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An in-dash (Global Positioning System) GPS-based navigation system is one of the most popular options available on new cars today. If you're not in the market for a new car though (or don't want to rip holes in your old one), you may have considered purchasing one of the various GPS devices that can sit on—rather than in—your car's dashboard. With the Navman PiN, a PDA with GPS capability, there is now yet another option available.

From all outward appearances, the $499 PiN (Personal Interactive Navigator) looks very similar to many other handhelds. However, with its built-in patch antenna and included navigation software, this particular PDA can act as a fully functional GPS navigation system that can be used in a vehicle or on foot.

The NavMan PiN looks identical to another GPS-capable Pocket PC, the Mitac Mio Digiwalker. And though Navman does OEM the hardware, the two devices use different GPS applications.

As a PDA, the PiN's features and capabilities are fairly standard for a Pocket PC. The device uses a 300MHz Intel PXA255 XScale CPU with 64MB of RAM and 32MB of ROM. The display is the usual 3.5-inch TFT type capable of 240 x 320 resolution and 65,536 colors.

Aside from the familiar application buttons and D-pad the only other exterior buttons are for power and voice memo, located on the upper left side of the unit. The PiN's metal stylus can collapse down to about the size of a bowling pencil, which may be more comfortable to hold for some.


Front & Side View

Expansion for the PiN comes in the form of an Secure Digital slot that is SDIO capable for peripheral and memory. The PiN's 1350mAh battery is rated for 12 hours of usage (without using the GPS function) or 21 days on standby, but alas is not removable. There's no cradle included, so charging and syncing is done via cable.

The PiN comes with Windows Mobile 2003 and its associated suite of productivity applications like Microsoft Pocket Word, Excel, and Outlook. What really sets the PiN apart is the Navman SmartST navigation software.

GPS Features
The SmartST application is included both on a CD and a on a 32MB SD card that ships with the Navman (the latter of which can come in handy in the event the application needs to be re-installed on the road). As for the actual maps, they come on three additional CDs that you can load into the PiN from a PC via ActiveSync.

Given that the maps for single states can range from several megabytes to dozens or scores of megabytes (the southern half of Florida alone, for example, is 33 MB), you can't fit much of a geographic area into the PiN's internal memory or included SD card. (You can divert some system memory to storage, but that won't get you very far). As a result, one or more additional high-capacity SD cards are highly recommended to hold mapping data. PiN supports up to 512MB SD cards.

To facilitate use in an automobile, the Navman ships with a cigarette lighter power adapter and a suction-mounted windshield bracket. We commend Navman for not requiring purchasers to shell out separately for these critical accessories, but given that the utility of the PiN is severely hamstrung without copious storage, the company should have included a larger SD card as well. Navman says it's working on future retail bundles that will include a larger storage card.

The basic operation of the PiN navigation system will be familiar to anyone who has used a car-based system. When plotting a destination SmartST can select routes designed to minimize either time or distance and avoid congested urban errors or toll roads.