My initial impression of Earthcomber when preparing the Freedom mini-GPS review was rather favorable, but the more I use it, the more difficulties I experience. It doesn't supply as many hits for a given search as the other two, especially as compared to Live Search.

For example, the aforementioned convenience store did not show up in a search for Pizza Hut. And the closest Pizza Hut location it did come up with has been closed for several months. To be fair though, Google and Live Search both returned that location as well. However, Earthcomber did not list the additional locations they came up with.

It also seemed to be a bit buggy the more I used it. Sometimes it would display the map the full width of a landscape screen, and sometimes not. It crashed quite a bit too, requiring me to reset my device. I'm not sure if its difficulties are related to the Windows Mobile version specifically, or if they're inherent to every platform it covers. But on further evaluation, I don't think I'll be keeping it on my device.

Despite keeping the majority of its data on your device and only needing a data connection for a very few things, for its lackluster POIs and tendency to crash, I think I'd have to rate Earthcomber at 1 out of 5.

OUR RATING: 1 of 5

What's available retail?
There are a lot of different GPS mapping and navigation applications available on the retail market. Delorme, TomTom, and Pharos are probably some of the better known names in the field. Of the companies approached to contribute to this article, TomTom, Pharos, and CoPilot chose not to participate. So, as in the the section on free software, we'll be looking at basically three applications under the retail heading.

Navigate 7 PPC - $150.00
Based in The Netherlands, Route 66 produces several mapping programs on a variety of platforms. Previously dealing primarily in the European market, Route 66 is now marketing their products in the US.

In Figure J you see Navigate 7 PPC, Route 66's Pocket PC Windows Mobile solution.

FIGURE J


Navigate 7 PPC from Route 66. Roll over picture for a larger image.

It allows for door-to-door navigation with on-the-fly re-routing should you deviate from your path. It offers quick address look-up, and in the case of Phone Edition Pocket PCs provides direct-dialing to restaurants and hotels. Navigate 7 has a large-button interface for in-car use, and night colors for navigating at night. You can even set a speed warning to help prevent speeding tickets.

Navigate 7 is a one-time purchase; there are no subscription fees involved. Apparently some services charge subscription fees. And like Earthcomber, Navigate 7's maps are loaded onto your device. Well, a storage card actually. My point is that it doesn't require a data connection to keep your position up-to-date.