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| Software - Detailed Reviews |
1. Destinator v3 - NEW!
 Destinator v3 was released in October 2003 and is probably the most impressive upgrade I've seen for Navigation Software. After making a "splash" with v1 (first NavTech based solution for PDA's), the upgrade to v2 was rather lackluster, especially with the arrival of strong new competitors like the Intellinav based OEMs. Anyway what matters is NOW and with v3, Powerloc, the makers of Destinator, have not only improved usability, they've also added new unique features!
The GpsPasSion Team is working on a review for both North America and Europe, but in the meantime, here's a primer on what's new and improved:
Improvements:
- User Interface is now very responsive and a pleasure to use: you can tap your way around well designed menus with your finger and get immediate feedback. Nice work!
- Maps are now fully scrollable (in 2D and Bird's Eye modes). The virtually instantaneous scrolling turns Destinator into an excellent "electronic map" solution on top of being a "navigator"
- POI database is still the best of its kind for navigation programs and benefits from the updated (Q2'2003 NavTech data). Would be nice to have a "Cafés/Bars" section to find places like Starbucks though ;-)
- In terms of Map Management you are no longer limited to navigating within pre-cut regions. You can create a map of any size within "super regions", which means 8 (+1 for Hawai) for North America and 7 in Europe. There is some overlapping between these "super-regions" (France and Belgium for instance) so people frequently crossing borders between countries will not have to switch maps.
New Features:
- Waypoint Management and Optimization: If you have a list  of places to visit (sales tour, repairs, doctor, etc...) you can now enter them and ask D3 to optimize your trip. It will then guide you to the next stop and give you navigation info to that point. Optimization will need some time to be thoroughly tested, but some quick tests show good results. It would be perfect if you could select a waypoint as either a "Stop" (current choice) or a "Via" to "bend" a trip to your liking.
- Addition of a "Bird's Eye" view that gives a very readable overview of a trip. At some levels of zoom, the bitmap rendering does make for a "jaggy" and somewhat "messy" look though.
- Roads can be "blocked" to prevent them from being used by the routing engine (roadworks, traffic jams, etc...). Some visual feedback needed on the map though to remember to remove temporary "blocks".
Wishlist:
1. ETA is one of the more useful aspects of GPS Assisted Navigation and in D3 it is so inaccurate that it doesn't provide useful information. It will overstimate travel time by a good 30% and sometimes 50%. This is an URGENT MUST FIX.
2. Rerouting still takes too long to kick in (3/5 seconds) and the actual recalculation is slower than with other solutions (seems to recalculate more than just route to next step).
3. Activation process only allows for the registration of one device, so human intervention will be needed if you buy a new PocketPC or are given another one following repair. Likely to be a "frustrating" experience for all involved...
4. Go all the way with Map Management and remove "super-region" limitations and offer "corridor cutting" like in CoPilot or Navigon (in Europe).
5. Offer more route planning options such as "Avoid Toll" or "Reduced Turns".
6. Allow more precise selection of roads to be avoided, the current "NavTech segments" will not always work to avoid tolls for instance.
User "Feedback":
Check some ever useful "First Impressions" feedback from users in the forums here.
Where to Buy:
Available at: buyGPSnow
- North America: $170 (instead of $200)
- Western Europe: $180 (instead of $220)
- Upgrade from v2: $125
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