markdowling.com

Now that I’ve had my Nokia 6110 for a few days, I’ve been able to try out a few more of the GPS functions. Here are my impressions.

1. It’s a little slow to actually pick up its position when the Navigator application is started. This morning I mounted it in its dash-mounted holder, and it took the drive our of the garage and a few hundred metres up the road before it decided where it was. If I didn’t know where I was going, that’s long enough to get totally screwed with multi-lane roads and no-right-turn limits.
2. The map software, by UK company Route 66, is hopelessly incorrect. It tells me to turn right when there’s no road, there are multi-lane roads that aren’t in the software, and fully half the roundabouts in the Noosa area are either not there or incorrect the the number or entry-exit roads. Just not good enough!!
3. The search function is crap. To try and navigate to an address you have to make a general-enough entry to bring up a list of alternatives, and then scroll through obvious wrong entries to (hopefully) come up with the street/ suburb you want.
4. Some very basic landmarks are missing. Like Maroochy Airport. And the University of the Sunshine Coast.

But it’s not all bad, despite the above limiting the effectiveness of the 6110.

1. The route selection software is fast and adapts well to wrong turns (or, in my case, travelling along unknown roads and taking unknown turns at roundabouts).
2. Indication of upcoming exits, intersections and roundabouts is great. Plenty of warning, and it even tells you what the signs read so you don’t go wrong.
3. The amount of voice prompts is right. Doesn’t bug you every few seconds, just when you’re coming up to some intersection or decision point.
4. The display is great, despite the small-screen format of the 6110. It’s clear and easy to take in at a glance.

So there you have it. It’s good, and perhaps in some big cities it’s great. But in my little corner of the world it’s not good enough to rely on.

I checked the Route 66 website this morning and the map that’s provided with the phone, dated 4th quarter 2006, has not been updated. I guess the problems I have with the unit could be 100% fixed with correct and current map software, but that’s not an option right now.