By Melvin Seah

AT 15MM thick, the new GeoSatt Quad III global positioning system (GPS) gadget claims to be the 'slimmest personal navigation infotainment device' in the market. It promises picture, music and video playback with its large 4.3-inch widescreen LCD and built-in speakers.

Designed with the driver in mind, the Quad III includes a car charger and a holder to attach the device to the windscreen.

The Quad III comes with maps for Malaysia and Singapore on a 2GB SD card. I found that the fastest way to do a search is by postal codes, so you may have to do some homework before leaving for your destination.

For the most part, I found the Quad III simple to use. It is an effective GPS device with a relatively quick TTFF (Time-To-First-Fix) from a cold start. On average, it took about two minutes to latch on to a satellite signal.

I also like its bright screen - a boon in sunlight - as well as its clear speakers.

Voice directions are easy to follow and the device offers a choice of languages such as English, Mandarin, Malay, Indonesian and Cantonese.

The Quad III is relatively accurate, except for a few instances when it mistakenly shows an adjacent road. When there are merging lanes, it would sometimes prompt me to make unnecessary turns.

Route calculation is fairly fast and it is quick to offer me an alternative when I stray off course.

There are a couple of quirks though. It keeps warning me of non-existent speed cameras and the onscreen battery indicator is misleading - it seems perpetually full. The system also gets sluggish each time I zoom in or out.

Final say

The Quad III works great as a GPS device for drivers, but turn off its speed camera warning feature and rely on your knowledge.

This article was first published in Digital Life, The Straits Times on Oct 15, 2008.