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Description:
Combining the functionality of an advanced GPS system with the convenience of a full-fledged media player, the Dream'eo Solo GPS is designed to meet all of your family's digital leisure needs. The Solo GPS is an indispensable guide for your domestic and international travels, as it offers a host of digital maps, points of interest, and detailed itineraries. The secret to the Solo GPS's efficient GPS guidance system? Its combined 2D and 3D view, which lets you view the map at different scales simultaneously on the 3.5-inch color LCD display. The multiple options make it easy to read the built-in U.S. and Canada maps regardless of your destination, so you can anticipate a turn well in advance or take a quick detour at a moment's notice. p The Solo GPS boasts a 12-parallel-channel SiRF Star IIe/LP chipset that acquires its satellite signal quickly and accurately. It also diligently maintains its signal in heavy tree cover or deep canyons, so you can continue to navigate in challenging conditions. Once you've chosen an itinerary via the touch-screen interface and directional buttons, the Solo GPS provides audible and visual turn-by-turn directions without disturbing the driver's attention, with the ability to search destinations by address, intersection, point of interest (POI), and more. Getting around is easy, efficient, and intuitive. p The unit includes a 20 GB hard disk that stores a ton of information yet partitions it efficiently. In fact, the Solo GPS dedicates no more than 10 percent of capacity to integrating all the countries in a continent (North America or Europe). Easily completed and updated, the maps also provide the coordinates for many service points, such as garages, hotels, restaurants, and more. Other GPS features include advanced searching for millions of points of interest in more than 40 categories; a multilingual interface that works in Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish; six map zoom levels; and a serial port input for connecting an outboard mini-sized GPS receiver. p Although the Solo GPS is primarily a navigator, it also functions as a topnotch media player, with the ability to store and display photos and videos, play your favorite music tracks, and record the best moments of your journey. The device supports MP3, WMA, and WAV audio files; WMV, MPEG4, ASF, DivX, and AVI video formats; and GIF, JPEG, PNG, and BMP photo formats--in short, most of the most common media file types. The 3.5-inch display, meanwhile, offers a crisp 320 x 240 pixel resolution, ensuring a high-quality image regardless of the application. Plus, the Solo GPS is capable of backing up data files in addition to media files, with the ability to transfer them immediately to a Windows PC with a USB 2.0 port. Additional media features include a TV output for connecting the Solo GPS to a TV or video projector; a built-in equalizer; a stereo audio out jack; and a remote control. p To ensure maximum comfort and safety conditions, the Solo GPS comes with a vehicle mounting kit that includes a detachable resting pad and an articulated arm with a suction cup that attaches strongly to the windshield. Users can place the GPS antenna, meanwhile, on the bottom part of the windshield, under the back windshield, or on the roof using the magnet base. Finally, the unit comes with a 12-volt power cable that plugs into your car's cigarette lighter outlet to provide ongoing power and battery charging. p The Solo GPS measures 4.44 by 2.85 by 0.84 inches (W x H x D), weighs 9.17 ounces, and carries a one-year warranty. p bWhat's in the Box/bbr Solo GPS navigator/media player, stereo headphone, AC adapter, remote control, USB 2.0 cable, A/V cable, companion CD, serial port transition cable, car mounting bracket, car lighter adapter, quick-start guide, user's manual.
Not a GPS unit
Rating: 2 out of 5
Weight: 6.6 out of 10
Created: Dec 25, 2008
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The name "Dream 'eo Solo Portable GPS and Media Player" is half correct. I didn't try it, but it appeared to be a great media player. However, I primarily purchased the unit to be used as a GPS, and for that use - it is severely limited.
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br /Pros-
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br / - The multimedia capabilities are very nice - not to the level of an Ipod but better than what you would expect on a GPS unit.
br /- Seemed to pick up the satelite relatively quickly.
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br /Problems-
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br / - Not intitutive to load a new address - in fact it took me over 20 minutes to have any kind of idea on how to load a new address. Way more difficult to load addresses than other products on the market.
br /- The screen is very dim, and nearly impossible to see while driving in daylight.
br /- The maps are not very detailed - there is no comparison between the maps in the Dream'eo and a Garmin
br /- Once an address is put into the unit you are not given the distance or an estimated time of arrival.
br /- The "audible voice" for directions is nearly inaudible. The voice is very mechanical and soft - if you are not paying attention you will miss what it says.
br /- The unit includes a stylus (and it is needed) but there is no storage area for the stylus. I imagine it would take me about 2 weeks before I would lose it.
br /- The mounting unit's height could not be adjusted - and could not be used in my truck since it pressed directly up to the windshield.
br /- The suctuon cup would not "Stick" to my dashboard.
br /- I am worried that as a media player you will be limited by the unit's poor speakers.
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br /Final verdict - I am returning the Dream'eo - I feel that it mispresents itself as a viable GPS system. I had high expectations that this would be the perfect unit for me while I ravel the country - but I was mistaken. Next step - a TomTom, Garmin, or a Magellen. I am giving it a second star because it is a nice concept - but fails in its execution.
Bad device, worse service.
Rating: 1 out of 5
Weight: 3.8 out of 10
Created: Dec 25, 2008
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a bad purchase:
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br /I saw the earlier review that it was a hard to use GPS, but I was looking for an MP3 player that would hold a lot of songs and thought of the GPS as a bonus so wasn't that worried about it's perfection as a GPS.
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br /What I found was that the GPS wasn't as non-intuitive as the earlier review. It isn't in the catagory of a Garmin (which I own) or a Tom Tom (which I've used), but it is useable.
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br /However, as an media player it is almost completely unusable. If you have more than a few songs, you are likely to want to organize them in some way on the disk. I do mine by artist, then album in directories. The biggest problem is that you can only play by selecting a song, or selecting a play list (so far OK..) But you can't add directories to play lists which means a LOT of navigating and adding songs one by one. NOT a good thing if you have 3000+ songs on it. But, if you manage to actually get a playlist with a lot of songs on it, selecting the play list takes minutes to load the playlist before it starts to play (mine with 3534 songs takes 5 + minutes from the time I press play til it starts playing.. On batteries, it actually goes to sleep prior to starting, you have to wake it up several times before it finishes processing the list and starts playing. Once playing it doesn't go to sleep.
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br /But once you actually get it to start playing, be sure to lock the buttons. If not, just an accidental touch of the power button shuts it off and you have to start all over again. Of course with the buttons locked, you can't advance songs, change volume, etc.
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br /And always carry a pen or paperclip to reset it when it inevitably locks up (mostly in videos).
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br /Their Website is of little help, I found no upgrades to address these problems. They have a FAQ page, but it is blank. I posted questions to their help and haven't received confirmation of the question or help.
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br /It finally locked up completely. It now starts up and immediately suspends. If you call them on their "Free support line", they tell you to email on the rare occasion they actually answer the phone. If you send them an email, they don't respond. I called, after I sent an email and they acknowledged they had received an email, but wouldn't help me and said to wait for a reply, which.... I had to email yet again before getting a response. After a week and a half of trying to get something, I finally was told to send it in for repair. After 2.5 months, I have yet to hear back from them. I started calling and emailing support requesting a status at least once a week. After another month, I'd sent 6 emails with no replies and made multiple phone calls. The phone calls always went like: "Let me check... Yes we got your emails, what is your phone number, we'll call you back" but I never received a phone call. Finally, on Jun 4th, I got back the device about 100 days. A search of the internet will reveal that neither the problem with the device nor the problem with their support is unique.
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It will get you where your going.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Weight: 3.0 out of 10
Created: Dec 25, 2008
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Ever gotten lost with this GPS unit, and with all the storage, I can listen to my favorite music all day long, and watch videos all night long.
Just don't think about it
Rating: 1 out of 5
Weight: 3.0 out of 10
Created: Dec 9, 2008
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I ordered a refurbished one with confidence that I'll receive a (almost new) device because I order it from "amazon warehouse deals".
br /What I got was a defective one, it was not working. The only thing I see after turning it on is the dream'eo logo and that's it. What makes it worse that I was outside USA when I received it and the cargo company wants to charge me 3 time more than the device itself.
br /I thought maybe I can solve it by contacting the Dream'eo company but that was just waist of time cuz (no one was there) to helpDream`eo Solo 20GB Portable GPS and Media Player
It broke
Rating: 1 out of 5
Weight: 3.0 out of 10
Created: Feb 10, 2008
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I have had this for less than a year and it has broke. This is my 2nd 20 gig mp3 player in 3 years. My advice is they just don't work. Too complicated and too fragile. It is either the hard drive or the battery and they want $65 for fix it. I think i'll take $20 and buy a cheap mp3 player.
