(sponsor)
It really is quite amazing how comforting
INTRODUCTION
it can be to know exactly where you are going. And to know that you
will arrive at your location with little or no trouble at all. With
my 2215 and a Bluetooth (BT) GPS, I can find my way just about anywhere
(and be able to return!). NAVMAN,
with their 4410 Bluetooth Navigation Kit, have provided yet another
way for one to be comfortable with directions and mapping. How does
it perform in the real world? Read on for a full review.
NAVMAN’s
WHAT’S HOT
4410 BT GPS has a whopping 30 hour battery life! By using standard AAA
batteries, you can be guaranteed an almost endless power supply (if
you are willing to pack around extras).
Let’s take a look at what comes in the box:
IN THE BOX
The various documentation
and SmartST software.
The various hardware included
such as the armband, lanyard, suction cup, and power cable.
The setup and installation of the GPS itself is
SETUP
standard. This review was done on my iPAQ 2215 running XCPUScalar and
all the maps were installed to my 512Mb CF card.
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.
On to the devices specifications (copied
THE DEVICE & FEATURES
verbatim from NAVMAN’s
site):
Features:
12 Channel Bluetooth™
enabled GPS receiver
30 hours of GPS performance
from 3 AAA batteries supplied
Alternatively, vehicle
power cable also included.
External antenna socket.
SmartST™ V2.01
3D View Navigation Software
Voice enabled turn-by-turn
voice directions
3D map view – so
you can see the roads ahead
Use your Contacts
addresses to navigate
Avoid area routing
to route around known traffic problems
Street-level mapping
for door-to-door routing
Tele Atlas Q1 2004
map data for North America
Choice of mounting options
Windshield suction
mount
Dash Clip with
self adhesive mounting pad
Arm Band (for portable
use)
Lanyard (wrist
strap for portable use)
Software
Easy-to-use interface
Large accessible
icons
Easy-to-read maps
3D Map view with
user configurable view angle
Contact address
book integration via Pocket Outlook
Extensive and simple-to-use
POIs
Voice and visual
navigation commands
Access maps in
the Pocket PC’s memory or from optional memory cards
Concise simple
directions
Estimated time
of arrival, distance to go, time to go and miles per hour automatically
calculated
Specifications:
Receiver Frequency: 1575.42 MHz (L1 band)
Antenna
C/A code, SPS [Standard Positioning System]
Antenna Type: Ceramic Patch Antenna
Technology: SIRF star IIe/LP chip set
GPS Receiver
Satellite Measure Used: 12-channel parallel automatic selection
Operating Temperature: 14°F to 140°F (-10°C to 60°C)
Battery Life (3 x AAA) 30 hours (variable according to battery type
and usage patterns)
Range: At least 33 ft (10m) with no obstructions
Bluetooth™ Specifications
Class: 3
Interface: Bluetooth™ Serial Port Profile (SPP) Ver 1.1
Hot Start: 8 seconds typical
Time To Fix First (TTFF)
Warm Start: 38 seconds typical
Cold Start: 45 seconds typical
Horizontal: Typically better than 16ft ( 5 meters) for 95% of the
Accuracy of Position Fix
time under optimal conditions
External Power: 5.0V DC to the GPS 4410 via Navman vehicle power cable
Power Connection
Internal Power: 3 x AAA batteries (supplied)
Size: 3.7x 2.4 x 1.0 in (95mm x 62 x 26 mm)
Dimensions
Weight: 7.9 oz / 223g (no batteries, without base)
FCC Part 15 Class B, 15.247
Standards
Twelve [12] months limited parts and labor warranty.
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.
While you could use this GPS with any NMEA
SOFTWARE
compatible software, the kit does come with SmartST Version 2. And I
must say that this is one of the few navigation titles that I’ve been
pleased with in a while. With only a couple of minor annoyances (which
we will cover shortly), SmartST performed wonderfully. Let’s take a
look.
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 The return trip was much less eventful
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.
than the start as I knew the zip code and exact street name to which
I was traveling.
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.
NAVMAN
HELP SUPPORT
has an extensive support page in addition to the included help materials
(User’s Manual, etc). They were very responsive to my emails regarding
the screen orientation. The only (very minor) complaint here is when
you download a patch, you must have your registration keys available
when installing.
BUGS AND WISHES
found no fatal errors but I do have a wishlist, dealing mostly with
SmartST:
The cheapest price I was able to
PURCHASING
can purchase the NAVMAN
4410 Bluetooth Navigation Kit
via from NAVMAN.
find was from Amazon.com
for $248.39 shipped.
PROS
30 hour battery First off, let me say that the battery life of this
life!
Difficult to
access menu system
OVERALL IMPRESSION
GPS is nothing short of amazing. Even with the generic AAA batteries that
were included, I’ve logged many an hour of use without any troubles. Hardware
wise, the unit looks good (and feels normal once batteries have been installed)
and performs excellently. The battery door tabs are a bit of a pain, but
not a big deal. Software wise, I would have to say that SmartST is above
average, but not perfect. The searching problem generated a lot of stress
(and I can only imagine the results if a beginner had to deal with the
problem). But I believe this is an easily fixable issue. If you need a
GPS that is going to be out and about without access to power, I would
have to highly recommend this unit. In fact, I plan on using this unit
in a few of my upcoming reviews – just for that reason. Even if you are
looking for day-to-day city use, this just might fit the bill.
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.
No related post found.
