A quick look at the Garmin Street Pilot III and how it compares to GPS solutions for the Pocket PC
In my quest for a reliable GPS navigation solution for my car, I tested a number of Pocket PC solutions as well as the Garmin StreetPilot III Deluxe (www.garmin.com/products/spIII/), a stand-alone, dashboard-mounted GPS solution with a suggested retail priced of $1,166.65. If you look around you can find the StreetPilot available for $750. But even at that price, it's twice the cost of adding GPS to your Pocket PC. I was interested in how the StreetPilot would compare to Pocket PC solutions and wondered if it was worth the extra money.
Sturdy device with a viewable screen
The StreetPilot III is a 1.4 pound "brick" measuring 3.2 x 6.8 x 2.6 inches. It feels more substantial than a Pocket PC and could probably withstand a drop better, but I didn't test that observation! The "Deluxe" version comes with a portable "beanbag" mount that requires no installation--just plop it down on your dashboard. It also includes a permanent user-installable dashboard mount, a detachable antenna for better reception, an interface cable for downloading maps from your PC, an external speaker with a cigarette lighter power adapter for turn-by-turn voice instructions, manuals, and a 128 MB storage card for map storage. This is a proprietary card--you can't use it in a Pocket PC or use PC, CF, or SD cards in the StreetPilot. Garmin sells extra 128 MB cards for a rather steep $233 each.
The StreetPilot has a 16-color 305x160 pixel display similar to a Pocket PC screen viewed in landscape mode. Pocket PCs have 240x320 pixel screens capable of displaying 65,000 colors--much better for displaying photos, but that's not what the StreetPilot is designed to do. Its display beautifully shows the necessary map colors with ease. And with its anti-glare coating, the StreetPilot's display does not wash out in sunlight like the Pocket PC's.
Well-thought-out controls and features
The StreetPilot III was designed to take you from point A to point B, and it does this flawlessly. The device lacks a keyboard or touch screen, but its controls are logical and allow you to access features and enter starting and ending points efficiently.
The StreetPilot is a well-thought-out product with a lot of nice touches. For example, the satellite-viewing screen, which displays the location of the GPS satellites, also shows the location of the sun and moon (nifty). For better viewing, the display automatically switches between day and night modes based on sunrise and sunset times. Finally, the buttons on the StreetPilot glow softly in the dark, just like other controls on your car's dashboard. This feature helps make the StreetPilot seem like part of your car.
Maps can be downloaded directly (and slowly) to the StreetPilot via the included serial cable. You can speed this up by downloading maps directly to the 128 MB data card using the USB data card programmer cable if you have the Deluxe version.
Maps from NavTech
Street Pilot III comes with Garmin's Map source CD, which gets its map data from NavTech, the company that provides map data for most GPS solutions. The StreetPilot ships with an "unlock code" that lets you download all the U.S. maps on the CD. My evaluation unit came with a 32 MB card. I installed maps for central New Jersey, New York City, and Long Island, all of which occupied 20 MB, leaving another 12 MB on this card for more maps.
Tracking more GPS satellites for greater accuracy
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