Jan/Feb 2005

A Pocket PC-based navigation system called AA Navigator has been launched by a the Automobile Association at a price said to be a third that of a typical in-vehicle system.

The system has been developed in-house by the AA itself, and is not a rebranded version of a proprietary system. The organisation reckons its history of route-finding made it specially qualified for doing the job.

The system offers the now-familiar options of on-screen directions, spoken instructions and mapping at a range of scales. Destinations can be chosen from a street address or the full postcode. Many places of interest are programmed into the system. The underlying digital mapping is by Navteq, with which the AA has worked closely for some years.

There is also a feature called "alternative mapping mode", providing detailed street-level mapping with 43,000 points of interest. Other features include a special night mode with different contrast level and colours, and a favourites list in which frequently-used locations can be saved.

 

Users can re-route journeys manually to avoid traffic queues, and can avoid specified roads, congestion-charging areas and tolls. There is also an optional upgrade for entering the location of speed cameras. A future option is likely to offer users the ability to add their own places of interest and navigate to these.

AA Navigator is priced at just £99.99 in stand-alone software form. If you pay £349.99 you also get an HP iPAQ Pocket PC, cradle, software and wired-GPS receiver. Or for an extra £50 the package includes a Bluetooth-GPS wireless receiver instead of the wired version. All versions can be bought online at www.aanavigator.com.