Kirrio see themselves as the French equivalent to Tom Tom and provide a similar range of systems as the Dutch outfit, these can be cabled or Bluetooth, we tested the fixed cable version but both are available to purchase today. The Kirrio systems is actually a bundle of components which comprises of the Software, Hardware and mounting solutions, each is sourced by Kirrio and bundled to make their GPS system.

Firstly mounting, the bundle comes with a range of options including vent mount, sucker mount and a slightly unusual cigarette lighter mount, these all connect to a Palm PDA holder, all 3 types work well but the vent mount suffers all the usual vent mount issues like being fiddly and not the most secure. The cigarette lighter mount is a good idea but is useless in most cars as the lighter socket is nowhere near where you'd want to locate the Palm!

The PDA mount performs a dual role, sure it holds the Palm in place (does quite a good job) but it is also the centre for communications within the Kirrio GPS system a bit like the black box, with the fixed version we tested all the cables power and GPS connect to the PDA holder. The GPS connects to what looks like a USB socket (but isn't) while at the base you need to connect the right lead for you model of Palm PDA.

It all works but we do have concerns that its a bit messy as there is little cable management which does detract from the overall appearance of the setup.

So onto hardware, the Kirrio GPS system is supplied with a GPS receiver which is claimed to get its first fix from cold in 48 seconds in our experience it takes about a 1 minutes 30 seconds which is more than acceptable, the unit is in fact a badged TFAC MG30 which are known to be reliable. It seems to be a tenacious little receiver with a very quick relock time if you lose the GPS signal, which we did on roads with lots of overhanging trees and in one very built up area in London.

The Kirrio GPS software is actually ViaMichelin Mapsonic with the European maps option, before you get too excited the mapping software eats quite a bit of memory so you'll need to add an SD memory card to the overall bundle to hold the maps, UK and Ireland add up to more than a 256mb card so the map store software allows you to select which sections of map you need.

Our unit had already had the UK only map loaded which did fit onto the 256mb SD card, the main software application needs to sit on the 32mb palm memory to run so its something to consider if you have filled your Palm up with other applications, the software will not run for external memory.

Navigation with the Kirrio GPS software is relatively easy, entry of destination lacks postcode support but its easy enough to enter places using town, road etc, route plotting is nice and quick and quite reliable as its based upon the Teleatlas data. The voice guidance is clear enough if slightly quiet but that is due to the Palms own speaker, we do miss some of the features we have grown accustomed to on systems Like Tom Tom with roadblock avoidance and waypoints, but the re routing of the Kirrio system was quick and efficient.

You can hook the Mapsonic (Kirrio) software to use the palms address book which is a handy feature for setting destinations quickly and one we quickly started to use during our test trips, the same route is sometimes varied by the use of a different road or two this has always been a mystery with other systems and so it will remain with the Kirrio.

Overall we found the Kirrio GPS to be a competent package for Palm users, perhaps a little untidy in installation and maybe that would tempt us towards the Bluetooth version if we had a Tungsten T3, the software is fairly bomb proof and easy enough to use. Perhaps the splitting of maps may be an issue if you travel across Europe (having to load different maps) but if its for UK only this is a good system that is well priced at £249.

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