Built around Windows CE .net 4.2 the 266Mhz ARM processor manages to power the unit sufficiently and a mixture of 64mb Ram and 32Mb Rom provide the space to run the software routing, all maps are stored on SD card and the D100 ships in the UK with UK and Ireland maps on 256mb SD card. The 300 gram device is suspiciously equipped along the same lines as TomTom but without cracking open the package we can't confirm this, however the big difference is that TomTom run a Linux client and Acer have opted for Microsoft.

Acer's other major decision is to use Destinator software on the D100, we have tested Destinator quite thoroughly in the past and so decided to concentrate the review on Acers implementation of the whole package. Start-up from cold left us sitting in the car park at work for almost 1 minute and 30 seconds before we got enough satellites using the inbuilt 12 channel receiver. Not bad we thought but not up to the performance of the few units using the latest SiRF® StarIII chipset, the Acer D100 relies on the older II chipset (the same as the current TomTom go range).

The D100 is supplied with a windscreen mounting system which is in 2 parts, the first is the sucker system and adjustable mount plate, onto which the cradle is connected, this in turn has an 8 pin connector which allows power to be fed to the unit. The power lead connects to the side of the cradle which is actually quite easy to fir the D100 into even using one hand. The whole thing seems quite secure and didn't rattle or wobble too much during any of our journeys.

Setting your destination soon shows that the touch screen is the quickest entry method for text although there are other controls including a 4 way joystick under the screen. We tested with a simple point to point route although waypoints are supported, the route we chose is our favourite test one that can use motorway or A roads and leaves lot of opportunities for a wrong turn.

Soon we were on our way with the bright 3.5" screen showing our route with a mixture of a rolling map and simple directional arrows, the voice guidance is up to the job and seemed loud enough using the units 2 watt speaker. The route selected was a good mix of motorway and A roads and the D100 did an impressive job of keeping us on course using the Destinator software. However it was time to start taking some crazy eddies and going off piste, firstly we left the motorway one junction early and watched as the Acer quickly calculated the way back, although it did insist on getting us back on the motorway. We continued away from the M25 and eventually the D100 go the idea and plotted round the one junction left and used a fairly obvious B road to get us to our destination.

The Destinator software is not as intuitive as the TomTom or Garmin interface but we did find it reliable and accurate, the usability is really only a factor when inputting data, once on the move we found the map view and instructions to be clear. Further detours from the chosen route managed to extract the same behaviour with the Acer wanting to go back to its original route for quite some time before eventually plotting a new route from its new location.

The screen didn't suffer too much from reflections, not that we had much sunlight to test with in January, but the backlight is strong and the colours convincing making for a stress free drive, even the night mode works well with a dimmer but equally readable display. During our many test journeys we did note that occasionally the map would stall for a few seconds (perhaps as many as 20) this we presume is down to the extra bloat of Windows CE rather than Destinator, its not a big issue unless you happen to be approaching a turn in central London!

While most of us will power the Acer from the 12 volt cigarette lighter it is worth noting that it has its own 2200 mAh battery giving 6 hours life from a 6 hour charge. There are also a few extras which take the form of bundled applications which can be accessed from the main menu, there is an MP3 player and picture viewer both of which work but we question the need for them in a navigation product. Acer have also used the Windows CE base to build a full contacts sync system again using active sync and the USB host, simply hook your D100 to a PC running active sync and you can push all your contacts to the unit. This means you can navigate to a contact which is quite a handy feature, sadly the lack of any Bluetooth of GSM capability means that the phone numbers are largely redundant.

Over the course of a weeks use we came to like the Acer D100, its more than a match for the Garmin C320 and also the older TomTom Go classic, but even with a newer version of the Destinator software its not real on a par with the latest TomTom Go range and is really offering features you could get a year ago. We'd expect a new system to have the SiRF® Star III chipset and the fact that Acer do not have this makes us think they are merely loading Destinator on an outgoing hardware platform.

So it all comes down to price, currently at the time of publishing the Acer D100 is around the £200 mark which pitches it straight at the Go 300 which is quite a challenge. Overall its a good solid if not ground breaking device and if Acer pitch it around £30 cheaper it would be worth strong consideration.

Published - 15/01/2006

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