Mobile GPS

Review by greenteas:

This item worked perfectly in a 07 civic vent mount however we could not fit it on a 04 civic vent, the brackets were just too big for this car. I used it with no problems with and iPhone and was satisfied until I tried to turn the screen sideways. For some reason it all came flying out and the springs ended up inside my AC vent, way too far inside to reach. So now I have to dismount my car’s dash to get them out….I will try super glue to make them stay in place.

Review by DRK:

I purchased this Grip-iT holder to use with my iPhone 3g. It is great built quality and installs very easily into the air vent in my car. It seems to be pretty sturdy and holds the iPhone 3g very nicely without any fear of it falling out. The bottom fold out brace bars are adjustable which is good for the iphone since you will want to move them from blocking the speakers. I am very happy with my purchase!

So here is the only negative or flaw in this design for me. Although the Grip-iT mount has a very nice adjustable rotating ball mount that allows you to turn your device from portrait to landscape and “fine tune” the angle, it is a very manual process. Other car mounts like the Kensington mounts have a rotating holder that clicks into pre set angles but is very easily done even while driving. The Grip-iT require that you make your adjustment and then lock it into place by tightening a large finger adjustable “nut” behind your device. This requires 2 hands…one to hold your device in place and the other to tighten the mount. I don’t recommend doing this while driving. This flaw would really only apply to devices that can work in landscape and portrait modes. Since I use a GPS app on my iPhone I want to flip the phone to landscape on the fly. This is not possible with this Grip-iT mount.

Over all it satisfies 99% of my requirements! For the price, I can’t find a better value!

Review by C. L. Thiergartner:

I purchased this phone as soon as it was available from another online retailer. The two reviews posted here are so different, thought I might throw in my 2 cents. I have had the phone since September. During that time I have used it pretty much constantly. The media capabilities are the best of any Windows Mobile Device I have ever had, including (axim x50v, tilt, ipaq 210 and diamond 2). The device plays almost all my movies out of the box with no transcoding necessary. You have to watch your bitrates though. I have tversity setup at home and use the connected home program on the device to stream my media files over the air. Very cool feature. This also has video out so I can hook it up to any TV with RCA inputs. You will need an additional cable to accomplish this though; it is not in the box. To make the most of this device, you need to purchase the A/V cable, a 16GB Micro SD card, additional screen protectors and I would suggest a case. You don’t want to mess up the beautiful amoled screen on this phone. I compared this device to my iPod touch and the colors are amazing. The 5mp camera is good enough for quick shots, but you should not assume this will replace your point and shoot. I also have found that the camera on the front of the phone is a moot point until someone develops a Skype like program that does video on the phone. I have not found one yet. I agree with the one poster who complained about Samsungs reskinning of the email program, you will hate it, it is sluggish. I have been using SPB mobile shell in place of this and will never go back. The phone is fast, easy to use, responsive, and until windows mobile 7 or whatever they are calling it comes out, I think I have found my device. Take it from a gadget junkie, this phone is fantastic. I use AT&T prepaid in Washington DC and get mostly 3g+, some 3g, and rarely does is go slower than that. Connection speeds are on par with wifi at a hotspot, meaning that you get WebPages with a little delay. Home browsing is fast.

Review by A. Kashani:

Dont listen to the last guy, he doesnt know how the phone phone works. this phone has not been released to the usa yet thats why there isnt support. but its one of the best windows mobile phone i ever had. very fast cpu with lots of storage for memory. just need to get used to the phone use.

Review by Theron Krusling:

Garmin has some of the best customer service I’ve ever dealt with. Very fast to respond to emails and phone calls. I needed support because I switched from Garmin NRoute to Mobile PC and needed to know where some of the features that I was used to using were, and how to “upgrade”. Both programs can exist simultaneously! This is an even better program if you have a touchscreen laptop (which I do). Everything is extremely simple, yet still customizable. Very fast responses to searching and great Points of Interest database. I love this new version. I use primarily a very old Pentium II (panasonic toughbook cf-27) computer to run it, and it must just barely meet the requirements, but if you put it on a newer computer, you get a lot more visual candy. Very appealing software and very smooth movement on a newer computer. If you’re deciding between this and one of the self-contained dashboard units, everything looks better on a 13″ laptop screen than a 3″ or 5″. I believe that makes the software safer to use than a dashboard unit. Online features a also a huge bonus – where is the closest cheapest gas station? – Done in 20 seconds on the old laptop and 5 seconds on the new one I have. This also completely BLOWS AWAY Microsoft streets and trips for the same price, and is a lot, I mean a ton and a half easier to use. I do service work, so I use this software all day every day to get around the Greater Cincinnati area. I’ve heard reviews that it compares to using one of their Muvi line of products (which I do not own). It also has room for expansion although not much extra is available for it yet.

Review by egore:

Garmin makes excellent GPS systems for your auto. I have used one for several years, however, the Garmin Mobile PC software is not what I expected. Insallation wasn’t too bad but not as easy as Microsoft Streets and Trips 2009. The Garmin software operates much like the Garmin 360 in my auto and is primarily designed for providing driving information as you travel down the street. If you need to route out a trip, look at details and play “what if scenarios” it will not do it. In my opinion most people would be better off applying the Garmin software cost to a handheld Garmin. They are much more portable and usable. The GPS receiver that comes with the Garmin software does not work as well as their handheld units. On the other hand the Streets and Trips loaded on a PC makes it easy to route a trip and modify it as needed. It can be used to plan trips,even without a GPS reciever connected. I have removed the Garmin Mobile PC software from my computer and have purchased the Micorsoft product.

Review by Martin A Hogan:

As I did not want to purchase a full Garmin type GPS system, I found this Allen GPS receiver was exactly what I was looking for in price and size. It’s exactly the size of an iPod nano (the smallest version). The kit comes with an adjustable attachment for your car’s vent louvers and can hold the Allen GPS and your phone. It also comes with an AC charger and a car charger (unlike most cell phones). I have the “Sony Ericsson W580i”, as I like a clear vivid screen and the slide motion. Once you enter your start position and final destination, you are on your way. The screen can be viewed in plan view or in `bird’s eye (perspective) mode. You will receive visual guidance and voice commands. A British female voice announces whether you are ½ mile or 100 yards from your next turn and then announces, “Turn left here” or whatever is appropriate. (Note that Allen Navigator GPS was first popular in the United Kingdom).

It notates your speed, distance to turns and `beeps’ twice after successfully completing a turn. Because it uses your mobile network, it is continually updating map and POI information; meaning you never have to update your mapping information – ever. That’s a big savings in money and time.

The Allen Navigator GPS software (www.mywayfinder.com) is best downloaded from your phone (check compatibility). With www.mywayfinder.com, you can track your position on GOOGLE Earth and create favorites. This version includes the entire USA. You can also purchase map coverage of other countries, which is not always available from other devices. You also don’t need Tele-Nav, which AT&T (my provider) told me I did need. The battery life is amazingly long, so recharges are not often and I was surprised at its accuracy (within 10 yards driving)! It has a cool night mode viewing screen as well.

I am not a tech genius (really, I am not at all), so I found the initial downloading to be slightly time consuming, but then I had trouble with my Sony Ericsson cell phone too. Now that it is set-up and working, it is almost intuitive. Taking a five hour trek from San Francisco to Lake Tahoe, it was remarkably accurate as to all my several stops. There are literally millions of services or POI information. I had fun finding a steak & lobster restaurant, as well as gas and an ATM. The only drawback I could find is that the message, “Allow Application To Send To The Internet?” would frequently pop-up, but all this meant was I had to press the YES button a few times. Also, this device is meant for driving, so it won’t work where you cannot get cell coverage, like hiking in the mountains. But I understand that this company is coming out with a version that will work in remote places. Very cool device.

Note that the price has come down significantly, making this unit much more desirable in lieu of a full GPS unit.

Review by Sue from Cincy:

Everything that you read in electronics talks about convergence of everything onto a single device, so when I heard about this item, I had to try it! Having used the VZ Navigator on a previous mobile phone, I had low expectations about mobile phone based GPS Navigation, but I was blown away by the features and functionality of the Navigator.

My Phone:

I own a Samsung Blackjack II running on the AT&T network, which Allen lists as a compatible device for version 7 of their software. Although this phone comes with Tele-Nav navigation support, I chose the Allen Sports Navigator since there are no recurring monthly fees. Also, Allen’s product comes with map coverage of USA & Canada, with additional countries available – Tele-Nav only offer map coverage for the US.

Installing the Software onto your phone:

Step #1 in using this product is to install the Navigator onto your phone. Enter Allen’s download address into your phone’s web browser, select your phone model (which in my case was Windows SmartPhone), choose your language, and start the download. Once installed, follow the directions to activate your software. The whole process is pretty simple, and takes about 3-5 minutes.

Pairing the GPS Receiver:

The product comes with a Bluetooth GPS Receiver, which you need to pinpoint your location and allow the navigation to function properly. This pairs up with you phone like a bluetooth headset. It is about the size of an iPod Nano.

Using the software:

I found the software to be very easy to use. The maps show up very well, even on my phone’s small screen. When you are using the product in navigation mode you can toggle between the map view and two other screens which show you your destination information and and your upcoming turn information. All of the information provided is extrmely accurate and relevent. In navigation mode you can use view your position in 2D or 3D mode – this is where this product beat the pants off of VZ Navigator.

Other cool features:

Since this product is cellular based it has the ability to send your coordinates out over your cellular network, which will allow you to track where your phone is and where it’s been. All of this can be viewed at the Navigator member site using your username and password. This has been really fun for my husband and kids to see where I am when I travel on business.

Overall:

I really like this product. It’s awesome having my GPS Navigation running on my mobile phone, and it is very easy to use. I would recomend this product to anyone who is looking for GPS Navigation, and has a compatible phone with a data plan. You need the data plan for the maps and routes to load properly. Most unlimited data plans cost about , and if you use your phone for text messages and email you probably already have one. I would not recommend this product to someone without a cellular plan or that lives in an area with limited cellular coverage.

I can’t wait for more products like this that will let me get more out of my cell phone!