Mobility Site » JakeRich

Review: Pocket Map Navigator, R4

JakeRich — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 21:27:48 +0000

Five years ago, in January of 2004, I wrote a review of Pocket Map Navigator, R3, for Aximsite.com. That review can still be found at MobilitySite.com, if you are interested. I liked the software and loved the interface it presented, but had the one criticism that it used TeleAtlas Maps, which were, in my area, less accurate than other databases. Right after that review, Space Machine disappeared from the PDA arena entirely and PMN users were left with no upgrade path. I suspect by now most of them have migrated to other software, other platforms.

Imagine, then, my surprise at getting an email from Space Machine saying they were coming back to the PDA market with the next release, PMN R4, after all this time! They had worked on the interfaces to completely change them, and had moved to NAVTEQ databases. In addition, the system now no longer requires a PC to host the maps, as the software is installed on a microSD card along with the maps.

The packaging is simple, with just the microSD card and an SD adapter inside. When you open the package, don’t throw away the paper labels, for on that label is printed your registration code. The security system used by Space Machine requires that you register your software with them. To do so, you have to use Activesync from your PDA/Smartphone to access the internet, then insert the card and follow the on-screen directions, entering the registration code when told to do so. Space Machine then unlocks the card for use on THAT device. The software is now tied to that one device. I didn’t explore what it might take to move to another device, but if you just pull the card and put it into another machine, it won’t work.

(...) Read the rest of Review: Pocket Map Navigator, R4 (1,315 words)

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Review – Columbus V-900 Multifunction GPS receiver

JakeRich — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 16:31:01 +0000

Columbus V-900 Multifunction GPS receiver (review unit provided by buyGPSnow.com)
Price $US109.95 (currently with $US10 discount it is $US99.95)

The Columbus V-900 Multifunction GPS receiver is a lightweight, very versatile receiver that records your position, allows you to connect to your navigation software by bluetooth and that also records audio records tagged to the time and GPS location.

Review Environment
I tested the V-900 with an Axim X51 running Lenny’s WM6 and Makuu’s WM6 ROMS. I used OCN8 and several GPS utilities with the receiver. I also tested it as a stand alone GPS recording device.

The review model came in a box covered with Chinese writing, as it was a pre-production model. Your packaging may be different. Here is a picture of what I got:

(...) Read the rest of Review – Columbus V-900 Multifunction GPS receiver (1,226 words)

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Review : i-gotU GPS GT-120 GPS Travel Logger

JakeRich — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 00:17:09 +0000

i-gotU GPS GT-120 GPS Travel Logger by Mobile Action Technology, Ltd

Sometimes all you want for GPS is to record where you have been and then later retrieve that data. You might also like to tag your digital photos to that GPS data so you can see where you took the pictures you have for reference later. The i-gotU GT-120 GPS Travel Logger does all of that that. And it does it pretty well.

Although technically the device runs independently, the software for it is a Windows application. I ran it under WinXP Pro and under WinXP Pro as a virtual machine on an Intel iMac.

The GPS Travel Logger comes in a shrink wrap container. Here are some pictures of what you get:

Figure 1. i-gotU in Wrapper

(...) Read the rest of Review : i-gotU GPS GT-120 GPS Travel Logger (1,489 words)

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Review – OnCourse Navigator 8

JakeRich — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:42:58 +0000

A couple of years ago I reviewed OCN6 and gave it a pretty good rating. Now the folks at OnCourse Navigator have updated the software and maps, and the good news is that a good system is now even better. OCN8 has again raised the bar for routing and mapping applications.

Testing Environment
I tested OCN8 with a Dell Axim X51v with Lenny’s L11 ROM of WM6.1 and with an ETEN Glofiish X610 also running WM6.1. With the Axim I used two different BlueTooth GPS receivers including an i-Blue 757 receiver and a GlobalSat 338. The X51v has been upgraded to 128 Meg of RAM, the X610 has the original 64 Meg.

Installation
Installation is still dead simple. When you buy the system you get a micro-SD card with the software and maps on it, plus a micro-to-mini adapter and a mini-to-SD adapter. The combination allows you to use the system in just about any device that can read any size SD card. The 2 Gbyte card is “straight” SD, the 4Gbyte is SDHC. I tested the 4GB version.

(...) Read the rest of Review – OnCourse Navigator 8 (3,212 words)

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Review: Eten Glofiish X610

JakeRich — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 14:37:55 +0000

The Eten Glofiish X610 is an entry-level smartphone with Windows Mobile 6.1 and the SPB menu system installed as default, a GPS receiver built in and a two-megapixel camera. It is a quad band phone with GSM/EDGE support, GPRS/EGPRS Class B, Multi-slot Class 10, using a Samsung SC3 2442 400 Mhz processor with a 2.8 inch QVGA screen. The camera is 2 megapixels with fixed focus CMOS technology. The X610 has WiFi for 11b/g, Bluetooth 2.0 and a built in SirfStarIII GPS receiver. The battery is 1530 mAh. The unit is 107×48x14.7 mm, weighs 136 grams. That works out to 4.2×1.9×0.6 inches and 4.8 ounces. I used it on my AT&T net as a phone, as a PDA and as a camera. Overall, it worked pretty well. It does have a few quirks, but as an entry level device, it’s a good option.

You can see Chris’ unboxing video here. It’s a 15 minute video, so I’ll wait here while you go watch…

OK, welcome back. Chris had some observations and experiences that I can comment on. He pointed to the micro-SD slot on the bottom of the unit and wondered how that would work out. I can report that it worked very well. The slot is deep enough that the card goes in completely so that it is slightly indented from the bottom of the phone. To remove the card you press in and it pops out slightly so that you can get your finger on the little lip. I had it pop out completely once and fly across my desk before I could catch it, but most of the time it just popped out a couple of millimeters. I do have good fingernails, so if you have problems in that area, you can use the stylus to press it in.

(...) Read the rest of Review: Eten Glofiish X610 (2,535 words)

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Review – SyncMate Expert Edition

JakeRich — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 15:14:14 +0000

I have recently moved from Windows XP to a new Intel iMac running Leopard (OS X). The one thing that was a challenge in the move was that I didn’t have access to ActiveSync to keep my calendar, mail, contacts, etc. synchronized. I could use Boot Camp, Parallels or VMWare to boot XP on the Mac, but those solutions are a real pain to open every time something changed in my PIM data. But then came SyncMate by Eltima Software. A Mac application, SyncMate provides USB drivers and the software to synchronize not only your calendar and contacts, but also to allow you to mount the WM PDA as a drive for file management, software installation via cab files and synchronizing of time, pictures, files, tunes and videos. You can also use SyncMate to explore the memory usage of the PDA in a graphical interface.

Review Environment:

Dell Axim X51v running WM6.1 (Lenny L11)
E-ten Glofiish X61 running WM6.1 (Build 20269.1.3.0)
Apple 24” Intel (Aluminum) iMac with 2GB memory

Installation is typically easy. I downloaded the .dmg file and installed the .pkg file therein. Installation was quick and easy. I entered the registration number and the system was ready to use. I first used the Axim’s cradle, connecting the USB cable to a hub, then putting the X51 into the cradle. After installing the driver on the PDA, a small Icon popped up on the bottom of the iMac screen indicating that the USB was connecting.

(...) Read the rest of Review – SyncMate Expert Edition (718 words)

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HP iPAQ 210 – 1st Impressions and Info

JakeRich — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 06:28:43 +0000

My trusty three year old Axim X50v was getting a bit long in the tooth and new software was beginning to show up for WM5 and 6 but not for WM 2003, so I started looking for a replacement. I wanted a true PDA, not a converged device, and I wanted it to have both CF and SD slots. I also wanted a VGA display because I had been spoiled by the wonderful screen on the X50v. My search ended up with the iPaq HP 210.

After a search online, I ordered my new toy from TechOnWeb.com based purely on the fact that they had the best price at the time. I chose the free shipping, which was advertised to be 6-7 days. I wasn’t in a hurry, so the time was fine. To my delight, three days later I got an email at work that my new toy had been delivered. It turns out that while TechOnWeb is based in Addison, TX, they ship from multiple locations nationwide and my baby came from New Jersey to my home in Virginia in just two days! I love that kind of service!

I don’t have a video camera to do a true unboxing video, but here are a bunch of pictures of the toy coming to life:

The box is sturdy, with lots of color!

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Review : HP iPAQ 310 Travel Companion

JakeRich — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 19:34:56 +0000

Developer/Vendor: Hewlett Packard (Hewlett Packard)
Price: $449.99 (MSRP)
Rating (3 out of 5):

I watched Chris unbox the HP 310 Travel Companion here. I’m not going to add a lot of screenshots of the system in this review, for two reasons: 1) it doesn’t have the ability to take screenshots natively and you cannot install any third party software to do so, and 2) it doesn’t follow any standard for connecting to a PC, so you cannot use any of the third party remote desktop software to capture the screen. Chris’ video shows the screen resolution and most of the menus, so I encourage you to watch the unboxing.

I really wanted to like this device. And when I first powered it up, I was really impressed. The screen is big, bright and very smooth. The unit itself is a sleek, good looking device, and the window mount is sturdy. I figured it all would look really nice in my car. It does look nice, but unfortunately, the performance of it as a navigation system doesn’t match the good looks.

Testing Environment

I tested the unit in my car, in my basement and in various locations in Northern Virginia.

(...) Read the rest of Review : HP iPAQ 310 Travel Companion (2,530 words)

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