TomTom Mobile


for the Sony Ericsson P910i...

I like to think I have a good sense of direction and that I can find my way about in my car easily.

The reality is that even with using the AA's route planner website I can still get lost.

Actually there is something what did we do before route planning websites and software? I remember going to the middle of Wales once and I had (the night before) gone to the AA website and planned my route, and printed it off. As I arrived at my destination I tried to remember how I use to do this kind of thing. Of course like most people I had a road atlas and if I was sensible I would the night before plan my route using the atlas writing down the roads and turns I would have to take. Usually though I would drive around with the atlas on my lap, stopping and trying to work out not only where I had to go but also where I was. That problem still exists with website route planning it is only really useful if you know where you are!

The TomTom range of products get round that by using GPS to work out where you are and where you need to go.

Though I do quite a bit of travelling (at this very moment I am on a British Airways flight to Edinburgh) I felt for a long time that I didn't need a TomTom as I have a good sense of direction and that I can find my way about in my car easily. However after a few recent trips including one where I had to be directed by phone to my destination as I couldn't find it, I decided to get a TomTom device. I had considered the standalone device, but then saw somewhere a PDA version (which I thought great I can use that with my iPaq). However when I came to order it I my usual supplier didn't seem to stock it. I then saw recently a version for the Sony Ericsson P910i and having recently upgraded (actually a downgrade in theory from the S700i) I decided this was the time to get one.

It arrived slightly too late to be useful for a trip to Manchester (four trips around the block before I found the hotel I was staying at made me realise that yes I need a TomTom).

However whilst in Manchester I couldn't get it to work, I couldn't get the GPS device to intialise and find a GPS signal, very frustrating. There was nothing on the TomTom support website and I started to think oh no I have a duff unit! However after searching Google I found that the GPS units don't like being used indoors and can take initially some time to work out where they are (sounds familar).

This morning as I drove to the Airport I put the GPS unit on the dashboard and only a few minutes after setting off, the TomTom found itself, and there was the road I was travelling along on the screen of the P910i, it was working. However I knew where I had to go, so it was slightly redundant. However I am hoping to use it later this morning to get to Falkirk from Edinburgh Airport. I shall let you know how I got on.

Posted: Fri - November 4, 2005 at 08:17 AM         | |

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