We should have greater choice in GPS satellite navigation software, so I was extremely eager to try EMTAC Navigator. I really wanted to like the product.

Instead of coming on a series of CDs, EMTAC comes on a single DVD. This is, without doubt, the best feature of the navigation package. Because most computers come standard with a DVD player, it only makes sense to send it that way, and if you are one of the few people left without a DVD player, EMTAC will send you their software on CD at your request.

Unfortunately, this brilliant plan also posed the first challenge. My Dell laptop didn’t recognize the DVD format, and there is no driver update available. I had no problem using the DVD on the two PCs I have at home, just not my Dell. (Dude!) Since I hotsync my Treo to the laptop, I was determined to get it to work rather than going elsewhere for the installation. I very cleverly inserted the DVD into one of the pc’s and made a copy, which was readable on my laptop. First issue overcome.

EMTAC uses an integrated Internet Explorer setup: my second challenge since I try not to use IE unless I absolutely have to. After little success with Mozilla Firefox, I finally set IE as my default browser long enough to get EMTAC installed. The installation itself is really quite simple, with only one small file residing on your device.

The bulk of the files reside on, and can actually be installed directly to your SD card, without the need for a hotsync. Of course, installing to your SD card with a card reader is much faster than a hotsync. An interesting note here is that when you register EMTAC (and you must have web access to register), your registration is linked to your SD card, rather than to your device. You are limited only by the size of your SD card as to the number of maps you can carry with you at any one time, and maps are loaded by state. This was convenient for me, as I live in one of those peculiar areas where several states meet, and driving more than 15 minutes east or west takes me into another state. The transition from one state to the next is flawless.

When you first run EMTAC Navigator, you are presented with a destination screen. At first glance, it seems fairly forthright, but things are not always what they appear to be.

Clicking on Address will take you to a second screen where you choose the state. It seems to me that if you started with the city, you could skip the state, even when there are multiple states with the same named cities. Seemingly simple, you do not click on the state at this point. You type in the city. You get choices of same city names in the states of all the maps you have loaded. You are then prompted to enter the street name, but clicking ok before entering the street number will take you to the street…not necessarily your destination. It’s also important to note that if you forget to enter the city on that first screen, and click on the state (which would be the logical thing to do when presented with a list of states), getting to the right street can be difficult at best since almost every city in the country has a Vine Street or an Airport Road.

Once your trip is planned, the map itself comes up, showing your current location. As you can see from this screen shot, the maps are clearly marked and easy to read. The big blue bar at the right allows you to zoom in or out so that you can see street or city level in as much or little detail as you want.

Audible directions are given with plenty of time for turns, and my only complaint here is that you are stuck with the default voice. The volume is more than adequate even with the radio on, though I should point out that I use VolumeCare.

Clicking on Zip takes you through the screens that look similar to what you see if you click on Address. The big difference is that you start by entering the zip code, and then moving on to street name. This feature could have compensated for those times you’re trying to navigate to a neighborhood that’s too new to appear on the maps (like my brother’s place in Orlando!). My contact at EMTAC told me to choose a location near where you want to go if the address isn’t showing on the map, but when you don’t know the area at all you can no more choose a nearby location than you can find your actual destination. Navigating to the zip code would have been a good start, but you still need a street name to make this option work.

The Addressbook feature was equally useless. I have been assured that they are still working on it, but at version 3, you would think it would either work or disappear from the menu. Out of the ten addresses I attempted to navigate to from the Addressbook, I was taken to one. Supposedly it’s a matter of verbage: Avenue as opposed to Ave. or Ave (without the period). But since most of us will not change all our contacts in hopes of using this feature, it’s a moot point. I hope they get this ironed out because it’s a feature I use regularly on another navigation program, and much faster than inputting an address!

Two Point of Interest (POI) options give you the ability to find a POI by category (Pos) or by address (Dest). To be honest, if I know the address, I’ll just go through the Address option. Looking for a POI usually means you don’t know what’s available, or where the available points (museums, restaurants, casinos) are located.

Unlike some other navigation programs, the features of EMTAC are limited. It’s very light, with few choices for appearance, sound, or other customization.

As you can see from these three screen shots above, these are the only options/preferences available. Checking the “upper status line” option gives you a very small status line at the top of the map screen. On this status line you have a choice of adding three more bits of information. You can view time, destination, longitude, latitude, distance, speed, average speed, gps error, tracked point, altitude, ETA, or used map. I like having my speed and time showing to minimize the amount I have to keep my eyes off the road. Unfortunately, this status bar is so small, I can’t read it. Perhaps my vision is old…perhaps it’s just really small.

EMTAC navigator does what it promises: it will get you from point A to point B. It is relatively simple to use, although it could be far more intuitive. While the company sells its own satellite receivers, the software worked fine with both of mine.

Related Links

Visit the EMTAC website

Purchase a GPS satellite receiver

Treo Discussion Forum.

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