| Software Author: | iNavcorp | | Product: | iGuidance V4.0 | | Cost: | $109 | | Reviewed By: | Russ Terrell | | Rating: | |
Released 07-03-07. North America coverage (including Alaska, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands) using Navteq digital maps. Tested on a Dell AXIM x50 2003se with iBlue Bluetooth GPS and Qstarz Bluetooth GPS. Before you start the installation process, be sure you have at least a 2G memory card with 1.3G available. The full map set will be installed to the card. The software comes on a DVD. On the DVD are Navteq digital maps, Pocket PC program, Laptop PC program, and UMPC program. Installation is straightforward, just place the DVD in the PC drive and let autorun start the installation program. The installation on the PC is typical; asking what types of devices you will be installing the program on and where you want to install the program. Activesync will ask where to install the PPC program. Once the program is installed, you will need to copy the iNav iGuidance folder and subfolders to the memory card. I use a 2G SD card for program and data storage. You can save some time if you have a USB 2.0 reader to transfer the files. iNav noted that the next DVD release will have an automated copy process. I did have a few complaints about the installation process. First off, it put a shortcut on my desktop for the help file. I feel an installation process should always ask if it’s ok to install desktop icons. I have several drives I install software to, so I always select a non-standard location. The shortcut installed did not point to the correct location. I had to go into properties and make changes. Turns out the help file wasn’t even installed on the drive. I copied it off the DVD and into the correct directory. The other issue I had was that it asked me to restart my PC when the installation was done. This didn’t make sense, as it was only installing the PPC version. Before you start iGuidance for the first time, be sure your Pocket PC and Bluetooth GPS are paired. When you start the program, you don’t need to have the Bluetooth radio turned on, as the program turns it on for you. Each time you start iGuidance, it asks you to agree to not enter data or operate the software while operating your vehicle. To activate the GPS for the first time you will need to go to Tools/GPS Options and set the Com Port and Baud Rate, or you can select Auto Detect. Once these are set and your GPS is communicating, you shouldn’t have to set them again. To check the communication with the GPS, go to Menu/GPS Info. This will show you your location, speed and number of satellites in range and used. If you go to the Map screen you will see your location icon in green. Now all you need to do is select a destination and you’re ready to go. The main map screen is nicely laid out and simple to use. All the major options are accessible through large buttons on the screen. The + and – buttons control the zoom function. The mute button will mute the warning sounds and voice announcements. The direction arrow in the right hand corner can be toggled to show your position oriented to north or your current forward heading. When you are in navigation mode, the left hand corner shows your next turn and distance to that turn. It you tap that area, it will give you a voice announcement of that information. The menu button takes you to the menu options, which will be discussed in a moment. Along the bottom of the main screen are additional information boxes. When the program is in guidance mode, they show ETA time, drive time, miles and your current speed. At the very bottom of the screen are drop down settings that should not be changed while you are driving, as you need a stylus. You should only need to access them during your initial setup of the program. There are also several icons, 3 of which are duplicates of ones on the main part of the screen or in the menu. The other one is for volume control. These four icons are not accessible while driving, as they are designed for stylus access. Under File you have the options to enter a destination, Save Current Location (which you should do right away for your home location) and Record Track (this allows later playback of your routing). Under Tools you will find Safety Features (which allow you to set a warning if you drive over the recommended speed limit and Fog Driving alert), Distance Units (metric or US standard), Routing Options (also in the Menu area), Display Options (also in the Menu area), Hotkey Options (program the PPC buttons for specific functions) and GPS Options for setting baud rate and Com Port. When the Fog Driving alert is on, the program will beep at each intersection, just in case you can’t see that far in the fog.  |  |
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Under View you will find Guidence (which is a close up view showing the next turn information), Route List (showing you turn by turn information), GPS Info (same as what is in the Menu options), Almanac (showing local sunrise and sunset times and moon phase, available if you have internet access), Weather (current local weather information, available if you have internet access) and Trip Computer. Trip Computer has the ability to track 3 trips with Start/End time, Elapsed time, Total distance, Average and top speed. You need to start the trip information from this screen. I could not find any way to get to this screen from the main menu. This can be a problem because it’s next to impossible to get to it once you’re on the road.  |  |
Finally, if you tap and hold on the position marker, you will get several options. These include showing your current street location, setting start location, stopover location, destination or add to the itinerary. You can pan the map at any time by tap and holding the screen, then dragging the screen around. I found you have to tap the red box with the x in it to exit out of panning mode. I thought that the program had locked out until I figured it out. There should be some type of time out on that mode, as I found it stopped the voice guidance. The screen display is highly configurable, with several different color pallets and 2D/3D displays. You can also turn on night time maps that are easier to see at night. These options are all personal preferences, you’ll find the ones you like best after using the program a while. The Route Options screen is where you setup all the global routing parameters. Method is the key to finding the best route to your destination.  |  |
There are many ways of selecting a destination. At the menu screen; tap on Destination. The easiest way to set your destination is to enter an address. You can drill down through the menus by street name first or city first. The program was able to find any valid address I gave it. Your destination can also be selected through your contacts list. This is a handy feature if you have a lot of client contacts. You can also enter a location by latitude and longitude coordinates. The coordinates have to be in decimal format. This option should be more flexible, as there are 3 different ways of expressing global coordinates. Two other options are; select an intersection or a city center. Both are useful if you don’t know an exact address. As you enter new destinations, you can add them to your favorites. This is a handy feature for the locations you don’t have in your contacts list. Tapping on Resent displays all the destinations you have traveled to. Lastly is the Points of Interest screen. This screen is broken down into different categories. Some of the categories have sub-categories. Other categories lead you to a final lookup as seen in the POI Options screen. As you drill down, you will have the options to navigate to the POI, view a map of the area, add it to the favorites or get more information including address and phone number. iNav advertises over 6 million POIs in their database. When you tap on the Nav button on any of the screens, you will be taken back to the map screen and the voice guidance will announce your first turn. The map will show you your route. Your current route will depend on the route options you set. Navigation is simple with the software; just follow the voice and visual aid. It’s best to have a windshield mount that puts your PPC at eye level. The voice guidance will announce the next turn around a mile before the turn and announce several times before the turn. As you get close, the screen zooms in and a yellow bar on the side of the screen counts down the distance to the turn. When you near your destination, the voice guidance will announce your arrival and tell you which side of the street your destination is on. If you make a detour, the software will automatically reroute you to your destination. If you end up going the wrong way, it will tell you to make a U-turn or other turns to get you back on track. There’s an itinerary option available in the program. You can set it up for miscellaneous stopovers or to program exact direct routes. An example is my route to work; the program will route me 4 different ways depending on the routing option I select. None of them are the exact route I take to work. I used the itinerary to stage a trip to work. I had noted where the program rerouted me and I added a stopover point on each ramp where I was normally rerouted. You do need to be accurate in placing the stopover point. If you’re off by much, you will miss the stopover point and the guidance system will continually try to reroute you back to that spot. The way the itinerary works is you start the guidance on the itinerary screen. When you travel to a stopover point, the software then asks you if you wish to continue to the next stopover point on the itinerary list. Tap ‘yes’ and it will route you to the next location. I was disappointed that the itinerary was cleared after use. It would have been nice to save it for later or repeated use. My ‘user experience’ with iGuidance was very positive. I liked the large buttons. It made navigation easy, without taking my eyes off the road. The software has a high degree of accuracy. This is best seen when you enter an intersection and it shows you doing the same on the screen. The software is feature rich; especially in the points of interest section and the ways of selecting your destinations. The software is very stable; I never had a lockup or crash. Communication with the Bluetooth GPS was very consistent; there was never any wandering when I was stopped. I would highly recommend this software package. If you have a laptop, Bluetooth adapter and Bluetooth GPS, it’s a great buy, as the PC version of the software is included. Strengths of iGuidance: - All the main screens are useable without a stylus. The buttons are large enough to tap with your finger. That makes it easier to operate without much distraction while you’re driving. I would still recommend stopping while doing any resets of course.
- All the navigation locations I tested were accurate. I even tested a Geocache location using coordinates and it lead me directly to the location.
- The program look and feel is very customizable. You can change the screen color schemes, 2D/3D views and miscellaneous voice notifications.
- The text to speech function adds extra detail to the route navigation. It helps to hear exact street and highway names.
- Having all the US maps loaded on the memory card at one time. This means you never have to prepare for a trip by copying maps to your memory card.
- The main operation is very straight forward and easy to use without reading the manual. The small manual helped in setting up the GPS baud rate and Com port. The manual included in the case is adequate for setting up the software.
- Laptop version is included in the price. This would be an ideal setup if you need large detailed maps while you’re on the road.
Weaknesses of iGuidance: - Lack of a full printed manual or PDF file on the DVD. It would be nice to have a manual that explained the software better. They include a help file, but I never find them as detailed as a manual.
- The entry of address could be explained on screen a little better. I found it kind of confusing to use, even after entering several addresses.
- The coordination entry should be in multiple formats. I know most people will not be entering coordinate locations, but I found it frustrating to have to have to convert Geocahe locations from MinutesDecimal to DegreesDecimal format. Luckily there are sites to convert that information. I have used other GPS software that will let you enter coordinates in any format.
- Lack of update capability for POIs. I discovered a fast-food restaurant, bagel shop and a pizza restaurant in my area that has been closed for 3 or more years. Being able to edit your POIs would be a nice feature.
- It would be nice to have the option of different voices and male/female voice selection.
- There is a long delay when first calculating a route.
- The need for a 2G memory card. Although the price of SD memory has dropped significantly, you still need to buy something extra to use this product. It would be nice to still have the option of splitting maps up.
iGuidance V4.0 features Software includes pocket PC, laptop, & UMPC/AutoPC versions Minimum System Requirements - Laptop: DVD/CD ROM drive, USB port, minimum 1GB RAM, PIII CPU or above
- PPC: ARM CPU ONLY, minimum 64MB on-board memory
- Main program: 25MB (PPC); 15MB (laptop/UMPC)
- Map data size: 1.3GB
Compatible Operating Systems - PC version: Windows ME/NT/2000/XP/Vista (not compatible w/ Windows MCE)
- PPC version: Windows Mobile 2003/2003SE, WM5.0/6.0
- Pocket PC's/Pocket PC Phones: Dell, Garmin, iQue, HP iPAQ, iMate, Mitek (not A701), NEC, Siemen,s Palm Treo 700W, Viewsonic & various PPC Phones (HP 6500/6900, Samsung i730, PPC 6600/6700, Cingular 8125, etc)( not compatible w/ PPC/PPC phones WITHOUT touch screen support)
Receivers - iGuidance works with any GPS receivers that are based on the NMEA protocol using RS232, USB, CF, or bluetooth interface. USB-based receivers must come with an USB-to-Serial bridge driver that is Microsoft certified in order to work with iGuidance on your laptop. This driver is provided by the gps receiver manufacturer. *For USG SDIO-502 receiver, please generate map to laptop/PC C: drive first and then copy over to SD card.
Routing - NEW! Over 6 million POI destinations with subcategories (listed by alphabetical order, distance, or city)
- Multiple stopover/waypoints
- Itinerary planning (user-defined trip order)
- Detour by distance or avoid road
- Shortcuts to "Home" (user-defined) & POI subcategories (program default)
- Trip status box displaying ETA, distance, remaining time, and speed simultaneously
- Trip computer displaying start/end time, total distance traveled, average & top speed
- 4 pre-defined map color themes
- Single click POI navigation from onscreen icon (name/phone displayed if available)
- Real time weather report (internet access required via LAN, BT, mobile phone, Wi-Fi, etc)
- Turn-by-turn visual instructions with voice prompts
- Search by city or street first, intersection, city center, POI, LAT/LON (PPC only)**, Outlook contacts (PPC, U.S., & some Canadian addresses only), favorites, and recent
- Maneuver guidance screen
- Route list display
- Quickest, shortest, local, major, ferry, toll, and carpool route options
- Automatic day/night map color switching
- Record and play route/track
- Customizable hotkeys for quick command (for PDA)
- Default (non-customizable) hot keys for quick command (for laptop)
- Automatic & dynamic rerouting for wrong turns
- Special safety features (speed and fog alert)
- Easy to use keypad for name entry
Map - NEW! Updated Navteq map now including U.S., Canada, Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, & US Virgin Islands
- NEW! Pre-generated single map file (1.3GB) *requires min. 2GB SD card when using Pocket PC version
- Detailed map display w/ street names in 2D & 3D view
- Zoom in and out
Visual Display - Large finger accessible menu buttons
- UMPC/Car PC version bundled
- Bordered roads
- Railroads & major roads marking
- Enhanced 3D display
- 240x240 square screen support
- VGA & landscape view support
- Full screen mode for laptop
- Geo-features differentiating lands, body of water, airport, etc
- Full screen mode for pocket pc and laptop
- Large finger accessible buttons
- Intuitive menu options
- Distance indication bar
- Automatic color modes for day and night display
- Bright colors for visual enhancement
Voice - NEW! Text-to-Speech (street name included in voice guidance)
- Turn-by-turn voice prompts
- Side of street & fwy # notification
- Automatic voice alerts before each turn/exit
- Repeat voice direction feature
- Multiple distance notification for each maneuver
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