If you are unfamiliar with GPS, here is what it is. GPS, abreviation for Global Positioning System, allows you to see exactly where you are on any GPS enabled map using three of 20 orbiting Satellites. The accuracy depends on the GPS receiver you have and the accuracy of the maps you are using. The EMTAC is rated accurate to 10 meters. The software allows you to see your current position, choose a destination, then the software will calculate the best or fastest route to that destination. Good software will recaclulate the route on the fly if you miss a turn.
The GPS receiver itself is very small, it fits easly in the palm of your hand....a bit smaller and flatter than a racketball ball. (I got the 'Mini' since the standard was out of stock). It comes with a wall charger and a car charger and takes only about an hour to fully charge. Once it is turned on, it can take a few minutes to get a lock on your position depending where the unit is located. I have had it zipped up in my camera bag on the passenger seat of the car and still get a lock. I find it easier to set it on the dashboard of the car to get a lock, then put it in my bag, in the glove compartment or in the armrest and not lose the signal. It connects via Bluetooth to the Palm so there's no extra cords to mess with.
One great thing about the Bluetooth connection is that you can set the screen where you can easly access it and put the receiver on the dashboard or in the glove box or wherever. Since the screen and receiver are separate you don't need to put the screen in a special place to get the best signal.
Since I have never used any GPS unit or software before, I have nothing to compare it to, but so far I really like EMTAC Navigator 3.0. The software is very customizable but has several quirky tricks that take a while to get used to. As far as customization, you can view your map in a top-down map style view or in a 3-D view which gives you a broader view of what's coming up. The map scales automatically based on your current speed and distance to next turn, which is really nice. The map is manually scalable using the hardware navigation buttons on the bottom of the TX in case you need a different scale that the current display. You can zoom in , out or even tilt when in 3-D mode. A simple press of a giant hand in the upper left corner gets you back to auto zoom mode.
The audible directions are great, although not street name specific. She will tell you when to turn left or right, but won't say the name of the street you are turning onto....for that you have to read the screen. But the voice is loud and crisp. You have control over the volume of the voice from within the software so if you are listening to music through the Palm at the same time, you can adjust the voice accordingly so it can still be heard through the music.
You can create a 'favorites' list which is extremely handy for places you may go frequently. I have Home and work stored so no matter where I am I can quickly find my way home without always typing in my address. It's also a good way to plan ahead for trips. Save your future destination as a favorite, then when you get in the car to go, you already have it saved.
Recently I typed in an address and followed the directions exactly to get there. Once I arrived, I found that it had taken me to the wrong place. From now on, if it's a place I've never been, I will cross reference the map location in EMTAC Navigator with Google Maps or Mapquest to be sure they all get the same results. It's kind of my fault though for not looking at the street signs as I was driving and only trusting the voice commands. Had I seen that the house numbers were getting bigger instead of smaller, I may have realized that I was going the wrong way.
It has the capabilities of looking up addresses from your contacts list, but I have had mixed results with that. Most of the time it just comes up blank when I try to use a contact. I've read that others have the same problem.
Another problem that I have found is when I'm in downtown Seattle in between all the tall buildings. Either the satellites can't see my exact position, or the map is off by 1/2 a block. When stopped at an intersection it will show that I am in between streets then will try to recalculate my route, most of the time indicating that I need to turn onto the street I'm already on. As long as I am moving it doesn't seem to be a big problem but when I stop every block for a stop light, it gets confused. I don't know if that would be the same for every major city, or just Seattle...you can always tell the software not to recalculate your route.
The maps come on a DVD and you can load only the ones you need onto the PALM or your expansion card. I like that because you're not wasting memory on a map of a state you'll never travel to. My 2GB card has a few surrounding state maps, favorite music and several videos on it with plenty of room to spare.
Overall I really really like this new toy. I use it far too frequently and especially when I don't need it at all. Like going to and from work....I already know how to get there, but it's kind of fun to see my current position on the map, my speed, average speed altitude, estimated time of arrival etc.
Things I like:
Clear audible directions so you don't have to always look at the display when driving
Big on-screen finger pushable buttons that don't require the use of the stylus
The ability to tell the software whether you want to take small back roads or the freeways
2-D and 3-D views
Favorites list
Bluetooth wireless connection to the GPS unit
Things I don't like:
No in depth user manual to tell you what ALL of the icons mean
Not pinpoint accurate in Downtown Seattle when stopped
Unable to accurately map contacts in the address book
It's a great price for software and GPS unit for the PALM TX. I like it better than the handheld all-in-one because it uses a nice big color display already on the PALM. Also, if you don't like the EMTAC software, you can still use the GPS receiver for any other PALM map software. Earthcomber is free, it won't give you turn by turn directions, but it can show you where you are on a map and show you restaurants, gas stations, ATMs, around you.
