Route66 GPS N7 Review

Introduction Route66 is another of the GPS systems that I previously had very little knowledge of before this review. Like many of the other GPS providers the Dutch manufacturers behind the product have a well respected and established base with standalone GPS units. Interestingly the couple of people with experience of this product from the Dutch company have been very, very positive and I've been looking forward to test driving it myself. I've not heard a bad word about Route66, can it live up to it's reputation? Read on to find out!

For your delectation photographs are thumbnails which may be clicked on to load a larger image.
Thanks go out to Oana at Route66 for providing us with a review sample.
For more information on Route66 go to the Route66 website

In the box The Route66 is a pretty good package coming with almost everything you'll need to start out with GPS in your car bar the Pocket PC itself. The accessories provided seem of a good quality. In the box you'll find: Hardware Bluetooth GPS receiver Adjustable Pocket PC cradle Suction (windscreen) mount Sticky pad (dashboard) mount Neck strap GPS cigarette lighter charger USB SD converter

Software Route66 software CD Route66 software Micro/Mini/SD Documentation Hardware installation guide Software quick start guide

Test Hardware As the Route66 comes in a package with many accessories including a Bluetooth GPS device which I will be using along with my HTC Touch for the majority of the testing. In order to provide some comparison of performance with the other GPS systems in our shootout review I'll also test the Route66 software on my standard test equipment: HTC Touch. Proporta supplied Freedom Bluetooth Keychain GPS reciever. Proporta Alu Leather case for HTC Touch. Proporta magnetic vehicle docking system. Plantronics 655 Bluetooth Headset.

Installation

The installation footprint for the Route66 software is:

Main Application: 2.2MB Add-ons (voices etc): 9MB on SD card. Maps: Great Britain 226MB on SD card. The installation of the software package was very simple indeed. Put the SD card into the device, click next, and away you go.

Registering the Route66 software is a little more complex, and you are prompted with two options, by internet and by SMS. For an internet activation you are prompted to go to Generate your "Activation Key" and follow the instructions. For me, this website did not exist so I decide to browse the www.66.com site and see if I could find the activation page. I couldn't, so I decide to restart the software and choose the SMS option instead. At this point the keyboard pops up and you are asked for your product key. You input it on the keyboard and an SMS is zapped to Route66 towers. I received a response about 2-3 minutes later, and the software popped up with the "Activation Successful" message. The SMS option was very easy if the web option is not available. I've since been back to check the activation website and it forwarded my browser to Generate your "Activation Key" which was available. It's simply a case of entering your Licence Key (enclosed in your software package) and device identification number (supplied by the Route66 Pocket PC software) along with your name and email address. You'll then be given an Activation Key (along with an email) that will let you begin using the software.

Hardware One of the main advantages of the Route66 kit is the amount of hardware the box contains. This really is an all in one GPS starter kit for the Pocket PC. There's everything except the Pocket PC itself included, with accessories including windscreen and dashboard mounts, a charger and cradle. It's a very thorough, well thought out package. Life's not all about quantity though, so what about the quality of the items included? The accessories are standard fare, they do the job they were designed to do well without being spectacular (in fairness though it's difficult to be spectacular when you're a cigarette lighter charger!). I liked the idea of having both the dashboard and windscreen mount as personally I prefer the dashboard option for security reasons and it is often overlooked. At first glance it is a lot less obvious that you have a dashboard mount installed compared to the tell tale rings left by a windscreen mount. The external GPS unit that is supplied in the Route66 package is nice looking, well designed device. I think aesthetically the GPS is supposed to look like a little sports car. It has that wedge shape, and the indicator lights at the front are very vehicular looking too. I thought it was quite novel. It would have been nice for the GPS unit to be charged by USB, but you can’t have everything.

Software Features Navigate in Britain and Ireland from door to door on your Pocket PC The most complete GPS navigation solution No more traffic jams thanks to FREE real-time traffic information (in GB) (only in case of Windows Mobile for Pocket PC Phone Edition) Extremely fast re-routing in case of deviation from the original route Accurate and in-time navigation instructions Quick address look-up thanks to FuzzySearch™ address search engine Keep a clear view on the road at night with night colours Unlimited use without further subscriptions Plug & Play installation.

New: Smooth map display thanks to interpolation of GPS signal (I-GPS) Uninterrupted navigation in tunnels and urban areas thanks to extrapolation of GPS signal (E-GPS) On-screen exit information like on signposts along the road Large button user interface for in-car use with the tip of your finger Latest geographic data (NAVTEQ, Q4-2005) No more speed tickets thanks to a clever warning system when exceeding a preset speed limit Direct dialling to hotels, restaurants, etc. to make for example a reservation (only in case of Windows Mobile for Pocket PC Phone Edition) Always driving on the correct lane thanks to lane advice when approaching crossings Fly like a bird over your route

Presentation From a graphical perspective the Route66 software is generally very nice. Everything displayed on the screen is done so clearly and is very readable. As with most of today’s GPS software packages the software comes with both 2D and 3D views and night and day configurable profiles. There are also several different zoom formats that also change the angle of the view in real time using the top corner + and - controls. Everything is well displayed from an information perspective although he style is a mix between cartoony POI's and your standard vector roads. On the drive screen I was undecided how much I liked the combination aesthetically but it displayed the information very well. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad combination it's just a little misfit from my point of view. There are some really nice graphical touches though. I find the horizon on the 3D view with the sky and the clouds easy on the eye and a little amusing and When you change to the night made you then get a dark sky and stars instead of the sky. Some might find it a bit clichéd, but I thought it softened the hardness of the vector graphics. The general vector graphics of the map itself seems a touch "mathematical" at times. I think the roads could benefit from a little more anti aliasing to make the curves less pixelated. The main display screen is well laid out with a good large map display. At the bottom of the default panel layout is the well sized information panel. I like the way the map panel is clear and uncluttered with almost all of the information and controls in the information panel. The information panel at first glance in its monochrome livery can seem a little dull but when you're on the road it's very clear and easy to read as you can see from the image below.

There are two extra screens of note that break the standard mould. Firstly there is the GPS info screen, laid out with a nicely drawn compass and displaying Latitude and Longitude as well as information including Speed, Satellites, Altitude, Direction, Time and Date. In a similar vane is the statistics screen which shows a compass and speedometer along with Distance, Duration, Average and Maximum speeds. The slightly unusual information is the Sunrise and Sunset times which could definitely be of use during the winter months.

From an Audio perspective Route66 has a fairly standard feel about it. There are no unusual audio features but the voice implementation is loud and clear. The English version of the voice I used was friendly sounding and did not have a strong accent. You can reinstall the voices or change the language by installing to the SD card from the backup CD. While we're on the subject of audio my old bug bear the lack of speed controlled volume is conspicuous by its absence. The volume can be altered from the settings menu which I find a bit laborious. Fortunately the volume is controlled by the default system volume so changing it is not a massive issue, as there are volume up and down controls on the side of the device. If you swap between urban and motorway driving often you'll find it difficult to find a sound level that fits all scenarios. This means you'll either be straining to hear, drowned out or constantly adjusting the volume on the hardware buttons.

Ease of Use With driving laws becoming ever stricter, and for general road user safety, a telling sign of a GPS systems quality is minimal user interaction with the system once the vehicle is in motion. In order to reduce user attention and physical contact with the device to a minimum the menu systems need to be well thought out and the interface graphics easily recognizable at a glance. The guys at Route66 have accomplished this task nicely. The menu options are all large and well drawn, and accessing the menu is a breeze too, you simply press anywhere in the mapping area on the drive screen. Once into the menu the navigation system is simple, yet effective. You get many different ways of identifying your destination including Addresses, 7 digit post code searches, favourites, POI’s etc. As well as the regular Home location favourite taking pride of place in the Navigate to screen you also get the option to store an Office location too. For many people who travel mainly between home and work this is an excellent feature. One of the more unusual and effective methods to plot your destination is by using the contact information stored in your Windows Mobile contacts. As long as your addresses are stored correctly you can simply select the contact and Route66 will take you right to their door. An excellent feature. I found the keyboard keys using for typing in addresses and post codes etc a little small, but usable.

To plan your trip you simply need to tap the menu button on the map screen. You'll then enter the destination menu. From here if you have the address or 7 digit post code you enter the address menu, enter your details and away you go. There are also quick options for POI's, Saved Places (favourites, recent destinations and outlook contacts) and as previously mentioned, home and office. If you're out and you want to find your way home it's as simple as Menu, Home. Easy. Route66 have bundled a large array of Point Of Interest (POI's) into this latest version 7 of their software that can be used in three ways. You can select any of the POI to always be displayed on your journeys with an icon placed onto your driving map in real-time as you approach the POI. The second option is to search for nearby POI's of a certain type. Finally there is the facility to search for POI's of a certain type near to your destination. For example if you need cash in a hurry you can search by local ATM (cash) machines. All of the options work well and certainly for the local areas I tested the software the POI information seemed very current.

For you folks who travel often you'll be delighted about the Route66 implementation of traffic warnings. Route66 will automatically download the latest traffic warning data and let you know when you are approaching trouble. You'll then be given the option to be routed around the particular hotspot. I thought the traffic warnings were nicely done, and the fact they are bundled free, my favourite price, makes the feature truly exceptional. Route66 has stated that the traffic warnings are free indefinitely. Sweet. Along with the free Traffic warnings to keep you safe on the road Route66 also include a built in speed warning facility. Essentially you can specify your required speed level on each type of road (Motorways, A-roads, B-roads etc) and if you exceed it you get the option to be notified of your high speed by either an audible warning or a visible alarm, or both. This is in essence an alternative to a speed camera tracking facility and morally is a better way of handling the situation. A lot of drivers may prefer the specific camera warnings and to let them control the speed themselves but for a non commuting driver like myself I thought it was theoretically a better option.

Performance The maps supplied with this version of Route66 are the Q4 2005 iteration provided by NAVTEQ. This map base seems to be the most commonly used by the latest generation of GPS software packages. In practice I didn't have any issues with the maps, although some other GPS systems are using newer 2007 NAVTEQ maps which would offer more up to date information. From a GPS navigation performance perspective Route66 ran very well during my tests with the low powered CPU, and external Route66 Bluetooth GPS. Navigating through the internal menus was swift and with no noticeable lag. I clocked the in use memory footprint at start-up at a whopping 19.90MB once a lock had been established and a test route entered. I timed the GPS lock from a cold start at 5pm in the evening and under clear skies. The lock itself from program start-up to location identification from the bench in my garden was seconds. I also tried using the device for other applications whilst Route66 is running and found the device was a little more sluggish than normal and considering the Touch was reduced to 4.79MB free it is understandable. There was some lag, but it was just about usable. The last performance test and possibly the important for my own use is how the device handles incoming and outgoing calls while the GPS navigation system is active. To this end I tested incoming and outgoing calls by default using the handset itself and in a hands free fashion using a Bluetooth headset (Plantronics 855).

Making out going calls with the handset was just about possible with the GPS running and although the screen update of the caller ID was slow for incoming calls it was usable. I received a low memory warning from the Touch after using Route66, PIE and email although everything continued working after I cancelled the notification. I tried Route66 on the HTC Kaiser and the larger memory of the system proved much more capable of handling the resources. No ill effects manifested themselves on the device.

Value Price £189.95 The package I received for review is the "deluxe" bundle which includes the funky looking Bluetooth GPS receiver and all the mounting options. This package currently retails for £189.95 at Expansys and although you get a goodly selection of accessories this seems a little expensive. The software on its own however can be purchased again from Expansys along with the UK maps for just £39.95, which in my book is an absolute bargain. You have to remember there are no extra costs for Traffic information it's a 40 pound one shot deal. I'd have to advise avoiding the starter kit, getting a dedicated Brodit powered mount and Proclip and then picking up the software only version. If you need a GPS too Proporta’s diminutive keychain GPS hardware is an attractive alternative.

Pros & Cons
Pros	Cons
Excellent Package	Large memory footprint
Well equipped accessory bundle	No safety camera support
Easy access into the menu system	No time to destination
Nice graphical interface	No speed controlled volume
Free traffic alerts
Speed limit warnings
E-GPS for tunnels etc
Good POI database
Office location favourite
Speeding reminder alarm

4WM Rating 81%

Conclusion One the whole I fully enjoyed Route66. On first examination it lacks some of the bells and whistles we've seen on the other systems but it's pretty to look at, easy to get into and easy to use. There's a question about the large memory footprint required if you're using a 64MB RAM device such as the Touch, although I didn't personally find the issue to be deal breaker. In the main the routing was quick and logical and the whole experience left me with a good feeling. It's the first GPS system I've used for a while that didn't have any issues that really irked me during everyday use (lack of speed controlled volume came close) and you can't argue with that. From a value perspective although I really liked the quality of the all in one accessory bundle I received to review I thought it retailed for a little more than the going rate. That said if you go for the software only UK version Route66 offers exceptional value for money especially when you consider the unrestricted free UK traffic information. Bargain! Bottom line is that it's a good looking, solid performing, and stable product in a field that demands these factors. Route66 will get you from A to B every day with the minimum of fuss. Rely on it!