GPS, Is it compatible? Does It work?

Im looking for a GPS to map trips, find customers addresses, and other things.

Price:
So whats the price factor? I shopped around, and stumbled apon a Memorial Day Special. $99.00 $+20 rebate, after tax it will be $85. Great, I grab one up.

BTW its available for $99 from Delorme without software.

Installation
My first idea, is this thing needs to be on my cars roof, hmm its not magnetic, comes with a suction cup, so I suction cup it to the roof. That cant be right..

Well turns out it sits on your dash, ideally, or hangs on your window. Ok, no problem, so I install the software onto my laptop, drop the atlas CD in. Pretty simple.

Finding Satellites
So I get it all installed and connected, open up the Microsoft Atlas software and click the start gps button.
The little graphic is red and says Aquiring.

I sit there waiting and restart it twice, finally I just let it go. About 3 minutes later it finds several satellites and says "3-D" which means it has your position using 3 Satellites.

Testing
So I punch in the address Im going to, about 60 miles from my current position, but the address search, is very picky, if you spell anything wrong, it wont find it, its not smart software, and everything needs a comma after it.

Address Input
For example search "123 West Ave, Dallas, Tx, USA" thats not bad once your used to it. Not Delormes problem, this is Microsofts software.

How accurate
So I get the address inputed, and take off, I start by making a U-turn in a parking lot in front of the store I bought it from, and I see a circle appear on the map on screen, its got me positioned within about 30 feet of being precise. As I approach the edge of the parking lot it instructs me "Such in such street, .10 miles, turn left aproximately 8 seconds" it continues to instruct me to get onto the highway, and Im really impressed.

Microsoft Atlas Not So Intelligent
The GPS tells me to enter the expressway .45 miles ahead. it gives me the ramp number. As I approach the ramp it dosnt tell me Im approaching it. I was kinda let down by this. As I get onto the expressway, it tells me to continue straight 40 miles, and quits speaking to me.

I exit the express way for gas, and it continues tracking me, but dosnt give me directions on how to get back to the expressway, I guess this means If I make a wrong turn it wont guide me back onto course. Another failure on the softwares intelligence part. Maybe theres a setting somewhere, Ive yet to find.

Other Features
So Im driving down the expressway, and I look at the screen and it shows my heading, and speed. The speed is actually very acurate. At first I noticed the software wasnt following me on the map, and I had to scroll manually, but on the right side of the screen there is a follow GPS button. That fixed it.

Im Lost
I call my friend, and arrange to meet him for dinner, so I pull over when I get to the city, and punch in the name of a resturaunt, the software pulls it up, along with phone number and info, and plots it onto the map.

So I switch back to map mode, and follow its instructions, and amazingly I pull up right in front of the resturaunts shopping center. Never having been there before, not knowing where it was at all..

I was pretty much sold.

Serial Support
So at dinner I come to the realization that I have no serial port on my laptop, one of my programs require a serial GPS, and that this GPS might not work. Im pretty let down.

I come home and start reading to find out online that there is an option I didnt see while setting up the software that allows you to install a driver which emulates (fools the computer) into the thinking the GPS is on a serial port, the driver is in a util directory on the first cd.

So I install the serial port driver, and the GPS appears in my other software programs. Now Im really impressed.

Indoors & Obstructions
Well now the weak points, getting a lock on a satellite is almost impossible inside a house, if you stick the GPS on a window, you only get 1 or 2 satellites, and its not 3-D. Your position can be off by 1 full block. About a quarter mile or less. The point it places you seems to jiggle around also.

I also noticed when passing under underpasses, the unit looses signal for a second, not a major problem.

Conclusion
Works great in a car, very accurate with 3 Satellites, somewhat accurate with 2 satellites. Software provides many features, extras, allows saving trips, or storing common destinations. GPS has serial port support, very compatible with everything. Software has support for locating resturaunts of a specific ethnicity, or stores of a certain type, very nice features.

I give the GPS, a 8 of 10. I give Microsofts software a 7 of 10. Due to its lack of intelligence, (correcting driving mistakes, and not reminding you occasionally)