Hema HX1 Users - the trainwreck continues..

Your statement “ You must remember that they are and continue to be Australia’s only active in field checking company and without their efforts, there are no accurate road updates.” is incorrect, untrue.

Hi Stephen,

I too do my best to support Australian companies but in this case I believe Hema have failed their customers. You mention that the HX-1 has been out since 2018 but keep in mind it was still for sale when the HX-2 was released.
How would you feel if you have paid out $700 for what you believe is a quality product from a reputable company only to have the support dropped and functionality removed within a couple of years? To be honest I believe that a quality GPS unit should have a lifetime of at least 4-5 years and anyone who bought a HX-1 since 2020 has been hard done by.
The big issue I see now for Hema is that they can't be trusted to support their products.

Regards,
Brad

Brad

First of all the HX1 was never been $700 and when the HX2 was released, you could get a HX1 for around $400, so if you paid $700 you never did any research.

Then you say that they should have a lifetime of at least 4-5 years…..do you own one?

The HX1 will still work, it’s only the cloud based support that will no longer work.

Michelle and David

Who else then does do Australia wide field checking and updates?

I know when you head off that you do check conditions, but this only relates to the area that you have travelled and not other parts of Australia.

As you will agree field checking is the only way to get correct updated.

Hi Stephen,

You're right, the HX-1 was never $700, the RRP for the unit was $699. I have many emails from Hema promoting this fact over the years.

Yes, I do own a HX-1. Regarding the 4-5 years, I base this on another portable computing device such as a mobile phone. While some phones and GPS units will last a lot longer than this, you would expect to get at least 4-5 years. I would also then expect the manufacturer to provide support and updates for this period.

Regarding the HX-1 will continue to work I disagree. While the device may turn on and work with the maps I have downloaded, I will not get the same functionality.

I use the HX-1 for 4wd tracks (my car GPS can do everything else) and before I go on a trip I download to the HX-1 the higher resolution Explore maps for the areas I will cover. This functionality will be gone. Hema's response is to download the maps I need before the cloud is shutdown, which is difficult if you don't know the trips you intend to take before the HX-1 stops working...

You also point out that to Michelle and David that field checking is the only way to get correct updates. I agree and this was a major buying point for me when I purchased the HX-1. But, as Hema have stated that there will be no further map updates for the HX-1. So this important and unique functionality will be gone.

While I doubt we will agree on this, I believe Hema have let their customers down and have shown they can't be trusted to support their devices.

This "comparison" of versons map options is full of outdated or untrue statements.

https://www.exploroz.com/navigation/outback-gps-maps.aspx

For instance, the comments on Memory Map for All are just inaccurate and largely specuation from someone who clearly hasnt used it. This misrepresentation can have a significant impact and should be corrected.

For example
"no access to good Australian maps such as EOTopo "is not true

"The company recently launched a new app called Memory Maps for All, but there has been very slow sales and uptake." At half of MM's sales ( over 10,000 ) , how would you describe EOTopo's sales ( 5,000) ?

"Those who have tried it comment that the flaws are that it is too complicated to use. " On the contrary, people who use it rave about the user interface. It's simple and intuitive, more simple than competitors.

"You may hear recommendations to buy Hema maps to use in the Memory Map for All app but think about it - this means going back to support a company that has let down their customers and is patching one problem with another" that is completely untrue. In 15 years, I have never experienced the loss of tracks or crashes. A far cry from other mapping apps. That is a doozie.

I have no skin in the game for MMFA or EO Topo or Hema. I personally find MM much more reliable and easy to use with accurate maps. Reviews of other mapping systems look similarly biased. Though I have experienced many issues with Hema, to be fair.

My issue is that this article pretends to be independent when it's anything but. The whole page should be more truthful and rewritten independently or removed.

You can have my Hema-1 piece of junk that had the battery fail.
Herma is not a company I'd spend a cent with anytime soon.

EOT will work on the iPad Mini won't it? Unlike Android world which is a pain wrt tablets, as there are no 7" or 8" tablets with enough grunt to run EOT. While the 10"+ tablet takes up and excess of dash real estate, I have found that when coupled with the mobile versions of Lightroom and Photoshop, it makes a good mobile photo editor. So all-in-all not so bad, as I previously carried a dedicated cheap 8" tablet and my expensive Ultrabook computer. Probably not enough for your long adventures though.