Two different GPS devices take two different directions

The Navman Pin570 and the Garmin Streetpilot C-320

Satellite navigation company Navman now has real competition in its home market with the arrival of Garmin global positioning system (GPS) devices, complete with mapping for the entire country.

That's a good thing for you and me, as in-car units have been slow to dip much below $900, so competition can only lower prices.

The Garmin C-320 Streetpilot is a small GPS unit with a 2.8-inch, full-colour screen that sticks to the windscreen and guides drivers to their destination using a thick arrow on a digital map and voice commands.

What's particularly impressive about the Streetpilot's mapping software is that it gives directions down to the specific street number.

It also beeps when approaching one of the many fixed speed cameras dot-ting the country, possibly the Streetpilot's most practical function.

I liked its shape - the small, rectangular unit fits neatly to the right side of my dashboard just below my eyeline. The unit is charged from the car's cigarette lighter, but it also has enough battery power for around eight hours of navigation - a crucial feature for me as my lighter doesn't work.

The Garmin's modus operandi took some getting used to, but the system is essentially fairly simple. A menu screen greets users with two options - they can go directly to a map of where they are with the location plotted on it, or choose the "where to?" function and punch in their destination.

I found every location I was looking for, even if I did have to scroll through similar street names to pick out the right one. Everything is done through the Streetpilot's touch screen.

There's little to fault the Streetpilot, except its price, which will need to drop for the device to appeal to any more than a tiny proportion of Kiwi motorists. Navman's PiN570, on the other hand, is a completely different type of GPS gadget that merges a Microsoft-powered handheld computer with the company's SmartST mapping software and GPS module.

The device's appeal for business people who spend a lot of time on the road and want one device for storing memos and addresses and providing GPS navigation is obvious. But two-in-one devices usually involve the manufacturer making compromises, and the PiN570 is no different.

The updated SmartST software keeps the familiar and well-tested menu and mapping attributes of pre-vious versions, but now lets users scroll through maps to explore the area around them.

Frustratingly, it often took me a long time to calibrate the device with its satellites, even with the GPS module extended. Sometimes I'd nearly finished my trip by the time the PiN570 was operating.

An included stylus can be used to drag maps and tap menus on the device's 3.5-inch colour screen, but the four-way joystick tends to be more practical for menu navigation.

Perhaps one of the PiN570's best features is its ability to access and enter destinations straight from the user's Outlook Express email program.

In testing on central Wellington streets, the PiN570 failed to operate in handheld mode - its communication with satellites was evidently blocked by the tall buildings on either side. On more open roads, it's a competent handheld navigator.

A windscreen mount for the car also powers the device, which can run for several hours off its internal battery when used in computer mode.

The computer itself is powered by a 266-megahertz Samsung processor and has a fairly skimpy 64 megabytes of onboard memory.

As handheld computers go, the PiN570 - which plays mp3 files and hosts Windows Mobile applications - is thus somewhat underpowered. But for those road warriors who want basic information at hand and comprehensive navigation, the sacrifices are reasonable.

If you're happy to keep your navigation unit in the car at all times, one of Navman's other devices might be a better choice. I'd give handheld GPS-computer combos another generation to improve.

Garmin Streetpilot C-320

Pros: Nice design; street numbers; speed cameras mapped.
Cons: Pricey.
Price: $999.
Herald Rating: 7/10.

www.mapworld.co.nz; www.garmin.com

Navman Pin570

Pros: integration with Outlook; user-friendly Smart ST software.
Cons: limited data storage.
Price: $898.
Herald Rating: 6/10.

www.des.co.nz