Pharos Drive GPS 250
Starting at: $114.14
CNET Editors' Review
CNET Editors' Rating
- Reviewed by: Bonnie Cha
- Released on:
- Reviewed on:
The good: The Pharos Drive GPS 250 is simple to use and offers text-to-speech functionality. The portable navigation system also features a 4.3-inch screen.
The bad: The Drive GPS 250 can be sluggish with route calculations and general performance. Text-to-speech directions sound a bit robotic, and there's no included accessory to mount the system to your dashboard.
The bottom line: Despite ease of use and text-to-speech functionality, the Pharos Drive GPS 250 falters somewhat in the performance department.
Sometimes less is more, and that seems to be the approach Pharos is taking with its Pharos Drive GPS 250. The entry-level in-car GPS offers simplicity and ease of use with a minimalist design and interface, and all the basic navigation features are there, with the bonus of text-to-speech functionality. That said, it falters a bit in the performance department when compared with competing portable navigation systems. General response was a bit sluggish, and the GPS receiver had trouble acquiring and locking onto our position. For that reason, we'd recommend the Mio C230, which offers a similar feature set ... Expand full review
Sometimes less is more, and that seems to be the approach Pharos is taking with its Pharos Drive GPS 250. The entry-level in-car GPS offers simplicity and ease of use with a minimalist design and interface, and all the basic navigation features are there, with the bonus of text-to-speech functionality. That said, it falters a bit in the performance department when compared with competing portable navigation systems. General response was a bit sluggish, and the GPS receiver had trouble acquiring and locking onto our position. For that reason, we'd recommend the Mio C230, which offers a similar feature set and better performance for less. The Pharos Drive GPS 250 is available now for $299.95.
Design
The Pharos Drive GPS 250 is simple in design. At 4.8 inches wide by 3.3 inches tall by 0.9 inch deep and 7.2 ounces, it's nice and compact to transport between vehicles or to take along with you on a trip for use with rental cars. There's a slight bump in the back for the integrated GPS antenna, but it's not too obtrusive.
On front, there's a 4.3-inch touch screen that displays 16.7 million colors at a 480x272 pixel resolution. In general, maps looked clear and bright with enough contrast, but we did notice a bit of pixelation and didn't find it as sharp as some other systems. The touch screen is responsive, and the user interface is pretty intuitive, though not quite as aesthetically pleasing or streamlined as a Garmin or TomTom. The main menu icons are large and clearly marked, but the onscreen keyboard is a bit cramped. Fortunately, there's an included stylus on top of the unit to help with more precise text entry.
The left side holds an SD card expansion slot, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a mini USB port, while there's a power button and a reset hole on the right side. The Pharos Drive GPS 250 comes packaged with a car charger, an AC adapter, a protective carrying case, a USB cable, an SD card, reference material, and a vehicle mount. The latter is windshield-only, though; we wish Pharos would have thrown in an adhesive disk for the dashboard, especially since the use of windshield mounts is prohibited in California and Minnesota.
Features
The Pharos Drive GPS 250 is all about navigation and that's it. No extras, such as multimedia or Bluetooth. The system is powered by a 20-channel SiRFstarIII receiver and comes preloaded with Navteq maps of the United States and Canada and more than 1 million points of interest (POI). There are several methods to plan a trip. You can enter a specific address; select a point of interest; choose a destination from a list of recently visited locations or favorites; or use your address book. You can also pick any point on the map and navigate to it from your current location.
The POI database includes all the major categories, including restaurants by cuisine type, gas stations, and ATMs, and more specific interests, such as casinos, performing arts centers, and parks. Overall, we found the POI catalog to be pretty comprehensive and up to date, and there are phone numbers listed with the business names for easy reference.
Hide Review Bonnie Cha is chief correspondent for Crave, covering every kind of tech toy imaginable (with a special obsession for robots and Star Wars-related stuff). When she's not scoping out stories, you can find her checking out live music or surfing in the chilly waters of Northern California.
User Reviews
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Showing 3 of 6 reviews
"Simple to use with an open OS" By invictanewsletter
Pros: You can install multiple GOS programs fairly easily. I have Tom Tom, Destinator, and Mio installed and can choose whichever I want to use for a particular trip depending on the features I need (TTs, elevation, POI's, etc.)
Cons: It is a little slower than a Garmin, for instance, but it's a decent performer, certainly for $100 or so.
Summary: There are better, but if you don't mind getting into the code a little, this can be a very fun little GPS.
"I'm very happy so far!" By Pianoman54
Pros: Very easy to use, and many nice navigation functions, without all the extra needless "fluff" that many other companies offer.
Cons: I wish the voice was just a tiny bit louder, that's about it!
Summary: I've had my Pharos Drive 250 for about 3 weeks now, and being a "nerd", have put it through quite a few tests. After quite a bit of internet research, I decided to purchase the Pharos Drive 250 for the price, simplicity, and the fact that it came pre-loaded ... Expand full review
Specifications
See full specsQuick Specs
- GPS receiver: 20 channel
- Destination: Automotive
- Audible assistance: Audible signal(s)
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