GPS BAY E668xp Sat Nav Review
Here’s another round of GPS satellite navigation system for review. GPS BAY has sent me a prototype product to play around with. The new model, E668xp, is expected to be launched by the end of October. So watch out for more news in the press.
If you have read my previous product reviews of GPS BAY, you would probably think this is a redundant post. Yes, it is a GPS device with 3.5 inch screen display again. But I am here to fill you in on what makes this product a standout.
GPS BAY E668xp at the top
From the first look, I have a mix feeling of this GPS BAY E668xp model. The design is bland and it’s black in colour. On the other hand, it is really thin and light; easily relatable with “PSP Slim and Lite”! This GPS is powered by SiRF Atlas IV processor at the speed of 500Mhz and accompanied by 128MB RAM.
Slim profile of E668xp at the top
Compared to previous models, they have redesigned the back to feature a removable battery compartment. You can easily replace the battery with a compatible Nokia ones. This is definitely a feature worth having if you use it often for walking navigation at tourist spots.
light sensor and battery compartment at the back of E668xp
Although the screen remains the standard size of 3.5 inch, the screen is brighter compared to predecessors. A light sensor is integrated at the back to auto-adjust the brightness depending on the surrounding. If the surrounding is dark, the screen brightness is reduced to conserve battery power.
There is only one power button to determine whether you want to put the device to sleep mode or permanently off. In sleep mode, the GPS signal is still active. This means you can start tracking again in no time. However, expectedly, this will slowly drain the battery power. The battery can last for about two and half hours if used actively. The GPS could be charged through the USB port, whether at home (wall charger), in the car (car charger) or anywhere else with a PC around (USB cable).
E668xp main menu interface
As for the software inside, the underlying OS is Windows CE Core 6. I tried installing my copy of Garmin Mobile XT software but I could not get it to work yet. This could be due to the newer version of Windows CE. So I was only able to test out the MapKing software preloaded inside the 2GB microSD card together with Malsingmaps database. This navigation software version is the same like the GPS BAY models that I have reviewed previously. So it works exactly as it is supposed to; nothing more, nothing less.
E668xp mapking navigation interface
Even with the additional processor speed and RAM, I do not notice any significant improvement in the usability of the system. The GPS signal searching works well enough. The system is able to calculate and display the route to destination on the screen within expected timing. I have nothing more to add in the respect of GPS features. You may refer to my previous posts (3303 and E688i) as they share many similarity in functionality.
In this post, I would like to highlight on the video playback on the device. Here is where the new processor shines. I was able to play a 700MB AVI movie file smoothly without breaking. Then came the idea of testing VCD files. I thought it would be cool if I could playback my old VCD collections in the car while being stuck in the traffic jam. I copied the DAT movie file from VCD into the device using the USB cable provided. Alas, the video would not play. I tried renaming the file to MPG. Bingo! I could now play VCD movie without the need to convert the video into MP4 or AVI format. This is so cool.
Then, I realised there’s no longer a 3.5mm audio port. What a bummer! They have also remove the physical volume control in this model (E688i has a physical rocker switch for volume control). Imagine, this GPS device could potentially be used as a personal media player (PMP). I understand that in pursuing for a slimmer GPS device, this is the sacrifice they have to make.
Lastly, there is actually not much fault if you were to use the GPS BAY 668xp solely as a navigation device. I think it would be a hit with the ladies as they could easily slip the slim GPS into their handbags (people rarely leaves the GPS on the car windscreen nowadays). For me, I need more than just a GPS device. I know, I’m being greedy. As for now, I still prefer the E688i model unless GPS BAY could come out with a model that is something more than just a GPS.
April 6th, 2010 at 12:39 AM
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