Sprint upgraded the ROM for its most expensive PDA phone, the
Mogul, to make it the only phone to make use of Sprint’s higher speed EVDO Rev A network capacity. Along with this upgrade, Sprint also added GPS support. GPS or Global Positioning System is a feature that allows the
Mogul to receive signals from geostationary orbiting satellites to triangulate its position on the globe. Combined with advanced mapping software, the allows a user to find themselves on a map, find the location of an address, business, park, or pretty much anything the user can think of. It can even give turn by turn voice directions to aid in navigation, with the appropriate software.
In adding GPS support, Sprint also included a program on the
Mogul called TeleNav, which Sprint has labeled Sprint Navigation. This program comes bundled in the ROM and is installed automatically when upgrading the ROM, although some Sprint Users opt to avoid the extra software installations to save RAM on the device. Having the software does not cost anything extra, but using it does require that you have either a specific data plan or a month-to-month added charge.
I spent a week testing TeleNav against a Garmin Street Pilot GPS receiver to compare and contrast the serviceability and functionality of the two systems. Some critics would make the claim that the
Mogul’s GPS is not full-function and cannot hold a candle to a dedicated GPS system. The Garmin offers 2-d and 3-d mapping, turn-by-turn voice navigation, the ability to save locations to a favorites list, searching for businesses by address or business type and many other features. The
Mogul with TeleNav offers the same thing. The Garmin does have a larger screen (standard PDA sized) with landscape orientation, which some people may prefer. Of course, you can change the orientation of the
Mogul to Portrait or Landscape at your convenience.
The primary difference between the
Mogul with TeleNav and the Garmn Street Pilot is storage of the maps. With the Garmin, you buy the maps with the device, then buy upgraded maps (around a hundred dollars) periodically (they recommend every year) to remain current. These maps are stored in the memory on the device and are quickly recalled. The only maps you can access are the ones you buy. The Street Pilot comes with North America and Canada, but for an additional purchase you can get Europe, the UK etc.
TeleNav stores the maps on a server and you download the maps on the fly. As you progress on your trip, TeleNav accesses the data connection to download the next part of the map. No maps are stored on the
Mogul. This means you get whatever map you need as you need it. No additional purchase is necessary. Since the Garmin’s maps and data only update when the user buys an update, its maps may be out of date at any given time. TeleNavs data is constantly updated, thereby giving more accurate search results and directions, although both maps did not have the latest changes to I-10 in Houston. It also means you have to have a constant data connection while you use TeleNav. This uses battery life and can be quite expensive for users without an unlimited data plan.
The biggest drawback to online map access is that if you drive through an area when no Sprint Service is available, you lose your maps. If you drop the data connection, TeleNav will continue to show you the direction you are going, but without a map underneath to show you where you are. This is quite disconcerting. Of course, when you resume data service, the maps reappear.
Like the Garmin, while using TeleNav, the
Mogul never shuts off the screen. This draws a lot of power. From fully charged, the
Mogul drained around 45-50 percent in 40 minutes of Navigation using both the radio for data connection and the screen. The Garmin was able to navigate for about a day on a full charge.
If you want to use the
Mogul for Geocaching, a long hike may drain the battery if you keep it on the entire time. There are separate topographical programs available for windows mobile as well. Neither TeleNav nor the Street Pilot have topographical data.
The Garmin has the ability to alter its screen background for night and day driving. A bright screen can be a distraction during night driving and this is a safety concern. TeleNav does not do this. Its background does not change, nor can you change the colors of the streets on the map.
The
Mogul and the Garmin have the ability to look for restaurants and stores along a route, but thanks to the data connection, TeleNav has the most updated info. Also, TeleNav has the ability to locate the cheapest gas either around your current location, or a different location, say like your destination.
Garmin preferences allow the user to change the sound of the voice navigation to several different voices and accents. Garmin’s voice nav is computer generated, but doesn’t sound as bad as the WOPR on the movie “Wargames.” TeleNav’s voice is more pleasant to the ear, but that is a matter of taste. TeleNav also talks a lot more than Garmin, which my wife and my mother both found annoying, though it didn’t bother me.
As I drove along highway 59, TeleNav’s data showed the road changing several times, though in reality it didn’t. But what happened was that each city gave the highway a different name, and TeleNav considered each name a different road, so everytime the name changed, it considered it a waypoint.
The Street Pilot costs around $500 dollars which gets you the receiver and either the North America or the Europe maps. Map updates cost money, I think it’s like 100 bucks, but don’t quote me on that.
TeleNav is included on your
Mogul ROM update at no additional charge. It comes with a 48-hour trial period. After the trial period, it will offer two options: $2.99 daily use charge, which gives you exactly 24 hours to use it. It bills even if you only use it for 30 minutes during that 24-hour period. The other option is $9.99 monthly charge which gives you one month to use it. Again, it bills even if you only use it once. But there is a third option that many don’t realize. Sprint’s power vision data plans offer unlimited Navigation included in the plan package price, if you have a $20 or higher Power Vision plan. This works out to about 60 bucks a year for up-to-the minute traffic, maps, and waypoints. This is cheaper than getting Garmin updates every year.
Overall, TeleNav wins more points in my book than the Garmin, though there is room for improvement. If TeleNav would add the ability to change the navigation screen for night driving, and set user preferences for map colors it would be a boon. Also, it would be a nice addition if the programmers put a speed display on the Nav screen. But my biggest recommendation would be that they have the
Mogul download and buffer the entire map for a set trip.
I give high marks to TeleNav on the
Mogul. It is every bit as powerful a GPS system as the Street Pilot.
Sprint Navigation (TeleNav) Vs. Garmin Street Pilot.
Login
Panel
