecting a category to narrow the search results.

Which, after a small delay, will display another screen from which you can search (in the example above, I searched for Salem and found the Salem Police under the Emergency Services category).

You still have the standard Show or Go buttons, but also included with the POI selection is an Info button, which displays other pertinent data about the location.

When dealing with the Favorites list, the standard Show and Go buttons still exist, but you can also choose to Delete or Edit entries.

Note that you can't edit the house number - only the street.

Here is where you specify which locations are considered "Quick Nav" - the Save-As-Favorite-Edit function. As you can see in the example above, Kingwood Ave NW is now Quick Nav 1.

You can also change the default icon to one of your own choosing.

Next on the Main Menu is Instruction List, which displays text-only directions for your routed destination of choice.

    After Instruction List is GPS Status. From here you set the port and baud rate of your GPS (and check the GPS box) in order to communicate properly with said GPS. This setting is saved from session to session - so if you start SmartST without a GPS, the next time you load SmartST, the GPS status will look like the above screenshot (even if you are using a GPS).

    Once the GPS is properly configured, then you are shown the following information. On the first screenshot, you can see that we have 5 satellites available, but the GPS hasn't acquired a fix yet (hence the big red circle). The second screenshot shows that we have 4 satellites fixed, and that 4 others are in the process of being acquired. With 3+ satellites, you are shown your Latitude and Longitude, heading direction, speed, and the current date/time (UTC).

    The last real option on the Main Menu is Setup (as tapping Map merely returns you to the Map view). Under the first Setup tab (Display), you can set the Map Colors (which really didn't make much of a difference in my opinion), configure Navigation Options (such as Auto Zoom), and enable/disable the startup Tutorial.

Under the Guidance tab, you can enable / disable the Voice Instructions, choose your Voice Scheme, and even set and test the Volume. I found the voice instructions to be quite clear and more than loud enough for my liking.

The Routing tab gives you the option of Quickest Time vs Shortest Distance, Avoid Toll Roads or Urban Areas, enable / disable Rerouting, and Record / Play back routes.

Next is the POI tab. Be forewarned! If you don't limit the POI Categories, you will be inundated with POI icons (as shown in the example above).

   By using the Tap and Hold menu on a POI, you can view its name. The Green circle looking button in the lower right corner is used to designate that you have panned the map away from the GPS location. By tapping said button, it will return you to the current GPS location (if any).

The Map tab displays what maps are loaded on the Pocket PC, and the About screen shows version information and copyright details.

Now that we've covered the menu options, let's return to the map view and all of its options.

As you can see, by tapping and holding on a point, the pop-up menu appears. Giving you the option to set the place as the point of origin or destination.

You can also add the location to your favorites.

The route summary (available if a route is set) displays such info as Departure, Destination, Distance, Time to Go, Distance to Go, and Percentage Complete.

You can also set areas to avoid via the Tap and Hold menu.

By using the D-Pad to Zoom In or Out, you can see more detail or more of the map.

The angle can also be changed from the default of 45 degrees to as little as 0 to the max of 55 (available only in route mode and can be quickly changed via the D-Pad when Angle is displayed).

Now let's talk about routing.

After choosing a destination, the SmartST will calculate the route. I really like the percentage complete indicator used here.

   Then the display takes over the entire screen for the route. At the top is your next direction. At the bottom is your current location. The mileage indicator on the right is how far to your next direction (which is, once again, at the top).

By tapping on the 3/4 oval on the lower left side, you can cycle through the various amount of route data available. Above you can see Angle and Speed.

Estimated Time of Arrival and Time To Go

Distance To Go and Time

If you get off route, then a question mark will appear as SmartST attempts to recalculate the route for you.

By pressing right on the D-Pad, you can cycle through the Route views (default - which is route and text, text only, and route only).

Unfortunately, the exit names and numbers are not given (at least on the two state maps I had the opportunity to test with).

I only found the occasional map mistake while traveling.

   Here's a couple of extra screenshots I took while traveling through Seattle and Portland and testing the GPS. Note that the street names are in small white boxes with a red box tag.

   As with any GPS software, routing can be a funny thing. In an area one knows, the GPS sadly won't be able to keep up with your own knowledge of back roads and traffic areas. But for some reason SmartST would take me on the longest route possible when going just down the street (in some cases). An odd item, but not a deal breaker as it still would have successfully delivered me to the location desired.

HELP SUPPORT

BUGS AND WISHES

PURCHASING

PROS

Have you used the NAVMAN 4410 Bluetooth Navigation Kit? See something that isn't quite right? Tell us what you think! Click on the Discussion Link below.