Excellent sat - nav package at low price, well - spec'd handheld computer
Disadvantages:
Advertising unclear : hidden costs of full European package
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
When I decided too buy this product, I wasn't specifically looking for a handheld computer, I was after a decent (but inexpensive) GPS satellite navigation system; and the Acer n35 is not only the cheapest GPS-equipped handheld, it's actually cheaper than most dedicated sat-nav systems, so the fact that this device functions as a computer with numerous other facilities is a pure bonus!
You can easily pay £400 for a dedicated portable sat-nav system like the Tom Tom Go, and similar amounts for sat-nav equipped handhelds, but the Acer can be had for as little as £240 brand new with full guarantee. You see already the main economic advantage, especially when you compare it to the four-figure sums that car manufacturers charge for built-in sat-nav systems....
The Acer n35 is basically the n30 without BlueTooth capability and with the GPS equipment built in. In terms of hardware, you get a 266MHz Samsung processor, 32Mb Flash ROM memory, 64Mb SD-RAM memory, 240x320 pixel screen with 65,000 colours and touch-screen input, an SD/MMC expansion slot, and USB connection to your laptop or PC. The processor is slower than some other handhelds available (300-400MHz speeds are becoming commonplace), but the SD-RAM at 64Mb is higher than the equivelant 'budget' range devices offered by other companies such as Hewlett Packhard. This is unashamedy a budget package, but unless you are a very serious user who lives and dies by his/her portable connectivity you are not going to need more. For around £30-£50 more, you can if you wish opt for the n30 with separate GPS accessories which give you all the facilities of the n35 with the addition of BlueTooth connectivity.
The n35 comes with the Windows Mobile 2003 operating system, with Pocket versions of Word, Excel, Outlook, Internet Explorer and Media Player - a typical yet comprehensive package fully compatible with your PC at home. The provided GPS software is Destinator, which comes pre-installed with the local maps (in this case the UK and Ireland) on a 256Mb SD card. The software is very easy to learn, and aside from a few little eccentricities (occasionally telling you to 'exit to the left' when all you are presented with is a bend in the road...) it is fantastic to use. Another benefit is that the voice-guided navigation does not come with the standard, irritating American accent common to speech-synth applications, the voice is that of a smart-sounding English lady (Although 'she' does seem to get a bit irritated if you ignore 'her' directions!).
Another apparent advantage is that whilst many sat-nav systems are advertised as being "UK and Eire" packages, all suppliers point out that the n35 has other European maps provided on CD. What nobody tells you is that whilst the additional maps are provided, the licence for the pre-installed software excludes these, and you have to pay for additional licences at a cost of 79USD per map to use them. As I specifically require two of the other European maps (France and the Benelux countries), I have ended up paying a little over 80GBP more to get the package I thought I'd ordered in the first place. There will, no doubt, be people out there who will tell me I should have known; but I entered into this purchase not being knowledgable on the subject, and anybody else in a similar position would be forgiven for being confused. If a package is being sold as including features that actually require additional licences to be purchased, this fact ought to be made clear. Having said this, my Acer n35 still works out cheaper than other GPS packages.
The 256Mb SD card provided is sufficient to hold the UK and Eire maps, but you won't get another full map in there. The Destinator software does include a facility to 'cut' maps so that you can choose relevant sections of the available maps to get around memory limitations, myself I chose to buy a 1Gb card which holds Britain, Eire, France, Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg in a little over half of its total capacity - leaving plenty of SD storage for other items. You can pay upwards of £100 for a 1Gb SD card on the high street, but mine cost just £45 including postage from an independant seller on eBay - it never hurts to shop around!
For use in your car, the n35 comes with suction-fixed dashboard holder and 12v lead to power the unit from your cigarette lighter. Acer assume that you will mount your unit centrally on your dashboard (ie: close to the power socket) and therefore the power lead is a bit on the short side. If you are using your n35 in a people carrier or van, mounting the unit to the side may be more beneficial, which is a potential problem. I drive a Citroën Picasso, and have found that the best mounting position is to fix the holder to the front quarterlight window, which results in the unit being held above the right-side air vent; and I have purchased an additional 12v extension lead to make the Acer power cable reach from the power socket in the middle of my dashboard to the n35 when in use. These can be had typically for about a fiver, and are therefore not a major financial hassle. My final comment about the power cable supplied is that the plastic used on the plugs could be stronger - a small part of my lead (the end which plugs into the n35) broke off, although the metal contacts are fine and so this does not affect the ability of the device to function properly.
If, like me, you have a thermal-coated windscreen (fitted to many modern cars to reduce ultra-violet glare from the sun), you may have some problems with a weak GPS signal. This is not a fault with the n35, it is a common problem with internally-mounted GPS receivers and athermic windscreens - I am presently looking at the options available with regard to GPS signal boosters. For the most part, however, the system works fine.
The documentation provided is limited to multi-language quick-start guides for the n35 itself and the Destinator software, all other manuals are on CD and built-in help files. I realise that there is a financial and environmental cost to the production of large user manuals, but I still feel that more comprehensive written guides would not go amiss.
In all, I have yet to have the opportunity to fully test all of the possibilities that the Acer n35 has to offer (I have had the device for three weeks at the time of writing this report), but overall I am pleased with the way in which it fulfills the tasks for which I bought it, and provided that you take note of my minor criticisms, I would have no hesitation in recommending the Acer n35 to you. You certainly won't find a cheaper GPS alternative at present, and the Acer is every bit as good as its peers (and, in fact, in some areas better specified - for example, an equivalent well-known brand handheld costing more would probably have half the RAM memory...)
If you're a travelling rocket scientist, you might want to consider a more expensive package from another manufacturer, but to the majority of us who aren't rocket scientists, the Acer n35 is all that you need, and well worth a look.
[April 2005]
More details
Speed
Average
Robustness & Durability
Good
Range of Extra Features
Good
Instruction manual
Needs improvement
Manufacturer Support
Satisfactory
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