- Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 15 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
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6 out of 6 people found this review helpful
4.0 stars
"Excellent multipurpose pocket PC with GPS"
Pros: Built in GPS, Bluetooth, WiFi, size
Cons: Occassional software glitches, map switching flakey
Summary: I've tried many GPS systems for hiking and voice-guided car navigation. The Pharos Traveler 525 is by far the best built-in GPS PocketPC on the market for under $500. Pharos has built a reputation upon reliable "plug-in" GPS antennae for PocketPCs and PalmPilots, e.g. the CompactFlash and BlueTooth receivers. Perhaps less reliable has been the Ostia software-- more below. This is one of the few units that has WiFi and bluetooth built in... very useful.
The screen is an adequate size for navigating- but, I mostly listen for my personalized voice prompts, e.g., "Turn right, dummy," and "Make an illegal U-Turn if you have to."
Over the past few years, several companies have attempted to combine the usefulness of a built-in GPS with powerful capabilities of PalmPilots and PocketPCs-- perhaps the most recognized would be Garmin with its Palm versions: iQue3200 and iQue3600; and PocketPC versions iQueM2 and iQueM3. Many of us received these gadgets as being ground-breaking and an excellent idea for both mobile business travelers and technophors. Unfortunately, poor reliability and stability of Garmin's costly iQue discouraged many of us from ever going Garmin again.
I've had this unit for over 6 months now. I occassionally use it just for roaming the town. However, I do a lot of business travel, and so I use it primarily for driving in unfamiliar cities. I have used it for finding my way around by foot in places like Washington DC and New York. It has traveled with me to Chicago, Boston, New York, Washington DC, San Francisco, and now London. I've been told that topographical maps can be uploaded to the unit as well, but have yet to test this--- I definitely need a vacation!
The GPS antenna is software controlled and truly integrated-- no more flipping up an antenna panel as in the Garmin iQue
case. The PocketPC does have a port on the back to allow you to connect an external antenna as well. While I have not used this feature, it will be useful for those who are in states where the GPS cannot be mounted to the windshield or on the dashboard of your car. I do note, however, that I have left the unit on my center console (next to my leg below the dash) and still had enough signal to monitor my location and receive directions.
The software setup was fairly straightforward, though the printed instructions needed mild updating. The GPS usually acquires my location within 15 seconds; however, on cloudy days or with partially obscured sky view it can take 1-2 minutes. Still the antenna is extremely sensitive-- in some cases, able to get signal in a garage.
The battery lasts for at least 72 hours on standby. Running time depends on what's being used. I find that WiFi limits my battery life to about 6 hours-- maybe more. I never ran out of battery power on GPS mode with all other radios off.
The WiFi is a good feature. I end up surfing the internet while traveling and dialing up the family with Skype. The bluetooth is a good complement to this as well-- I use a bluetooth headset while roaming the hotel, etc...
The Ostia software is a bit outdated. I find it a bit cumbersome to load 10-15 map files for a long distance drive across 5 states. France is a nightmare to load up as well. It would be better if we had something similar to Microsoft Streets and Trips, where we can put a box around the region that we plan to travel and have the software automatically set us up with the maps.
I also have come across a few additional glitches in the Ostia software. 1) Sometimes it fails to find the maps that are loaded on the SD drive- claims they are absent or corrupted. I simply eject and reinsert the drive and it finds the files. 2) If the map is out of date and roads have changed, the software gets flakey. For example, if a highway is diverted by 1 mile from the maps position, the software exits the navigation mode abruptly. You can still see the map and current position on the screen, but the map is essentially useless at this point. 3) Sometime the transition between two map files isn't smooth (and it isn't automatic unless you load both files beforehand).
The Pharos support staff are quick to respond, though this product is so new that they have to handwave a little. I have not had hardware failures. I have had to soft reset the item a couple times.
I highly recommend the device for travelers who like a small unit that packs easily. The reason I only gave it an 8 is because of the Ostia software problems-- which I have either tolerated or worked around. This is a good product release, I look forward to seeing what Pharos does in the future.
- 2 replies to this review
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In regards to the recent issues about the SD card (quoting plasmaman: "it fails to find the maps that are loaded on the SD drive- claims they are absent or corrupted. I simply eject and reinsert the drive and it finds the files.") To eject and reinsert the card seems like a partial fix but not reasonable. A total fix for this issue is to have the unit send into the PharosGPS Support under a RMA number they can provide you. They do a ROM update on the unit and once i recieved the unit back, it worked perfect. To check your ROM version select: start--settings--system--device information--if the ROM version is 1.00.07 then you should contact Pharos for a ROM update. If you need there support information you can go to : www.pharosgps.com .
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Hi,
I just wanna add, that I'm having the very same problem that you have regarding loading maps from the SD card. By the time this problem occurs, if you open the "File Explorer" you'll see that ALL file and directory names are messed up with strange characters. This prevents the load of other programs, rather than the Ostia Software that are stored in the SD. The removal/insertion of the SD card solves the problem, but I'm not sure if that is related with the Ostia software.
