Exactly.
Bluetooth is almost a given anymore in most portable electronics (PDA's, many cell phones, etc.. heck, my coworkers CAR has bluetooth!) so it is a proven technology that can be put into a very small space in the device.
With many of the new PDA's (my Tungsten T5 for example), there is no direct support for serial I/O. The PDA is native USB, so a cable feed to the GPS doesnt require just a short cable anymore, but an adapter (with its own power supply, or rapidly drainging the PDA) that you must also deal with carrying around.
I dont plan to use my PDA as a GPSr replacement, I'll still be carrying my trusty old GPS II+, but I use Cachemate and want to ability to feed fixes directly to it.. I would much rather pay for a handheld GPSr that would also feed to the PDA, than carry a second displayless GPS to feed the PDA... And no, unfortunetly the Garmin iQue 3600 was not a good option.. The iQue is over $200 MORE than the T5, with a 200mhz slower processor (T5-416mhz, iQue-200mhz), and a fraction of the built in memory (T5- 256mb, iQue-only 32mb [!].. )
Agree completely on the licenses.. How about a way to license 'per install'.. Since once you are doing vacationing someplace and uninstall it, yuou wouldnt be reinstalling the maps again.. If you even go back, you could purchase another 'install license' to put them on.. The maps are nice, but they are badly overpriced for using on situations where they will be used once, or rarely.
On their mapping, it would also be nice if they verified the source they are getting them from? The mapping CD's I have with my Garmin in the truck are only 2 years old.. My neighborhood has existed for approx 21 years.. The map STILL shows the street I live on NOT connecting to itself, and has the name on the wrong street.. One whole section of town (at least a 2mi x 2mi square) is 'shifted' on the GPS also. (not just mine, but other people with different Garmin models). If you try and navigate at street level, you will be at least one street off (the map is NOT showing 'Overzoom' either. This happens at all levels under about 5mi scale, the map here goes to 800ft, 500ft begins the overzoom map).
We checked the position fix and the fix is correct, all units are reading the same location, and my truck unit is reading an EPE of under 16ft. If I plug the unit into a computer and feed the signal to Precision Mapping V7, the streets are connected, named correctly, and you are actually on the street that it shows you are on.. So the base maps are available, it isnt a case of the town had the maps wrong when they made the originals or something..
Just my little vent, for the $ that the mapping CD's vost (more than the PMap V7), it would be nice if they were as accurate (at least could get you onto the right street?) I have updated the CD's once over the past few years (upgraded from a Streetpilot Color to a StreetPilot Deluxe) and the map source stayed exactly the same errors.. They added some of the new developments to the map that have been built around us, but they did not check/correct the existing errors.
In their defence, this doesnt happen everywhere.. Many locations the map is (at least close to) right on.. But for the $ it would be nice if they were all 'right on'..
