HP finds value in GPS
Considering palmtops and GPS add-ons get along so swimmingly these days, HP’s taken an age to revive the iPAQ sat-nav sleeves of yesteryear. Well, goo
Considering palmtops and GPS add-ons get along so swimmingly these days, HP’s taken an age to revive the iPAQ sat-nav sleeves of yesteryear. Well, good news, motor fans! The sleeve is finally back, this time in the shape of an iPAQ and dock duo known as the Navigator bundle.
The dock’s palmtop pal is last year’s iPAQ rx1950, a slim, good value number with built-in Wi-Fi. The GPS action, meanwhile, is supplied by ViaMichelin software on an SD card, which provides the usual Points of Interest (POI) from its roadmaps. The dock cradle mounts on your dash and has built-in speakers to beef up directions.
Naturally, there’s a host of additional content for you to download from Michelin’s website, including the locations of those pesky speed cameras.
You also get the benefits of HP’s iPAQ to carry around in your pocket. Since it’s preloaded with Windows Mobile 5.0, the screen will rotate from a map-friendly landscape mode to a practical day-to-day portrait display.
One big omission, though, is Bluetooth, which would have been handy for a hands-free calling option a la the TomTom GO series.
Still, this is a reasonably priced bundle at £300, with only Mio’s A201 GPS smartphone beating it for wallet-friendliness. If you’re an existing rx1950 owner, you currently can’t buy the GPS pack separately, although HP has promised it’ ‘in the near future’.
The Navigator bundle is available direct from HP’s site now.
Wallet-friendly sat-nav from Mio
There can be only ONE cheap sat-nav
