Which one to buy?

Hi all. I am about to buy a PDA/GPS device. I run a computer business and so would need reliable wireless access. I also need Word and Excel. Otherwise I would like decent SatNav software and perhaps a car kit but this is not essential. Was looking at the Navman 570 but I've seen loads of reports of it locking up in use. Budget goes to about £250 but this could be raised a bit more if the product was worth it.

Any suggestions?

A friend has a Navamn 570 and quite happy with it. However, when she travels with us she says my TomTom maps are better than hers.

With that in mind it may be worth you looking at the new Mio P350 with TomTom Navigator 5 GB maps pre-loaded at £274.95. The car kit, leads etc are all included.

Mio also have a P550, the difference is it has built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi but costs a lot more. I've read reports that the P350 works perfectly but there have been some problems with the P550 taking some time to lock on to the satellites and can easily lose the signals. An 'expert' assumes the problem is caused by the added built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi somehow interfering with the GPS signals.

Thanks for that BC. I am looking also at the Ipaq range now. Any advice on them? Think they are pretty well rounded PDA's but not sure about their GPS qualities.

[Martin Laverty]

Its going to ber very difficult to fit all those requirements to that budget. The navman would fit the price but it doesnt have the Wifi your looking for.

I think the first package we do that fits all your requirements is this one.

A similar with an HP ipaq would be this one.

Originally Posted by Imperialdata

Hi all. I am about to buy a PDA/GPS device. I run a computer business and so would need reliable wireless access. I also need Word and Excel. Otherwise I would like decent SatNav software and perhaps a car kit but this is not essential. Was looking at the Navman 570 but I've seen loads of reports of it locking up in use. Budget goes to about £250 but this could be raised a bit more if the product was worth it.

Any suggestions?

Thanks for that, they look good albeit a bit too pricy at the moment. Can I add a Wi-Fi module to most of these PDA's or is it not the case? If it can be done, what is the module like and where does it connect to?

And do all the Navman 570's suffer the lock-ups?

Also on my list is to perhaps get an Ipaq with Wi-Fi built in and then buy a separate GPS receiver. Is this perhaps a more future-proof way to go? Would mean that I don't need to lug the GPS part around with me all the time too.

[Martin Laverty]

I've heard of a few people having lock ups but thats about the same with every PDA. There are quite a few things you can do to avoid the PDA freezing.
You could use an SD or CF wifi cards depending on the PDA you go for. Although in the long run it would be cheaper buying a PDA that has wifi built in.

Most of the separate bluetooth GPS receivers we sell are about the size of a matchbox. Not much to lug around.

Originally Posted by Imperialdata

Thanks for that, they look good albeit a bit too pricy at the moment. Can I add a Wi-Fi module to most of these PDA's or is it not the case? If it can be done, what is the module like and where does it connect to?

And do all the Navman 570's suffer the lock-ups?

Also on my list is to perhaps get an Ipaq with Wi-Fi built in and then buy a separate GPS receiver. Is this perhaps a more future-proof way to go? Would mean that I don't need to lug the GPS part around with me all the time too.