Any use; Nokia N73 with CoPilot

[happychappy]

I've been offered this as free upgrade to my existing mobile phone, and can't seem to fathom out if it has any practical use as a sat nav device. Are there any techy-minded folks out there that know if this would be worth having?

I've no intention of taking it instead of buying an 'actual' sat nav system for the bike, but if it's being 'given away' and it works then I will have it. Don't even intend to mount it on the bike if it is any use. Oh, and does anyone know if the sat nav bit works in Europe?

[Mark H]

I've got sat nav on a blackberry. I wouldn't pay fot it personally but as something that I have to carry anyway, the sat nav has been turned on a couple of times when I'm on foot to answer the occasional question.

So in summary - probably a bit crap but handy on the odd occasion and if it is free....

[happychappy]

Cheers Mark; my thoughts entirely. Anyone know if it works in Europe or if 'free' Europe maps can be downloaded and added (note the use of that fine Scottish word 'free'!)?

[Blahhhh]

HC... Just had a quick search on the internets adn It looks like the N73 + CoPilot is UK & Ireland only - you can upgrade the maps but I haven't found any "trial" versions that would allow you to suss out the usefulness before purchasing.
How well the unit works - who knows, a quick search on google shows a few issues with it being slow to respond, problems when answering calls but most of that should be sorted with newer firmware releases.

I notice that the unit uses a bluetooth GPS receiver - which is fine for shorter journey's or where you will regularly have access to power to charge the receiver unit  but if you are going on a lengthy camping trip, it may not be the best solution.

I used to use a smartphone on the bike that did Phone, MP3 player & sat - nav duties (until I dropped it on the road ) and it managed to do all of the tasks adequately. It didn't excel at anything, wasn't particularly good at any function but coped ok. It often left me feeling frustrated that it wasn't performing as well as a sat nav should - this was because it wasn't a propper sat nav. It frustrated me that it wasn't particularly good as an MP3 player, because it wasn't designed to be so and the phone was average also. Change of perception though - I could have one single unit on the handlebar that did everything that I needed it to, albeit slowly, with one power cord and one feed into the autocom. It looked neat & uncluttered and was ok for my low standard of requirements. I would still be using it today if it hadn't dropped.

Guess the moral of the story is - do you want Good quality "designed for purpose" pieces of kit that will perform well but cost a lot more, or a a cross-over piece of kit that performs more functions but with lower quality and fewer features?

If it's a freebie and your getting that phone with or without the extras, always take the extras.

[happychappy]

Cheers Blahhhh  :good:

I went into the T-Mobile shop today to ask them about it, and first off is the phone itself isn't built for awkward, clumsy fingers like my existing one, so I probably wouldn't take it anyway. Secondly, it works through "Web 'n Walk" in the UK, which costs an extra ?1 a day or ?7.50 a month (-hey. I was beginning to get disinterested when he said 'more money').

Also, when you go abroad it uses packet data transfer (yaaaawwnnn) which costs even more, and maps would contain lots of bytes (= ??)

Thankfully the upgrade offer is that phone or ?10 a month of my existing bill & phone, so might go for that. However, I received a new work phone, so might just use that all the time 

Cheers guys

ps...Blahhhh; can you remember what the 125 Vara did to a tank; Mr Winkey doesn't want to find out the hard way (again???)

[Mark H]

clumsy fingers like my existing one

Jesus, have you had some sort of horrible accident???