Product Review
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Well first off, I'd like to say this is a really great GPS and I'm extremely satisfied with it. It may not be for everyone - like anything, you should do your research first. However, I was irritated to read many of the negative reviews here that appear to be due to lack of knowledge or just plain laziness from not reading the manual, etc. I felt I needed to write a thorough review to try and identify the true potential of this device.
I upgraded to this item when Amazon had a Friday sale at a ridiculous price. I paid the same that I paid for my previous GPS - A Via Michelin X930, which fails in comparison to the IPAQ 310. While that GPS was a great companion on the road, it was my first system and I found myself wanting some of the bells and whistles that come with higher level models once I had gotten used to how to use GPS navigation.
First off, I trust HP - even though they are new to the scene of GPS - and feel they have built a very solid product. Calling it a 'travel companion' is very accurate, as it does so much more than navigation.
Many of the reviewers seem to not know how to read a manual or edit the settings before you set up a new electronics product - and I don't mean a really thick book, I just mean the basic scan of key items, etc. First off, this item DOES have TTS support, you just have to make sure the voice you choose under settings has 'TTS' next to it - simple. Second, the re-routing issue people seem to have a problem with is most likely due to them not having 'auto re-routing' selected - again, under settings. Finally, the issue of the system being slow when showing 3D buildings is partially true, but common sense resolves it. I mean if you are in a huge city and have the setting on high, yeah it slows down, but why in the world would you want that many buildings on your map!?! They are a really nice and flashy feature, but there really is no need to have it on the high setting since with that many buildings it would make the map too cluttered. The medium setting works just fine for me, and I'm in Houston (4th biggest city in the US). Many of the most recognizable buildings are pretty detailed (like the Williams tower here in Houston). Those complaining who live in smaller towns and cities, and therefore are not in 3D, are just nit-picky. It clearly says that it's limited to specific areas (namely the largest cities, of course - not sure how many though). Like I said, this product may not be for everyone. If you want 3D buildings and you live in a smaller city, then wait to see if a product comes out later that appeals to you. Anyway, if most of these reviewers just went into the settings area when they first turned it on and played around a bit, they would find the answers to nearly all of the problems addressed!
I have been very happy with this product so far. The size and weight are perfect, and I like the design a lot. It feels very sturdy and well made. The power button could be located in a better position, but I haven't really had many issues with accidentally pushing it like others had mentioned. However, I haven't really carried it around a lot, so I can't really comment on if that is an ongoing problem or not yet. The screen is incredible! It is extremely crisp and clear, and I haven't had many issues viewing it in sunlight - less problems than my Via Michelin. Videos have to be converted to a specific format, so I haven't used that function yet or really played around with it. Music plays fine and you can select it to play then go and select your navigation (plus settings on how you want the music interrupted, etc.) The device has 2GB built in and has an SD slot for additional cards. Pictures are organized well and look great on the screen. I like the file system for music and pictures. It is pretty easy to use and similar to a computer's explorer. The games are a really neat little feature - quite a few of them are a real blast to play, with nice graphics to boot. They are played with the stylus that is cleverly and stealthily stored on the top of the device. The contacts feature is interesting, but I'm not sure I'll use it straight away. It does seem like something that might be useful. This device is small and light enough to just carry with you on trips (the protective case is really nice and I was surprised to see it included!) so it's good for bored times at the airport etc.
Ok, so now onto a couple of negatives. The speaker is not too great, which others have touched on. It is a bit quiet on it's own, but not terrible. The male voices especially tend to make it vibrate at high volume. At home it sounds pretty loud, but in the car it could be louder due to road noise, etc. However, it has an audio out jack so you can connect it to your AUX in your car. That is how I use it. I have my mp3's, bluetooth and navigation going through my car stereo and it's great to have all this in one device rather than the two or three I had before. Bluetooth with my Motorola V3t worked flawlessly and I'm glad I can finally talk on the phone through my cars speakers just like a dealer-installed option!
The software is decent. I find the menu system easy to follow and there are not a zillion sub-menus to get lost in. It is easy to navigate to where you want to go. There are a few quirks and bugs, but I figure this was only released in November, and HP are pretty good about updates, so most of the little issues that I have run into (like some funky graphics) will probably be fixed later. They are not big enough to cause major issues though. So far I haven't had any crashes that others have apparently experienced, so I can't really comment on stability just yet.
I haven't really been able to test out battery life since it has not drained all the way since I first charged it and I usually have it connected to the cigarette socket in the car. I want to test it using video, audio, etc. to see how long the life is. The device completely charges in about 2.5 to 3 hours.
So, onto the navigation features:
The device is extremely quick at gaining a satellite signal. I switched it on in my apartment and it literally picked up and fixated on my position in a couple of seconds! My Via Michelin takes about 2 or so minutes. The scroll wheel on the side is a great addition. You can zoom in and out with it or press it in to bring up a shortcut menu. Entering addresses is pretty simple. I had no problems with routing or re-routing, and it is extremely quick at both. I really think the C|Net reviewer had auto-rerouting turned off, since she rated that so low. You would think a reviewer like that would have things set up correctly before testing! The POI index is amazing! It has 12 million POI's according to the literature, and it really does seem that way - more than I could ever want. It made me realize how little my Via Michelin had, although they were definitely adequate for my use. The maps are TeleAtlas and I heard they were not as good as NavTeq, which I have in the Via Michelin. However, I haven't really noticed any notable differences between the two so far.
One feature I really like is the IPAQ website. This allows you to register your travel companion and create routes to download to your device. This is REALLY useful for long trips since you can take advantage of the keyboard and computer screen which makes it much easier to find and enter POI's, multiple stops, etc. The website was not up and running until a few weeks ago, so that is one reason for some negative pointers here and in other reviews. It is working fine now and I think it will be a great resource for updating, etc. My Via Michelin has nothing like this, and with this new device being through HP, I know I will have access to support.
Overall, I feel this is a really good GPS system that has gotten some bad rap due to user ignorance, laziness and too early release for reviewing since the website was not even up yet for the major reviewers. For the price I paid it was an incredible value, but I would say even at near the list price I feel it would be worth the money considering the features compared to other GPS devices that are in competition. I guess I tend to go for the underdog too - I feel I discover really incredible products this way and the IPAQ 310 travel companion follows this tradition.
I upgraded to this item when Amazon had a Friday sale at a ridiculous price. I paid the same that I paid for my previous GPS - A Via Michelin X930, which fails in comparison to the IPAQ 310. While that GPS was a great companion on the road, it was my first system and I found myself wanting some of the bells and whistles that come with higher level models once I had gotten used to how to use GPS navigation.
First off, I trust HP - even though they are new to the scene of GPS - and feel they have built a very solid product. Calling it a 'travel companion' is very accurate, as it does so much more than navigation.
Many of the reviewers seem to not know how to read a manual or edit the settings before you set up a new electronics product - and I don't mean a really thick book, I just mean the basic scan of key items, etc. First off, this item DOES have TTS support, you just have to make sure the voice you choose under settings has 'TTS' next to it - simple. Second, the re-routing issue people seem to have a problem with is most likely due to them not having 'auto re-routing' selected - again, under settings. Finally, the issue of the system being slow when showing 3D buildings is partially true, but common sense resolves it. I mean if you are in a huge city and have the setting on high, yeah it slows down, but why in the world would you want that many buildings on your map!?! They are a really nice and flashy feature, but there really is no need to have it on the high setting since with that many buildings it would make the map too cluttered. The medium setting works just fine for me, and I'm in Houston (4th biggest city in the US). Many of the most recognizable buildings are pretty detailed (like the Williams tower here in Houston). Those complaining who live in smaller towns and cities, and therefore are not in 3D, are just nit-picky. It clearly says that it's limited to specific areas (namely the largest cities, of course - not sure how many though). Like I said, this product may not be for everyone. If you want 3D buildings and you live in a smaller city, then wait to see if a product comes out later that appeals to you. Anyway, if most of these reviewers just went into the settings area when they first turned it on and played around a bit, they would find the answers to nearly all of the problems addressed!
I have been very happy with this product so far. The size and weight are perfect, and I like the design a lot. It feels very sturdy and well made. The power button could be located in a better position, but I haven't really had many issues with accidentally pushing it like others had mentioned. However, I haven't really carried it around a lot, so I can't really comment on if that is an ongoing problem or not yet. The screen is incredible! It is extremely crisp and clear, and I haven't had many issues viewing it in sunlight - less problems than my Via Michelin. Videos have to be converted to a specific format, so I haven't used that function yet or really played around with it. Music plays fine and you can select it to play then go and select your navigation (plus settings on how you want the music interrupted, etc.) The device has 2GB built in and has an SD slot for additional cards. Pictures are organized well and look great on the screen. I like the file system for music and pictures. It is pretty easy to use and similar to a computer's explorer. The games are a really neat little feature - quite a few of them are a real blast to play, with nice graphics to boot. They are played with the stylus that is cleverly and stealthily stored on the top of the device. The contacts feature is interesting, but I'm not sure I'll use it straight away. It does seem like something that might be useful. This device is small and light enough to just carry with you on trips (the protective case is really nice and I was surprised to see it included!) so it's good for bored times at the airport etc.
Ok, so now onto a couple of negatives. The speaker is not too great, which others have touched on. It is a bit quiet on it's own, but not terrible. The male voices especially tend to make it vibrate at high volume. At home it sounds pretty loud, but in the car it could be louder due to road noise, etc. However, it has an audio out jack so you can connect it to your AUX in your car. That is how I use it. I have my mp3's, bluetooth and navigation going through my car stereo and it's great to have all this in one device rather than the two or three I had before. Bluetooth with my Motorola V3t worked flawlessly and I'm glad I can finally talk on the phone through my cars speakers just like a dealer-installed option!
The software is decent. I find the menu system easy to follow and there are not a zillion sub-menus to get lost in. It is easy to navigate to where you want to go. There are a few quirks and bugs, but I figure this was only released in November, and HP are pretty good about updates, so most of the little issues that I have run into (like some funky graphics) will probably be fixed later. They are not big enough to cause major issues though. So far I haven't had any crashes that others have apparently experienced, so I can't really comment on stability just yet.
I haven't really been able to test out battery life since it has not drained all the way since I first charged it and I usually have it connected to the cigarette socket in the car. I want to test it using video, audio, etc. to see how long the life is. The device completely charges in about 2.5 to 3 hours.
So, onto the navigation features:
The device is extremely quick at gaining a satellite signal. I switched it on in my apartment and it literally picked up and fixated on my position in a couple of seconds! My Via Michelin takes about 2 or so minutes. The scroll wheel on the side is a great addition. You can zoom in and out with it or press it in to bring up a shortcut menu. Entering addresses is pretty simple. I had no problems with routing or re-routing, and it is extremely quick at both. I really think the C|Net reviewer had auto-rerouting turned off, since she rated that so low. You would think a reviewer like that would have things set up correctly before testing! The POI index is amazing! It has 12 million POI's according to the literature, and it really does seem that way - more than I could ever want. It made me realize how little my Via Michelin had, although they were definitely adequate for my use. The maps are TeleAtlas and I heard they were not as good as NavTeq, which I have in the Via Michelin. However, I haven't really noticed any notable differences between the two so far.
One feature I really like is the IPAQ website. This allows you to register your travel companion and create routes to download to your device. This is REALLY useful for long trips since you can take advantage of the keyboard and computer screen which makes it much easier to find and enter POI's, multiple stops, etc. The website was not up and running until a few weeks ago, so that is one reason for some negative pointers here and in other reviews. It is working fine now and I think it will be a great resource for updating, etc. My Via Michelin has nothing like this, and with this new device being through HP, I know I will have access to support.
Overall, I feel this is a really good GPS system that has gotten some bad rap due to user ignorance, laziness and too early release for reviewing since the website was not even up yet for the major reviewers. For the price I paid it was an incredible value, but I would say even at near the list price I feel it would be worth the money considering the features compared to other GPS devices that are in competition. I guess I tend to go for the underdog too - I feel I discover really incredible products this way and the IPAQ 310 travel companion follows this tradition.
