Rand McNally StreetFinder Deluxe GPS for Palm V Series Review

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(More customer reviews)The first problem I had was with the Streetfinder software on my PC, it was unable to connect to the Internet so that I could get directions between two points. Customer service has so far been unable to resolve this, there's nothing wrong with my Internet connection, this is the only application that doesn't seem to be able to use it.
I tried downloading and installing the software update from the Rand McNally web site, but that was worse, then Streetfinder would crash frequently. I had to uninstall the whole thing and reinstall from the CD to get the app to stop crashing.
The Streetfinder software is bugy not very well designed and tested. For example, there are screens that say you can push a button to get an address from your address book, you click on the button and get your address book, you select an address and say to use that one and it doesn't put the address in the edit box, you have to find another button at a lower level that actually does that. Also, It is REALLY annoying that you have to put the INSTALL CD into your disk drive in order to move a map to the Palm queue.
I found that there were several operations, like zooming in a map on the Palm, that would crash the Palm OS. Having spent many years doing software QA, I find this problem inexcusable.
Finally, I was completely unable to get the GPS receiver to acquire the sattelite signals. I left the unit outside for two hours, plugged in to the car accessory plug, and it didn't acquire and it didn't time out. Then, when I stopped the GPS and tried moving to a different area and restarting the receiver, the Palm OS crashed again. I had to delete the Streetfinder app from the Palm and reinstall it to get it to stop crashing the Palm when I started the GPS.
Just to make things worse, there is an appalling lack of documentation that ships with this unit. Basically, there is NO printed documentation, no owner's manual, no software guide, and the online documentation is rarely helpful, especially for the problems I was having. There is no troubleshooting guide at all. The online FAQ was only partially helpful. You can email tech support at Rand McNally, but if you want to call and speak to a real person you have to pay for the call yourself, there is no 800 number.
All in all, I was very disappointed to say the least, and I'm returning the Streetfinder GPS to Amazon. I have very rarely seen a company take such a good idea and fail so completely with the implementation.

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Clip the Rand McNally StreetFinder global positioning system (GPS)receiver to your Palm V series connected organizer, and you'll never feel lostagain. It is an all-inclusive navigational system that lets you get address-to- address directions via the Internet, then download them with customized maps toyour organizer.
You can also track your progress with the GPS designedspecifically for the Palm V platform. The StreetFinder GPS receiver includesStreetFinder Deluxe 2000 software, 2 AAA batteries, in-car cigarette lighteradapter, car mount, and carrying bag.

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