GPS Devices Life

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I purchased the Navman PiN based on a couple of reviews found elsewhere. After receiving the unit, I then found reviews on some of the major computer sites that would have helped me avoid this device and all the subsequent problems.

The very attractive points of this device are the small form factor which makes it usable as a handheld GPS and the low price point (available for about $350 online.) However, the fatal flaw makes these attractions meaningless (see below)

The device is a modified Windows Pocket PC (version 2003) with a small flip-up paddle-shaped antenna on the back. “Accessories” included with the device are suction windshield-mounting bracket, car charger, USB cable, AC adapter, 32 MB Secure Digital card, instruction manuals, and software installation discs.

The unit charges rapidly, and it is easy to install the software onto one’s computer. Selecting the appropriate maps takes a little more savvy, but the procedure is not difficult. Within a couple of hours of acquiring the unit, the GPS function is ready to be used.

Then the hard part comes.

Acquiring a GPS signal is pretty problematic especially if it is the first time that the unit has been used and especially if the unit is moving. I have taken an entire trip across town, and the unit has not even synced with the satellites. When I used the unit as a handheld in NYC, I was slower than my non-GPS-equipped friends because I was always waiting for acquisition of the satellites while they were getting to the destination! And this isn’t even the “fatal flaw” part!

The biggest problem and the “fatal flaw” is inputting the destination address. Basically the purpose of a GPS is to get from Point A to Point B with Point B being the destination address. The Navman PiN unit will not accept MOST destination addresses! You can input the address by intersection or by a conventional address (e.g., 1234 Maple Street) in theory, but in practice neither mode worked for many/most addresses. Even more confusingly, cities might be listed with unexplained abbreviations (e.g., New Orleans MCT) and to input an address, the meaning for this abbreviation seems to be critical.

I identified this critical problem very quickly as you might imagine. A long time ago I realized that when I find an issue usually there are several people who have found the problem as well as a solution before me. So I went to the Navman.com support forum to find the solution. No one had mentioned the problem and obviously no solution was offered. So then I wondered “is it just me?” I then found a review on CNet.com which described exactly the problem that I had discovered. Why had no one mentioned this problem on the Navman forum? I can only guess that censorship was involved or that very few people have purchased or actually used the device.

On the plus side beyond the “fatal flaw” the unit keeps a charge very well, has an easy to read screen (except in really bright sunlight), has a loud driving prompt voice, and different information views that are quite nice. If the unit had been effective, the price would have been outstanding!

…and then for the next 60 days I tried to return the unit to the point-of-sale, but that’s not as relevant…

[As a footnote, another reviewer reports that they installed a software/firmware update and has found that it is now easier to input addresses into the PiN. If this is true, the device would get a much higher mark from me.

At the time I had the device, merely two months ago, this firmware was not available. I had scoured the Navman.com site because I couldn’t believe that such a dysfunctional GPS device could be sold. I even called Navman and spoke to several people, none of whom told me anything about an upcoming software update.]

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