 A few bugs, but overall an excellent experience |
| Review Date: September 28, 2008 |
| Reviewer: mruseless, Highlands Ranch, CO USA |
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! |
Still the winner and even better!
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| Review Date: August 19, 2008 |
| Reviewer: H Moots, Orange County, Ca |
Since I wrote this in August, uPro has contiued to perform wonderfully. The company just upgraded the software for even more stable performance, and I saw this review if you have any questions about mine: http://thehackersparadise.com/home/?p=505#more-505
I had been in the market for my first GPS rangefinder, and have read tons of reviews for the uPro, SkyCaddie, and SonoCaddie and Garmin. The uPro clearly seemed to have the best features; however I was a little concerned about some of the reviews so I went to the uPro web site and then called them. After some discussion with one of their very helpful customer service representatives, I went with the uPro and wanted to share my experience.
INSTALLATION
I received my uPro, and went to register with their website. I have a Dell laptop running the hated Vista but had absolutely no problem. Course download was a bit slow but still was only about 10 minutes.
On course availability - I live in Orange County, California. Within 5 miles there are 8 courses available, and within 10 miles there are at least 22. For other less golf-intense areas, the company says they are mapping over 1000 courses a month. I found a course which was not already mapped and called that my home course. I thought they had missed the 4-day guarantee, but then they explained that the 1st day of the guarantee starts the day AFTER you make the request. This seems more like a 4.5 day guarantee, but in either case, got the course and have played it a couple times since with great results.
* I also like the onetime fee for purchasing courses. I know that some of the units come with all the courses included, but after seeing the flyovers and the actual satellite images on the uPro, I can't imagine ever going back. They are awesome.
The unit comes with an ONLINE manual. My Dell laptop does the same thing - maybe I'm used to it, but this did not represent a problem for me.
USABILITY
* The uPro itself really is small enough to fit easily in a pocket. It is about the size of my LG Chocolate phone, which I have no problem just slipping it into my pants pocket. The display is easy to see in direct sunlight, and gets even better if you shade it or get the reflection at the right angle
* Responsiveness during play is also excellent - from the time that I take it out of my pocket, I can use the measure mode to do a layup measurement in just a couple of seconds. I have never been so confident about where I'm hitting my ball and what club I'm using as I do when I use my uPro
It is simply no contest. SkyCaddie, Garmin, and Sonocaddie - Pack your bags!
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Best of current generation of golf GPS
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| Review Date: November 7, 2008 |
| Reviewer: A. Tse, |
I only play a moderate amount of golf and living in New England definitely reduces the local golf season to around six months. So it took me a while before I comitted to buying a GPS or rangefinder. The important things to me were 1) size, 2) ease of use, 3) accuracy and 4) overall lowest cost (aka, best value). At first I leaned towards the rangefinders but they are really bulky and a real pain for me to use especially when there is no line of sight. A GPS was my next option but I was very wary of annual "membership" fees. Also GPS technology keeps improving and I didn't want to buy the latest thing only to find out in three months that something much better had come out.
The uPro GPS addressed all my issues. First of all, it is hands-down the most advanced unit out there by at least a generation if not two. The size is the smallest out there and slips easily into a pocket. The GPS chip is from uBlox (not affiliated with uPro or uPlay) using their well acclaimed uBlox 5 chip which reportedly acquires a signal in one second from a cold start! The cost of the unit is on the high end but all the "Basic" course mode information is free (just download from the website) which is better already than most competitors. The "Pro" mode costs extra but can be as little as $2.50 when bought as a bundle credit. This is where the unit shines as it utilizes the satellite/aerial photo for many of its competitive advantages: video flyovers, measuring from any point on the course, constantly updated distances to the current flag position, etc. Amazing.
The user interface is OK. It took me a little time to figure out the buttons while at home but I've now become use to them. I've also heard about lock-ups but never experienced one of my own. uPro's customer service phone number is very helpful and friendly but they apparently do not respond well to e-mail (they never responded to an e-mail question of mine...at all).
The uPro is a very well designed device backed by a company that continues to improve on the software with regular updates that also add features beyond what were available at purchase. The software could use some improvement but it is not at all bad, just not as intuitive as I would like. Overall, I am extremely pleased by this golf GPS and would recommend it to anyone. I think I can safely skip the next couple generational improvements! |
Love this device!
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| Review Date: January 20, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Krista, Sarasota, FL United States |
I just love my upro!
The screen could be bigger, but I love how small the device is, so it is a trade off.
The distances seem as accurate as my friends sky caddie. I can guess based on pin position and measuring on the device to within a couple of yards from his laser measurements as well.
Three things I had to do to make the device work great:
1.) Use the device's calibration. Make sure you do this, it's easy and increased my accuracy.
2.) Go into the settings menu and turn off power saver. If the power saver kicks in the device has to re-establish sattelite every time it comes back on which slows you down.
3.) Decrease the backlight to 10%. I was only getting 3 and a half hours with the power saver off. I emailed customer service. They called me within 3 hours of my email and told me to cut down the backlight. Now I can get two full rounds out of the device without turning it off.
Not much more to say than, this device makes playing a new course much more fun because you are never surprised with water or a hazard behind a dogleg.
Love this device. |
Customer Service A+
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| Review Date: December 20, 2008 |
| Reviewer: J. Beni, Tacoma, WA |
I have been reading reviews and doing my research on the uPro vs. Sonocaddie. The one feature that the Sonocaddie has that I wish the uPro has is being waterproof. I was wondering if uPro was currently making a waterproof model, so I e-mailed uPro customer service at 8:30pm Pacific time hoping to get a reply in a week or so. I checked my e-mail later that night and they replied back within 20 min. I was extremely impressed with the quick e-mail. For anyone interested about whether uPro is coming out with a waterproof version here is their response:
Thank you for your inquiry.
uPlay does not have any plans to make a "waterproof" version.
With the exception of immersion, the device should be fine if you get caught in a sudden rain storm or sprinkler.
Simply wipe off the device with a soft cloth.
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Upro gps
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| Review Date: November 4, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Lorelyn M. Pelatt, Billings, MT |
| I have been using Upro for about 3 months. what a great product!! installation was very easy and the online manual quite helpful. i had the skycaddie for a year and i would never go back. the neatest feature is the ability to get a yardage number to any point and then onto the green. makes punching out of the woods very easy. you get the yardage to the middle of the fairway and also to the pin. lets you plan what club to use. maybe i spend too much time in the woods, but this is super helpful. can't really find anything to complain about. this is one of those rare items that actually performs as advertised. |
Lightweight and small GPS with a great feature
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| Review Date: March 18, 2009 |
| Reviewer: uprogolfer, |
The upro is a great device that has a lot of positives when using it on the golf course and some negatives when at home.
Pros:
Great gps, with the calibration the device is super accurate
The flyovers are great when playing a course for the first time, or if you haven't played a course in a while.
The overhead views are great and the any point technology is better than a laser rangefinder. You get the exact distance to carry a trap or water, and you can know this no matter what the terrain looks like. With a laser rangefinder it is impossible to know exactly if you have an uphill shot and can't see the surface of the green.
The basic mode courses are all free, which gives you the same information you would find in other gps that charge a fee. The pro mode is priceless and with the course bundle packages you can get courses for just about 2 dollars a course!
Best customer service anywhere for anything, they treat you like you should be treated as a customer, no matter what you buy or how much you pay for something. The best reason for buying this is not the free courses, its the customer service that is impecable.
Misses
The syncing to the computer is really poor, the device does not sync every time you hook it up. There are errors the first three times I connect to my computer. I hope this gets taken care of in a soon to be released software update. This I am sure will be fixed soon, as there customer service is the best I have ever dealt with period. They respond about 10 minutes after I submit a request through the website by calling you on the phone, and you get to speak with someone not just an email response. |
Very Satisfied....Great Product
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| Review Date: May 7, 2009 |
| Reviewer: J. Cramb, Livonia, MI |
So I did my homework like everyone does when buying something we know very little about....what a great decision to buy this Callaway uPro!
The device is about the same size as my Palm Centro but half the weight...not bulky or heavy at all in the pocket...you definitely need a screen protector as I already have some small scraps and I tried to baby it over this past weekend playing five rounds...bought Zaggs Invisi-shield for it and it looks great and well protected now.
This is extremely easy to use...very simple controls and after one round you will have mastered all the functions and abilities. I played courses with both Pro Mode and Basic Mode....Pro Mode is very nice but you can function just fine in Basic Mode. I definitely prefer to have ProMode if at all possible, especially on courses you have never played before.
The most important thing I learned so far is....you absolutely have to use the the screen saver (Sleep Mode)...to play two full rounds...I had absolutely no problems linking back up with the satellites (2-3 second delay)...with Sleep Mode on I played two rounds (36 holes) and still had half a battery left compared to only 21 holes without Sleep Mode on. I kept the backlight on 10% for both scenarios...but I think I can bring the backlight up higher with the Sleep Mode on and enjoy all the beautiful colors on the screen more.
My friend uses one of the Bushnell Pin Seeker range finders and he was definitely enjoying all the information I get to bunkers and water, ect. He wants one...just doesn't want to spend anymore money this year on golf!
First hole played with it I put my shot within 6 feet on approach and just missed the birdie. Played sub-handicap most rounds with it...very good since these were courses I rarely play and have little knowledge for layups, ect. I'm keeping this baby for a long time...
Augusta National is loaded on my GPS...will I play there?....who knows! Still love looking at the aerial fly-bys though!
Battery charging does take around 3 hours....there is no decent looking skin for the uPro and I definitely will need something or its going to get pretty scraped up.
Takes some time getting used to downloading courses to the GPS....not extremely difficult, just need to get used to navigating the screens. I loaded 10 courses on a slow connection and it took around 40 minutes...wish I could just download courses from the GPS without using my computer....maybe that will be an upgrade later. Single course downloads take around 5-10 minutes.
Anyways....work flawlessly...matched my friends range finder almost every time...I'm extremely happy and do not regret this purchase in the least.
I did pay the $120 for the 50 Pro Mode downloads...kind of expensive...but I probably won't pay anymore money for a long time.
Give it a try...you are gonna love it!
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