HP iPAQ rx5915 Travel Companion Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)It's a GPS with all the pocket PC features, not a PPC with GPS features. This is a GPS first! It's basically the same as a TomTom One navigation system, but with the added PPC functions. I've had other GPS/PDA/PPC combos in the past and they don't stack up to this one at all!

Lets look at the GPS first:

The map issue that others are having is going to depend on where you live or where you will be using this unit. Try different GPS's software, as they aren't all the same.

Personally, I like the Magellan software for it's "Dings" when approaching a turn, as well as it's "Approaching destination on the left" notifications. TomTom doesn't tell you what side of the street your destination is on, except for the location on the screen (no verbal prompt.)TomTom however has a much better itinerary planning capability than the Magellan, one feature I liked more.

You can load your own custom POI's if you want, but the TomTom POI's are a little lacking. It's not like I found everything in my Magellan either though. It depends on how much you want to rely on the POI's. As an advantage, since this is wifi enabled and has pocket internet explorer, you can always use the internet to find the POI you are looking for.

The biggest negative I have is with the GPS fix time. It's slow. I mean really slow. Sometimes it can take a few minutes, and if you are already moving it seems to take even longer. Up to several minutes.

I wish one of the buttons was a mute/un-mute button, but it's something I can live without.

The car cradle is the best one I've ever used. It's very easy to mount, and it's even easier to insert the GPS and remove it. Takes no time at all. Since it's powered by mini-usb, this is an added bonus for me, as my cell phone charges on the same connection.

Battery life is excellent, it lasts about 5 hours for my use so far. Enabling wifi or bluetooth will of course lower the battery performance.


Onto the PocketPC functions:

As a PPC, this thing rocks! With wifi and bluetooth you have every connection you could need. I use the internet on this more than I thought I would. I check my web based email, browse the news headlines, watch streaming video and listen to online music. It's got a few hundred megs of extra space for MP3's if you want, but I use my ipod for my mp3 listening. I also use this to store my photos. I have a phone that runs pocket windows as well, and with it's camera I can take a photo and send it via bluetooth to the PPC and add a contact in no time!

Pocket Internet Explorer doesn't always work for me. I like the Opera browser more (free 30 day trial) but I've found a few sites that wouldn't work in Opera, or looked better in Pocket IE.

It came down to this or a Magellan 3050T GPS system. I chose this because it's smaller, lighter, and has a ton of options over a stand-alone GPS. You can't compare this to a stand alone GPS because it's not. It has many more options that you may or may not use. If you are considering buying a TomTom One GPS, then get this instead. It's about the same price, runs the exact same software (TomTom 6.0) and has all the PDA features in a smaller package.

I hope this was helpful, but in the end it depends on what your looking for. I travel a lot, and needed something that had all the maps built in, was small enough to take on my carry on, could travel with me and was easy to use. I think I've found it in this unit. Just try and take one of the stand alone GPS's and casually put it in your pocket, good luck getting it out!
Additional Information:
TomTom and HP are currently working on an updated map release for this product and will (hopefully) have it available on the HP support website by the end of January. TomTom is hailing this update as "The most detailed and accurate maps of the US and Canada ever produced.."This update will also be free to owners of the RX5900 series Travel Companions.

Update 02/08/07:
HP Hasn't released an updated map pack yet, however they did release a firmware update for the unit. This update improves the GPS functionality and accuracy. I now get GPS locks in seconds, where it used to take minutes. While driving, I get a lock in 10 seconds. I get a lock faster if I'm stopped. It is definitely a significant improvement and I recommend everyone that owns one of these updates the firmware.

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Product Description:
Whether for business, for pleasure, or a little of both, the HP iPAQ rx5915 Travel Companion helps you make the most of your travels whether they take you around town or around the world. The premier GPS navigation system guides you to virtually anywhere with ease. Everything is pre-installed and ready to use. Just turn it on and go. The thin, stylish design fits simply in the car and is easy to take with you wherever you travel. Plus, your HP iPAQ Travel Companion is full-function Windows Mobile 5.0 handheld.


The HP iPAQ Travel Companion is a full-function Windows Mobile 5.0 handheld with built-in GPS. View larger.

Check out some of the iPAQ's key features. View larger.

Check out some of the iPAQ's key interface features. View larger. Take your office with you and stay connected with integrated 802.11b/g wireless LAN and Bluetooth wireless technologies to the people and information that is important to you. When you want to relax you can listen to your favorite music, view your photos and videos, surf the web, or play games. Navigate, stay connected, and be entertained wherever you travel with the HP iPAQ Travel Companion.
The HP iPAQ rx5915 Travel Companion helps you make the most of travels ranging from walks around the block to jaunts around the world. This thin, stylish GPS navigation system guides you virtually anywhere with ease.
Navigate

Be guided virtually anywhere with the rx5915's premier GPS navigation system and maps1 (no SD cards or activation required), follow voice-guided navigation and on-screen prompts
Plug and play: the installed GPS navigation software and maps allow you to get going fast; no SD cards or activation required!
Navigate fast with the HP Quick Launch feature, and convenient buttons
Simplify your trips by accessing weather, current times, currencies, measurement conversions, and a packing organizer
Includes the TomTom Navigator 6 navigation software and complete maps of United States and Canada pre-installed (Feature available in North America).

Stay connected

Ensure a strong connection without flip-up or external antennas with the integrated SiRFstarIII GPS receiver
Take your office with you: stay connected via the latest Windows Mobile 5.0,802.11b/g wireless2 LAN, and Bluetooth
Connect to a variety of Bluetooth-enabled devices, including Internet-enabled Bluetooth phones
Keep it with you in your pocket, purse, or car; it's super compact

Be entertained

Relax: listen to your favorite music, view photos and videos, surf the Web, play games
See everything clearly on the large, antiglare, touchscreen
View and share photos and create slide shows with HP Photosmart Mobile
Play games including Solitaire and Bubble Breaker

What's in the box?
HP iPAQ rx5915 Travel Companion, Lithium-ion 1700 mAh removable battery, AC adapter, Mini-USB, Synchronization/charge cable, Car charger, Car holder, Windshield mount,Slip case, Documentation kit

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Pharos Traveler 525 2.27-Inches Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Bought the Pharos 525 2 weeks ago.It's a very neat device, and is one of the first to include all three wifi, bluetooth and gps in the one unit.It is smaller than most PDA's, but has the same amount of pixels as other QVGA Pocket pcs (320x240) in its smaller screen, giving it a very sharp and readable appearance.Its big enough.Battery life is great - I accidentally left the GPS running one morning on arriving at the office, it was still going when I next looked at the device 8 hours later!My old Garmin Ique would've been dead after about 45 minutes without power with the GPS running.The GPS receiver is also super sensitive, and does not require a flip out antenna, meaning you can often leave the device in its pleather case while operating the GPS, and not in your car window if you don't want either, a nice nod to convenience.

I can't agree with the other reviewer comment "Nice job Pharos".The device is basically a rebadged HTC Galaxy, aka Qtek G100, aka Dopod P100, aka I-mate PDA-N.Pharos has done nothing to the unit apart from added their splash screen at start up.The only thing Pharos has done is include their Ostia software, which is, quite frankly, absolutely terrible and without doubt the worst GPS software I've ever used.Hopelessly old fashioned and non-intuitive, the worst thing of all is that its routing algorhythms are way off and the routes it chooses are shockingly terrible.I'd have no confidence to travel somewhere unfamiliar with this software - you will get to your destination, but it'll probably take you a while, on the scenic route - this is what those rip off New York style cabbies must use!

Thankfully, you can bin this terrible software and install something else.I'm currently running Mapopolis, which is an excellent inexpensive program, not the best looking (blows Pharos's terrible effort away, mind you) but the routing, directions and features included are excellent, and the mapping is bang on.You can even try before you buy off their website.Other good ones are TomTom 5, Copilot 6 and Iguidance.

All in all, very happy with the device now - just be sure you budget in some extra to change the navigation software - even if you've never used GPS before, and think the supplied Pharos Ostia is OK, you owe it to yourself to at least have a look at one of the other programs - you'll change your mind very fast!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Pharos Traveler 525 2.27 Inches Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator

Product Description:
The Pharos Traveler GPS 525 Portable Navigation System is the first pocket GPS device to combine Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 into a single, compact device. With the GPS 525, you can access your Outlook e-mail and make PC-to-PC calls via Wi-Fi while you're traveling, and with its advanced GPS navigation tools, you'll never get lost. This is truly the first portable device that's designed for today's mobile professional.

Simple controls, powerful GPS reception, Wi-Fi, and Windows Mobile 5.0. What more could you ask for? Preloaded with the top 50 U.S. metropolitan maps, the GPS 525 uses GPS satellites and digital street maps to show you where you are, locate points of interest, or set a route to your destination. The uniquely sensitive GPS receiver ensures you'll be able to get a position fix just about anywhere. You can find hotspot locations while you're on the road, download maps over high-speed connections, look up Points of Interest (POI), and much more. The device includes a 512 MB SD card with maps of 50 major U.S. metro cities preloaded. A highly accurate and sensitive SiRFstarIII GPS receiver built into the GPS 525 will keep you on track, and voice-prompted, turn-by-turn directions will make navigation through unfamiliar territory a breeze. For car travel, the unit comes with a windshield bracket mount and 12-volt car charger.
The device features an easy-to-see color screen with a durable windshield bracket mount that allows for both landscape and portrait screen orientation, as well as a three-dimensional mapping perspective or two-dimensional overhead view.
In addition to its advanced GPS capabilities, the Pharos Traveler GPS 525 includes Microsoft Windows Mobile applications such as Pocket Outlook, Windows Media Player, and Internet Explorer. You can seamlessly sync GPS navigation with your Outlook database of contacts so you can navigate directly to any of your Outlook contact addresses. The Pharos Traveler will guide you along the way with voice-prompted, turn-by-turn instructions and will give you the choice of taking the highway or the back roads.
The GPS 525 also features Voice Over Internet Protocol, or VOIP, functionality that operates via a built-in 802.11b wireless receiver with 64-128 bit WEP standard data encryption. In other words, having the GPS 525 in the palm of your hands will make you wonder if you ever need to go to the office again.

What's in the Box
525 GPS unit, windshield bracket mount, AC adapter, 12-V car charger, USB SD card reader, headset, 512 MB SD card, and navigation CD with U.S. maps.

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