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Egmont
USA
190 Posts |
 Posted - 18 nov. 2006 : 15:55:03
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UPDATE - see review below
Has anyone actually seen and/or used one? If so, how is it? What map system are they using? I like the looks of it, at my age the large screen is very appealing. 
SPECIFICATIONS :
PENIO VXA-3000 7", w/Smart2Go Navigation Software
NO INTERNAL BATTERY
Here are the specs:
7" Wide Touch Screen Navigation
Slime, Lightweight Design
Large 7" TFT LCD Panel
Entire US Map Pre-Loaded
Clear, Crisp, and Bright Display
Outstanding Response Speed
Accurate, Highly Responsive GPS Receiver
Real-time Rendered Maps
Virtually No Delay Between Actualy and Displayed Position
Easy to Use, Simple Touch Screen Interface
Turn-by-Turn Voice Guidance Available in Multiple Languages
Automatic Re-routing
Quickly recalculates during route deviation
Smart Detour
Calculates detours around traffic jams at the touch of a button
Automatic Zoom Feature
Map level zooms automatically according to vehicle speed to provide optimum level of map detail
2D and 3D Maps Supported
Day/Night View Settings
A/V Input
7" Monitor can be used as in-car display for DVD players, gaming devices, etc
Built-In Media Player
Play/view media files through SD Memory
MP3, WMA WAV and OGG music file playback
Views GIF, JPEG, and BITMAP image files
DivX Video Player, Audio Player, Photo Slide Show, Puzzel Game Supported
SPECIFICATIONS
Operating System : MS Windows CE.Net 4.2
CPU : ARM9 Core
RAM : 64M Bytes
Flash : 64M Bytes
Sam
Display :
7" TFT LCD (Touch Screen)
480x234 pixels
16bit Color
CCFL Backlight
500 NITS Brightness
Audio
Internal Speaker (1 Watt)
Lineout Output
Connect to Car Audio using FM Transmitter
GPS Module : SiRFstar III GPS Engine (Internal Type)
GPS Sensitivity
First Start Sensitivity : -135dBm
Restart Sensitivity : -153Bm
Sensitivity in Motion : -156dBm
SD Memory : 256MB, 512MB, 1GB, 2GB Supported
Input Power : 12V (1A)
In Storage : -35~75'C
Temperature : In running : -10~60'C
Size : 190mm x 125mm x 33mm
CONTENTS
Navigation Unit
Remote Control
SD Card
Aux Cable
Car Cigar Jack Cable
Stereo Output Cable
DVD-ROM
Hand Brake Connection Cable
Suction Cap
User's Manual |
Egmont _CT USA
HP iPAQ4705 w/G10, BT338 & 2 Holux 236
iQue3600, 600c, 276c,
AVIC-Z1/2
among others
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Edited by - Egmont on 18 nov. 2006 18:43:45
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gpspassion
87915 Posts |
Posted - 19 nov. 2006 : 19:46:29
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Can't blame you, my eyes are OK, but I'm quite impressed with the 5" InVion I'm currently testing (see GpsPasSion Live on the left).
The Plenio VXA-3000 appears to be running the Smart2go software, recently bought by Nokia, but at this point it is best described as "unproven". |
Discounts and Assistance/Réductions et Assistance (Club GpsPasSion) / Où commencer? |
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Egmont
USA
190 Posts |
Posted - 19 nov. 2006 : 21:56:52
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Well, I am about to "prove", I ordered one, should be here by Wednesday.
I will report back. I am really interested to see what Smart2go can do. I never heard of them, do you know who uses this program? |
Egmont _CT USA
HP iPAQ4705 w/G10, BT338 & 2 Holux 236
iQue3600, 600c, 276c,
AVIC-Z1/2
among others
|
Edited by - Egmont on 19 nov. 2006 22:09:39 |
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JoelH
USA
8 Posts |
Posted - 19 nov. 2006 : 22:17:10
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This unit is now listed on the Costco.com website. I have found one Epinions review (favorable but not highly detailed) of the previous model (VXA-2000).
It's hard to find detailed specs of these models. From what I can find, on various sites, the screen is large but not super-high resolution. Below is a comparison of a few different units, using numbers pulled from various sources (some are inferred):
Plenio VXA-2000: 7" Diagonal 480 x 234
Plenio VXA-3000: 7" Diagonal 480 x 234 (?)
Lowrance 600C: 5" Diagonal 640 x 480
Lowrance 500C: 5" Diagonal 320 x 240 (see replies)
Garmin Nuvi 660: 4.3" Diagonal 480 x 272
Many AIOs: 3.5" Diagonal: 320 x 240
Pioneer In-Dash: 7" Diagonal 780 x 432 (?)
As far as I can tell, the Plenio is portable car-to-car but not equipped for self-battery-powered (handheld) operation. If you want a large LCD at a low price, the Plenio has it, but little information is available about its software, mapping, POIs etc. If you want fairly large and high resolution, the Lowrance is coming with a higher figure of merit and is more of a "mainstream" choice. If you want a large LCD, higher resolution, and cost and lack of portability are no problem, then in-dash units are the way to go. And if you value portability, it seems that the Nuvi 660 has the best display in a super-portable unit (but costs more).
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JoelH |
Edited by - JoelH on 20 nov. 2006 13:20:21 |
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gpspassion
87915 Posts |
Posted - 19 nov. 2006 : 22:39:14
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Nice research but I don't think the 500c has a VGA screen, that's coming on the 600c for sure. Odd ratio at 480x234, all the other 16:9 4"/4.3" AIOs are at 480*272.
I don't think smart2go has ever been used in the US, not much in Europe either (Typhoon for a few months), hence Gate5 being forced to sell off to Nokia probably. You can read my report on the Nokia version, not bad but "unfinished", let's see if the current version works better. |
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JoelH
USA
8 Posts |
Posted - 19 nov. 2006 : 22:49:38
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Thanks for the correction; I edited the post to reflect that. I'm just trying to figure all this out for myself!
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JoelH |
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gpspassion
87915 Posts |
Posted - 19 nov. 2006 : 22:56:16
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| OK, feel free to start a "screen size" thread in the AIO comparison forums. |
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Egmont
USA
190 Posts |
Posted - 19 nov. 2006 : 23:17:22
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Some good info here, thanks.
What got me interested besides the size, is the ability to add a backup camera.
I just ordered a new Jeep, 4 door, I will probably leave the unit permanently installed, I have enough units to go around my other vehicles, but I do want to add a camera and this unit will fit the bill. I am still a little hesitant about the mapping software. Can anyone shed some light on that? |
Egmont _CT USA
HP iPAQ4705 w/G10, BT338 & 2 Holux 236
iQue3600, 600c, 276c,
AVIC-Z1/2
among others
|
Edited by - Egmont on 19 nov. 2006 23:18:31 |
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gpspassion
87915 Posts |
Posted - 19 nov. 2006 : 23:21:49
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It has video-in ? Nice, I'll need to see if I can reuse an old webcam with InVion.
For the navigation software, not much to add to my message before last, hope they've improved it. |
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JoelH
USA
8 Posts |
Posted - 20 nov. 2006 : 01:00:26
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I found the website for the Plenio (Digital Video Systems).
http://www.dvssales.com/
Interestingly, they also list a model VXA-4000 which is a smaller, Li-Ion battery equipped AIO navigator. Like the Nuvi 660, it has a 4.3" 480x272 LCD, large for a portable AIO and higher vertical resolution than the 7" models.
Of course none of these display issues matter if the navigation is not up to par. But, it appears that this company is offering some of the more interesting hardware in a crowded field of non-mainstream GPS AIO products. I noticed how many of these devices were being shown at last January's CES show by various Asian companies - it seems that many of these are now appearing as purchasable items. |
JoelH |
Edited by - JoelH on 20 nov. 2006 20:27:15 |
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Egmont
USA
190 Posts |
Posted - 22 nov. 2006 : 15:15:42
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Just checked UPS, it is on the truck, I should get it in a few hours.
I will report tonight, US time. |
Egmont _CT USA
HP iPAQ4705 w/G10, BT338 & 2 Holux 236
iQue3600, 600c, 276c,
AVIC-Z1/2
among others
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Egmont
USA
190 Posts |
Posted - 22 nov. 2006 : 20:07:59
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Well, I got it.
First impressions are very good, great looking screen, took the unit about about 20 seconds from a cold start to find its location. Maps look great, tracking is very good.
POI, I am not sure yet, I tried to search on restaurants and gas station and found a ton, but not old established one's around the corner. I have been mostly using my Lowrance 500c in the car and on the bike and have been driving on water in my area, these maps are better. At least my house is not in middle of the bay
This unit has a lot of other features that I have not looked at as of yet, but GPS looks more like a computer the a GPS.
I will keep you posted.
PS It is powered by Smart2go, does anyone know what maps they are the using? |
Egmont _CT USA
HP iPAQ4705 w/G10, BT338 & 2 Holux 236
iQue3600, 600c, 276c,
AVIC-Z1/2
among others
|
Edited by - Egmont on 22 nov. 2006 20:10:20 |
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gpspassion
87915 Posts |
Posted - 22 nov. 2006 : 20:23:02
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They generally use TeleAtlas, but editors generally use both, so based on customer requirements they may have switched, there should be logos on the box.
Keep us posted after your first trips, map display of S2Go was pretty good on the Nokia version apart from some "crab-like" progress from time to time, but I'd found their first PND version to be rather slow on the GS201. Are you seeing any version numbers for the software ?
Good TTFF, do you see any indication of the GPS chipset ? Normally SiRFstarIII would be shown somewhere on the box/manual |
Discounts and Assistance/Réductions et Assistance (Club GpsPasSion) / Où commencer? |
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JoelH
USA
8 Posts |
Posted - 22 nov. 2006 : 20:30:04
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Thanks for your initial take and I look forward to your follow-up reviews! This will help a lot of people who are just seeing these units appear and want to know the scoop.
I just talked to a DVS guy for a couple of minutes, and learned the following:
1. He confirmed that they use Smart2Go software, but your post already confirmed that. This means little to me as I have no personal experience with it - perhaps you can comment further on the quality.
2. The map data is TeleAtlas, like TomTom. He said that concerns about TeleAtlas vs. NavTeq may have been valid 2-3 years ago, but he feels now that they are very comparable.
3. There will be some good promotions coming up this weekend at major retailers.
4. Regarding the VXA-4000 portable AIO with the Nuvi 660-size screen: This will not ship until at least February and become available in stores March-April 2007 (current schedule). There are actually two models planned, with some price differentiation based on features (Bluetooth connectivity etc.). I did not press him for the price point because I'm sure it won't be finalized until the unit is ready to go.
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JoelH |
Edited by - JoelH on 23 nov. 2006 06:42:41 |
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JoelH
USA
8 Posts |
Posted - 22 nov. 2006 : 20:39:27
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Here are the VXA-3000 specs clipped from the DVS website:
[Dimension & Weight] 190 (W) x 125 (H) x 32 (D) mm, approx. 550g
[Memory] SDRAM : 64MB ,BOOT FLASH : 1MB NOR Flash
OS/App FLASH : 64MB NAND Flash
[Display] 7" wide TFT 65536 color LCD (480x234 pixels, 16bit Color),
CCFL backlight, 500Cd/m2
[Touch Panel] 7" resistive film type
[Audio Output] AC'97 Audio Codec, Line-out, 1ch, stereo,
Internal speaker, 1W, Mono FM Transmitter (Remove Optional, 88.1, 88.3, 88.5, 88.7MHz selectable)
[Video Input] External composite video input, 1ch
[External Player Control] VXD/VXM Player Control
[Safety ] VXD/VXM Player Control
[GPS] Built-in GPS Antenna, Atmel, SIRF2, SIRF3 Support
External Antenna Support (w/o Atmel)
[Power Supply] 9 ~ 18V DC ,Under 1A
(without DMB), Under 1.2A (with DMB)
[SD Memory] 256MB, 512MB, 1GB, 2GB, ¡¦. Support
Wide mode SD Support |
JoelH |
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Egmont
USA
190 Posts |
Posted - 26 nov. 2006 : 05:50:36
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Sorry it took so long, had a problem with my main computer, Trojan as Key Logger, and made a mess on my e-mail system and e-bay, all is good again.
Now for my impression of the Plenio VXA-3000.
If you are a GPS aficionado and need all the bells and whistles please look elsewhere.
If you are like me and want a no nonsense GPS, easy to operate, beautiful display, straight forward menus, large bottoms on the Touch Screen, this is the one for you.
Out of the box, it is like a computer or PDA, after you turn the unit on and it boots up, you have to start the GPS. It starts with a fly over across the world to your location and then zooms in, just like Google Earth. Nice touch, you can circumvent this by touching the screen and it will go straight to your location. Minimalist comes to mind describing the whole GPS section of this unit. The map display is great, and then again, I always prefer VGA over others.
The left side has four large bottoms:
Destination - leads to address, favorites, POI, map and routes.
Settings - let you toggle between day/night, 2D and 3D and info to choose what to display on the maps.
Save - lets you save current location.
Exit - will save current setting, if you shut the power off you will loose your settings.
The map display is looks great, very clear in 2D or 3D. On the bottom left is the GPS and the number of locked satellites in parentis (it starts tracking with 3). During my driving in this part of the country, I normally lock onto 6 to 9 satellites. Next to that is the street name you are traveling on. Underneath you see the elevation in yards, next to it is mph and then longitude and latitude.
I did some routing and comparing it to TomTom on my iPAQ and Lowrance 500c, it holds its own. Re-routing is quite good also; I really have no way of doing time trails. It also has the ability to display routes with stop over in that reminds on how I did it on my laptop. Did I mention it comes with a remote? I have not tried it other then adjusting the brightness.
I REALLY like this unit and believe me I have/or had a lot of sophisticated units and have not used most of the features that where included.
It would be nice to see the strength of the satellites or change automatically between day and night viewing, but one can hope that it will be added in software updates.
Nowhere in the documentation could I find any SIRF info, I know it is SIRF because I get 5 satellites in my aluminum sided house. I spoke to tech support regarding updates and their missing web support page and he informed me that the unit is so new and has the latest software. He informed me that they are in the process of moving and everything will be up and running in a couple of weeks or so.
PS Most of the info see earlier post by others
OS is MS Windows CE.NET 4.2, CPU ARM9 Core
GPS Sensitivity:
First start sensitivity: -135dBm
Restart sensitivity: -153Bm
Sensitivity in motion: -156dBm |
Egmont _CT USA
HP iPAQ4705 w/G10, BT338 & 2 Holux 236
iQue3600, 600c, 276c,
AVIC-Z1/2
among others
|
Edited by - Egmont on 26 nov. 2006 06:04:29 |
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[TOPIC] Plenio VXA-3000 - 7", Smart2go, Video In
