Notices

Out of curiosity, how (where) does it get the traffic information?
Does it need an internet connection, or is there a hidden rds receiver in the n800/n810?

It gets the traffic info from the internet, the radio in the N800 doesn't seems to be able to receive RDS informations.

I actually like TomTom too. Both products have pro and cons...

I'm curious, do people actually find the 3D view more useful or just find it looks cooler (on TomTom or Wayfinder) ?

Personally, I figured it just looked cooler but in many ways, more confusing and less informative. Especially on a bigger screen.

Also, TomTom has more alternate route options. Like avoid next 500meters etc. quite useful when you litterally just come across a roadblock for example.

But I did not realise how much more enjoyable (though by no means essential) a large 4" screen is compared to a mobile screen.

I think having both Maemo Mapper and Wayfinder available on the same device could be a winner. I just watched a youtube video by ThoughtFix about GeoCaching. Thought it demoed it rather well (I'm an occasional Hiker).

Really would like some sort of A-GPS like they do for the Nokia N95 though. Made a huge difference to lock times on that device.

Anyway, if everyone was required to like and standardise on the same software, we would all be using Microsoft Windows (Oops)

Zuber

As Nikem says, it gets traffic updates from the internet. Either WiFi or Bluetooth to Phone.

It can be configured to get traffic info updates manually, every 10 mins, 30 mins, 60 mins.

I'm hopeing this is indicative of how useful the trafic aspect of it will be i.e bang upto date with latest changes. Hard to tell until you experiance it...

Zuber

re 3D: I've always used TomTom's 3D view on my rather small (2.6") smartphone screen and found it very informative and useful (not just "cool"). I don't like and don't use voice navigation, and with TomTom I also really don't need it. Now I have to say that Wayfinder's 3D view is much worse, partly also because of N800's big screen. Here is indeed "Less is more"! Not only "first person shooter" feeling is missing: Wayfinder's distance indicator isn't good as well. It almost permanently shows larger number than actually (eg. "157 m" to the next turn, although there are not more than 100m left). TomTom is much more precise. These were main reasons why I have decided to use TomTom on small phone display and not Wayfinder on this big one.

Re traffic info: I have paired N800 with a cell phone (which has data flatrate) and enabled update every 10 min. It seemed to work fine.... mostly! Because every 2nd/3rd update it has timed out.

Agree on the distance thing. It tends to say the exit is a little further than it is.

Might try and feedback that to the support guys...

On the timeout, do you think that is internet connection (reception related) or server related ?

Zuber

garmin mobile xt works very well on my nokia e61. right now this is the nav software with the best map of bulgaria and this is the main reason for me to choose it over tomtom, route66, navigon, wayfinder and smart2go

In general, I like the 2D display with TomTom. But there was one case (sounds silly I know.. but it really made the difference) where I simply couldn't get out at the correct exit of a 6- or 7- exit roundabout. I kept getting out at the wrong place and had to do a U-turn down the road. After the second wrong exit I switched to 3D mode and then it was suddenly easy to get out at the rigth place - I just watched the screen and followed. For some reason it didn't work out very well in 2D.

Funnily enough, that is the type of situation I ran into on my WayFinder test run.

The thing I liked (and one of the main things I liked about wayfinder) was that it actually displayed much better information about the exit I should take. Corresponding very well with the signs shown on the road.

In addition, it actually said take this exit as I got to the correct exit. The 2 in combination gave me a real confidence about which exit to take.

In a situation where you end up going round a big roundabout more than once, I found TomTom got confused (perhaps confused me may be more accurate) but WayFinder didn't.

Might just have been luck since I havn't done many runs with WayFinder yet. Might be doing another long run tomorrow.

Will be interesting to see if if I still feel as positive about it after that

On a different note (not really WayFinder). Anyone got any comparisons about batteylife with SatNav on the N810 v there mobile/TomTom. Not got my Car Charger yet.

I was really chuffed with the N810. Managed well over 3 hours from less than full charge (not sure how much less).

After that I played a number of Video clips while waiting for the wife to do some shopping and then back to SatNav again before it went flat.

Don't recall my mobile ever managing anything like that with Bluetooth TomTom. But I guess it depends on the phone...

Zuber

With enabled Bluetooth and running TomTom, my SonyEricsson P910i sucks power like hell. A full battery is guarenteed empty one hour later. N800 with two bluetooth connections (to phone and to GPS) and permenently active Wayfinder could work 2-3 hours, I guess, and N810 without Bluetooth should do it even longer.