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The TIBO came in a cute 10cm by 15cm tablet display touchscreen. There was also a stick-on device, much like a huge plastic suction disc that held up the frame to the windscreen. The TIBO slides into this frame, ala a handphone-holder. As expected from this PDA-looking device, a stylus was attached to a groove at the side.
A small button switches on the device and I was surprised that it was ready to be used in only a few seconds. The screen had options for me to select and was ready to search for my intended location by Point of Interest; Road name; Building; HDB Estate; Key word and Nearest Facility (petrol station, repair shop, shopping centre and so on). I decided to select Road Name to see how it compares to my conventional street directory.
Driving with the Tibo
At a stationary point at East Coast Road, near Telok Kurau road, I keyed in Shenton Way. It soon displayed my exact current location with a coloured path for me to follow. A business-like female voice guided the way throughout the search. The Tibo even tells you in advance if a turning is to be expected in 100m followed by closer range at 50m. I thought that was so convenient.
As I happened to know the way and usually take the ECP, I was surprised that it directed me in what looks like a shorter route towards Still Road South in the direction of Geylang Serai. I decided not to "obey" the directions and headed in my usual way. The screen refreshed immediately and offered to guide me back to that same road junction that I took before heading of.
A small button switches on the device and I was surprised that it was ready to be used in only a few seconds. The screen had options for me to select and was ready to search for my intended location by Point of Interest; Road name; Building; HDB Estate; Key word and Nearest Facility (petrol station, repair shop, shopping centre and so on). I decided to select Road Name to see how it compares to my conventional street directory.
Driving with the Tibo
At a stationary point at East Coast Road, near Telok Kurau road, I keyed in Shenton Way. It soon displayed my exact current location with a coloured path for me to follow. A business-like female voice guided the way throughout the search. The Tibo even tells you in advance if a turning is to be expected in 100m followed by closer range at 50m. I thought that was so convenient.As I happened to know the way and usually take the ECP, I was surprised that it directed me in what looks like a shorter route towards Still Road South in the direction of Geylang Serai. I decided not to "obey" the directions and headed in my usual way. The screen refreshed immediately and offered to guide me back to that same road junction that I took before heading of.
I persisted to go onto the ECP, and so in another refresh of its screen, it created another path to Shenton Way on the ECP. Hmm... at least the TIBO knew who was in charge here. I went along and it led me to Shenton Way.
As I travelled further in town, I realised the device hung at Raffles Place near The SGX Building. It could be due to the tall buildings but once I moved further, it refreshed again and continued operating again. I then chose Parkway Parade to test its ability. Again it did not show the way via the ECP. But as I persisted to go on the ECP, it refreshed and guided me once I was at the road leading to the ECP. From there, the new path guided me to Parkway Parade -quite smart and interactive. There were no pages to flip, and the screen refreshes continuously to show the current location.
As I used the device, I realised that I did not have to key in the full name of the location, just the first few letters or first word and a list will appear with choices for selection. Bukit Batok West Avenue 6 can be selected by merely keying in 'Bukit' and the whole list of names beginning with Bukit appears and you just have to scroll for your choice.
As I travelled further in town, I realised the device hung at Raffles Place near The SGX Building. It could be due to the tall buildings but once I moved further, it refreshed again and continued operating again. I then chose Parkway Parade to test its ability. Again it did not show the way via the ECP. But as I persisted to go on the ECP, it refreshed and guided me once I was at the road leading to the ECP. From there, the new path guided me to Parkway Parade -quite smart and interactive. There were no pages to flip, and the screen refreshes continuously to show the current location.
As I used the device, I realised that I did not have to key in the full name of the location, just the first few letters or first word and a list will appear with choices for selection. Bukit Batok West Avenue 6 can be selected by merely keying in 'Bukit' and the whole list of names beginning with Bukit appears and you just have to scroll for your choice.
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The Men Love it
According to the agent, TIBO buyers are mostly men. That kind of surprised me but then again it has a techie attraction appeal which men love and since "men seldom ask for directions" they perhaps need devices like the TIBO to get around. Perhaps if it came in a choice of colours, it can swing the ratio towards the female market.To help increase awareness of the product, TIBO clubs are also in the pipeline to get interest groups to go explore places, much like how car rallies operate.
More About the Tibo
For the stats and specs conscious, TIBO is made in Korea and comes with a one year warranty. Fully plug and play & powered by the cigarette lighter. It uses information derived from 12 satellites that it tracks and processes the information from the nine strongest signals. A six-minute video manual serves as a good introduction to its functions and uses (like any normal person, I did not view this first). It is multi-functional and serves as a MP3 player, movie player and digital pix storage. It is used by AVIS car rentals in Singapore. TIBO currently retails for S$1199.