I've now played 30+ rounds with the uPro. Its got some good points and some bad, I suppose this is like any new device, especially one that is from a brand new company.
The Good
- Distances are right on.
- Basic mode gives you a quick, easy to read view of distance to the green and distance to reach and carry hazards.
- Mark feature allows you to measure the length of your shots. Sometimes gives erroneous readings. However, this only happened when I kept the uPro in my pocket, so maybe buttons were being pressed by accident.
- Aerial view of the hole is awesome. Like looking at a yardage book, with continuously updating distances. There is a small red diamond that marks your position on the hole and moves with you. I almost ran into a 150 yard pole because I was so fascinated with watching the little diamond track my position on the satellite view! Hazards like bunkers are marked front and back and also update continuously.
- Measure Mode lets you get a measurement to any point on the hole. I have used it to find the distance back into the fairway, but you really need a tree or something on the satellite image to reference. I have also used it to find distances not mapped by the company, like a layup distance to the front of a creek.
- Trans-reflective screen is easy to see in Basic View even in bright sunlight. However, in Pro Mode, it can be difficult to see. You need to experiment with the viewing angle to get it right. I've found that in bright sunlight, you can see the screen best if you are angling it just off where the sun would be reflecting into your eyes. Or shade the screen with your hand.
- No subscriptions! You pay only for the courses you want. Courses cost the same no matter where in the country (and eventually the world) they are located. You never have to buy a course twice, even if you upgrade the device or have to replace the unit (lost, stolen, broken). Courses are expensive if you buy them one at a time. One course costs $10 (3 credits), but if you buy 150 credits ($120), that comes to only $2.40 per Pro course. I bought 150 credits, and I probably won't ever have to buy credits again (at least not for a very long time).The Bad
- One course had strangely mapped points on a couple holes. Some don't make sense (you can tell they haven't played the course!) However, I sent an email to support and they corrected the problem in a couple weeks.
- Sync is VERY slow. I timed it, and to sync and download 1 course took over 10 minutes. Be patient.
- When syncing, the status box shows up in front of all other windows (on Windows XP) and cannot be moved to the back. So your computer is effectively stuck doing one thing for 10 minutes.
- No subscriptions. I put this item in both The Good and The Bad because it depends on your point of view. If you play a whole lot of courses (more than 50), then it could get quite expensive. But I play only about 15 courses on a regular basis, plus about 3 or so each year on a vacation trip.
- Distances do not automatically update if you are using the measure function in Pro Mode. You have to either exit measure mode, or switch back to basic mode to get an update distance.
- Not all courses are mapped yet. In Denver, about 70% of the courses are mapped. But of the 15-20 I play regularly, about 95% are mapped. Many of those that are not mapped yet are scheduled to be mapped in 2008. There is a schedule on uPro's website (www.uprogps.com). And if you choose an unmapped course as your home course, they will have it mapped in 4 business days, guaranteed. I would recommend checking all the courses you play before buying this device.The Ugly
- The software needs a little work--freezes up from time to time. During the first two rounds, it froze up once in each round. While annoying, all you have to do is hold the power button down for 8 seconds to force a power-off, then turn it back on. Of course, the re-boot process and getting back to your current hole takes a couple minutes. Their customer service department claims a firmware update will be available "in the next few weeks". I turned off the "automatic hole advance", and this seemed to fix the problem. The last 25+ rounds were freeze-up free after changing this setting. The automatic hole advance is unnecessary in my opinion. From the "Green View", you can simply press the up button to advance to the next hole, or press the down button to go to the previous hole.Suggestions
- Create a graphical overlay for the aerial views, or figure out a way to make them higher contrast. The Pro Mode can be somewhat difficult to see in bright sunlight.
- Faster downloading/sync
- Find and fix the bugs in the software that cause the freeze-ups
- If the upcoming software can mark every ball location, its only a matter of time before it will keep your score, shot-by-shot. On the uPro website they state that additional software to keep score will be available by late summer 2008. Of course, if it freezes up and you lose data then such a feature is worthless.The Bottom Line
This is a very new company and a very new product. Like most new products, they have a few bugs to work out. I'm going to stick with them and hopefully they will be committed to fixing the problems. If a year goes by and the same problems exist, I might regret this purchase. But right now I'm pretty darn happy with it!
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uPro Golf GPS by Callaway GolfProduct Description: Looking to improve your course management skills? Turn to the uPro golf GPS system, which employs state-of-the-art GPS, aerial, and satellite technology to accurately render the details of thousands of golf courses. The uPro starts by providing the avid golfer with aerial and satellite photographs of the golf course, so you can see what the hole looks like before you play it. At the same time, the unit's built-in GPS system clearly locates the golf course hazards and flagstick, so you know what you're up against at any moment. With each glance at the 2.2-inch, high-resolution color screen, you can see a different view of the fairway, check out the upcoming sand traps and water hazards, or receive a distance marker that helps you select the correct club length. Even more impressive, the uPro's SmartView technology anticipates the hazards that you'll face on your next shot, so you can plan accordingly based on the strengths of your game. Don't want to carry water on your second shot? The SmartView technology's dynamically generated "viewports" will tell you which area of the fairway or rough will provide a water-free path.
The uPro offers aerial and satellite photographs of thousands of golf courses. The easy-to-comprehend user-interface is crisp and intuitive. The uPro is remarkably easy to carry, with a sleek and unobtrusive design that fits in a pocket or belt holder without interfering with your natural golf swing. In addition, the unit has the quickest startup time of any golf GPS system, with a super-fast GPS locking system. And thanks to the high GPS sensitivity, the uPro remains locked even under the most extreme conditions.
The uPro offers two basic modes for golf course downloads. In Basic mode, the uPro shows the distance to the front and back of all hazards and differentiates the type of hazards. Each hazard is automatically displayed in sequential order based on the current user position, and then is updated as the user moves throughout the hole. Basic mode also provides a green view, with large, easy-to-read numbers that depict the distance to the front, center, and back of the green. In Pro mode, meanwhile, the device offers a video flyover that lets the user see the layout of the hole from an aerial perspective. From the center of the green, users can see the 100-, 150-, and 200-yard markers. The Pro mode also offers scale-accurate measurements that are used to measure to and from any point on the golf course, even from the outskirts of the rough.
The uPro is compatible with Windows XP, Vista, and Mac OS X v10.4 or later (Windows 2000 is the oldest version of Windows that is compatible with the uPro). However, note that the uPro does not require any additional software to connect with the uPro servers. Instead, users can easily download golf courses at uPro's web site. Once you're online, the web site gives the user a list of all golf courses in the U.S.--in your choice of Basic or Pro mode--on a click-and-buy basis. The unit's GPS technology also automatically determines which courses are nearby. And as an add-on software download, the device can accept voice commands to make menu navigation virtually hands-free.
The uPro comes with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, a wall adapter, a USB cable, and a single free Pro mode download of any golf course. The device comes with a six-month warranty.
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I can't decide which ball I like more. The Pro V is better for your long game and short game. But the Tour i(s) is amazing off the putter. Can't go wrong with either ball. Tour i(s) is cheaper by a few bucks.
