This is the second article reviewing the Medion MDPPC 250 which is a combined Pocket PC PDA and satellite navigation system. Last week I looked at the Pocket PC side of things. This week I take a look at the satellite navigation features of this device.

Navigator Setup

The satellite navigation software on the PDA is called Medion Navigator. I tested version 5.1 which has a software date of Nov 21 2005.

The first thing to note is that the Medion comes with a separate detached GPS receiver. The GPS receiver is not built into the PDA like the HP iPAQ 5720 previously reviewed.

The setup consists of a a power adapter which you plug into the cigarette lighter of your car. This power adapter has a two way splitter cable. One cable connects to the PDA. The other cable connects to the separate GPS receiver which you need to stick to the dashboard using the provided velcro tape.

The instruction manual does a good job of explaining the initial setup, but there are no instructions on using the satellite navigation system. The documentation could be improved in this area. For example, a couple of pages explaining the basic navigation features would have been nice. If you’re familiar with satellite navigation systems then you should be able to find your way around the device fairly easily.

GPS Receiver

I had no problems picking up a GPS signal with this device. It took a little longer to establish a satellite connection than other GPS systems I have tested, but once established it worked fine.

The GPS draws power from a set of batteries inside the GPS receiver. These batteries need to be charged for 2.5 hours using the cigarette lighter socket in your car before the GPS can be used.

Whilst the GPS receiver is connected to the cigarette lighter socket it is constantly drawing power. It is therefore important to disconnect the GPS receiver from the cigarette lighter socket if your car is parked for a long period of time. If the GPS receiver is not disconnected then you run the risk of draining your car battery.

Personally I didn’t like having the GPS receiver separate from the PDA. This means an extra set of cables dangling around the car when driving. It was too much clutter for me.

Navigator Maps

The Medion Navigator software comes with full maps covering the UK and Ireland. It provides limited support for travel in other European countries, covering main roads but not detailed street level. If you require detailed European maps then these can be purchased separately.

Navigator On The Road

You can navigate to either an address or Point of Interest (POI). This can either be a POI near your current location, or a POI in another town you specify.

The first thing to note is that this device does not support full postcode entry. You can enter a partial postcode to confirm the city/town you wish to travel to, but you must then type the street name using the touch screen keyboard. I found this a bit disappointing

Requiring a user to enter full address details makes the satellite navigation system both awkward and time consuming. If you’re going to be using the Navigator frequently then you may find this irritating. Having said that, you can store regular destinations in your favourites list for easy access later. In addition the Navigator keeps a list of recent destinations which you can also access.

I planned several routes using this device and the Navigator worked fine on all occasions. I deliberately took several wrong turns whilst using this device and it was able to recalculate a new route without any problems.

There were several features that I particularly liked.

Road Names: The Navigator voice instructions include the road names, for example, “take the 2nd exit onto the A4″. I found this a nice touch, not seen on more expensive GPS systems I’ve tested so far. Including the road name helps to confirm you’re travelling in the right direction.

Traffic Flow: The maps shows the traffic direction for each road. This is quite useful for identifying one-way streets on the map.

Automatic Points of Interest (POI): I like how POI such as garages are automatically displayed on the map whilst driving. These can act as good visual indicators to confirm you’re travelling in the right direction.

Routing Options

You can adjust the speed profile on the Navigator depending on the vehicle you’re using. The following profiles are supported – slow car, standard car, fast car, motorcycle, lorry, bike and pedestrian.

I couldn’t really see the point of having slow car and fast car profiles but these options are available if you need them. Motorcycle and pedestrian modes are not really practical either due to the separate GPS receiver. There are too many cables to carry around. If you want a GPS receiver for pedestrian use then I would consider an alternative system.

The usual routing options found on other satellite navigation systems are supported, such as choosing the fastest or shortest route. You can also instruct the Navigator to avoid motorways, ferries and toll roads if required. It also supports measurement in either miles or kilometres.

Volume Controls

The volume on the Navigator does not automatically adjust to the speed you’re driving. You have to adjust the volume control manually. Even at the maximum volume level of 100% I found this device too quiet. If you travel with the windows open you may have difficulty hearing the voice instructions.

Points of Interest (POI)

The Navigator includes a POI database, although pretty basic compared to other GPS systems I have used.

You can refine your search using the following categories:

Petrol station, Parking, Garage, Accommodation, Restaurant, Public Transport, Shopping, Sightseeing, Culture, Nightlife, Recreation, Sports, School & Education, Health Care and Tourist Information.

On some of these options you can refine the search criteria further. For example, if you only want to search for a BP or Esso petrol station then you can do that. But on most of the options you are pretty limited in being able to refine the search criteria any further.

Overall the POI is very basic. Not too much thought has gone into the design of this feature. There is definite room for improvement in this area.

Navigator Summary

This is a budget system so don’t expect an all singing, all dancing satellite navigation system. Having said that, there are some nice touches to this system, such as voice directions including road numbers. But overall it is let down by a lack of full postcode entry, low volume levels, and a basic POI system.

If you’re on a tight budget and don’t mind the weaknesses mentioned above then it is worthy of consideration, especially if you’re only going to use the GPS on an occasional basis. When you consider the cheap price which gives you both a decent spec PDA and basic satellite navigation system it represents good value for money.

If you’re going to use the GPS regularly and can afford to stretch your budget further then I would consider taking a look at something like the HP iPAQ 5720. If you don’t really need a PDA then there are far better dedicated satellite navigation systems for the same price.

What I Like
- Road numbers included in road directions
- POI automatically displayed on map

What I dislike
- Does not support full postcode entry
- Voice directions too quiet
- POI very basic
- No integrated GPS receiver

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