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(More customer reviews)There are two very negative customer reviews for the TomTom Navigator 6 software as of this writing, and for my first few hours' experience with the product I could understand why. The "quickstart guide" they bundle with the DVD is all the documentation you get, and there is little or no documentation specific to the dozens of devices they support with this release (in my case, a Nokia E61 Symbian Series 60 smartphone paired with the Holux GPSlim 240 bluetooth GPS receiver).
However, for those early adopters who are very comfortable with gadgetry and computing this is an unparalleled offering. First of all, there is no comparable software out there in terms of device support. Navigator 6 supports Palm OS, Windows Mobile, and Symbian UIQ & Series 60. Garmin's Mobile XT is the closest competitor and its Symbian support seems to be vaporware, just like their support for Mac OS X.
Speaking of Mac OS X, TomTom is the only GPS software vendor with a Mac client app for interacting with your device, something Garmin has been promising for more than a year and are only now beginning to deliver on for their personal fitness devices alone. TomTom Home was clearly not developed with the Mac in mind--a direct port of the Windows version as far as I can tell--but I give them credit for recognizing that the early adopters that are into GPS and mapping software are more likely than most to be using a Mac. Some of the bugs I found in the Mac app were very serious though: the backup tool for archiving your device memory is totally broken and fails very subtly to the user (i.e. I didn't know it had failed until I needed the backup and it was nowhere to be found). Also, for you Symbian users: be very careful that you choose the right version of the app for your device. I mistakenly chose Symbian UIQ instead of Symbian Series 60, which led to hours of removing installed files by hand to get the right version to eventually install correctly, something I could have avoided if the Mac software didn't have a bug that prevented it from cleanly removing the app from my Nokia E61 for me.
As for the navigator itself, it works like a champ. The map data seems to be far better than what was available on my previous GPS device (Garmin Quest 2), although it isn't without its quirks. For example, on a recent trip the voice navigation kept directing me to "keep left" on a stretch of highway that gently curves left, despite there being no offramp or other road affordance to deter me from keeping left. But it got me to an unfamiliar destination without getting lost, in an area of town where the Garmin often stumbled. The points of interest data seems extensive and up-to-date, getting me to a small barber shop that's been open for less than a year, and letting me call ahead to the current phone number to get on the waiting list.
After a couple of days of heavy use of the navigation app and map data, it has almost made up for the crucible that was getting it to properly install. Despite the initial pain, I'm very happy with the product. Again, I can only speak for the quality of the product on my Nokia E61 and Mac, and based on the blisteringly negative reviews from Windows Mobile users, your mileage may certainly vary.
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TomTom PDA Navigator 6 U.S./Canada Map DVD (Windows or Mac)With the TomTom Navigator 6 Software with Maps of the US and Canada (DVD) you never need to be lost again, wherever you are, whatever you are doing. TomTom's Navigator 6 software is designed for people who already own a PDA with GPS functionality, or a PDA with Bluetooth and a separate Bluetooth GPS receiver. This package provides all the Navigator 6 software with maps of the complete US and Canada on a DVD, which once installed on your PDA will let you know not only where you are going, but exactly how best to get there.
The TomTom Navigator 6 software is not only effortless to install, but easy to use with a touch-screen user menu that gives you an intuitive navigation experience, and an inherent portability that lets you take it with you anywhere, whether in your car, on your bike, or on foot. The TomTom Navigator 6 software has complete maps of the United States, including Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico, as well as all the Canadian provinces. This software gives you the convenience of thousands of pre-installed Points of Interest from restaurants to gas stations, allowing you to search by proximity to your current location, along your route, near a specific city and more, as well as letting you plan your route to fit your requirements, be they quickest, shortest, avoiding toll roads, or many others.
Navigator 6 not only guides you from door to door, but can navigate directly to contacts from your PDA address book, complete with stopovers and itinerary planning for routing to multiple destinations while adding stopping points. The user-friendly interface features a tip system for when you are just getting started, an optional compass display, and the ability to show a route demonstration so you can better know what things are going to look like in advance.
TomTom's Navigator 6 system provides you with crystal clear 2D or 3D graphics, in a brilliant 65,000 colors and "Nightview" for optimized visibility. This navigation system includes realistic visual instructions that replicate road signs to make them easier to follow, and a pedestrian-centric map option that lets you view your position with a fixed position in 2D that can be zoomed in and out for better orientation when you are navigating on foot. Navigator 6 features friendly north-up navigation for easier orientation, automatic route recalculation if a user takes a wrong turn, and auto-scaling software so it will fit any PDA screen. Suitable for almost anybody, the user interface application comes with support for some 22 languages covering virtually all of Europe from Turkish to Flemish, Lithuanian to Catalan, while the spoken directions come in 37 different languages that include with the European languages such options as Chinese, Thai, Japanese and more.
Full of smart extras and additional options, the TomTom Navigator 6 system includes TomTom Home software to manage all the files on your device, get new updates on your PC or Mac in advance, and more, as well as supporting a wide range of TomTom Plus services and downloads. TomTom Plus lets you receive real-time, up-to-the-minute traffic information, with jam alerts and road condition warnings, as well as use instant messaging and more to keep in touch with a selected group of people, including tracking their location. TomTom Plus is an optional, cost-based service that can be accessed through Navigator 6 at any time.
Designed to be ultimately safe, Navigator 6 software provides for easy call handling for PDAs with calling functionality, with on-screen instructions that remain visible while making phone calls or receiving SMS messages, as well as the ability to dial a point of interest. The navigation system not only encourages you to get from A to B as safely as possible, but alerts you to when you are speeding, even if you are not in navigation mode. The TomTom Navigator 6 software is compatible with most popular brands and models of PDAs, including; Acer, Dell, Eten, Fujitsu Siemens, HP, Imate, O2, Orange, Palm Treo, Qtek, T-Mobile, and Nokia.
What's in the Box Navigation 6 software on DVD with application and maps of the US and Canada, full user's manual, installation guide, quick-start guide, and product code card.
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