In an earlier post, I described connecting my Garmin Geko 301 GPS and my HP iPaq h4155 PDA together to create a vehicle navigation system. Deluo Routis 2004 software ties it all together.
I haven't been this impressed with a piece of software since I bought my Apple iBook. Routis just _works_. They've clearly put a lot of thought into the product. I've been using it to navigate everywhere, and even trying to confuse it, by missing a suggested turn. In every case, it promptly and politely gets me back on course (without pointing out my incompetence, like some of the in-vehicle units supposedly do). I haven't played with the advanced features yet, like '3-D' display, road-type avoidance or emergency rerouting. I've just been concentrating on the basics. I can't wait 'till I start asking it to get me to some of the gravel road hiking trailheads in upper NH... :-)
The display gives me all the information I could want: live mileage countdown to the next action, a visual indication of the type of action required (with voice prompts as the action approaches), ongoing estimated trip time, live positioning on the map, with automatic zoom in/out, as appropriate. Literally, they've thought of everything.
About the only criticism I can make is that some of the voice commands aren't clear. This could be an artifact of the iPaq's tiny, tinny speaker. I like the software so much that mentioning this feels petty. Plus, I believe that the voice prompts are just a collection of .WAV files, so I can always create my own custom set ("turn right, idiot!"). I suppose one other oddity is Delou's Web site. It was _just_ cheesy enough that I almost didn't take a chance on them, but I'm glad I did. They could really benefit from a makeover, because their product really has its shit together.
Routis occasionally does weird little things, which are probably more efficient, route-wise, but feel odd, nonetheless. Just yesterday, it rerouted us off of 95 South, took us around Providence, and then spit us back onto 95 South. On the way home, it got us off of 95 North early and took us home via a secondary road. As with any software, do a sanity check first. I usually have it display its intended route before I start driving, so I can see if it intends to walk me around something that I don't feel the need to walk around. In either case, I could have just stayed on 95, and it would have recalculated, and kept me on course without a hiccup. I need to play with the settings more. Perhaps I have it set to avoid cities. Either way, I love it!
What I like about Routis' approach over online maps is that you don't get those weird little segments of road that are all the same road. With online maps, you can get a dozen 'continue on' commands where the road name changes, even though you're still on the same route number. Routis seems to have gotten this annoyance squared away.
I have no idea how the other PDA mapping products compare. If folks at a competing firm care to send me a complimentary copy of their product, I'll be most happy to review it (not that anyone actually _reads_ this silly little blog of mine).
I don't leave my GPS or PDA in the Jeep. I don't want them stolen, nor do I want my electronic toys subject to the intense cold and blistering heat of New England. This means attaching the GPS and PDA to their mounts and connecting the cables before a trip, and reversing the process at the end of the trip (or at rest stops in questionable areas). Yeah, it's a slight PITA, but setup/teardown takes less than a minute.
It's also worth mentioning that the Garmin Geko windshield mount is the balls. I had my doubts about a suction cup device in a bouncy Jeep, especially with the GPS creating a decent lever arm. So far, it's stuck like glue. I've also been pretty happy with the vent-mount kit for the PDA, although I may look at alternate solutions, like the cup holder mount. The cables dangle a lot. If I didn't already have a GPS, I'd look for one with Bluetooth. No big deal, though. I can tuck the cables away, and they also provide power to both devices, which Bluetooth wouldn't do.
The real test: my fiance' politely puts up with my need to do geeky stuff like this. She's a bit of a geek, too, but I sensed she had her doubts as to the usefulness of this setup. After just a few minutes into our first road trip together with the system, she was vocally praising it. It's good stuff!
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