Stupid Computer Question

"Personal Digital Assistant" - PDA

"Computer/GPS mapping is a bit less of a hassle on a laptop"

? No its not - ever tried walking through the bush with a laptop! PDA is of course less of a hassle then. Though you are correct in some respects - the PDA version of OziExplorer (OziExplorerCE) does not have all the functions of the PC version. The idea is to do all your planning etc before you leave then use the PDA (which has many advantages over a laptop) in the field. I have used both PDA and laptop in cars - laptops are a pain as they take up too much room (IMHO) and you can not take them for a walk (which is what I use my PDA for mainly). PDAs are not perfect but may suit some people better than a laptop - depends.
Cheers
Greg

G'day Explorer,
BrianH's post was re: a "laptop" and " in my vehicle". !!

quote: "laptops are a pain as they take up too much room"

... which is why I love my tablet PC. Bigger than a PDA - fully-functional WinXP running the proper OziExplorer - talking to a Bluetooth GPS.

No keyboard, light weight and a big 1024x768 screen.

"Computer/GPS mapping is a bit less of a hassle on a laptop, but I don't think you'll be able to get the voice prompts."

Yes you can

www.gpsoz.com.au/travroute_pc.htm

Cheers
Greg

"G'day Explorer,
BrianH's post was re: a "laptop" and " in my vehicle". !! "

No worries - as I said in my post - it depends on your requirements what is best for you. In your post you just said "Computer/GPS mapping is a bit less of a hassle on a laptop" which is by itself is a very generalised comment and incorrect without further clarification (which you have now provided). You are not alone - Lots of people use laptops for gps mapping in cars and find them ideal for their intended purpose.
Cheers
Greg

I was looking at a laptop mounted under drivers seat or fixed higher up behind the seat, GPS on dash currently I have a Garmin 72 (although may get a Garmin quest) , touch screen for maps etc, reversing camera linked to screen.

These are just my ideas, more important things may need to be purchased first but will gather the above as I can. Hopefully this years before my trips.

Thanks
Brian

How do you have your system setup? I was looking at replacing my car stereo with a small screen but was concerned that it might be too small. On the other hand I don't want my laptop to be open all the time and at the moment I was planning on mounting it under my seat.
Tim

Hi Rod.

PDA's have changed a hell of a lot in 2 years. There's no way you could say an iPaq hx4700 is too small to display a good map.

Full VGA resolution screen and a larger than average size PDA. Still fits in a shirt pocket and on a RAM mount next to the steering wheel where you don't really have to take your eyes off the track it's the perfect navigation tool in my opinion.



Running OziCE and Navman depending on the task at hand it's easy to use, hear and drive - mainly used off road. It's not particularly safe to use any screen while driving and I'm not sure where the legal boundaries on PDA screens lie, when tv screens are illegal on the move in view of the driver.

I love gadgets but wouldn't dream of mounting a laptop in my truck. I don't need anything that inconvenient.

That's not to say that it doesn't work for others. I have seen a couple of really nice laptop mount projects. Two were done with RAM mounts but both guys travel without their wives. The third was done with an inverted screen from the roof in a troopy with a custom roof console. Meant the keyboard was upside down and inverted though, and I didn't see an external keyboard anywhere. I also don't know how well the hinges would hold up on the screen.

Dave

Tim,

I don't have anything set up at this stage, The above is the idea's I have got from people on this site.

I guess untill I see a few set up's a final selection will be made.

I just figured a laptop (without the screen) be either mounted under drivers seat or mounted on the wall behind the same seat just to get it vertical and a bit higher in case i get a little deeper in the water than I planned. I would them has my GPS mounted on the dash (have a spot out of the way) and easy access. As for the screen this is my main issue "where to place it".

I guess my main idea and why the laptop is I want to write articles download photo's while on my trips. Although if it gets to hard I may simply get a Garmin quest put the moving map stuff in that and go from there. Then I can simply take a laptop as part of my gear.

Thanks
Brian

Hi,

Dave - I stand by that, the PDA screens are great for walking around - even slower offroading can be reasonable but once the speed gets up to highway pace and you need to be able to see more than a few kays ahead the screens are a bit small. I would go with the tablet PC solution, as workable but still hard to mount out of the way.

Maybe it is just my eyes Dave....:) trying to focus on those small screens. But I certainly have a preference for bigger screens (at least 7") but bigger is better, running the same resolution just showing a larger area.

Rod

Tim,

Dont remove your standard head unit at this stage, radio reception via a PC in a moving vehicle is poor to say the least with AM simply not available on the capture device I am using.....however a new unit is on the market but difficult to source - the HQCT.

If I were to do it again now I would have left the head unit in place and fitted the touch screen elsewhere.

HQCT

Rod

I planned on leaving the entire stereo in and mounting a screen as a seperate thing altogether with sound in (aux) running into the stereo.

Now a question....Can you run a laptop with the lid down? Silly question but I was asking some IT "gurus" and they were scratching their heads and said I "should" be able to....

The other thing I am considering is instead of having a touch screen, running a USB touchpad up and mounting it somewhere. We use the touch screens in the MDTs at work and that part of them works well but I have to consider the budget as well.

Tim

Hi Rod,

"Dave - I stand by that, the PDA screens are great for walking around - even slower offroading can be reasonable but once the speed gets up to highway pace and you need to be able to see more than a few kays ahead the screens are a bit small."

Your comments may be relevant to your experience but it depends entirely on what the range of maps you have available to you are.

I use 1:25k NRE Firemaps off road but use anything from 1:50k to 1:250k for on road and highway use. You can see well ahead with good readability even at highway speed.

There's nearly if not more than $1500-2000 difference in setup cost.

I am a gadget lover from way back but there's no way I'd put a tablet in a 4wd.

Dave

PS Tim, in the setup you can configure a laptop to run with the lid down. Consider where you put it though. A laptop under the seat will easily get drowned in a river crossing.

Tim,

I agree with Dave on that "get it up high"....:) and well out of the the way...run extension cables from somewhere in the car to your screen....no worries with the lid down either, people connecct external monitors to there laptops in the office all the time.

I just had a "brainwave" what about using a docking station for a laptop? up out of the way with extension cables running to the cab, coould be hard wired to power too....

No dramas with running tablet's or laptop's in the car, I often have mine on...just make sure it's secure! (mine's slipped of the seat once or twice (laptp not a tablett))

Rod