StreetFinder GPS
Rand McNally has a winner on their hands with the StreetFinder GPS! This device was made for the Palm III and V form factors and is as stylish as it is functional. Everything you need to be up and running is included and it all fits into the provided carrying case!
After you've managed to get your maps into your Palm, run the Streetfinder program and select the map of your choice. Make sure you're standing outside with no obstructions so the GPS can find the satellites and lock onto your position. You will see a small cursor where you currently are located and a bread crumb trail showing where you've been.
The Verdict
In a head to head battle between Streetfinder and Earthmate, Streetfinder wins hands down for ease of use, Palm friendly design and simplicity. It does lack some of the advanced features of the Earthmate, but both units suffer from the same main problem...the need to have all maps loaded into the Palm. I can't stress enough how useless these devices are if you happen to go off your map. Although the gee-whiz cool factor is way high, I still think you are better off with a good city and state map. They are much cheaper too!
The Streetfinder GPS is available at Rand McNally. It comes in a Palm III model for $179 and a Palm V model for $199.
What I like
The whole package is designed for the Palm
Software is intuitive and easy to use (yet robust)
What I don't like
The software doesn't display your current position in lat/long
You can't use the GPS once you are off your pre loaded map
Maps can take up a lot of room on the Palm
4 out of 5 rating
Rand McNally has a winner on their hands with the StreetFinder GPS! This device was made for the Palm III and V form factors and is as stylish as it is functional. Everything you need to be up and running is included and it all fits into the provided carrying case!
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It's Actually Designed with the Palm in Mind The actual GPS unit snaps onto the back and bottom of the Palm with the large round 'receiver' located on top. The unit powers on when it is plugged into the Palm device. One of the cool things about the GPS unit is that it is rechargeable and comes with a power jack for use inside your vehicle. You won't have to worry about the batteries running out with this unit. To use the GPS unit, you need to load the software onto your Palm and download the appropriate maps. Then it's simply a matter of turning on the Palm, letting the GPS receiver lock in on your current location and following your position indicator on the maps you've loaded! |
| A cool mounting kit that works! The kit includes a suction mount for the windshield that slides onto the back of the GPS unit and snaps into place. The mount works great and I didn't once worry about it falling off. The arm is bendable, allowing you to position it in just the right place for convenient viewing. The only thing you have to do is remember to keep your eyes on the road and stop staring at the moving cursor. A cigarette lighter adapter is included, so you can power and recharge the GPS while you drive. Now if they could only figure out a way to do that for the Palm! |
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Clean out those old apps, these maps need space! To be able to use the Streetfinder GPS, the first thing you need to do is load the required software on your Palm and desktop. Once you have done that, it's a simple thing to enter an address and save the corresponding map to your Palm. The maps can range in size from 20k upwards of 700k, so make sure you have room on your device before you hotsync! There were a couple of instances where the Streetfinder application crashed my PC when trying to save a route and there is definitely a bug somewhere that causes the crash, however it didn't happen all the time and I wasn't able to track it down, so be forewarned. |
After you've managed to get your maps into your Palm, run the Streetfinder program and select the map of your choice. Make sure you're standing outside with no obstructions so the GPS can find the satellites and lock onto your position. You will see a small cursor where you currently are located and a bread crumb trail showing where you've been.
The Verdict
In a head to head battle between Streetfinder and Earthmate, Streetfinder wins hands down for ease of use, Palm friendly design and simplicity. It does lack some of the advanced features of the Earthmate, but both units suffer from the same main problem...the need to have all maps loaded into the Palm. I can't stress enough how useless these devices are if you happen to go off your map. Although the gee-whiz cool factor is way high, I still think you are better off with a good city and state map. They are much cheaper too!
The Streetfinder GPS is available at Rand McNally. It comes in a Palm III model for $179 and a Palm V model for $199.
What I like
The whole package is designed for the Palm
Software is intuitive and easy to use (yet robust)
What I don't like
The software doesn't display your current position in lat/long
You can't use the GPS once you are off your pre loaded map
Maps can take up a lot of room on the Palm
4 out of 5 rating