Sat-Nav/GPS Recommendations

[Digital-Nitrate]

It seems that in just the last couple years portable GPS navigational systems have improved dramatically with better performance, current maps, more features and considerably less bulky.

Inspired by the most recent issue of Consumer Reports I decided it was time to finally get a portable GPS navigational system.

CR did an in-depth review of just over 20 portable GPS systems, judging them on several different criteria, including the following:

• Ease of Entering Destinations
• Quality of Route Options
• Time it Takes to Show a Route
• Navigation Information Provided
• Display Quality
• Ergonomics
• Portability
• Mounting Design & Quality

The highest rated models were:

• 79pt $600 Garmin Nuvi 350
• 76pt $600 Magellan RoadMate 3050T
• 76pt $400 Magellan RoadMate 760
• 75pt $850 Garmin StreetPilot 2730
• 73pt $600 TomTom Go 510
• 73pt $450 TomTom One (New Edition)

The lowest rated models were:

• 57pt $300 Audiovox Touch&Go NVX226
• 57pt $400 Magellan RoadMate 360
• 54pt $400 Navman iCN 520
• 54pt $450 Sony nav-u NV-U70
• 53pt $800 Clarion Nice
• 50pt $400 Mio 269
• 38pt $450 Pharos EZ Road PEZ120

The TomTom One earned its "Best Buy" rating:

Highs: Very compact and portable. Programming ease. Real-time traffic reports using a Bluetooth-enabled phone. Can automatically plan route to avoid traffic delays. Safe mode. Toll road warning.

Lows: AC adaptor not included. Sparse coming-turn announcements.

Comments: Can avoid a specified road. Can plot walking routes.

Specs:

• High sensitivity SiRFStarIII GPS Chipset w/Fast Signal Fix
• 32MB RAM
• CPU 266 MHz
• Plug-and-Play Pre-installed SD Card w/Applications & Maps
• Bluetooth 2.0
• 3.5 inch Full TFT Color LCD Touchscreen (320 x 240, 64,000 colors)
• 3D and 2D Graphics
• Anti-glare Screen
• 36 Languages & 55 Different Voices
• Internal Litium-Ion battery (2 hours operation)
• USB Car Charger & USB Cable
• Award Winning Patented Windshield Holder
• 3.8” x 3.2” x 1”, 6.5 oz.

Features:

• TomTom PLUS Services (speed cameras, traffic information, weather data, etc)
• Toll Roads, Pedestrian and Bicycling Routes
• Itinerary Planning w/Multiple Waypoints & Destinations, Desired Arrival Time
• Automatic Route Re-calculation
• Estimated Time of Arrival, Speedometer Tracking, and Compass Mode
• Sign Post Information
• Downloadable POI (Points of Interest)
• Instant Messaging

So I checked out some reviews and it looks really promising:

• NY Times Review
• Gizmodo Review
• Pocket GPS World Review

BTW: Pocket GPS World looks like a really great site for getting information, reviews, and updates on GPS devices.


So does anyone have any of these new GPS nav systems, and what do you like, dislike, and/or recommend? Thanks!

 

[1X83Z]

I will be getting one in August. I really, really like TomTom's products - they look fantastic. And they store music! So I'm there.

However, Garmin is a U.S. company and I might be swayed by that, all else being equal.

 

[Zrow]

We've got a Garmin. This is the first GPS system I've really ever used, and it's incredible. I had to drive to different addresses all around my county the other day and I got to every single one easily without really having much of a clue where I was going.

I can see it being trouble, even - it's so easy to use that I'm never going to remember how to get anywhere new.

 

[1X83Z]

Yeah - my roommate has a (built-in) navigation system in his new Range Rover, and he told me the other day that he's never going to learn Atlanta, since the only thing he does is plug the address into the system and let it do all the work.

 

[A7X]

For my part time job i work in a car shop in the uk called halfords, i'm pretty sure you don't have that over in america (assuming you live in america) but the department i'm on includes satnav and i can tell you the tom tom one is excellent value for money, but personally i prefer the garmin -don't no if you have it in the states- 310d as it comes with speedcameras and traffic for free for the life of the unit, but it is slightly more expensive than the tom tom one. you won't be disappointed with either the tom tom or the garmin, as both are excellent buys.

 

[Digital-Nitrate]

As a follow up to my first post, after several months of researching and trying out various models of portable GPS navigation systems, back in June I pulled the trigger on the TomTom One: (New Edition)

​

Costco had an amazing deal on it. For just $300 they threw in a case, home charging kit, and two free celebrity voices. In addition, TomTom also threw in a promo for another two free "voices".

Of all the voices, the one by John Cleese is by far our favorite (click HERE to listen to a few examples)!

Although we also got the one by Mr. T, and that also really cracks me up! (click HERE for an example)

The other two extra voices we chose were "Mickey" and the bickering couple "Brock & Bambi"... both are also pretty funny.

In addition, it comes with a huge collection of other standard voices for many different languages as well. 👍


However, the voices are just for entertainment purposes. The real value in the GPS is that it's an amazing Navigator! Truly the best interface I have used in any of the many GPS models I tried out the months leading up to my decision.

I've now had the opportunity to really test this puppy dog out these last few months, and I must say I am hooked on it. Even when I know where I'm going I like to use it as it is extremely accurate at determining my estimated arrival time. Gives me information on local area POI's, live traffic conditions, road closures, etc.

What really impresses me is how small and convenient it is, and how it is designed for planning bike rides and hikes as well. The battery life is quite reasonable as well, usually lasting about two hours before having to be charged when not plugged in.

The PC interface is extremely intuitive, making it very easy to use your PC to constantly keep the maps and system up to date, as well as create and then download trip itineraries directly to the TomTom. 👍

Basically, I highly recommend this GPS nav unit! I would not only choose this over other nav units, but also over having built-in nav units in a car. Having the flexibility of being portable can't be over stated. Even the kids (3 & 5) love playing with this thing, and it is more than sturdy enough to take their abuse.

So there you have it. TomTom One gets a perfect score of 10 from me! 👍

 

[Joey D]

I've read Consumer's Report, I've talked to various people who have one, and I've been to numerous stores (although since I have $130 for Best Buy Reward Zone coupons I will be buying it there) but I'm still lost on which sat-nav system to get for my car. I want something with text-to-speech recognition and Bluetooth since I'm guessing they are going to make it so you have to have hands free mobile devices very soon. I also need one that does both the US and Canada since I frequently head up around the Toronto area for work and manage to get quite lost. I really don't want one that is more then $400 since if I take the $130 I have in coupons plus some other discounts it will be pretty manageable.

The Garmin nüvi 750 is $399 right now and I really like it but I want to make sure it is going to be the right one. I really like that it will update me with weather and traffic as well, although there is probably a monthly fee.

 

[Pupik]

I merged this with Digital Nitrate's thread from a year ago (removed "latest" though).

I went cheap-o and chose the Mio 269 for Xmas of '06. Touch-screen, "Clear-type" for easy readability, adjustable mount with suction cup, excellent choice of POI, many different views and custom colors. The drawback is that it doesn't save places by the touch of a button, but it saves the last 50 places you've searched.

12-Volt plug, USB cable charger, car charger included. It's also an MP3 player with an SD card. I haven't tried updating the maps yet.

Street price was $300 then, probably much less now. It came in handy in California and Washington last year, and sometimes I just like to geek-out and look at a map when I've stopped at a light.

 

[Joey D]

Oops I forgot about this thread. After reading reviews and what not around the net I'm think the 750 is the one for me, and it's $499 not $399 like I though. But I found two $30 BB gift cards so I'm looking at:

$499 - 10% coupon - $130 in coupons - $60 BB Gift Cards = $260 which seems reasonable. I don't know what the FM traffic costs per year but if it ends up being something I don't need I just won't pay for it.

 

[Jondot]

I could be wrong here, but I thought the FM transmission traffic info has no monthly fees. With my TomTom, for example, I can either pay a one off £40 for an FM Traffic receiver or pay £29.99 for a year's TomTom Plus subscription that uses my phone as a data connection (thus costing even more money because of data charges). Might well be different for a Garmin, though. And I'm not sure what the difference is (if any) between the 2 options when it comes to speed and quality of information.

 

[Joey D]

Garmin charges for it for whatever reason, but it's not very much. Although the guy at Best Buy didn't know. I'm pretty much sold on the 750 unless something else comes along, I just need to go buy the damn thing.

 

[Joey D]

I went ahead and got the Garmin Nuvi 760 since it was the same price as the 750 and I wanted Bluetooth calling on mine. It works awesome! I hooked it up and got it running in a couple of minutes in the Best Buy parking lot. It's very accurate and the text to speech function is nice so you don't have to be distracted by trying to read the unit while driving. The options are very customisable, I even have a little MINI Cooper that looks just like my car as the avatar on the screen...very cool!