I was going to buy a Tom Tom Go on the basis of the rave reviews, so this was something of a leap in the dark, as I couldn\'t find too many reviews. But I am glad I took the risk, saving myself £150, and getting a PDA into the bargain.
The device is very small and light, the fold-away antenna for the GPS being a neat idea, and makes it genuinely pocketable when it\'s not in the car. The cheap price isn\'t reflected in the build design and quality - it looks and feels well-designed, well-made and robust.
The box comes with everything that\'s needed, including a case, a decent suction mount for the car, power (mains and car), and an interface cable (which I haven\'t had cause to use yet as the infra-red works fine with my notebook PC).
A proper cradle with power would be nice for the car, but they don\'t as yet offer one. The printed documentation is a bit meagre, but there are full manuals buried in the directories on the supplied CDs.
Setting up the sat nav is a piece of cake - you just insert the SD card and away it goes. The Destinator software is easy to use - you can get going with just the getting started guide. The voice prompts are good and loud and the mapping and routing clearly and logically displayed.
On country roads it sometimes announces a right-angle bend in a road as if it were a turning at a junction, but on the whole the mapping and routing is as good as a built-in system on a BMW that I used to have.
The only disadvantage that I can see against the Tom Tom is that it isn\'t practical to operate this while driving - you need to use the stylus, whereas the Tom Tom\'stouch screen is apparently designed to be used with your fingers. However the system will rapidly recalculate new routes for you automatically if you deviate from the suggested path.
This is my first PDA, so I\'m still finding my way through the basics, but it seems to work well, synchronising with my notebook without a problem (using Intellisync to exchange data with Lotus Notes). It comes with all the software you would expect - Word, Excel, Calendar etc.
On the whole, I think this is terrific value for money, I\'d recommend it to anyone as an inexpensive way into sat nav and PDAs.
Plus points: Incredible value. Size/weight. Easy set-up. Well-featured, usable navigation software. Add-in maps available for Europe (seem to be cheaper than the Tom Tom equivalents).
Minus points: Occasional idiosyncratic turn directions. No cradle. Meagre printed documentation.
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Handheld - 128 MB RAM - Screen: 4 in inch - Display: TFT active matrix - CPU: XScale PXA310 - Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi - Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0, Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0 Classic
Handheld - 64 MB RAM - Screen: 3.5 in inch - Display: TFT active matrix - CPU: S3C2410 - Bluetooth, Infrared - Microsoft Windows Mobile for Pocket PC 2003 Second Edition, Microsoft Windows Mobile for Pocket PC 2003 Premium
Active amplifier GPS Antenna High Gain MMCX Connector GPS Antenna WHY DO YOU NEED ... more
THIS ? If you have: (1) Poor reception (2) Loose reception frequently (3) Have a heat reflective windscreen (4) You want to speed up the start up time of your GPS when first locking on to satellites Then this is the perfect product for you, this will increase the reception significantly removing any problems you may currently have with GPS reception . Ensures optimal GPS reception for your TomTom . Some specialised windscreens can block GPS signal reception inside the car. This magnetic, waterproof GPS External Antenna will overcome this limitation and ensure an optimal GPS reception. The waterproof antenna can be placed inside your car, next to your windscreen or at the back of your car. It also attaches magnetically to the outside of the car. Connect your GPS to the External Antenna and you're ready! 5 meter cable. Can boost signal by up to 400%
Postage & Packaging:£4.50 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days......
Active amplifier GPS Antenna High Gain MMCX Connector GPS Antenna WHY DO YOU NEED ... more
THIS ? If you have: (1) Poor reception (2) Loose reception frequently (3) Have a heat reflective windscreen (4) You want to speed up the start up time of your GPS when first locking on to satellites Then this is the perfect product for you, this will increase the reception significantly removing any problems you may currently have with GPS reception . Ensures optimal GPS reception for your TomTom . Some specialised windscreens can block GPS signal reception inside the car. This magnetic, waterproof GPS External Antenna will overcome this limitation and ensure an optimal GPS reception. The waterproof antenna can be placed inside your car, next to your windscreen or at the back of your car. It also attaches magnetically to the outside of the car. Connect your GPS to the External Antenna and you're ready! 5 meter cable. Can boost signal by up to 400%
Postage & Packaging:£4.50 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Advantages: directs you to your destination smoothly, great if you are on your own, no more trying to map read and drive, makes your journey safer Disadvantages: sometimes gets the speed limit wrong, severe weather can make it slow by interferring with the satallite reception.
arnoldhenryrufus 13.10.2005 (13.10.2005)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: exceptional
Review of Acer N35 GPS
Advantages: directs you to your destination smoothly, great if you are on your own, no more trying to map read and drive, makes your journey safer Disadvantages: sometimes gets the speed limit wrong, severe weather can make it slow by interferring with the satallite reception.
arnoldhenryrufus 13.10.2005 (13.10.2005)
·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: exceptional
Review of Acer N35 GPS
May 19th, 2005
very helpful by (82%):
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