When you’re rushing from early morning meetings to client visits or to your kid’s football game, the last thing you want is to get lost along the way. That’s why this breed of handhelds with integrated GPS is so great. Not only can they keep your schedule on track, they also prevent you from getting off track as you drive to various destinations with their navigation capabilities–a real time-saver, indeed. Aside from having a large and clear display, handhelds which double well as GPS devices also need to have the appropriate software which can give voice instructions and turn-by-turn navigation. Read on to see if one of these could be your guiding light.
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1. | HTC Touch Cruise The good: Complete range of connectivity options; integrated GPS; good bundle including car kit and GPS map; attractive design; FM radio.
The bad: No dedicated audio connector; no keypad of any kind; no LED for low-light photography.
The bottom line: The combination of HTC’s Touch interface and a slew of connectivity options makes the Cruise viable for those who balked at the shortcomings of the Touch and Touch Dual.
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2. | ASUS A696 First take While not the newest or most feature-packed device, the A696 is a good candidate for those who regard GPS as an important feature thanks to its large screen and free bundled software and maps. |
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3. | BlackBerry Bold The good: HSDPA; Wi-Fi; GPS; QWERTY keypad; bright screen.
The bad: Camera could be better.
The bottom line: Unlike Palm, RIM has built up an impressive product portfolio that is made even better by the addition of the Bold. Aside from offering a plethora of features, the Bold’s screen is one of the best we’ve ever seen. While this display is not particularly large by any standard, the fact that it’s incredibly sharp in direct sunlight makes it perfect for navigating in bright daylight.
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4. | Nokia N810 Internet Tablet First take The Nokia N810 is the third in the Finnish company’s series of Internet tablets, following the N770 and N800. It’s the first one to come with a slide-out QWERTY keypad and has quite a number of new features to make it more than just an incremental update to the N800. GPS software and maps are free for the N810 but you’ll have to pay extra to get turn-by-turn directions. Coupled with a car kit, this will make a great navigation device because of the large 800 x 480 display. |
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5. | HP iPaq 612 Business Navigator The good: HSDPA (up to 7.2Mbps); GPS with bundled maps; 128MB RAM; good performance.
The bad: Smart Wheel not all that smart; non-camera version not available everywhere; poor microSD slot position; lack of HP-specific UI and applications.
The bottom line: You can’t fault this iPaq for its extensive breadth of features, but it has some flaws which prevent it from being among the best in its class of Windows Mobile products.
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[By CNET and CNET Asia staff]
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