Reviews
Socket
GPS NavKit
Complete Bluetooth in-car navigation system for your Pocket
PC: never get lost again
Socket
has long been on our A-list for its large assortment of a wide
variety of innovative plug-in cards and products for Pocket PCs
and notebooks. So it's no surprise that the company now also offers
a complete wireless mapping solution for the Pocket PC platform.
The Socket GPS Nav Kit with Bluetooth Wireless Technology for
Pocket PC consists of a first-rate Bluetooth GPS receiver, an
AC adapter, a car adapter, several international power adapter
inserts, and MyNavigator personal routing software that comes
on two CDs.
The
PC-based MapLoader application lets you select either states or
cities. Select one (or more) and MapLoader will show you how much
space the map will take. You then select a target location, which
can be one of the computer's drivers or card slots, but also the
Pocket PC's main memory or storage card. I connected my iPAQ,
selected ãPocket PC Memory Card,ä and MapLoader indicated that
I had 303MB available, more than enough for the 59MB needed for
Northern California which I had selected, on my CF Card. It did
not show the also inserted SD Card. You then click on ãGenerate
Mapä and MapLoader will assemble the data from the CD and load
it onto the selected destination. It's pretty terrific that you
can elect to have maps loaded directly onto a connected Pocket
PC and determine where they should go. The mapping data is from
NAVTEQ (I know because it shows my my house in the wrong place,
like all NAVTEQ-based systems do). Also, no need to enter a long
security code or activate the maps in some long, convoluted procedure.
Thanks, Socket!
The
MyNavigator application on the Pocket PC is quite polished. The
text is large and easy to read, the icons are large and beautifully
detailed, and there are plenty of options. Like most current mapping
systems, MyNavigator has a huge Points of Interest database. These
are grouped into eight Points of Interest categories. Tapping
each brings up sub-selections. If, for example, you want to locate
the closest gas station you first select Transportation, then
Gas Stations. You can then list all within 25 miles, sorted alphabetically
or by distance. Pick one and and MyNavigator shows the precise
location on the map. You can also call up the address and even
phone number, add it to My Favorites, or create a navigation route
to it. To find a restaurants you need to first select the food
type, then the restaurant name. My Navigator quickly found my
favorite Mexican restaurant, and gave the correct location (TomTom
didn't). I then searched for another ãtest caseä÷Original Mels
Diner in Elk Grove. MyNavigator found the restaurant, but showed
an incorrect location, several hundreds yards away, in a bank
parking lot. TomTom (reviewed on page 38) had also shown this
same incorrect information÷not a surprise as both use the NAVTEQ
database. However, TomTom had failed with the Mexican restaurant
whereas MyNavigator got it right. Hmmm.
While
MyNavigator is a colorful, well designed application, its own
internal navigation is inconsistent. Sometimes you need to tap
a large red ãxä button to cancel out of a view or menu, sometimes
you must click on the Pocket PC standard ãxä button on top of
the screen (which led me to inadvertently quit the application
a few times), and sometimes you use a menu choice. I also wasn't
happy with the zoom which uses either a menu or tiny ã+ä and ãöä
buttons. They are far too small to use while driving (I know,
you're not supposed to manipulate the device while driving, but
sometimes you simply need to zoom in or out). The biggest problem,
however, is something that ails many mapping applications: there
is no simple, clear way to go from here to there. You can tap
somewhere on a map and select that point as the start or the destination,
but you can't select one of your Favorites and make that the start
point. What's needed is a simple From-To dialog. In all fairness,
MyNavigator excels in most areas and you quickly get used to some
of its quirks. And the maps and menus look gorgeous on my iPAQ
4700's big VGA screen.
Once
you do have a route, you have your choice between a route view
and a step-by-step guidance view. You can't enter waypoints and
areas you wish to avoid, but you can click on a step in the route
list and then call up the map for that step so you can see exactly
what to expect. MyNavigator has three different 3D display options,
but they are not as polished as TomTom's elaborate bird's eye
view.
Kudos
to Socket for a superior Bluetooth receiver. It's a handsome little
blue thing with a big 900mAH replaceable Li-Ion battery that runs
for up to eight hours. It also had excellent satellite reception,
sometimes even in places where GPS receivers usually cannot see.
In
summary, Socket did a very nice job in bundling an excellent Bluetooth
receiver, all needed adapters (plus internationally usable power
connectors and adapters) and attractive navigation software that
uses the excellent NAVTEQ mapping data. The colorful MyNavigator
software excels in most areas, with just a few glitches. Most
casual GPS users will love it and get used to it very quickly.
With
a cost of US$339, however, the Socket GPS NavKit bundle is pricey,
especially compared to the highly touted TomTom bundle. For a
hundred dollars less, the Socket combo would easily earn an ãAä
rating. If price is no issue for you, this is an excellent solution.
öKirk Linsky
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