HP iPaq 310 GPS - GPS Software

The iPaq 310 at the lowest level runs a version of Windows CE 5.0. It doesn't appear to have all the files of a standard CE 5.0 device. As for adding applications to it, you can, and I'll talk about this later, but you're limited by the files that are on it.

On top of Windows CE appears to be a version of the new iGo 8 software. There was recently a huge update to the software. It took me 24 hours to complete, and this review will cover using this update, which really did wonders for the device. 

Navigating the GPS software is pretty easy. First off, the device feels slow. There are occasionally delays in button response, and a "Please Wait" message box appears every once in a while. For having the top of the line hardware, this device is slow.

All the buttons are big enough for any finger. Some people might have to bust out the stylus for inputting addresses. The first thing I did was put addresses into the contacts of the GPS. Next to the address there will appear a question mark, green check mark, or a red "x." This tells you whether the address can be correctly found on the GPS. 

This can be rather problematic. I had to spell out drive instead of putting "dr," I had to spell out Ohio instead of OH, and I had to put in United States.  Apparently there might be another Ohio in the world besides the US? [There is; it's the name of an unincorporated village in Nova Scotia, Canada. --Ed.] Take no short cuts and you should be fine.

From the first screen you can choose to go to the following sections: Navigation, Entertainment, Contacts, Extras or Settings. Moving around the different screens is pretty easy and self explanatory. There are a few games built into the device, as well as Music and Videos. 

I attempted to sync my Verizon XV8600 phone with the unit, and couldn't establish a connection. I tried my brother's Razr and it worked fine. It's hard to say if it's the GPS or the phone, but the GPS was able to see my PDA so I think that my phone is bad. With Bluetooth you can use the GPS to make calls. This would have been a great feature instead of holding a phone to talk to, but my phone had issues with it. 

Next: Using the GPS >>
 

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