aerochick

Hi there again,

You're right, I am not a patient person when it comes to these things... I do have a big trip planned for this weekend, and maybe that is making me feel a bit more urgent (that plus I had planned on having the gps started with the now-failed Cingular idea).

I did some product reviews online and found that TomTom 6 uses TeleAtlas, which is highly rated in Europe, but rates consistently below Navtech mapping (which is used by the IGuidance) when used in the US.

After checking product information and consumer reviews, I found that TomTom rated a tad less overall (but not noticably--about 1/2 star less) than the IGuidance. (This refers to the new version of IGuidance, and the new version of TomTom. The version 5 of TomTom rates higher than the version 6.)

The GPS unit I bought is made by GlobalSat, (which makes TomTom's receivers and Cingular's), and this particular one is the highest rated and newest technology. (You can keep it in your briefcase or purse and it will find the satellites--you don't need to keep it on your dashboard with full window view... I don't know if I believe that but we'll see...)

Anyway, the good news is that if you find out next week that the TomTom might inded be the better choice, I can return the one I bought for a full refund. If I had gone the other route, that refund would be questionable, since it's not officially compatible with the 8525.

(And I do like the fact that the IGuidance doesn't require an activation code... so it can be used on multiple devices and it's compatible with Windows platforms for laptops, which TomTom doesn't offer...)

I'll be waiting to see what you find out :)

Thanks!!
--Kristin

aerochick

haha sorry for all of the replies... I tried to edit the one (twice) and after refreshing, saw that it posted 3 times...
Just read that last one :)
Sorry!

imported_nukem

Hi Kristin,

Have you downloaded and installed iGuidance on your 8525 yet?

I contacted them last week and spoke to a tech support gentlemen about the compatibility with the 8525. As you mentioned before it's not officially supported at this time. Apparently there's an incompatibility with the data connectivity on the phone and their software. He stated that you need to disconnect your data connection (if it's active), then load iGuidance, then you could allow the data to connect.

I found that really strange and was wary about purchasing the software. I asked if they had a trial version or some guarantee and they said no. They are hoping to have a trial version that can be downloaded later this year.

If you are successful, then I might purchase it anyway.

Thanks,

Phil

aerochick

Howdy Phil,
From the IGuidance website, the 8525 is on their compatibility list... and the guy at Semson's said the same thing--it's guaranteed to work.
I will get it today, and try to get the thing started by this afternoon. I'll let you know.
The one that is not officially compatible yet is the TomTom Navigator 6 software... (At least on this date, and their tech support said it would be between the end of this month or next before they will know... although Jack is going to speak/meet with them next week...)
We should all know something real soon, I hope!
--Kristin

imported_nukem

Originally Posted by aerochick

Howdy Phil, From the IGuidance website, the 8525 is on their compatibility list... and the guy at Semson's said the same thing--it's guaranteed to work. I will get it today, and try to get the thing started by this afternoon. I'll let you know. The one that is not officially compatible yet is the TomTom Navigator 6 software... (At least on this date, and their tech support said it would be between the end of this month or next before they will know... although Jack is going to speak/meet with them next week...) We should all know something real soon, I hope! --Kristin

Thanks for the response. I did quite a bit of investigation, as you did, and found that iGuidance was greatly preferred over the TomTom software.

You mentioned that the 8525 showed on the compatibility list of the iGuidance site. I double checked and don't see the 8525, just the 8125.
iNav - iGuidance 2.1.3 Product Page
Am I missing it?

I look forward to hearing back from you as to your experience with iGuidance.

Thanks,

Phil

aerochick

Hi Everyone,
Well, I got the bluetooth gps (BT359W GlobalSat) and the IGuidance V.3 software yesterday afternoon...
After some struggling and a call to Semson's (they know what they are doing, that's for sure--I called tech support for GlobalSat and they had no clue for tech support) I had it up and running. (Use COM 4 on the 8525, be sure that the bluetooth has a new outgoing port, set the GPS Info to COM 4, and the IGuidance software to COM 4-all manually done... It took awhile to figure out the right port, but 4 is it for mine.) I bought a 2GB micro SD card from Amazon and put only the maps for CA, AZ, NV, NM, OR, WA, TX... and it took about 1/3 of the memory. (CA takes more than 512 alone.)
The GPS found my street and address (amazing, because I live in the sticks in the mountains) and the POI's have everything in the little town I live near. I had it direct me to my kids' school this morning, and it did perfectly... the voice command was clear and loud, etc. I could talk on my bluetooth Plantronics earpiece too, while the GPS was running.
My husband installed the software on his laptop, and uploaded all of the maps and connected to their integrated weather stations... it was really neat. He will hook up his GPS and then use the IGuidance when he travels.
We go on a trip this weekend--this will be the true test. I look forward to seeing how it routes us and gets us to a relatively obscure location (dog show).
But all in all, this is really neat. I do wish it said the actual street names instead of "turn right in 500 feet" or "turn right" etc... I think there is an option for this, but I haven't found it yet. (Again, I am new to this.)
As of now, it's a GO.
--Kristin

aerochick

Hi Phil,
Like I just posted, this thing works great --so far!
On the site, it lists the 8125, etc... and then WM5... when I called Semson's they said that IGuidance had certified it compatible with the 8525...
I went on their word and the list on the IGuidance site (with the 8125 and WM5 with no restrictions, I guess I assumed...) as far as compatibility.
(And like I said, Semson's will accept it as a return if they deem it compatible, and that's all I really worried about... they won't take the TomTom back because it's not on their list...)
My daughter has a GPS in her car that I just bought her for Christmas... it doesn't have as many POI's as this does. At least not that I am aware of.
Anyway, if it were me, I'd try it...
(I did! :) )
--Kristin

imported_nukem

Originally Posted by aerochick

Hi Phil, Like I just posted, this thing works great --so far! On the site, it lists the 8125, etc... and then WM5... when I called Semson's they said that IGuidance had certified it compatible with the 8525... I went on their word and the list on the IGuidance site (with the 8125 and WM5 with no restrictions, I guess I assumed...) as far as compatibility. (And like I said, Semson's will accept it as a return if they deem it compatible, and that's all I really worried about... they won't take the TomTom back because it's not on their list...) My daughter has a GPS in her car that I just bought her for Christmas... it doesn't have as many POI's as this does. At least not that I am aware of. Anyway, if it were me, I'd try it... (I did! :) ) --Kristin

Thanks so much for being so thorough with your review and responses. Based on your success (and I won't hold you responsible if it blows up my 8525 ;) ) I am going to purchase and install this weekend. I will post my experience.

Thanks,

Phil

aerochick

Hi Phil,
Let us know how it goes :)
I used it again today, and it really did perfectly.
Oh, and it sync's with your Outlook/Contacts and will direct you to the addresses with one click.
--Kristin

aerochick

(and I hope it doesn't blow up your 8525... that would really be a bad day...)
Good luck!

imported_nukem

Originally Posted by aerochick

Hi Phil, Let us know how it goes :) I used it again today, and it really did perfectly. Oh, and it sync's with your Outlook/Contacts and will direct you to the addresses with one click. --Kristin

I'm glad to hear that you can use your contacts. That will make it real easy to add a POI prior to a trip.

It's funny... I navigated to the iGuidance site over the weekend and thought I could just purchase and download the app / maps that I wanted and realized that they only sold physical media. I called them just to see if there was a download version I could get, which they don't.

The person I was speaking to mentioned that they will be coming out with a new version later this year that will have a few new features over the 3.0.1 version. One of those features is going to be text to speech for street names and such. After hearing that, now I am wondering if I should wait for that new version. It might not be released until August or later.

Kristen, are you still happy with it? Any negatives you can report?

Thanks,

Phil

aerochick

Heya All,
Well, I have used the IGuidance for long trips and short ones, and for the most part it does a good job. It did however, route me into a really seedy part of town while trying to get me to my hotel over the weekend. I am sure that this is true for all guidance software, but it did remind me that double checking your map before you leave is a good idea ;)
I do miss having the voice-street option. My daughter's Magellan has this, and it's a neat feature. However, it mutilates most street names anyway, and the IGuidance does say out loud the highway names/numbers.
IGuidance does tell you which side of the road your destination is on, but it was wrong once, and said our destination was on the left instead of the right. Oh well. Again, use common sense.
I love the fact that it tells you where stores are, where banks are, etc. It was right on, and even had some brand-new stores that OnStar wasn't able to find for us. That was cool.
So far, so good. My 8525 did freeze once, but this could be because it was in my bag with who knows what buttons being pressed... it doesn't seem to be connected with the software (it wasn't even running at the time) but just an fyi.
I would like to find a hard case for my 8525, so that the buttons aren't so easily pushed.
Oh, and the universal mount from Semson's is pretty good (it's free) but you have to be careful about the buttons on the side. They are coming out with a new custom for the 8525 mount that will have amplified voice options, but the 8525's speaker is loud enough for my Suburban...
That's about it :) I used it a lot on this past trip... for the price I think it's worth it.
--Kristin

aerochick

Hey a question: Will IGuidance have a program where you can upgrade for free/cheap if you purchased before (but reasonably close to) the release date for the upgraded version?

I read somewhere that one of the GPS software manufacturers did that, but can't remember which one.

--Kristin