GPS: Airis T920 or Garmin Nuvi 310/360?

podgeandrodge

is it deffo that all europe is on the T920 EF version - has anyone actually taken off france and put more than just Ireland/Uk on - being paranoid I know but is there proof that other countries aren't locked - on the Airis website the spain/portugal version is €249 with no other countries and the all europe version is €349 ..

tvr

in for one , ordered tonight

quick question , has anyone bought a large sd card , is it a standard sized sd card not the mini ones , also what size do you need to run all the dvd maps off it . I presuming 2gb from the more expensive version on Pixmania.

eirlink

tvr wrote:

in for one , ordered tonight

quick question , has anyone bought a large sd card , is it a standard sized sd card not the mini ones , also what size do you need to run all the dvd maps off it . I presuming 2gb from the more expensive version on Pixmania.

Any standard SD card will work. The Ireland / UK maps are 216 MB so will be ok on 256 card. However for europe you should go for 512 min and 1gig to be sure. There is a Q2 revision which is 9MB and putting this with the 216 file will put the 256 card under pressure causing route calculation errors. This update, if inc, more or less rules out a 256 card.

Did you order off pixmania and, if so, is there not a card included?

mik_da_man

Ok - really thinking of getting one of these.:D
I have 3 questions
1. I have seen mention of using them as an MP3 player - is this possible?
2. Whats the story with updated maps in the future? cost?
3. Does it work ok with heated windscreeens?

Cheers

eirlink

mik_da_man wrote:

Ok - really thinking of getting one of these.:D
I have 3 questions
1. I have seen mention of using them as an MP3 player - is this possible?
2. Whats the story with updated maps in the future? cost?
3. Does it work ok with heated windscreeens?

Cheers

buy from Pixmania:
1.BEWARE...one of the t920 's does NOT have the MP3 software loaded.
2.As far as i know pix dont do map updates
3.Could be a prob but easily solved using ext GPS antenna.(antenna socket on back of airis)

buy from Mysatnav
1.Comes with MP3 built in
2.Yes..updates always available to buy as an when releases...€40 to €50 a time.(may change)
3.again as above.

mik_da_man

eirlink wrote:

buy from Pixmania:
1.BEWARE...one of the t920 's does NOT have the MP3 software loaded.
2.As far as i know pix dont do map updates
3.Could be a prob but easily solved using ext GPS antenna.(antenna socket on back of airis)

buy from Mysatnav
1.Comes with MP3 built in
2.Yes..updates always available to buy as an when releases...€40 to €50 a time.(may change)
3.again as above.

Cheers!
Thinking about Pix Purely for price
Now more Questions:eek:
Can the MP3 software be "obtained" and uploaded?
Can I purchase updated maps from Mysatnav if I buy the unit from Pix?
Can I manually enter POI's (point of interest) ?

eirlink

mik_da_man wrote:

Cheers!
Thinking about Pix Purely for price
Now more Questions:eek:
Can the MP3 software be "obtained" and uploaded?
Can I purchase updated maps from Mysatnav if I buy the unit from Pix?
Can I manually enter POI's (point of interest) ?

1.yes and yes. Google for the answers
2.dunno on this one...they burn updates for me onto my card.You could drop them a mail to find out.They are very good at replying to emails.May be a problem.....anyway the Q2 maps are as good as dammit for a good while to come.
3.yes no probs here.It a cinge thru the software.POI's management are one of the best features on the Airis.

mik_da_man

eirlink wrote:

1.yes and yes. Google for the answers
2.dunno on this one...they burn updates for me onto my card.You could drop them a mail to find out.They are very good at replying to emails.May be a problem.....anyway the Q2 maps are as good as dammit for a good while to come.
3.yes no probs here.It a cinge thru the software.POI's management are one of the best features on the Airis.

Cheers Eirlink - you have been a great help:D
So I guess you are pretty happy with it?
and a final Q - do you have the MP3 player / is it any good?

Thanks again

Mik

blastman

podgeandrodge wrote:

is it deffo that all europe is on the T920 EF version - has anyone actually taken off france and put more than just Ireland/Uk on - being paranoid I know but is there proof that other countries aren't locked - on the Airis website the spain/portugal version is €249 with no other countries and the all europe version is €349 ..

When you run the Route 66 software, it gives a list of the countries you can install (can't remember them all now) I only installed Ireland and the UK as there didn't seem any point in installing anything else for the moment and I'd need a bigger card than the one included to do this. It was definitely the EF version from Pixmania I ordered.

eirlink

mik_da_man wrote:

Cheers Eirlink - you have been a great help:D
So I guess you are pretty happy with it?
and a final Q - do you have the MP3 player / is it any good?

Thanks again

Mik

Youre welcome,
Yes im very happy.I have the MP3 but never use it (have the iPod connected to sound system ).the MP3 is ok through headphones.Connecting it to car stereo can be so so due to input volume levels..tends to distort a bit on high volume, but as i say i use the iPod.

There are for and against buying from any retailer,so do your research and choose wisely. I am glad i went to mysatnav and the main reason for doing so was to avail of future map updates easily and at good value.

you decide....
good luck and let us know how you go!

pm.

mik_da_man wrote:

Ok - really thinking of getting one of these.:D
I have 3 questions
1. I have seen mention of using them as an MP3 player - is this possible?
2. Whats the story with updated maps in the future? cost?
3. Does it work ok with heated windscreeens?

Cheers

hi mik, just on your 3rd question it works fine on a heated windscreen, i drive a ford focus with a heated windscreen and ive never had a problem.

blastman

Can someone give me a hint what exactly to search for in Google regarding the MP3 player. All the searches I try are too generic.

mik_da_man

pm. wrote:

hi mik, just on your 3rd question it works fine on a heated windscreen, i drive a ford focus with a heated windscreen and ive never had a problem.

Cheers pm - that's what I drive too:)

LFCFan

I tried mine on a mondeo with heated windscreen and it was fine too!

pm.

eirlink wrote:

Sorry Pm..
My typing let me down.Its Bundoran.Can you have a peep sometime using the pixmania maps youve loaded.
Thanks

Should be like this...

sorry im late getting back to you eirlink, i just had a look and its the very same as the map you posted up.also on the pix gps there's a tmc information anyone know what this is?

podgeandrodge

TMC -The Traffic Message Channel (TMC) is a specific application of the FM Radio Data System (RDS) used for broadcasting real-time traffic and weather information. Data messages are received silently and decoded by a TMC-equipped car radio or navigation system, and delivered to the driver in a variety of ways. The most common of these is a TMC-enabled navigation system that can offer dynamic route guidance - alerting the driver of a problem on the planned route and calculating an alternative route to avoid the incident.
Updated traffic information, delivered in real time
Instant knowledge of accidents, roadworks and traffic jams
Filtered information only for the immediate route
Information in user's own language
High-quality digital transmission
Europe-wide compatibility of receivers
Free or low-cost services right across Europe


More here: http://www.tmcforum.com/en/about_tmc/what_is_tmc/



I'm tempted to go for the Airis with the European maps as I have a Streetpilot I3 with only UK and Ireland loaded and the upgrade to European maps would not be worth it..... Guess I will have to sell the I3...

mik_da_man

is the Airis a TMC-enabled navigation system?

blastman

No TMC in Ireland though, according to that site (although the information is a little old, not even classed as "planned", mind you). Why am I not surprised?

blastman

mik_da_man wrote:

is the Airis a TMC-enabled navigation system?

Yes, it is.

tvr

got mine , box was mashed up but everyting unopen and working fine , fairly impressed . anyway can someone pm the info on running windows ce on it as I want to get the mp3 and video working. is it the same process as the aldi medion one last year.

eirlink

I read somewhere in the last day or two ( was on a pixmania site i think ) that they have a store / pick up store in london. I assumed at the time from the way I read it that it may be a retail shop. If so then it may come in useful if you know someone in london who can buy it for you, ring you to confirm its all in order and then get them to post it over.

Just a thought if someone wants to check it further.

kaiphas

Just received mine (finally) from Pixmania. Have formatted & re loaded Irish map (panic struck when I saw the map name is Britian - ie no mention of Ireland) but all seems OK.

Anybody any idea of how long the battery lasts on a full charge. And also how long it takes to charge up using the USB connection.

Also, can I use my Blackberry charger to charge the unit (same shape fitting) and handier to use than the USB (ie don't have to bring PC with me)

Thanks for everybodys help so far. Off to Cork tomorrow so will put it through its paces.

eirlink

kaiphas wrote:

Just received mine (finally) from Pixmania. Have formatted & re loaded Irish map (panic struck when I saw the map name is Britian - ie no mention of Ireland) but all seems OK.

Anybody any idea of how long the battery lasts on a full charge. And also how long it takes to charge up using the USB connection.

Also, can I use my Blackberry charger to charge the unit (same shape fitting) and handier to use than the USB (ie don't have to bring PC with me)

Thanks for everybodys help so far. Off to Cork tomorrow so will put it through its paces.

Battery time not great, i got 3 hours from mine. The SiRF GPS inbuilt receiver is heavy enough on the batt and its not a lithium-ion type either.I mostly run in off the car lighter and its always connected,therefore fully charged.

One thing to note,these are esssentially PDA units which are set up to run sat nav software.They therefore run windows CE and as a result programs are left running in the background even though you hit the off button in the top RHS. This is really only a standby button for the screen...the units OS is still running in the background. Hence poor batt life.

Use the on / off button on the undernreath to turn off completely ( this is also known as a Hard Reset ) and is something i reccommend every so often to stop the OS getting bloated

So a combination of Win CE and SiRf receiver pulls from batt.

Be careful using the blackberry charger.The voltage may be the same but the Current rating could be different.I know any mini USB lead from PC will work as i tried one i had lying around the lab here and it worked fine.

Did you not get a 12 volt car lead with it?

Enjoy the trip to cork. It will be a good test for it.....Let us have some feedback

kaiphas

Thanks Eirlink. You've been most helpful.

I did get the 12V car charger lead but the A6 lighter is in a flap near the gear stick and I was hoping to put the Airis on the LHS of the windscreen in the very corner and the wire won't stretch.
Also I'm not 100% sure the lighter works - tried pressing the car lighter in but it seems stuck and won't pop out.
Will jiggle with it tomorrow morning before leaving to try get something sorted.
Is it possible to purchase a standard three pin charger unit for the Airis?

Will feedback re Cork trip on Monday evening when I get back - providing the Airis doesn't get me lost!!

Cheers again

eirlink wrote:

Be careful using the blackberry charger.The voltage may be the same but the Current rating could be different.I know any mini USN lead from PC will work as i tried one i had lying around the lab here and it worked fine.

Did you not get a 12 volt lead with it?

Enjoy the trip to cork. It will be a good test for it.....Let us have some feedback

eirlink

kaiphas wrote:

Thanks Eirlink. You've been most helpful.

I did get the 12V car charger lead but the A6 lighter is in a flap near the gear stick and I was hoping to put the Airis on the LHS of the windscreen in the very corner and the wire won't stretch.
Also I'm not 100% sure the lighter works - tried pressing the car lighter in but it seems stuck and won't pop out.
Will jiggle with it tomorrow morning before leaving to try get something sorted.
Is it possible to purchase a standard three pin charger unit for the Airis?

Will feedback re Cork trip on Monday evening when I get back - providing the Airis doesn't get me lost!!

Cheers again

when you say LHS for the airis ..is A6 left hand drive or are you intending putting it on passanger side?
Id advise you keep it near the drivers side for safety reasons so you dont have to look too far across, anyway...

on the lighter socket:

1. the lighter plug will stay stuck in the socket till it heats up (normal ) however this is not relevant to the 12 volt plug.just plug it in and see if the light comes on.

2.to overcome the placement of the lighter socket, you can buy an extension lead in a car accessory shop which will allow you more freedom.

3.any elecro-mechanic could install an extra 12 volt socket under the dash to facilitate near the Airis.

As for the 3 pin plug charger....i think if you look on the medion uk site you may come across one. Go to the medion shop and look up Gps accessories.Get the one for the medion unit they sell into ALDI.Ive one working here at the moment. medion only have these accessories whenever they have GPS offers.

Failing that try ebay

Rovi

kaiphas wrote:

I did get the 12V car charger lead but the A6 lighter is in a flap near the gear stick and I was hoping to put the Airis on the LHS of the windscreen in the very corner and the wire won't stretch.

Assuming your car is right hand drive, why are you putting the Airis so far away from the driver?

Has your A6 got a second lighter socker at the rear of the centre console? Mine does.
Any car accessory shop should have an extension lead that will get power to the unit wherever you put it.

I've been charging mine with a Blackberry charger for the last few weeks, and it appears to be okay so far. Time will tell, I suppose :rolleyes:

.

eirlink

Rovi wrote:

Assuming your car is right hand drive, why are you putting the Airis so far away from the driver?

Has your A6 got a second lighter socker at the rear of the centre console? Mine does.
Any car accessory shop should have an extension lead that will get power to the unit wherever you put it.

I've been charging mine with a Blackberry charger for the last few weeks, and it appears to be okay so far. Time will tell, I suppose :rolleyes:

.

Thanks Rovi...youve answered the Q...BB lead will work. I suspected it might but did not want to mislead Kaiphas.

kaiphas

Thanks again folks - I did mean the RHS (sorry - late night/brain not firing on all cylinders).

One last Q - is there an airvent option that will hold the unit - I've googled same but can only find vent mounts for up to 6cm which won't fit the unit. Will try Halfords tomorrow to see if they do a suitable option but if anybody has any other ideas I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks again to you all for your help - do any of ye actually sleep!!

eirlink wrote:

Thanks Rovi...youve answered the Q...BB lead will work. I suspected it might but did not want to mislead Kaiphas.

eirlink

kaiphas wrote:

Thanks again folks - I did mean the RHS (sorry - late night/brain not firing on all cylinders).

One last Q - is there an airvent option that will hold the unit - I've googled same but can only find vent mounts for up to 6cm which won't fit the unit. Will try Halfords tomorrow to see if they do a suitable option but if anybody has any other ideas I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks again to you all for your help - do any of ye actually sleep!!

I had an old nokia Car kit bracket which i use.It was already screwed to dash so I removed the nokia cradle ( leaving the mount behind ). I then removed the gooseneck from the Airis cradle. finally mounted Airis cradle ( theres a single hole in the middle ) onto nokia mount with nokias own screw!!

you can get a car kit plate for the A6 and go this route if you like. If there is already an unused carkit in it then you have everything....AND 12 volts already there.

podgeandrodge

Can the unit be charged by mains at all using a generic charger i.e one of those multi voltage ones?

If you want the European maps and are going to get a 2gb card is it not nearly worth buying the T920E version for €75 more and saving all the hassle?