Comments on: Palm GPS Navigator Smartphone Edition Review

Palm GPS Treo ReviewKris brings us this review of Palm's newly announced GPS Navigator Smartphone Edition for Treo smartphones. The new GPS Navigator provides users with voice-guided, turn-by-turn directions to easily find their destinations as well as millions of points of interest, including gas stations, restaurants, parks, airports and more using the latest TomTom Navigator 6 software. Read on for the full review.
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switch map set?

neuron @ 8/16/2006 4:50:39 PM # Q
Hi,

Good job. One question: Do you still have to switch to the specific map set if you travel out of your home state? Also do you have to keep all maps in the SD card in order to travel from east coast to west coast?

Thanks

RE: switch map set?
hkklife @ 8/16/2006 4:54:28 PM # Q
Thanks. I nearly wore myself out trying to drive in and out of town all weekend long getting my lost to review that sucker.

No, you do not have to switch to a specific map set AFAIK. Of course, I was only able to get 30 miles across the nearest state border but still...from what I've gathered from Palm & TomTom you can have contiguous state to state mapping.

Again, I just used the preloaded MMC for the purposes of the review and it had the entire USA contained on it so I never experimented with the loading of maps for anything more than for curiosity purposes (having a single DVD is sooo much nicer than a pile of 9 CDs of various regions).

If/when I end up buying a 4gb SD card I figure I'll load the whole country on the card and still have ~3gb left over for other stuff. Then I'll keep the preloaded TomTom card in my travel bag as a spare or as a backup.

Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX-->Treo 700P

RE: switch map set?
neuron @ 8/16/2006 5:00:36 PM # Q
4GB 150X high speed SD card with 5 year Warranty is only $54.99 + shipping.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820141037

Good luck.


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Good job Hkklife

Surur @ 8/16/2006 5:09:50 PM # Q

Nice review.

Surur

They said I only argued for the sake of arguing, but after an hour I convinced them they were wrong...
Hey!! I made associate writer at PDA247. Come see my nattering over there!!
www.clieuk.co.uk/wm.shtml

RE: Good job Hkklife
freakout @ 8/16/2006 10:37:40 PM # Q
I second that emotion. It's good to see that Palm still know how to do something right! ;)

Tim
I apologise for any and all emoticons that appear in my posts. You may shoot them on sight.
Treo 270 ---> Treo 650
RE: Good job Hkklife
marcol @ 8/17/2006 2:39:19 AM # Q
Thirded. Hkklife, Any chance you'll get to try it on the 700w and compare?

RE: Good job Hkklife
hkklife @ 8/17/2006 11:18:14 AM # Q
Thanks, Marcol. Unfortunately I have no access to a 700W. Due to my "free" technical support and recommendations, everyone I know that carries a Treo has either a 650 or a 700P.

;-)


If time & circumstances permit, I'd actually like to try the new TT6 card and see if it works on non-Treo Palms (TX, LD, T5 especially) as well as (highly unlikely I'll be able to test this) non-Palm WinMob devices.

i'd imagine that aside from the 240*240 screen resolution of the 700W vs. the 650/700P's 320*320 there are very few differences. TomTom's UI & code runs nearly seamlessly between both OSes.


Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX-->Treo 700P

RE: Good job Hkklife
hkklife @ 8/19/2006 2:48:43 PM # Q
Sorry Marcol. I have no access to a 700w--or any other WinMob devices for that matter.

I WILL try the kit out on my TX this weekend.



Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX-->Treo 700P

RE: Good job Hkklife
crimewave @ 9/1/2006 3:19:26 PM # Q
Waiting anxiously to know if it's compatible with TX. Hope so...

Computers don't make mistakes, people do.
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Multiple T650 setup

Nicker @ 8/16/2006 5:57:54 PM # Q
My wife and I both have the T650 and I am curious if I would have to purchase two units for licensing purposes. I noticed in the review you said:
"activated the software wirelessly over my Treo's EVDO connection"

I was hoping that I could buy one and leave the unit and MMC card in the car and whoever needed it would just pop in the card and go.

TomTom piracy
freakout @ 8/16/2006 8:03:26 PM # Q
I doubt it. Unfortunately, if TomTom were to make it that blissfully easy, piracy would be even more prevalent than it already is. Do a search on TomTom torrents sometimes and you'll see what I need.

On another note, when are TomTom going to stop forcing me to pirate their Australian map and actually offer it for sale? My only current option besides buying one of the stand-alone GO units is to download a hacked map from the net. And while it's proven reliable so far it's starting to get a little out of date and appears to be based on the 2004 UBD.

Pull your finger out, TomTom.

Tim
I apologise for any and all emoticons that appear in my posts. You may shoot them on sight.
Treo 270 ---> Treo 650

How's the edit function coming, Ryan?
freakout @ 8/16/2006 10:23:16 PM # Q
"you'll see what I need"

Ugh. MEAN. You'll see what I MEAN.

How's the edit function coming, Ryan? ;)

Tim
I apologise for any and all emoticons that appear in my posts. You may shoot them on sight.
Treo 270 ---> Treo 650

RE: Multiple T650 setup
AdamaDBrown @ 8/17/2006 12:52:19 AM # Q
I doubt it. Unfortunately, if TomTom were to make it that blissfully easy, piracy would be even more prevalent than it already is. Do a search on TomTom torrents sometimes and you'll see what I need.

I seriously doubt that anything TomTom does will have any effect on piracy. If there's one truism in the software world, it's that copy protection is easily bypassed by people who want to. The only ones that it actually inconveniences are the legitimate users.

RE: Multiple T650 setup
freakout @ 8/17/2006 3:41:35 AM # Q
^^ Indeed, and I agree completely. I consider it like locking your house; it ain't gonna stop a determined thief, but it does provide a casual deterrent.

Tim
I apologise for any and all emoticons that appear in my posts. You may shoot them on sight.
Treo 270 ---> Treo 650
RE: Multiple T650 setup
Surur @ 8/17/2006 6:27:24 AM # Q

I was severely tempted to pirate the maps myself a few days ago. I have a full CD set to use with my Universal, but TomTom forced me to buy another set to use with my HP 6915, which comes with TomTom and one city map free, at the low low price of only £100. In the end I decided to save myself the hassle of not having any support in the future, and just ponied up the money. I do however resent having the cost of my device increased from £400 to pound £500. At the very least they should have included the map of the whole UK in the price of the unit.

Surur

They said I only argued for the sake of arguing, but after an hour I convinced them they were wrong...
Hey!! I made associate writer at PDA247. Come see my nattering over there!!
www.clieuk.co.uk/wm.shtml

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KLUDGE Solution Compared to this...

Gekko @ 8/16/2006 10:55:57 PM # Q
RE: KLUDGE Solution Compared to this...
marcol @ 8/17/2006 2:40:55 AM # Q
Tricky though if you need navigation after you've parked, if you've left the car at home, etc, etc. Kludge is trying to a hike with a Lexus in your backpack.

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Other Palms? Macs?

fyock @ 8/17/2006 2:53:21 PM # Q
Nice review!

Have you tried it with other Palm models yet?

Also, would the Bluetooth GPS portion work standalone with a Mac running Mac GPS Pro or Route 66, does anyone know?

My current GPS unit is an old Garmin III, so this is tempting, but I don't want to be locked into using the Treo I currently have, as I'll probably upgrade pretty soon. Does the license or activation prevent you from doing that?

RE: Other Palms? Macs?
hkklife @ 8/19/2006 8:52:44 PM # Q
I'm 99% certain (I have no reason to think so otherwise) that the BT receiver is NMEA-compliant and uses a standard 0000 pairing BT code so it SHOULD work just fine with other products, Mac or PC or otherwise.

The receiver is so small & lighweight with such good battery life that it wouldn't be a problem to take it from car to car or to your pocket for hiking.

I have no experience whatsoever with Mac GPS software, btw.


Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX-->Treo 700P

RE: Other Palms? Macs?
joeags @ 8/20/2006 12:11:58 AM # Q
Now this is where I'm a bit stumped with Palm marketing this to a few smartphones only. Is it the gps unit or the software or both that is treo compatible as listed on their description? Or are they just marketing to their largest customers? Regardless, I'm eager to hear what your answer is with it working on the TX. I'd love to get the sirf iii chip and spend those palm pays back bucks.

RE: Other Palms? Macs?
Ce @ 8/20/2006 5:26:55 AM # Q
Looking at the picture in this review and look at the picture on this site you could say it's the same set and Palm NL is stating it's also compatible with the TX

http://tinyurl.com/23o2d6

Reply to this comment

Model #?

crimewave @ 8/19/2006 12:40:27 AM # Q
Looking to place a special order from a vendor but I can't seem to find a model number for this unit. I know the older one was 3229NA or 3227NA. Just wondering if anyone knows yet.

Computers don't make mistakes, people do.
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Which Features 'Greyed Out' when moving??

DLCPhoto @ 8/20/2006 9:35:21 AM # Q
I am currently using TTN5 on a Palm TX (with Delorme BT BlueLogger GPS), and love the combination. Have been anxiously looking forward to news of TTN6.

One big red flag for me is the comment you made about certain options being greyed out or otherwise unavailable when moving. I am usually traveling with my wife, so one of us is free to deal with the software without jeopardizing safety. One enormous frustration I have with the built-in Sat-Nav on my 2004 Nissan Maxima is how much is unavailable when moving, even when a passenger is in the car, and can operate it independent of the driver.

So, which functions are unavailable when moving, and is there a way to over-ride these limitations when a passenger is available? I'm really hoping they haven't crippled the software to satisfy the lawyers!!

Thanks for a great review.

Don Cohen
[url=http://www.dlcphoto.com]DLC Photography[/url]

RE: Which Features 'Greyed Out' when moving??
hkklife @ 8/20/2006 2:14:23 PM # Q
Thanks for you compliments. I'm making a list of things I need to continue checking out on the unit this weekend or later next week. When I have a passenger onboard--or, better yet, when I am riding as the pasenger, I'll check out exactly what is greyed out.

I think the primary things greyed out are the more elaborate POI searches and where you can input a destination by its latitude & lontitude coordinates. TT6 doesn't appear to be as crippled as I was initially worried it would be. The startup "lawyer" screen actually irritates me more than anything and it's the same as TT5.

Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX-->Treo 700P

Reply to this comment

GPS Charger

flyinglyon @ 8/31/2006 8:12:14 AM # Q
The GPS can be charged from any USB mini-b cable.

Reply to this comment

Moving Between Applications

Schocher @ 9/10/2006 9:54:01 PM # Q
Great review! Thanks for taking the time. Couple of quick questions, if I may.

1. I primarily use my current GPS (Magellan eXplorist 20c) for geocaching. Along with that device, I use my Treo 700p to carry and review the cache details I upload to my Treo via Cachemate. Question: if I use my Treo for both the GPS and cache detail review, am I able to repeatedly switch between applications without having to restart the GPS functionality? If I am on a hunt and switch to the Cachemate application to review clues, does the GPS application have to start from scratch when going back to that application?

2. You may not have played around with the gray area and movement issue enough to answer this question but perhaps... If I am walking and showing movement, though minor, does the gray area safety function activate?

Again, thanks for the great review!


RE: Moving Between Applications
freakout @ 9/11/2006 5:19:48 AM # Q
I can answer #1: yes, the application has to start from scratch every time you open it. However some apps hide it better than others and just resume at the point where you closed it. TomTom 5 does this for instance, but you do have to thumb past the "Legal" screen again.
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Good news for Palm TX users! TomTom 6 + Palm TX = WORKS (kinda)!

hkklife @ 9/11/2006 6:57:32 PM # Q
Ok, sorry for the delay. Thanks to everyone for being patient while I got around to finally testing this.

I finally had a chance to install and test TomTom Navigator 6 on my TX last week. I am glad to say that it DOES work on the program, albeit with a couple of caveats.

320*480 MODE:
First off, 320*480 mode is fully supported and works just as wel as TT5 did on my TX. The new graphically facelifted interface and map view looks fantastic on the bigger screen. The Treo's extra brightness compensates for its lack of screen real estate but I still like the TX, especially for in-car use or mounted on the dash mount.

PERFORMANCE:
Secondly, TT6 is a MUCH more sluggish on the TX than it is on my 700P. And we already know that TT6 is more sluggish than TT5 was on all devices...This doesn't matter if you are using the pre-loaded bundled 1gb MMC or load your own maps onto an SD card. I attribute this to either a lack of optimization for the TX, the extra pixels that have to be drawn on the TX's display, and the TX's lack of DBCache/DBheap memory vs. the 700P. Do note that I did not test TT6 on ANY handhelds other than the two that I have (700P & TX) so I cannot vouch for performance on Treo 650s or WinMob 700s etc.

STABILITY:
Perhaps most depressingly, I noticed considerably more crashes on the TX. In all of the time I had TT6 on my Treo 700P it crashed maybe three times. One of those was a standard 700P issue where it crashes randomly when receiving certain incoming calls (i've not figured out why this happens). The other two were due to a small bug I found in the initial menu screens that I notified Palm about. Again, the TX's crippling lack of heap & cache memory may be the culprit. I also got an "out of DBCache memory" error message when trying to launch the Navigator 6 app and had to reset my TX in order to launch the app. Oh, TomTom didn't give me hassles registering the same product code on a 2nd device so I guess the rumor is true that they'll let you keep the Navigator software on two different Hotsync ID devices...a great boon for multi-Palm families/geeks!

ADDITIONAL PROS & CONS:
So while the maps LOOK fantastic on the TX's screen, screen redraws are stuttery and the random crashes are aggravating. I was able to drive to several spots around town with no issues so it's certainly a servicable setup. Just be prepared for one or two crashes daily. Do note that during some of the crashes (not all) I was "pushing" the program to its limits by opening and closing the Graffiti DIA and toggling wi-fi on and off while TomTom was running. Other crashes just occured when trying to search for a POI or when checking the GPS receiver status. On the bright side, the copilot voices were louder & clearer from my TX's speaker than from my Treo!

HINT:
Also, here's a tip that may save some frustrations for TX users. I was trying to install and register the program automatically on TomTom's server. I had to pair the GPS receiver via BT, then turn OFF BT and toggle Wi-Fi on, connect to my AP, launch Navigator 6 and go through the registration process, then exit TT, turn off wi-fi and turn on BT. Then I was finally able to relaunch the app and start navigating. Aggravating, yes, but since Palm doesn't officially support the TX with this product you have to expect this type of stuff. TomTom also might not be looking for a wi-fi radio to be present in the POS devices it's supposed to run with.

CONCLUSION:
I'd probably revise my rating to a 2.5/5 if I had only been able to us the product on a TX for the purposes of this review. It works but it needs some help in regards to stability. IF it was 100% stable and performance was maybe 10% improved, TomTom 6 on the TX would be an absolute 5/5 product for sure!



Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX-->Treo 700P

RE: Good news for Palm TX users! TomTom 6 + Palm TX = WORKS (kinda)!
jonbon27 @ 11/23/2006 12:07:19 PM # Q
SO i finally gave in a bought Tomtom 6 and the iBlue 737 GPS BT reciever, and I'm using this on my Palm TX. I have been running this now for 4 days and so far my TX has not crashed..not even once! This combination seems to run perfectly. The only comment I have is that there is some lag as the palm TX redraws the screen as its larger than a Treo but the side effects from this are very negligable. On a side note the iBlue 737 reciever is very impressive, its tiny and works flawlessly right out of the box. I would rate this combo 5/5 so far!

RE: Good news for Palm TX users! TomTom 6 + Palm TX = WORKS (kinda)!
alanjrobertson @ 12/30/2006 8:34:00 AM # Q
Same here - apart from the DBCache issue on startup I haven't had any crashes running TTN6 on my TX so far (and I've been using it for a few days at a time!).

Cheers

Alan

RE: Good news for Palm TX users! TomTom 6 + Palm TX = WORKS (kinda)!
PalmTX-7 @ 1/5/2007 2:13:27 AM # Q

So with the TX it's 2 yea, one nea. Is there anything the user can do to make it more reliable? Probably not with help from Palm: on the US page only the inferior older model is listed as TX compatible.
Palm really dug themselves a hole by hanging on to an antique, tweaked and patched OS which is different for every hardware release.
I'd love to use my TX as a GPS nav device but don't want to deal with frequent crashes. Has your experience with it gotten better/worse?

- tx

RE: Good news for Palm TX users! TomTom 6 + Palm TX = WORKS (kin
toomyem @ 1/5/2007 6:58:30 AM # Q
Hi,

What about T5? Will TTN 6 run on it?

tomekM

RE: Good news for Palm TX users! TomTom 6 + Palm TX = WORKS (kinda)!
hkklife @ 1/5/2007 9:53:14 AM # Q
According to, I believe, a 1src thread on the topic, the T5 runs about as well as the T6 does. I have not tested it on a T5, having sold my old T5 long ago.

Remember, in the T5's favor are a 104mhz faster CPU and slightly larger DBheap/DBcache sizes (though TT6 still runs out of it on occasion) vs. the TX. The TX does have a newer OS and some NVFS optimizations that the T5 doesn't have so I'd imagine that TT6 would ultimately run about the same on both units...or it might be slightly faster on the T5 but a tad more stable on the TX.

Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX-->Treo 700P

RE: Good news for Palm TX users! TomTom 6 + Palm TX = WORKS (kinda)!
jwapalm @ 1/7/2007 11:36:12 AM # Q
Hkklife, super job on the TX Navigator eval. Unfortunate that Palm doesn't present a solution on their site for a good supported navigator for the TX, other than the link to another vendor. Think there is a pretty good market for a supported TX Navigator package.

Since it appears you have access to the new Navigator bundle package for the 700P and tried it on the TX, can you take it a step further and advise if the Palm® GPS Navigator Smartphone Edition 2 Navigator from Palm would be a good route to go for the TX. ie: (1) will the pre-loaded SD card for the 700P work directly with the TX and (2) will the GPS/Device charging cable work with the TX and (3) will the TX fit in the provided mount? Love the TX for the screen real estate and looking for the best Navigator solution. Would you go this route or is there a better package? If this will work, it would also provide folks an option to move to the TREO later.

Again, appreciate you sharing your knowledge and experience!!



RE: Good news for Palm TX users! TomTom 6 + Palm TX = WORKS (kinda)!
hkklife @ 1/7/2007 1:14:47 PM # Q
1. Yes, the pre-loaded card with TomTom Navigator 6 works, straight out of the box, on the TX (albeit with the handful of issues I mentioned in my review). If you can live with the occasional crash and a bit of sluggishness, it works fine on the TX. Not as fine as it does on the 700p, mind you, but it DOES work. Note that I do not have access to ANY other modern Palm devices (LD, T5, Treo 650 etc) so I cannot comment if it works on those devices as well. I did read on 1src that someone got the card to work in their T5.

2. Yes, the combo charging cable works fine on the TX and the 700p. I've used both with the supplied cord. It's just a standard Palm Athena/MultiConnector cable so it'll work on nearly all recent Palm products, even the Windows Mobile ones.

3. Yes the TX will fit in the provided mount. It's adjustable and appears to be the same style used on the older Palm Navigator GPS kit (that was compatible with the TX, T5, LD etc). No problems there! It's also made in Germany so it's got excellent build quality and strong plastics.

Thanks for the kind words. Glad to be able to be of assistance. I wouldn't even rule out improved TX compatibility in a future software update to TomTom Navigator 6 (that is, assuming TomTom ever releases an update!)

Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX-->Treo 700P

RE: Good news for Palm TX users! TomTom 6 + Palm TX = WORKS (kin
colint @ 1/8/2007 8:57:17 AM # Q
Thank you all for your reviews regarding the Palm Tx and TomTom Navigator. I do wonder whether anyone else out there has had a similar problem to my own. I have been using a Tx with Nav5 for months with a problem. I upgraded from a UK map to a Western European one and had to upgrade from 5 to 6 to get the map to work.
All looked fine until I started entering my favourites. This is now apparently limited to 10. Yes 10! In place of the old 48. A real limitation when you spend a lot of time travelling round the country on business and returning to customers after delays of months in some cases.
Tom Tom have been helpful to a point but cannot, or refuse to, give any assistance with this problem. Their answer is that the Tx is not on the list for Nav 6!
Does anyone out there have an answer or has suffered from a similar limitation?



RE: Good news for Palm TX users! TomTom 6 + Palm TX = WORKS (kin
PalmTX-7 @ 1/12/2007 7:33:26 PM # Q

Are there workarounds for the issues with a TX? Perhaps there's a utility that manages dbCache and dynamic heap or whatever resource is short. Mabye a soft reset before launching the program would help? It's nice to have a single source solution for everything rather than piecing it together, but if it's going to be buggy then one might as well hit eBay and get, say, a BT receiver + Mapopolis or DeLorme.
Overclocking (TX uses a 512mhz processor factory underclocked to 312) might help some.

Reply to this comment

tomtom Navigator for Palm on TX

Whiteboy124 @ 1/14/2007 4:58:41 PM # Q
Hi There

I know you are all talking about TT6 so this may be nostalgic

nearly 3 years ago i bought a t3 and tomtom Navigator Bluetooth for Palm. The software has worked excellently over the 3 years even though im on my 3rd GPS reciever (common problem i understand).

My wife (bless her cotton socks) has just bought me a tx as my t3 is starting to get a little glitchy. i hoped that the tx would run the navigator as effectively as the t3 but it has not been able to.

It seems the tx can not cope with smoothly processing data from the gps unit and running the programme at the same time. however the tx can run the software before the bluetooth unit is turned on. any similar experiences?

Im interested in the tt5 as an upgrade but i wanted to check that it will run on the tx smoother than the software that i currently have. Does anyone have any experinece on this before i part with my pennies?

Thanks Jonathan

RE: tomtom Navigator for Palm on TX
colint @ 1/16/2007 3:24:42 PM # Q
Hi,

Yes, I can confirm that Navigator 5 ran just fine on my Tx with the TomTom Bluetooth GPS receiver. The only reason that I changed to Nav 6 was that I was tempted into upgrading from the GB to the Western Europe Map. With only the GB map it ran error free for well over 6 months and some 15,000 miles of driving around UK.

Incidently as a follow up to my previous note: I did try copying Nav 6 plus Map onto a 2GB SD card and re-entering the favourites but it still baulked at 10. So it isn't just a card capacity issue. It is just so frustrating having to keep a note of all those locations that I used to have stored as favourites.

If anyone has any clues I'm always willing to try potential fixes.

Colin

Tips on how to work TT5 TT6 on T5 TX
Irish Bobtail @ 1/19/2007 9:31:46 AM # Q
My experiences:
- 3rd party GPS-mouse (bluetooth, standard NMEA), 4 years old from Holux
- T5 and, since I flushed it down the toilet (yes, I did): TX
- TT5 and, recently, TT6

1) If you've used TCPMP and other apps with memory leaks: soft reset before anything else. Reason: Device is more stable for long routes.
2) (In the meantime:) Turn on the GPS and let it get a fix before starting TT. Reason: TT sometimes freezes / times out otherwise (Bluetooth stack overflow?).
3) If on a very long route (>1000 km or very many turns): Avoid doing anything else while navigating, e.g. no background-PocketTunes. Reason: obvious.
4) Always exit TT correctly via the "End"-screenbutton. Reason: clears cache correctly.
5) As a precaution: Use the smallest possible map (I noticed no difference between on-card or in-memory).

Result: never once (!) had a problem for years - since then. I can conveniently switch off the T5 / TX when on a long stretch of straight highway (leave the GPS on) and simply switch the device on again after an hour - it picks everything up again after 5..10 sec.

Correction: have to use bigger maps (> 200MB) sometimes, got frozen out once when a long way (? 500 km) from "home" (as defined in TT) as well as from my destination (as defined in current TT route). And could not recover with steps 1 to 3. Finally did a new route "from here" to a destination on my way, but much nearer. Worked. After some time did a recalculation to my true destination. Worked.

Advice: Always keep a phone number and/or a cheap map with you. In the years I've used TT I recognize that it has a 99.9(9?)% accuracy but will lead you completely astray the rest of the time. Don't completely rely on it.

Palm Pilot -> ... -> TX -> Palm TX-Phone, I hope

addendum
Irish Bobtail @ 1/19/2007 10:31:29 AM # Q
Sorry, I forgot:
Before exiting TT, clear the current route.
TT will otherwise unnecessarily reclaculate a new set of instructions from "here" to your old destination. Seemed to lead to some crashes on T5/TT5 otherwise and I kept this practice since then.

Palm Pilot -> ... -> TX -> Palm TX-Phone, I hope
RE: tomtom Navigator for Palm on TX
colint @ 1/22/2007 8:58:59 AM # Q
Hi IrishBobtail,

I was interesting in your hints and the fact that you were also using a TX with TT5 and now TT6. Do you have the same issue that I have - the reduction in the number of favourites that can be stored?

I did wonder if it was due to the size of the Western Europe map - with TT6 it just about fits on a 1GB SD card, but that cannot be the issue as I transferred it all to a 2GB card and the fault persists.

I tend to keep things simple and don't use the Palm for anythingthing else but TT when I am travelling and have never had it crash or even stutter.

Regards,

Colin


RE: tomtom Navigator for Palm on TX
hkklife @ 1/22/2007 10:32:00 AM # Q
What version of the TomTom6 app are you guys using on your TX? Is it 6.00 or 6.01? I just installed 6.01 from the new TomTom updated 2006 map DVD I got in the mail from them last week.

I believe 6.01 is the newest current version and that 6.03 is coming to add support for the new Treos (680, 700wx, 750). Let's hope that someone amidst those "optimizations" that unofficial TX support might be included as well!



Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX-->Treo 700P

RE: tomtom Navigator for Palm on TX
colint @ 1/29/2007 4:43:43 PM # Q
Hi Sorry for the time to make this reply, I've been out of Internet connectivity for the past week. The version that I have is the 6.010 downloaded along with the map.

I'm looking forward to the next upgrade in the hope that it will cure the limited number of favourites that I now have on my Tx. Apart from that I must admit that with the Western Europe map the system works very well.

Colin

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Palm TRE 700p tomtom

TheEngineer @ 2/18/2007 12:28:42 PM # Q
I am not sure who originally reviewed this package considering the review seems very odd, in that all he talks about is how some of the bugs have been fixed from the previous version and that its safe to buy the new version.

The TomTom navigation software isn't all that great.
They could learn a lot from google maps for palm,black berry and pocket pc.
Fast smooth scrolling maps and satellite view.
Also google maps is updated rather then static.
Even on a powerful PC, navigation software is very poor, this includes delorme and microsoft. Google maps is again best, but no way of connecting it to a gps and google requires a internet connection. The screen refresh is very slow and jagged looking on all mapping software except google maps.

recommendation - the industry should hire video game programmers that know how to utilize hardware 2d and 3d.

The gps hardware isn't that great.
A good remote gps unit should be able to go into a sleep mode for weeks until awakened by a bluetooth signal.
The unit should also be water proof in case the unit is held out a window or strapped onto our backpacks or placed on the roof of the car.
Battery life isn't great. A slightly bulkier but larger capacity battery such as 2000mah or greater battery would be better. a remote bluetooth gps unit should be so convenient one can attach it to the top of a backpack or dash of a car and forget it for a few weeks. otherwise having to carry two devices and charge two devices becomes a pain.

there are much better solutions out there now.
both garmin and magellan make devices that can navigate, reroute, do real time traffic and have voice instructions. they are more sturdier and water resistant then using a treo with a tomtom. best, one does not have to balance a separte gps unit while using the treo. besides the treo crashes enough on a given day without it being a gps.

conclusion:

the concept is great... using a phone as a gps and having a sd card for maps. but both tomtom and the hardware needs improving.

finding a place that has a unobstructed sky view while walking is difficult. the gps has to be placed on top of one's head or on top of a backpack for optimal reception.
so carrying two devices can be awkward. only solution is to make some sort of pouch for the gps unit on a hat or on the backpack.

battery life in this arrangement is horrible.
a few hours and one or both units is drained.

for now a single handheld gps unit is the best solution for all purpose use. there is no real time traffic, but battery life is good. battery lasts three straight days on some units with lithium AA batteries. and if one is willing to attach a ugly cable to the gps unit for a external antenna, the reception becomes great. sat locks occur in a few seconds with a good external antenna.

i am glad though they are trying... i think the concept has wondeful potential.
increase battery life, find a convenient way of placing the gps unit for pedestrians and improve the speed and quality of graphics (panning) and it would be a great combo.


RE: Palm TREO 700p tomtom
tjerome @ 6/26/2007 4:07:33 PM # Q
My experience with the Treo 700p and the GPS Navigator package has been really quite good. I've used it to navigate in my car from my mid-NH home to both rural and built-up places in New England, and it has chosen appropriate routes and provided excellent warning of upcoming turns.

I also used it while on vacation in Washington, D.C. recently in both subway and walking routes. Not surprisingly, the satellite signals were lost when the train went sub-surface, but they were re-acquired very quickly upon emerging aboveground, even miles away.

(It was amusing to run the setup in the jet on the way to DC from a few miles up, with a DC destination set--it recalculated the roads below me to follow to that destination about as fast as it could raw the next route. Watching it in 3D mode was fun, but 2D mode zoomed way out (with no dest set) was quite useful as a ground-tracking display, although it seemed to lag behind the jet for a few miles.)

I found the package was very helpful in DC's sweltering June heat and humidity in selecting shortest-walking routes from museum to museum to restaurant to hotel!

There were two small problems on this trip: every once in a while, I would hear a triple "ding-dong" set of alert tones from the 700p, and I have been unable to figure out what that indicated. I suspect it may have been a notice of transition between Verizon's "in-zone" and extended network regions as I passed through "urban canyons", so I think this was a 700p/Verizon issue and not a GPS one.

The other minor problem was related to the same urban canyon condition: after standing at a street corner and inputting a new destination, the GPS sometimes couldn't get a direction-of-travel lock for 50 feet or so, and Murphy insisted that I would have to try two or three of the four directions before I was sure I was on the right track. ;-)

I'd really like a feature that my standalone GPS (Geko 201) has--a recorded track of my travels that I could download to my computer for overlaying (for instance) on a Google Earth map.

I found battery life of the GPS unit and of the 700p to be sufficient for five or more hours of navigation, which is plenty for me. Then I charged each via UPS from my laptop at the hotel. Worked nicely. The 700p display map, when set to its brightest, was perfectly readable in broad daylight.

I was able, for the most part, to keep the GPS unit in my front pants pocket with the antenna side facing out. On startup, I would hold it in my hand until I got BT- and sat-lock. I carry a camera bag while traveling, though, and it might be useful to attach the GPS to the top of the shoulder strap for the best signal.

Overall, I'd give this a 4.5 out of 5 rating.

Ted

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Background apps

howiek @ 3/14/2007 5:10:39 PM # Q
Great article. I am in sales so I do a lot of driving. I just upgraded to the 700p and am excited about getting TT6. Do you have any experience with it while running PocketTunes in the background? I read that TT5 had some issues with this (like it wouldn't work). Thanks!

Howard

No one expects the Spanish Inquisition!

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Treo 650 USB connection to computer for TomTom Home

gocornet @ 8/17/2007 11:27:09 AM # Q
SO I bought the GPS Navigator smartphone edition 3 and installed the TomTom Home software and then bought the USB cable for the TREO 650. Now how the heck do I get it to recognize the Treo?

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TomTom Navigator 6 with Palm TX

johnmjans @ 12/29/2009 11:41:47 AM # Q
After reading this thread, I purchased TT Navigator 6 with the Bluetooth GPS receiver ($25 - a steal!) through fleebay. I was going to get just the software, but the package deal of software and GPS receiver was less expensive than software alone. I had already purchased a GlobalSat BT-359 receiver, so it makes a handy backup.

Anyway, I loaded USA/Canada maps onto a 2G SD card ($10) and then use that with my Palm TX. Works pretty good, and I'm getting more use out of my TX (since I recently got an Apple iPod Touch 2G).

Additional applications I use with TT6 - Off Flush, Blue Fang, and Warp Speed.

Good - Navigation performs as expected, quick reroutes, good selection of features (day/night displays, Contacts look-up, web-based traffic/weather updates).

Not so good - a bit flaky on start-up, display is sluggish, often hangs-up if you're already traveling, start-up sequence and satellite acquisition seems overly long. Also, making an effective mount for the TX is tricky

But, for less than $50, I can use my TX (which was getting a bit dusty) as an easily transportable GPS for the car or even hiking.

JMJ

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