Registered: Mar 2000
Location: Hermosa Beach, CA
Posts: 222

chad, i've only had real experiences with the etrex and the handygps, not the earthmate, so i can only really speak about those two.

but to answer your question, the etrex has a warm and cold start about 15 and 45 seconds, respectively. and the accuracy is about 15 meters, although, most of the time, i get better than that. if you want better accuracy, like around 1-2 meters, you need a gps unit with WAAS, like the geode springboard.

but for a nice small rugged stand alone that for only $109, it's tough to beat the etrex. for more info, just check out their webpage http://www.garmin.com/products/etrex/spec.html

on another note, if my handygps worked as well as the etrex or as well as madival's handygps unit, i would've kept it. but the reception and battery life of the handygps and the etrex were like night and day. again, my handygps were one of the first few shipsets, so i can't speak for the ones that are shipping now, although, from what i've read so far, they (nexian/navicom) haven't fixed whatever problems that they were having before.

Registered: Dec 2000
Location:
Posts: 3

Handy GPS Ratings

What can I say ? I agree with everyone on this thread. The Handy GPS Sucks. I got it for a present, and have had nothing good at all to say about the company or product. The support sucks, I sent an email detailing my problem of not being able to track anything (not even the correct time) and I got the response below.

****** email from support *****

We are sorry for the inconvenience you are experiencing while using the HandyGPS.

Please make sure you have a fresh set of batteries in both the HandyGPS and the Handspring Visor. Also, make sure you are outdoors and that you are holding the unit so that its top is facing the sky and the Visor screen is facing you.

****** end of email *************

can we say Duh ???

what am I supposed to do , stand there and don't move for ever ?

Stay Away !!!!!

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: Miami, FL, USA
Posts: 96

Re: Handy GPS Ratings

quote:

---

Originally posted by johnklee
What can I say ? I agree with everyone on this thread. The Handy GPS Sucks. I got it for a present, and have had nothing good at all to say about the company or product. The support sucks, I sent an email detailing my problem of not being able to track anything (not even the correct time) and I got the response below.

---

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Mike Vidal
Ice Owner
Corvette Enthusiast
Racecar Spelled backwards is Racecar!

Registered: Dec 2000
Location:
Posts: 4

Handy GPS Works here!!

Just got mine for Xmas,....works as advertized so far,....even in the car!

Only problem is battery use,.....Alkaline 3 to 4 hours,.....NiMh about 30 minutes.

Registered: Dec 2000
Location:
Posts: 3

RE: RE: Handy GPS Ratings

*****************

YOu know what is funny. I got an email from an end user having the same problem. I told him to wait untill the time changed and then he would get a lock. It did.

I just got a new unit from them, and it works even faster than before.

I can't understand y'all. Either you have no patience, or....
*****************
Not that I have no patience, the time just does not change. I think that 40 min. of waiting outside in the cold, for the time to change shows a lot of patience. Actually I am glad that someone's works correctly. I just did not care for the lack of service when a product has a problem. Maybe Geo will work better...

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: Miami, FL, USA
Posts: 96

Re: RE: RE: Handy GPS Ratings

quote:

---

Originally posted by johnklee
*****************

Not that I have no patience, the time just does not change. I think that 40 min. of waiting outside in the cold, for the time to change shows a lot of patience. Actually I am glad that someone's works correctly. I just did not care for the lack of service when a product has a problem. Maybe Geo will work better...

---

__________________
Mike Vidal
Ice Owner
Corvette Enthusiast
Racecar Spelled backwards is Racecar!

Registered: Dec 2000
Location:
Posts: 3

Re:Re:Re: Handy GPS Ratings

mavidal,
Nah, tried 2 sets..
Do you work for memotec ?

Registered: Dec 2000
Location:
Posts: 1

HandyGPS - Am I 404 or what?

When I first read the product reviews, I was quite excited about ordering my HandyGPS. When I plugged it in and started using it, it was a completely different story.

All I received with my HandyGPS were a set of batteries and a crappy little quick-start guide. Add my name to the list of those who can't get locked into a single satellite. No software/instructions, etc. Am I missing something here?

My other question for the group is that the Nexian website claims that it is bundling Rand-McNally Street Finder software with the HandyGPS as of Nov. 16. I never received it or have heard from anyone else who has/hasn't. I e-mailed their customer service team and still haven't hear anything.

This is my first interaction with GPS, but I did quite a bit of research on GPS and how to use it before I ordered, so I don't think I'm totally clueless with it. I'm to the point where I an ready to call Nexian for a return authorization and ship this marvelous Korean wonder back on the boat.

Registered: Dec 2000
Location:
Posts: 1

Similar probs here

It's strange how most of us are having the same probs...and some of us are having none at all.
Mine's like most of yours....rarely locks, loses it if I move, drains all the batts in about two hours.
Longest it's locked...about 4 minutes..did work very well for those precious few minutes.
I've tried to contact customer service through e-mail, web forms on their site, and phone calls...not even a single reply. Next call will be to credit card company to see what can be done.
Anyone care to kinda join together and see if we can get some service from this company? Not sure how we'd do it...any ideas?
Joe aka Desert Rat
(keep posts in this thread please)

Registered: Oct 1999
Location:
Posts: 103

I dont have one but...

I dont have a (aparently) not-so HandyGPS. But if I did I would be trying to find someone with a working handyGPS in my area and I would be trying to convince them that we should take a look under the hood and see what is diferent about them take a couple (lots) of pictures of the differiences and then shoot them an email (pictures attached) and say dont pull **** like this. Because odviously if one of them works and the other doesnt in the same area they are going to be either differient hardware or differient hardware revisions. And then at the very least it will be posibile for other handy gps owners to recognise that they have or do not have defective units. It will remove the option of user error for reasonable intelegent people. Just a thought.




Bane
Evil Geniuses kick ass.

Registered: Jun 2000
Location: South Lake, FL
Posts: 103

I'm afraid I have to count myself among the unhappy group. I got a HandyGPS for Christmas (OK, so I bought it for myself for Christmas ,) plugged it into my VDX, and it worked... once! I was at work at the time, so I put it away to test more extensively at home, but I have gotten absolutely nothing since then! I also noticed that, within a couple of minutes, the battery on my visor had gone from 89% to 30% (although it recovered somewhat when the module was removed.)

I've tried it with fresh, new batteries in both the VDX and the HGPS, and in another VDX altogether - still nothing.

Called customer "support" and had to leave a message with my name and number for them to get back to me "within 24 hours." Pet peeve: I hate being put in the position of having to wait around for a call from them when they are supposed to be helping me!

We'll see what happens...

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Eschew obfuscation!

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: Miami, FL, USA
Posts: 96

Re: Re:Re:Re: Handy GPS Ratings

quote:

---

Originally posted by johnklee
mavidal,
Nah, tried 2 sets..
Do you work for memotec ?

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__________________
Mike Vidal
Ice Owner
Corvette Enthusiast
Racecar Spelled backwards is Racecar!

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: Hermosa Beach, CA
Posts: 222

apparently, we're not the only ones that have had problems with the handygps...

http://www.techtv.com/ces2001/jump/...3305056,00.html

[Edited by Nhatman on 01-08-2001 at 09:04 PM]

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: NY
Posts: 26

geocaching

hey,
has anyone had any luck finding a cache/geocaching w/the handy gps? if so i might consider it. it doeasn't sound reliable enough yet..maybe ill stick w/my magellan 315, but mapping features are great(wouldnt get the handygps for any real hiking-its not very rugged/waterproof and so forth, and battery life seems to be pretty bad.)...

in case you didnt know, there's a worldwide gps treasure hunt or sorts going on at http://www.geocaching.com
great fun.

andy

[Edited by Andysolo on 01-09-2001 at 12:00 AM]

Registered: Dec 2000
Location:
Posts: 6

eTrex - How?

How do you hook up an eTrex to a Visor?

Sorry if this has been posted before.