-
Average user rating:
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
-
4.5 stars
"Great GPS for PPC or smartphone"
Pros: Merges seamlessly with Pocket Outlook. If you get off route it instantly gives finds a new route
Cons: Must have your own PPC or smartphone. Does not speak street names, tends to give little warning for turns. Clunky wiring on dashboard
Summary: This is my fourth GPS and so far it's my favorite. I've used the Pharos GPS with the included Ostia mapping software for several months now and found it very usable. The hardware mounts on your windshield (the GPS receiver) and plugs into your cigarette lighter plug. It also charges your PPC or smartphone as a side benefit. The good thing here is that your phone/PPC can stay on all the time you are driving and will never run down. You can either choose origin or destination points or it will assume origin is where you are now (which is very nice). Since the receiver is in your window it gets a very good signal and unlike some of the dash mounted displays you can keep the PPC display in the shade so it doesn't get washed out (or you can hold it in your hand to type addresses). You can put an address in Pocket Outlook and pull it straight into Ostia as a destination (or origin). The directions are a little terse (left, right, light right, highway entrance, etc.). It does NOT say street names, but DOES show street names and intersection distances on the display (very cool, since you can use your odometer to judge how far you have to go before you turn). This does mean though that you MUST be able to SEE the device to use it properly otherwise you won't know exactly which street to turn on. It gives you a prepratory "right turn ahead" a few hundred yards early then goes "ding" just before you should actually turn. My first week I kept turning early when the voice message comes on. You have to break the habit and either look for the actual street name or wait for the "ding". Otherwise, very happy with unit (using it with an Audiovox smartphone PPC). One other advantage to the dash mounted units is that you can leave the GPS on the dash and walk away with the phone (and maps). You can plan your route away from your car and just plug it in to use it (you don't have to sit in your car punching buttons on the dash). It is also more flexible than some of the software I've used before. If you get off route it will tell you "off route", if you persist it will go "ding" and give you a new route from your current location.
Where to buy
Pharos Pocket GPS Navigator - GPS kit:
$189.00
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Amazon.com Marketplace
|
$189.00 | Yes |
|
