It doesn't sound ike a drum but it does the job (Medion GoPal PNA 210)

Member Name: Nolly

Product:	Medion GoPal PNA 210
Date:	13/08/07 (886 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: good value. clear and easy to follow

Disadvantages: use your noggin as well (that's just common sense)

When I left my job this Summer (I used to be head of German in a prestigious independent school), my colleagues decided to send me packing with an amount of money in recognition of my services.

I was wondering what to do it the aforementioned sum, and then I realised that in my new job (in teacher training and procurement) I would be doing a fair amount of driving around the West Midlands and that, coupled with the fact that I am taking the present Mrs nolly and her three lovely children for a caravan holiday in Sussex this year, some sort of aid (navigation, not marital) would come in handy.

Now it would appear to me that in the world of 'sat-nav' the name of Tom-Tom is fast becoming a generic term, in the same as as hoover is for vacuum cleaners. I haven't got the spare money for a Tom-Tom, and so I perused the internet to find out what kind of prices I could find.

I got as far as the PC World website and found that they had a Sat-Nav for £79.99! This was the Medion Go-Pal PNA 210. This was a wonderful price, I thought, and so I shuffled to my local store to see about buying one.

When I got there I found the item was marked as £99! I enquired to a youth who was apparently a salesman and he checked the website to see if what I had seen was a 'web exclusive' price. It transpired that it was not, and so he said i could have it for £79.99.

Handy hint #1 - Do your research!

I got the gizmo home and took it out of the box...


What you get
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The system comes with a set of 4 AA batteriesas back-up, an adaptor to plug into your cigar lighter socket in the car, a cradle on a sucker thingy to attach it to the windscreen (this includes a stylus), a mini-USB lead to attach it to a computer (for updates i should think), a manual and some CDs. Well done to Medion for including everything I needed.

When you fire the system up for the first time, it has to initialise, and this takes 3 minutes I should think for the first go. It was quicker after that when I started it up.


Using it
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Well, I was itching (that has nothing to do with this review so i will go no further) to use it and decided to use it for a trip to my old workplace in Worcester. Once I got outside of the confines of Nolly Towers, and started the car, it picked up the signal and calculated the route in about 15 seconds. The display is 2.8 inches on the diagonal, and shows a map of the current location as the main display. At the top it gives a clear road location. In the top left is any manoeuvre you need to make along with a compass, so you know which way north is.

The bottom of the display includes how far you have until you reach your destination (in kilometres), a total time left and an estimated time of arrival. I am not sure if it needs to show anything else. I was seriously impressed.

Are the directions useful?
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Well, a GPS system should not be a substitute for observation and common sense. It navigated me well and quickly to Worcester, but on the way back (I used the identical route) it neglected to see a roundabout it had seen an hour earlier. Nonetheless the display and audible instructions (in a pleasant English female voice) are clear. The big test was the big trip to Sussex. which I got back fropm in the early hours this morning. The machine performed perfectly and the 750 miles I covered were easier because of this little gizmo.

I have also indulged in a little game of late. This game is called 'beat the sat-nav'. I take different routes and see if it can catch up. I am pleased to say it does. After a little bit of getting me back on the original route, it recalculates a different route automatically without the words 'turn round you berk, you are lost' coming out of the machine.

Inputting destinations can either be done by place name (then you can put in road name and number) or by postcode (it recognises 8 digit postcodes for anyone with 8 digit post or 8 digits).

Points of interest are always a matter of taste and this one does include petrol stations (good idea) and car dealerships (I am bemused by that one).

Conclusions
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if you are new to the world of sat-nav or are budget conscious then this may well be the machine for you. I do not need the biggest and most expensive thing to be happy, It does the job and that is what it is there for. If you want a system with a built-in back scratcher then you pays your money and that is the way the cookie crumbles. It covers the Uk and Ireland and that is all I need.

it is possible to upgrade the system. You can download traffic updates with an extra aerial (not supplied) and an annual subscription of £10. I do not and I do not feel I will need to. Some people will and it a handy add-on for them.


Basically, I think for £80 it cannot be beaten.

Summary: Why pay hundreds when £80 will do?