The Garmin Mobile XT, is a S60 software that can be installed into Device using S60 Operating System, in my case my newly purchase Nokia N82. The Garmin Mobile XT which come with a free maps by Malsingmap.
Garmin Mobile XT has both Nokia Maps and GPS data functions built in. In other words, in has voice navigation, trip meter, maps, etc In its main menu it have 7 buttons. There are 2 big buttons, which is Where To?, View Map, and 3 smaller button, - Garmin on line, Tools, Exit, then the Help button and the GPS signal bar. Its all very self explanatory and all explain in the Help. I will just touch briefly on each
Menu
The GPS signal bar, is also the on and off GPS button, you can also select the type of GPS, either Bluetooth or internal GPS.
The Where to? Is where you want to go to, the choices are varied and cover all the choices you may want from Address, Point of Interest, your contact in the phone, location you have saved, towns, intersections or gps coordinates and many more, once you selected your destination, the Voice, turn by turn navigation is enable. And you will get a Driving map that include speed and arrival time details, Map is also available to save your current position as well as a trip meter for even more details
The View Map, will bring you to the Overview Map, or the Driving Map (that what I call them), the Over view map will display what is around the location, which you can zoom down, actually you can also use it to navigate. The Driving map includes speed and heading details. Trip meter is also available here.
Tools is where you manage and edit your data, plan & edit your routes, do settings on the device, set the language, and simulate driving to a destination. All very users friendly, and further it is covered by the Help if you required any assistance. I did not require any manual to figure out how to use it, but then I had basics knowledge on gps....
Using the Garmin
Start up - is pretty fast to me, I switch the GPS on when I leave the building and walk to my car in the car park, and usually by the time, I reach the car I will have GPS Lock. That takes around 30 to 45 seconds.
Signal - usually 4 bar, even in cloudy weather, in fact at the Non Air Con Restaurant, I can still get GPS signal
Calculate Route – Fast, 10 km, and it is pretty accurate. But then accuracy depends more on the Map set provided.
Recalculate Route - Again Fast, and Accurate usually by the time I travel around 200 meters off the projected route it will have recalculate a new Route to a destination.
Conclusion
I manage to learn how to use the Garmin Mobile XT in just 24 hours, of course there are many other things to use or to learn, but I manage to get going on voice navigation, searching for places, route planning, all that in just a day. Not too bad for a device.
Garmin Navigation is straightforward; its voice instruction is clear, and loud enough to hear even in a noisy car, if you go off the route, it recalculates fast, it have enough options on what is to be shown on the map, I find it user friendly, simple to use generally and its help key is very useful. The only grip I have with this software is when you save a location it saves automatically as mylocation(x) which the user can edit later, but then how many ppl can remember which number where, a option to key in a word will make this device much better, that goes for saving routes as well.
Either way, I can safely say I give it 9 out of 10. It’s a worthwhile purchase.
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