Product Reviews

Since the US military restrictions on GPS accuracy were removed in May 2000, satellite positioning has slowly moved from a specialist tool for maritime navigation to a mainstream audience. In this relatively short timeframe, Navman has established itself as one of the key players, although the market is getting more crowded by the minute. The company has just released an update of its GPS jacket for HP iPAQs called Navman SE. It's currently available in two packages: the 3450 Voice for in-car routing and the 3300 Terrain for on/off-road navigation.

The Navman SE hardware is an enhancement of the jacket found in the 3000 and 3400 Navman products. Navman claims the main difference is a 'Military specification timing crystal', which improves time to first lock from 120 to 45 seconds from cold (in other words, no previous lock) and from 48 to 38 seconds for a warm start (approximate location already stored). In real-world use, I found locking and re-acquisition were noticeably faster. Whereas with the 3400 a first lock can take up to five minutes in practice, the 3450 usually requires under a minute, living up to its specification. This means it's ready to use before you've even left your driveway. It also compares favourably to Socket's and TomTom's Bluetooth GPS systems (see issue 107, p71).

The 3450 Voice is essentially the Navman SE hardware update, replacing the 3400, although in the interim the SmartST Professional software has had Western European maps added as a free upgrade and a service pack. SmartST Pro offers all the features you'd expect for car navigation. After choosing a country and area, you search for town and street name, and then either ask to be directed to or shown the location. You can build your own list of favourite destinations, including three Quick Nav ones that may be chosen with a few stylus clicks. There are Quickest or Shortest route settings, and you can choose to avoid toll roads and urban areas. Once your route has been calculated, a soothing voice - choose male or female - guides you to your destination. If you miss a turning or decide

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to take a different route, the software will reroute automatically. A Points of Interest database shows where nearby restaurants and hotels are located, although it's far from comprehensive. SmartST Pro also lacks the Socket software's ability to calculate alternative routes or tell you total journey distance, and you can't selectively choose to avoid specific roads or areas - for example, if you know of temporary roadworks.

The 3300 Terrain includes a new software bundle, which Navman calls SmartExplorer, but is essentially a combination of Memory-Map Navigator and Pocket Navigator. SmartExplorer is a map viewer with the ability to store overlaid routes: the idea is to use the desktop version to plan the intended route using waypoints from the comfort of your PC, then download the necessary maps and routes to your PDA. The Pocket PC application takes over to guide you from waypoint to waypoint, telling you the distance to the next one and how long you'll take to get there at current speed. Waypoints can be given special symbols like fuel pump or campsite to further help you plan where you're going. However, while a set of 1:1,000,000 European maps is bundled, only samples of more detailed alternatives are included. To get the best out of SmartExplorer, you'll need decent OS maps like the 1:50,000 Landranger collection. You can scan these and calibrate them yourself, but you're better off purchasing them ready-prepared from Memory-Map - you can get the whole of the UK for £221, but then you also get the Navigator software again.

Although based on identical hardware, the 3450 Voice and 3300 Terrain are very different beasts. The latter is more limited by the jacket format. With iPAQ battery life effectively a few hours of continuous use, you won't be able to head off up the mountains and rely on your GPS being available when you need it, plus it isn't nearly as rugged - or waterproof - as dedicated handheld GPS units from the likes of Garmin. Also, the lack of detailed maps in the box necessitates further outlay before it comes into its own. Although the Terrain would be well suited to off-road vehicle use, a much better solution for hikers will be the Memory-Map software with Navman's forthcoming 4400, which boasts a separate Bluetooth GPS unit with 30 hours' battery life. With this, you should be able to leave the GPS receiver powered up and locked on, pulling out the PDA to check location when you need it.

The 3450 is also less flexible than the new breed of Bluetooth GPS receivers, relegating it to iPAQs only. But if you do own a compatible PDA, the 3450 Voice is much better value, as it's cheaper and includes Western European maps.