iPAQ hw6515 Review - Page 3

By: Saravana Kumar Paulraj

November 25, 2005

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GPS Testing: (Published on January 12, 2006)

The device comes in 2 versions. One without the MAPS and one with the UAE maps. The costs will vary accordingly. Please check the local showroom for more details.

First Things First

Before Using Destinator for the First Time

Before you can use the device with the "Destinator" software for the MAPS, the device should have the latest information of the GPS satellites. This can be downloaded from the site through the GPS settings itself. You will need some means of internet connectivity. I have used GPRS, WiFi for the above - and it took very lesser amount for my GPRS connection and finished the job quickly. We can also accomplish it with the internet connection on the PC and sharing that with the device over USB / Bluetooth.

The process is as follows, the GPS icon is found in the screen. Tapping the icon, will take to the page (as shown). Ok, this GPS information downloaded may go outdated (as it says) in two days, but we can still use the device with the outdated information. One time GPS data download will be enough for the device to work. The on screen icon will show how old the downloaded data is.

After downloading the latest information, turning the 'Destinator' application will start to search for the 'GPS satellites'.

Quick Start

Ok, now the GPS data is downloaded, and we are ready for the travel. A quick start will be to launch the Destinator and get going. But the device needs some small start up. Yes, the device takes more than minutes to acquire satellites, and makes it ready to position itself. It not only takes the satellites, but also does some initialization before you can 'start it'. Please wait for the same.

After a few days of usage, my advice on this time spent would be,

1. Start the Destinator when you leave home. By the time you reach the car in the parking and the car hits road, the device will be ready for usage. At least after the car starts moving the device can take the GPS and start guiding.
2. If the device is left in the car? Most people are used to start the car and wait for couple of minutes when the car settles with the 'RPM' etc. The device can get this time to start and settle itself.

The idea is, it is worth waiting for few minutes before you start.

Start Using the Destinator

The icon shortcut is placed in the start menu. Upon clicking you are invited with the menu with the options

Click the "Destinator PN"; it will take to the map view of the device. This will guide us for the roads.

GPS view will show the number of satellites and their locations, the GPS has picked up based on the location and the obstructions (buildings, trees etc.) The view shows a 'red strip' with information if the GPS has not completed its initialization process and if it has not got enough satellites for the MAP purpose. Please wait till it is over or you can continue driving.

As the name says, Demo will run us through the 'DEMO' usage of the Destinator application. This is a very good introduction for the beginners. If you are a 'try & use' user, you wont need it, as it is so simple to use.

Please wait for few minutes, as it performs some operations while searching for the satellites above the sky.

GPS Settings

Since the GPS is inbuilt in the PDA device, there is absolutely no requirement for the settings on the device. Anyway, a snapshot on the GPS settings screen, will give a fair idea on what the GPS is all about for the device.

Getting Started

The below image shows the screen after the GPS has located in the MAP.

As we can see, the screen shows the menu and options as icons on the sides. The top and bottom of the screen and spared for the other information display on the screen, which we will definitely need them.

The most frequently used option / menu is located near the bottom of the screen. This may be done considering the fact that the user might be driving and the device will be used one handed. So, the menu can be accessed with the thumbs (right or left handed)

The ZOOM of the map can be done using the on screen slider, or by using the 'up/down' slider of the device that is normally used to control the volume.

The options and other menu can be activated by the 'car' (biggest on the left side on the screen) icon.

Options and Settings

There are 3 main menus that comes for the system, as shown below

I have taken few snaps of these menus and shown below. All are self explanatory.

Destination Menu

This covers most of the travel needs, for which the software is designed for. The menu can be used to locate the location, before you can really start moving to it. The location can be located by,

1. Address mode: This can be located if we know the address. This comes with the street name details and more information. If you don't know that then the other options can always help us to locate the place on the screen.
2. Point Of Interest mode (POI): All, almost all the important points in the Middle East are marked with the MAP. I could confirm that the software has most of the locations in UAE. I couldn't confirm for the rest of Middle East, but I assume that the details will be available.

All the areas are categorized and are listed below. You can definitely hit the location even if it is a grocery. I was amazed to see the small grocery near my place listed in the MAP.

3. Favorites Locations: This can really materialize, when we go to that place once and mark them as your favorite. Else, select the place by the above methods and pull them to the favorite list. Any of the above will mark them as favorite, and we know how easy the 'favorite' will help, avoiding the entire menu process.

There are other menu options, that will help us for the 'traveling'.

1. Contacts: to avoid the 'contacts' to be loaded into the RAM, this act as a shortcut for the contacts.
2. Trips Planner: Plan the multiple location trips if they are required. This really helps, when we are supposed to pickup people on the way to location or when we have to plan the travel. This really helps in the travel, when we are on long distance but unknown location travel. All location points for the trip can be added by any of the above location planning methods (address, POI, favorites), which makes life simpler.

Options Menu

As you might have guessed, this is a full fledged, settings page. The options are more specific to the usage of the application.

Settings Menu

Some settings menu pictures combined below,

Plan and Travel

We have just come across the various menus and options the Destinator has. This will give a fair enough idea on the usage and traveling with the device. Basically this supports tow modes of traveling, which can be switched at any time of usage:

1. Vehicle Mode - As the name says, this will assume that the traveler is in the car. Thus will avoid all the directions that the 'car' is not supposed to go, and will guide the map accordingly. I mean, it will take through the path the car can travel.
2. Pedestrian Mode - More useful when we are on the foot travel. This will also include walking across the signals etc, to make the fast and easier route to choose.

We will have to know the end point before we can start using the application. Those have to be marked as the destination (from the 'Destination' menu discussed before). The rest will be taken care by the application itself.

If you are not able to locate the 'destination' by points / address, but know how to locate in the map, just drag and locate the point on the map and tap on the location will activate the menu below. Selecting the 'navigate' will make the route to be defined and travel accordingly.

Work On the Plan

Selecting the various options on the top menu will show details as shown below. I have combined the images, to make the page load faster than having multiple images. This is a sample route defined from my place in 'Al Rigga' to the Airport Terminal.

See and Travel

Ok, all planned and we have to travel using the guidance. This is where the technology helps. The 'Destinator' offers different view patterns. I have summarized in my terms as,

1. 2D View Normal
2. 2D Night View
3. 3D View Normal
4. 3D Night View

The sample image is shown below combined.

What Details do you need?

As combined information there are lots that the GPS can give us on the screen. They are,

1. Current Time - the top band is used so, we need the time
2. Battery Power - critical information, to avoid hard reset
3. Where are we? (Street name / locality) - are you in the middle of some road and want to get help over the phone, by mentioning the street name.
4. Latitude & Longitude - if you want to really tell others when you are lost in the desert
5. Altitude - height from the sea level. This really helped me when I was in the Hatta Dam.
6. Velocity / Speed - No need to peep into the dashboard when your friend is driving. The device also alarms when you are over speeding.

The image is shown below combined.

My Experience

This is the first time I am using a device that has maps and will navigate. So, I have put down my views as I felt while driving. More info on what others said about the device is given below:

Signal:

The device is integrated with GPS in it, so no need to worry about the clustered wires or the extra power spent on Bluetooth. I can literally place the device on my lap while I travel and it never complains on signal. Throughout my travel, the device was held by my friends on the passenger seat (front / rear) and didn't affect the signal at all.

Audio:

The device basically comes with a female voice instructor. It gives instructions on multiple intervals of approaching the variation on the road

1. 3 KMS before the turn / roundabout approaching
2. 500 Meters before the turn / roundabout approaching
3. 300 Meters before the turn / roundabout approaching
4. When you have to take the turn / roundabout

Missed Direction:

If you have missed a direction by mistake or on purpose, the device immediately calculates the next possible route on the path you travel and then it continues instructing.

Roundabouts:

Instructions are clear and the device says which exit to take on the roundabout. E.g) the words said by the device "Continue driving the roundabout, 3rd exit". This gave more clear idea on the exit to take. If I have not used the device I would be using the words "Roundabout left", which is not correct when some roundabouts doesn't have 4 exits in it.

Exits and Keep Left:

There are occasions when you have to take the exit (right from the road) and don't take the right turn, but to keep on the left and take the interchange. This was clearly mentioned. The device first says "Take exit at the right". Immediately after you are in the exit, it says "Keep Left", which will take you to the interchange.

What Others Say

Comments by my friends, who accompanied me on travel to Hatta.

1. Superb device, when it shows the nearby roads also, to confirm that you are on track
2. Roundabout instruction is perfect
3. Cant be used by driver, but can definitely be as a instructor for driver only drive
4. The lady (instruction voice) wakes you up, if the roundabout is approaching before 3 KM itself
5. Don't leave the charger home when make a full day or more days journey with this device
6. If not for the route, we have to use the device for its accuracy and the lady's voice

What we Need?