Posted on 07/31/2009 7:13:49 AM PDT by Alberta's Child
Sorry for the vanity, folks . . . but I'm looking for some advice from knowledgeable Freepers about an on-board GPS unit for my vehicle. I've checked out various models and have come across a few that look worthwhile, but there are a couple of minor things I haven't found in them and I'm wondering if these features are even available.
I just have a couple of questions for anyone who has knowledge and experience with these:
1. Any preferences for a certain brand (Garmin, Magellen, etc.)?
2. Anything I should be looking for in terms of well-known flaws in specific brands or models?
3. How much does it cost to update the mapping data in these things, and how frequently is this typically done? How easy is it to do this?
4. One important consideration for me is that the unit should be a "two-way" interface if this is something that can be found among the popular brands. In other words, I'm looking for a unit that will track my routes internally and allow me to download the GPS data via a USB port or something similar to the process for downloading digital photos.
Cost is obviously going to be a consideration for me, but depending on features and options (especially with regard to #4 above) I have a lot of flexibility with this, since this is a business expense for me and my company will pay a substantial part of the cost.
Two good ones are the Garmin Nuvi, and the Tom Tom XL. GO to Geeks.com, they have both units with 4.3” screens for less than $100.
His point was don't bother buying a built-in unit. They are expensive and difficult if not impossible to upgrade (maps, software, etc.) and even if possible it would be expensive. He used the analogy of a built-in telephone from yesteryear: quaint but pointless.
There are a whole variety of portables on the market. My wife has a Nuvi. Intuitive, straightforward and accurate.
Thanks, I’ll check them out. I need the two-way interface for these, and I’m finding that these less expensive models typically don’t have this feature.
if you have at&t, any of their higher end phones and $10/month for at&t nav gives you their nav system right thru your phone.
turn by turn, alt route, voice directions, traffic conditions, etc.
My Garmin was stolen when from my car whenit was parked. I was quite satisfied with it. But I got a Garmin nuvi which was better. I paid 99 dollars for it because it was refurbished and saved. I bought it at Microcenter if you have that store near you I would shop there and get a refurbished one.
Have a portable unit is a real plus, esp. if you travel and have to use rental cars...just throw it in your travel bag and plug it into the rental’s cigarette lighter. (you may need to get an adaptor for that, but it’s well worth the small extra cost).
My wife talked me into buying a Nuvi, and it’s turned out to be a great help, esp. when I’m trying to find a new client’s location in an unfamiliar town — it’s surprising how much stress that little box has eliminated...
Oddly enough, I don't really need it for directions so much as I need it for travel time estimates and travel time and route data review after a trip is completed.
I do this now by running my laptop computer with a GPS receiver that simply writes my speed and location to a text file every second as I travel. This has gotten to be a pain in the rear, and more importantly I'm running out of power ports in my truck. I need one for my computer and one for running the GPS unit, and if I have my roof light hooked up I don't have a spare port for charging my cell phone. LOL.
I assume you mean an automobile. I deal with aircraft and system certifications for airplanes, which is quite a bit different than ground-level GPS.
Lurking for the same advice...
I'm looking for a standard "terrestrial" GPS unit for a car/truck.
Right. LOL.
Seems like I saw some very good deals on “recertified” units over at New Egg yesterday. But if you must have a new one I tend to the Garmin units although the Tom Tom models come highly recommended. I purchased a Nuvi 255W (4.3”) last year and it works quite well. Pretty neat as it gives voice instructions of where to turn and “recalibrates” if you make a wrong turn. If you don’t know where to go or don’t like to read maps they are well worth having. Can save a lot of grief. Amazon is another good source as it will have free shipping and no taxes. Also Office Depot has a couple of good deals right now and they are probably right down the street from where you live. I doubt if you will get a bad one, regardless.
bump for good advice
My brother has a Nuvi, and you just suction-cup it to your windshield and plug it into the appropriate place on the dash... it’s pretty simple, was relatively inexpensive, and works well.
garmin nuvi for the truck, easily updated. fm transmitter so you can tune to station and here it talk to you much better on truck stereo system. For 4 wheeler and snowmobile I use Lowrance h20 and mapping chip from navionics. Comes with mapcreate software that lets you define your area of interest and only those places you might be interested in knowing about, hopitals, restaurants, gas,etc
I have a Garmin Nuvi 255W and like it, but the lower end Nuvis do not provide a way to create routes on your pc and upload them to the GPS.
Looks like you need more than a low end Nuvi. You probably need to look at units up in the 650 or higher model range to get the features you need. Do not assume that any GPS with a USB port will seamlessly swap data with your pc. With Garmin products you need to thoroughly research features and software interoperability. Garmin is notoriously stingy and you pay dearly for anything over basic functionality.
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