pchobbyist

I have the basic model x30, and was wondering if there any way to use a GPS system on it. A friend of mine has a straight GPS device (Mullegen I think) and it's great! No extra monthly charge or anything...I just don't have the money spend what she did on it. So if there is a cheaper alternative I can use with my PDA I'd rather go that direction!

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jevans64

Not sure what flavor of x30 you have, but I think a Bluetooth receiver would be the way I'd go since you just have an SD slot. You can get Bluetooth receiver bundles with GPS software for around $200 through buygpsnow using the Aximsite 5% bundle discount.

You will probably need a minimum of a 1GB SD card to store the maps and maybe a 2 to 4GB SD to store maps plus other stuff. Poke around here on the forums to get more info on using GPS with your x30.

I think what software you use will be based on personal preference, but most folks here use either Tom Tom 5, OnCourse Nav 5 ( OCN5 ), or iGuidance along with a GlobalSat BT-338 or OnCourse BT-339 receiver, which are similar units with different shells.

There is a decent thread here that compares the "big three" software packages. None of them are perfect so you have to decide what features you want the most ( like cross-country navigation, minimal voice directions, up-to-date maps, street names in 3D mode, routing options, etc. )

I chose the GlobalSat BT-338 and Tom Tom 5 since I liked the look of the display better than the other two plus map browsing and 3D mode was quicker. You have to use a bit of trickery, since several regions are used, to navigate from New York to Los Angeles but it's a tradeoff for having quicker map access. Of course, I also picked up an A-Data 4GB 150x SD card from ZipZoomFly ( $90 shipped now. )

DTenGil

I'm also a noob to GPS. Im over in Prague and am looking to get a GPS for my axim x50v for traveling around over here and then for back in the states(Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, Germany). How are the above mentioned options different than say the BT package from Dell? I've tried to do some research but havent really gotten anything definitive. I just order the Dell package, but If it is better to go another way, I could cancel the order. Please give me your thoughts.

jevans64

Here is a review of the Dell BT GPS. You can use this information to compare it to the other choices out there.

http://www.bargainpda.com/default.asp?newsID=2156

Pc-Mobile

Originally Posted by DTenGil

I'm also a noob to GPS. Im over in Prague and am looking to get a GPS for my axim x50v for traveling around over here and then for back in the states(Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, Germany). How are the above mentioned options different than say the BT package from Dell? I've tried to do some research but havent really gotten anything definitive. I just order the Dell package, but If it is better to go another way, I could cancel the order. Please give me your thoughts.

What GPS to get is easy to work out. Almost any bluetooth is OK. You can get a BT GPS quite cheaply nowadays ($70 or less even for a SirfIII GPS if you know where to look).

The main consideration, however, is what software you will use. It seems TomTom is obvious because of the maps for the countries are available. They are far more expensive than the hardware.
You will need 2 map packages: USA and Western Europe. But I am not sure whether it covers CZ rep though. Eastern Europe is also available but that is for yet another package.