| Sign in: |
| Members log in here with your user name and password to access the your admin page and other special features. |
|
|
|
|
|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
GPS? PDA with GPS? Smartphone with GPS? what's the best...?
Matt Roth, Photographer
 |
Baltimore | MD | United States | Posted: 2:11 PM on 06.19.06 |
->> Soooo.
I'm looking to equip a staff of seven -- two of which are a rotating duo of interns -- with some sort of GPS system. As we all know, interns get lost. And while we don't like to admit it, so do staffers. ...especially, when writers give bad directions to assignments.
So... GPS, right? makes sense.
Anyone got any good tips?
Specificallly, something easy to input (like maybe with a keyboard?) and something that doesn't have to be installed in a car (ahem! interns).
And I'm just throwing this out there, but is there a way to couple assignments made on the SSC Media Grid software with, say, a GPS equiped smartphone/PDA?
Come on you techy nerds! show me some love!
Matt Roth |
|
Bob Ford, Photographer
 |
Lehighton | Pa | USA | Posted: 2:34 PM on 06.19.06 |
->> I'll second the iQue 3600, although I believe it's discontinued now. I think it was replaced by the M5.
If you search the message boards for iQue 3600 you will find several threads about the device. |
|
Jeff Blake, Photographer
 |
Columbia | SC | USA | Posted: 4:01 PM on 06.19.06 |
->> Matt, how is Baltimore?
I got tired of being constantly lost and relying on googlemap/mapquest, so I recently purchased a garmin streetpilot C330. You just type in the address where you want to go, and it takes you there via voice instructions and a constantly scrolling map.
It makes the job alot less stressful, knowing I am driving right to my assignment and won't get lost. It also shows your eta, which I love.
It also has a built in yellow pages. Want to find the nearest Mexican restaurant? hit two buttons and it brings up a list, complete with phone numbers, touch one and it takes you there. Same with any business you can think of. My watch band broke and I entered the word "watch" and it brought up all the businesses with that word in the title, including a local watch repair shop. I could go on forever, it's awesome.
I bought it for $499 at Best Buy because I had a bunch of gift cards to Best Buy, but it can be found cheaper.
jb |
|
Primoz Jeroncic, Photographer
 |
Kranj | SI | Slovenia | Posted: 4:10 PM on 06.19.06 |
->> I have no idea for US maps and which software/hardware supports them, but here in Europe I would never go with real gps unit like Garmin or Magellan.
Most of people have PDAs (right? :) so you just need to add gps antena, software with maps and you are all set. You can get some noname bluetooth gps antena for around $30 (if I did my conversion from eur to $ right) and then you can run something like TomTom on PDA, while you can still use PDA for sending photos and do other things with it. And the most important thing is, you don't have 10 big gadgets in your bag. I have combination like this, and I'm happy with it. But as I said... I have no idea about applications with US maps, since I have feeling that TomTom is more Euro oriented application. So for you guys it might be different when it comes to this. |
|
Jim Colburn, Photographer
 |
Omaha | NE | USA | Posted: 4:33 PM on 06.19.06 |
->> How small do you need. On my Powerbook I have a program called Route 66. It has street level maps of the USA and it all loads on to my hard drive (I also have their street level mapping data for all of Western Europe on the HD). I have a Bluetooth GPS reciever (about the size of a box of matches) that feeds positioning to the laptop. Bingo. I know where I am and where I'm going and how to get there. It doesn't have a "voice that tells you directions" but the software cost me around $40 and the GPS receiver was around $100 so I'll live with it.
If I had the $$$ I'd go for something like one of the self-contaoned Garmin units that have the entire country pre-loaded. I have Accura's built-in GPS nav system and would not buy a new car without one. |
|
Tommy Metthe, Photographer
 |
Abilene | TX | | Posted: 9:38 PM on 06.19.06 |
->> I have the iQue 3600 and love it. It's great both for getting directions to where I'm going and the Palm OS allows me to keep my notes on it too. Make sure to get the car kit to go with it too, b/c the battery time on the 3600 sux, that would be my only complaint about it.
And, according to the Garmin website, the 3600 has not been replaced, it's still in production. The M5 is a Pocket PC based OS and the 3600 is Palm based OS. I'm sure there are other differences too. |
|
Clay Carson, Photographer, Photo Editor
 |
Little Rock | AR | | Posted: 4:57 PM on 06.21.06 |
| ->> Please don't laugh, but I bought TomTom. Not cool or sexy, but for driving and looking for stuff, it is very good. |
|
Franz Ellers, Assistant, Photographer
|
Pacific Palisades | CA | USA | Posted: 9:20 PM on 06.21.06 |
->> I have a Verizon XV6600 with a Globalsat GPS receiver and TomTom 5. It was wondrous, when it worked. It took awhile but one day it the two just started communicating and everything was beautiful.
Then one day, during a particularly charged Italian lesson, the screen broke on my phone and I had to send it back. Ever since I got my new phone, no luck. I cannot get TomTom to work with the GPS receiver. That being said TomTom with no receiver has been a life saver many times since, just looking for a cross street I'm able to find my way pretty easily, Great Investment. |
|
Walter Calahan, Photographer
|
Westminster | MD | USA | Posted: 10:02 PM on 06.21.06 |
| ->> Garmin iQue 3600 with a 4 gig SD card, so you only have to load the maps once for the entire country, including Hawaii and Alaska (and a little of southern Canada). |
|
Tommy Metthe, Photographer
|
Abilene | TX | | Posted: 12:10 AM on 06.22.06 |
| ->> Walter, have you had any problems with the 4GB card? I was thinking of getting a 2GB card and have read lots of people have had problems with cards over 1GB. |
|
Dave Einsel, Photographer, Photo Editor
 |
Friendswood | TX | United States | Posted: 12:52 AM on 06.22.06 |
| ->> I have the entire US map on a 2GB Sandisk SD card in my iQue and it works flawlessly. |
|
Rick Burnham, Photographer
|
Enfield | CT | USA | Posted: 6:40 AM on 06.22.06 |
| ->> I have had an iQue3600 for two years because of info I found about it on ss.com. I use it nearly everyday, it was the best $600 I EVER spent. |
|
Walter Calahan, Photographer
|
Westminster | MD | USA | Posted: 7:00 AM on 06.22.06 |
->> Tommy
No problem yet with the Transcend 150x 4gb SD card.
You can fit the maps on a 2gb card, but I have other programs that store their data on the SD card as well, so I wanted the extra space.
The iQue 3600 is the best birthday present my brother ever got me, and he normally never gets me anything. HA! Actually it cost him nothing 'cause he traded in his REI bonus points for it. Grin.
I use the iQue all the time. Especially good in DC when there are traffic jams. You have an instant heads up display of alternative way around the problem. Plus with travel, I never have to use the lame maps car rental agencies hand out. |
|
Silas Crews, Photographer
 |
Bay City | MI | USA | Posted: 11:02 PM on 06.22.06 |
->> Matt,
I'm looking at the Asus mypal a636. I really want a device that has built in GPS and Wifi. This seems to be one of the only PDAs out there like that. The reviews are mixed but mostly positive. I think I've decided to order one this weekend unless someone suggests otherwise. I'll let you know how it handles.
Silas |
|
Jeffrey Haderthauer, Photographer
|
Wichita Falls | TX | USA | Posted: 9:23 PM on 07.11.06 |
| ->> Has anyone loaded (and used) maps of Mexico on their GPS unit? Recommendations? |
|
David Lienemann, Photographer, Student/Intern
 |
Santa Fe | NM | USA | Posted: 9:44 PM on 07.17.06 |
->> So if someone already answered this and I missed it someplace I'm sorry, but does the 3600 come with the ability to look up phone numbers/restaurants/schools etc? or do you have to know where you're going in order to use it? how do you mount them in your cars? just on the seat? beanbag on the dash? is the speaker sufficiently loud that you can hear it while driving down the highway? also are maps avail outside the US? Jeffrey's already asked about Mexico and no one has chimed in. Can you get mexico? Europe? Canadia? Maybe I need a garmin rep here with all these questions. Thanks guys
David |
|
Delane B. Rouse, Photographer, Photo Editor
 |
Washington | DC | US | Posted: 10:15 PM on 07.17.06 |
->> http://www.garmin.com/products/iQue3600/#
From the Garmin site+ my comments:
Speaker for voice-guidance commands, MP3 player, and message playback.
The speaker gets power crom the cigarette lighter and is PLENTY loud, has a colume control.
you can plus in all sorts of stuff...for instance...if i'm looking for Oxon Hill Fire Department...I SEARCH "ALL POINTS OF INTEREST" for "oxon hill fire"...it comes back with suggesstions and I click on the correct one. I can then search for Italian resturants that are near that location (example), or hospitals, or anything you're looking for.
It came with Automotive friction mount with integrated charger and speaker...the mount sits on my dashboard so I can see it as I'm driving.
Garmin has the some of the BEST SERVICE EVER (other than Kirk/Camera Bits)...so you should give them a call...
(for all Garmin products
except Apollo aircraft)
- Monday — Friday
- 8 a.m. — 5 p.m.
Central time (closed holidays)
- 1-800-800-1020
- 1-888-442-7646
or
- (913) 397-8200
They also have a Purchase Assistant here:
http://www.garmin.com/purchaseAssistant/ |
|
Michael Myers, Photographer, Student/Intern
 |
Miami Beach | FL | USA | Posted: 10:44 AM on 08.25.07 |
->> I know this is last year's discussion, but maybe I've got something new to add.
My first suggestion (expensive) is to get a Nokia n95 smartphone which comes with GPS and maps that you download from Nokia. The n95 has a built in GPS, which has recently been improved with software that also uses data from cell phone towers to help it recognize "where" you're at.
My second suggestion (free) is to look into a program I've just recently found, Mobile GMaps (http://www.mgmaps.com/). This program runs on many phones, even ones that are not "smart phones". I'm still trying to figure out how to download the maps - because it can work with maps from many different sources (google, yahoo, etc...) it's more powerful, but also more complicated. If your phone has GPS, that works with the program as well. If not, you just get the maps.
A third option is to look into "smart2go" (http://www.smart2go.com) which is essentially the same software that Nokia provides. It works on other phones as well, but not as many as Mobile GMaps. |
|
|| Sponsor Special Deals
We BUY & TRADE you OLD Gear
|
Available from:
Adorama Camera
|
Price: $0.00 |
Notes:
We all have some cameras & lenses sitting around collecting dust right?...Or you work at a Newspaper that has downsized?...What to do with your excess photographic equipment? Adorama's Used Dept is looking for your used gear to purchase or take in trade. Contact me directly jsnyder@adorama.com or 1-800-223-2500 X2435 and I can fill you in on the details. Cash in your pocket is better than sitting on the shelf, right?
|
|
-- More Info -- |
|
Return to --> Message Board Main Index
|