Contrary to popular belief it is possible to have too many gadgets and so the next trend is towards gadget amalgamation, navigation systems are often bulky or require a PDA to run on, or even worse be a custom fit system hardwired into your car. The Wayfinder Mobile Navigator claims to solve these issues with its GPRS mobile phone based system where maps are stored on a central server allowing suitably connected mobiles to access full Europe wide map data.

So how does it work? Well the Wayfinder central server holds the European map database which is queried by the user from a GPRS connected mobile. The map data relating to the route or location requested is then downloaded to the phone where by the application can use a GPS receiver to locate your current position and provided turn by turn instructions or you can just follow as a map without GPS input.

The key benefit of the Wayfinder system is the database operation, as a result of not having maps downloaded in full to the device or accessed from CD rom or DVD they are constantly updated on the server ensuring your mapping data is current and that the list of POI's (points of interest) which range from petrol station to hotels, ideal if you are in unfamiliar territory. Your main access point to the Wayfinder system is a web portal where you can configure your home and other favourite locations this can be accessed from any location as well as the mobile device you are going to use the service on, routes can also be set by ringing a call centre who will act like a mobile yellow pages and then push your route information to the portal for your mobile to download.

The application running on the mobile device can either operate as a map display system replying on you scrolling through the route or providing your mobile is Bluetooth enabled it can be connected to a variety of Bluetooth GPS modems to give exact location data, Wayfinder bundle the software with an Emtac receiver or it can be purchased software only.

Our tests were on a Sony Ericsson P900, the Wayfinder can run on any symbain powered mobile which means most of the latest Nokia and Sony Ericsson smart phones, first up getting connected to mywayfinder.com via GPRS is a fairly simple task as long as your GPRS is playing ball, there is also a configuration wizard on the Wayfinder site to assist with making that first connection.

Once hooked up and having paired our Bluetooth GPS receiver in this case a Navman 4400 to the phone we were ready to plot our first route, using the main menu screen its quite simple to search for your current location and your desired destination both points are therefore submitted to the Wayfinder portal. On completion of your request the screen displays a map showing your entire route you can then use the options menu to choose how you want to be guided through the journey, from the level of zoom on the map to instructions only, it will be possible to get updated routes dependant on travel conditions but this feature is not available in the UK yet.

Like many conventional systems Wayfinder has spoken guidance and the ability to re route or avoid roadblocks, its routing seemed to provide the best A-B route on a number of our favourite "tricky" journeys of course Wayfinder is great if you venture outside blighty as unlike PDA based systems the maps can be downloaded for the entire route but only covering the sections you need.

Now we were worries about the amount of GPRS data that would be used in daily operation, but in reality the biggest amount of data transferred is when you get the maps associated with your route this if you are on UK only journeys is typically under 20k but still we would feel more comfortable with an unlimited GPRS bundle so you could just let Wayfinder do its thing without worrying about cost. Compared to the cost of a PDA system which may be £600 including the PDA or car only systems starting at £900 Wayfinder is a good option costing £340 with a years subscription to the central server and a BT GPS receiver or about £170 for the software only.

Wayfinder Mobile Navigator is an interesting product which is really of the most use to those who travel extensively in Europe and would make use of the POI database, of course a beefy GPRS connection is needed and perhaps the UK networks aren't up to the job just yet, no good having a navigation systems that can't download maps! That said Wayfinder did its stuff ok and many Mobile phones will come with Wayfinder as an option soon which may see more of us having navigation and mobile combined into that all illusive single devices.

More Reviews -

[ Tom Tom Go Review ] [ Mitac Mio 168 GPS ] [ Trafficmaster YQ2 ] [ Wayfinder Mobile Navigator ] [ Navman PIN GPS ] [ Navman iCN630 ] [ Navigon PNA ] [ Globalsat GV-101 ] [ TomTom Rider ] [ TrafficMaster SmartNav System ] [ Kane Car Pilot Plus ] [ Garmin 2610 Review ] [ Navman 4400 Bluetooth GPS receiver ] [ Garmin ique 3600 PDA ]