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Let's talk GPS here...

rudder

rudder

Lifer
So I have a TomTom One XL. As far as GPS accuracy goes I am sure all units perform the same. Directions are good.. and route planning is usually good.

Only thing is I bought it over two years ago... it will cost $80 to update the maps if I go through TomTom.com. I can get a new unit for under $100. When I bough this one these units prices were a little higher.

So i am curious to what other brands people are using. I hate TomToms "point of interest" search feature. Plus unless you are intimately familiar with a city's boundries... sometimes it is hard to navigate to a particular address. Many times I have to point in a gas station then get a route, then select "navigate to a POI near destination" to find a street. Also as an example I travel on Highway 41 South in Tennessee. TomTom does not know Hwy 41 S. it only knows Andrew Jackson Hwy... which after many years of living in Tennessee... I did not know that was the name. Crap like that makes TomTom frustrating. memory is cheap and so are IT people in India... the TomTom streetname database should be at least a gigabyte.

What are some good GPS options?
 
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meltdown75 said:
blackberry bold 9700 does fine for me
Click to expand...

I am to cheap to upgrade the maps... I am way to cheap to spend $25 month for a data plan on my phone. Maybe in 5 months when my at&t contract is done I will switch to virgin mobile... $25 for talk/text/email/data/web.
 
rudder said:
okay so garmin is out.
Click to expand...
TBH, I like it well enough but if I'm taking a trip, I always take a map. It will get you there but it may be around your elbow. If you miss a turn, you may be on a pig path for 20 miles.

2 pluses:
Shows current speed and posted speed. About 95% accurate on the posted in my experience.

It show the name/number of the road you're on so you can double check with the map. Went to my sisters in Mexico Beach , FL (7.5 hrs) and a lot of the trip is secondary roads.
 
Gibson486 said:
they all do that.
Click to expand...

TomTom is good about that unless you veer off your route and stay off. Although it would be nice to have the unit recognize when you are pulling into a gas station instead of having to listen to "please turn around when possible."
 
I like my TomTom XXL except for the fact the it does take a while to recalculate while in the middle of a long trip, and also it doesn't say what side of the street a destination is on, that can be a big PITA when you're trying to get somewhere you've never been before. Also tapping on the letter keys while trying to input a street/city/etc is ridiculously annoying, I have some skinny ass fingers and still find myself having to backspace at least once because a letter was supposedly double-tabbed or by some miracle the wrong key was pushed. Never ever had even the slightest problem like this on my old Garmin/Megellan.
 
I have a tomtom go 510 I got form woot about 5 years ago ... still works great, takes forever to find GPS though...I bought the navigon for the Iphone...it's priceless. quick on the GPS, free map updates, and one time fee for traffic if I needed it.
 
The Garmin 265WT sells for about $100 these days & everyone I've recommended it to likes it.

It does traffic, but I've never used the feature cuz we don't really have traffic in Minneapolis during the times I drive (after 6 PM M-F & weekends)
 
I like my Navigon 2100. Shows you the correct lane to get into when coming up on an exit. Also got the unlimited traffic updates package for like $10 off a website about a year ago and find it very useful and quite accurate.
 
Some of the newer ones come with lifetime map updates, traffic which could be beneficial depending on where you live, and lane assist which shows your the right lane to get in to for an exit.

If you have a smart phone you could just pick up a car charger and use the bing app. It works pretty well.

Edit: Also routing is different for the different brands/devices. I had a generic gps by rightway(?) that used copilot software and it's routing was always suspect.
 
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i have a tomtom i hate it. i need a map update but not paying $80 for a unit i purchased 3 years ago for $89 heh.

if i see one on BF i might pick one up. if it has lifetime map and traffic
 
I love my Garmin. Had a Nuvi 205 which I gave to my sister. Replaced it with a Magellan which I personally never got used to. She ended up giving me a Nuvi 205w, which I'm glad I'm back to a Garmin 🙂
 
I went from a TomTomXL to a 340 and there was a huge improvement in all respects. The only thing I wish I had is the Lifetime Map updates that the new ones are coming out with.

WTT

P.S. Newegg has a 5" with Lifetime Map updates for $130 right now (XXL 550M) so I wouldn't bother with the map update for $80 🙂
 
Nokia E5.

it is great for travel, nokia practically allows you to download maps from a lot of countries all over the world. the gps locking takes awhile like 5-10mins tho. it would be a few second if u have mobile internet.
 
The two main gripes I have about my TomTom One are:

  • The default zoom magnification is too close. I would prefer to be able to set the default zoom level to 1/2 mile to 1 mile in each direction. There is a zoom adjustment button but this returns to its default setting too quickly.
  • The unit does not understand how to prioritize use of the main streets. It will direct to the destination side-street, even if the address on that street is several miles away. In a city, faster travel time is on the main street until close to the end location. Then it makes sense to get onto the side street.

But my unit does not have any problems with recalculating.
 
google nav on android phones is the best hands down, in my experience. the only thing is it needs a data connection.
 
I've only used the navigation part of my GPS once in the past year. It was to divert me through 10 one-way streets.

All other times I plan my route ahead of time and use the GPS to keep track of where I am. Or I plan my route using the GPS and use it to keep track of where I am. Don't trust the navigation thing.

I use a Garmin from about 5 years ago. Was $600 then.
 
I have a Tom Tom One (I think that's the name). Here were my annoyances when I used it a lot:

1) The touchscreen sucks.
2) The unit is slow to compute new directions.
3) Using the "avoid part of route" feature is annoying and sometimes totally useless.
4) I found that the voice directions would turn themselves on at random when I was touching other parts of the screen.
5) It could take 4-5 minutes to locate itself.

I now primarily use Google's Navigation app on my Android phone. It computes better routes and is quicker with the calculations and acquiring satellites.
 
I have a magellan and it works for me. First Map update is free and after that I will just replace it years from now.
 
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