Origin are the second company to come up with a GPS warning system built into a stylish but slightly bulky case. The main difference being a screen to give you more information, voice alert and some very clever features.

In the kit you get the main blue i unit, dash mounting bracket, heavy duty velcro style mounts both for the dash mount bracket or for use directly on to the unit should you wish not to use the dash mounting bracket, 5m remote antenna, power cable, modem and a very informative instruction book that explains all about the blue i so well even a technophobe will have no problems understanding it.

You start by reading the guide, its well worth it as it explains some of the little quirks the unit has, such as, if you pass a Gatso and do a U-turn before 2000m has passed between you and the Gatso the blue i will not tell you about the Gatso on your return trip.

Then decide where you want to fit the blue i, take your time on this one make sure you can see the screen where ever you place the blue i. The blue i has an advantage on the fitting , it comes with a 5m antenna cable so you can place the blue i almost anywhere in your car, allowing it to be fitted in a discrete place. i.e.. Centre console is a good place. Once you have done that decide if you need to use the dash mount bracket or just the heavy duty velcro style mounts, use the dash cleaning pad to clean the area first and then place the heavy duty velcro style mounts in the area wanted, (don't put too much strain on the heavy duty velcro style mounts for the first 12 hours, longer if the car is cold).

The antenna is best fitted on the rear parcel shelf, the thin cable to the antenna is very easy to hide under trim, get the antenna in a place where it can see as much of the sky as possible as this helps to get a strong signal and thus a better accuracy.

The blue i power lead feeds directly off the cigarette lighter socket. Once this is all done you are ready to go. Power the blue i up then let it lock on to the satellite's. Locking on to the satellite's can take up to 15 - 20 minutes the first time round, in most cases its just a few minutes.

Above: blue i soft touch illuminated buttons

The settings are very easy to work with, almost too easy for such a clever unit. Five soft touch illuminated buttons are all that is needed, from powering up the blue i to logging new traps. All but the power button are multifunctional, the back lit illumination is easy to see at night and the buttons are quite positive to use.

Above. Main Screen, Showing speed and satellite status

Above. Options screen.

Personal settings are easy to use, pressing MUTE/OPTIONS takes you to a new screen. In the options screen you get to adjust the following settings:

Option	Menu Options. What they offer you.
Proximity Options	Range - 200m to 2000m warning range. This is the distance in metres before you start to get a warning from the unit. 600m works well for me. Direction - Special Feature - yes/no - When on yes, the unit does not give you a warning of a speedtrap if its not in your direction. All you get is the symbol X to confirm the speedtrap is there. It does however warn you if the speedtrap is reversible, i.e.. on the central reservation and has the ability to face either way. It displays REV after the road number if its a reversible camera. The Direction feature cuts the noise down in your car and this feature works very well. I would however like it to beep once to get your attention. A Gatso will still trigger if you speed towards it, and after all, it is still an accident blackspot. Use this feature. Limitator - Special Feature - yes/no - Turning this option on stops the unit from warning you if you are below the posted speed limit where a speedtrap is located. All you get is the X symbol. If you speed up above the limit then you get the normal alert, lights and sound. Again I would like it to at least beep once when the X symbol appears to get your attention and give you some warning. Great for around town in the rush hour. Works a treat when crawling round the North Circular in London
Sound Options	Voice Alert - Voice sound only when in the range of a speedtrap. Beep Alert - Beep alert only when in the range of a speedtrap. Combined - Both voice and beep when in the range of a speedtrap. Best setting.
Back light Options	Brightness - Low, medium and high, this controls the green illumination of the LCD. On Always - Green illumination of the LCD stays on all the time. Only on Alert - Green illumination of the LCD only comes on when in range of a speedtrap.
Calibration Options	MPH/KPH - Gives you the option of your speed in MPH of KPH.

The MUTE/OPTIONS button also mutes the sound when in a speedtrap zone and then reverts back to normal after you clear the zone.

Above: blue i in Motorway Mode.
X showing it is ignoring a speedtrap on a side road near by.

The M/WAY - Cancel - Store button. This allows you to save your user option settings. Set the Motorway Mode, this is another good Special Feature to use. It will make the unit ignore any speedtraps that are on roads next to the Motorway, you know when its is ignoring a speedtrap as the display will show an X after the MWAY. The M4 near Reading is a good example, without this feature on you will get alerts from the roads next to the Motorway. With it on it stays silent ignoring any speedtrap on side roads near within your setting range. Should your speed fall below 25mph the unit will inform you. This acts as a reminder, so you know when to turn this feature off so as to get the warnings of the speedtraps when you are back on the normal roads. Its worth using this feature.
The Cancel button if pressed during an alert will cancel the audio and visual alerts for that particular speedtrap, after that speedtrap has been passed the unit will revert back to the usual visual and audio alerts for the next speedtrap.

The NEW/TOGGLE button, allows you to log a new speedtrap. Press and hold the NEW button, about 1 second, and it will say Location Stored. I do feel it needs a longer delay before it accepts the location maybe 2 seconds to prevent accidental storage of non speedtrap locations.
Origin then get the new location when you next do an upload to their server, they then send out one of their verifying engineers to note more information about the site and only then will the site join the main database. The blue i will not inform you of the new location you have added until Origin have verified and added it to the main database. The blue i can store up to 1000 new locations, when you do an upload these new locations are erased from your blue i.

You need to do regular updates to the server, even if you have not found a new speedtrap, as other people may have found new speedtraps and they would have been added to the main database. This way your unit is always up to date on the latest locations of speedtraps. Try to do this at least once a week, more if you are a heavy mileage driver or going into a unfamiliar area. Origin say it will take only a few days for new speedtraps to be added to the main database.

There are other options in the unit, but is best to read the manual first, especially read the section about the SPECS cameras you need to understand how the unit deals with SPECS.

The display when fitted in the right place is quite easy to read. It gives information on your direction, North, South etc., Actual Speed and amount of Satellite's locked on to.

When in the speedtrap zone you get your Actual Speed, Road number, Posted Speed Limit, Direction of the Speedtrap, Distance to Speedtrap and the Type of Trap.

Above: Warning screen. Speed, Speed limit, Road Number,
Type of Speedtrap, Direction, Distance

The audio warnings are good, I feel the voice alert is a little quiet, its harder to hear with the radio up, the beeps stand out very well with the radio up. I would suggest you use 600 - 650 m as your standard setting, the sound clip is to give you an idea of what the blue i sounds like only.

Above: The modem, blue i and the updating process

The updating of the unit is very easy, plug the power supply in to the blue i and also the modem, one power supply does both units, connect the phone socket , power up the modem and then press the VOLUME/UPDATE button and then unit connects to the server and gets the latest database and downloads any new traps you may have found. My download took about 4 minutes. You get a constant status of the download from the LCD display.

Software updates are done in the same fashion, so if Origin add new features to the blue i you can download them in the same manner as if you are doing a database update.

On the road.........

Over all the unit works well, simple and precise and easy to use whilst on the move.

I have found several speedtrap locations that are not on the database in the first week. So there is a chance to get some of your money back if you get a blue i now just after the launch (Dec 2001). I have to say however the ones I found were is very obscure places and none of the other GPS based systems had found them either. Overall their database is very up to date, but then they do have dedicated engineers looking after the database.

Its important to know that the blue i is the only stand alone GPS system that logs all known fixed speedtraps. Gatso, SPECS, TruVelo, and Speedmaster, the latter one other companies do not yet log them in their database. Speedmaster is used quite a bit as its very easy for the police to set up.(See Speedmaster) So the blue i has a major advantage over other GPS systems.. Speedmaster sites are very hard to spot and often supported by unmarked cars.

I used the blue i for a week before I did the review and after using it for this time and covering 1000 miles I have found it to be a very good unit, it makes a noise only when you need to know about a speedtrap. When it does alarm, the display gives very useful information. Giving the Road number and the Speed Limit for the road you are on is superb, until you have a unit with this feature you don't realise just how handy it is, no looking round for speed limit signs.

The arrow pointing in the direction of the speedtrap is very helpful to identify where the speedtrap is. The countdown in 50 m increments allows you to judge your slow down rate and I find the naming of the type speedtrap very useful. The DIRECTION feature is top quality, no mad beeps and lights for a speedtrap that does not matter to you.

The database is very up to date

If you use all the clever features of this unit, stick to the speed limit you will be surprised just how quiet the blue i can be, but if you drift over the speed limit in a speedtrap zone it gives you all the warning you will ever need in plenty of time as well.

Its a super unit and its worth every penny.

Can we recommend it, Yes.

If you want to be informed about speedtraps well in advance
without all the false alarms you get from more traditional devices
then this is 'the' gadget to have in your car.

The unique special features the blue i ..... are simply brilliant.

It's a class leader in the advanced warning of safety camera systems.
"Speedtraps to you and me."

What do we like.	What don't we like.
It's performance Long remote antenna, 5m is just what you need for most cars Zero false alarms Clear easy to read display Loud Clear beeps Build Quality and Feel The special features, Direction, Limitator and Motorway Concise Instructions Mounting bracket Software upgrade facility via the modem Modem updating for new Speedtraps £50 reward for finding a new speedtrap Customer Support	Lack of soft case, its £400 cost merits a soft case to look after that screen Voice is a little quiet, especially in a noisy car No beep or warning when the X symbol comes up, it does need this and Origin say they will look into that on the next software upgrade No camera removed button

Review Jan 2002