Travel Technology - Which Vehicle Navigation System?

I am trying to figure out which vehicle navigation system I should get for my GF for her birthday...

Garmin
Magellan
TomTom
Lowrance

Anybody have any personal experiences....ease of use, etc.

- HF

of the three, I would get the latest tomtom.
it has a really nice new screen, wide screen, doubles as a bluetooth car kit, and interfaces with ones ipod.
the text to speach is the best I have heard in a portable unit.
and the mapping is very good.
real time traffic information enabeled it seems the one to beat right now.

all for about 700$

Do you mean the 910 or the 700?

Also is it worth getting the PDA version of TomTom?

-HF

910 all the way

Take a look at the Navman. Some great deals on their website. www.navman.com

We bought recently bought a Garmin Nuvi 350 for $650 on the Costco website (you have to pay $800 but get a $150 Costco shopping certificate, I believe to keep the manufacturer for getting angry at them for underselling).

It's great and it's tiny, about the size of a deck of cards in its little leather carrying case. NB we paid another $300 for a European map card and it worked very well for us in London, rural Denmark, and rural Norway. Thus far it has performed beautifully for us in Washington State and British Columbia.

If you search, you'll find Tom Tom and Nuvi discussed in another recent thread.

I'm sure your gf will appreciate either one! :)

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=548502&referrerid=16109

We bought recently bought a Garmin Nuvi 350 for $650 on the Costco website (you have to pay $800 but get a $150 Costco shopping certificate, I believe to keep the manufacturer for getting angry at them for underselling).

It's great and it's tiny, about the size of a deck of cards in its little leather carrying case. NB we paid another $300 for a European map card and it worked very well for us in London, rural Denmark, and rural Norway. Thus far it has performed beautifully for us in Washington State and British Columbia.

If you search, you'll find Tom Tom and Nuvi discussed in another recent thread.

I'm sure your gf will appreciate either one! :)

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=548502&referrerid=16109

Agreed, get the Nuvi. I believe the 360 is out or coming out soon.

100% TomTom 910. They are always miles ahead of anything Garmin has, no extra investment for maps, ipod interface, awesome screen etc...

I'm also psyched about the 910- no extra investment on maps- you get both the US and Europe maps (plus they're preloaded). I keep hearing great things about the maps from Tele Atlas.

A friend who's really into gadgets mentioned that the 910 just won the Editor's Choice award from GPS magazine.

I'm sure they're both great - at least our Nuvi is, ScottC :)

We were impressed by this review (as part of the research which led us to the Nuvi 350) which dubbed it a PC Magazine "Editors' Choice" winner:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1880576,00.asp

My brother-in-law's earlier model Tom Tom seemed to work well down in Florida a couple of months ago, so for us the fact that the Nuvi is so darned small is a factor. No question but what having European maps preloaded on the Tom Tom is more cost effective.

On this site some are complaining about 910 quality control issues, but I don't know if there's any validity to the complaints:

http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=333989

Garmin is a big advertiser in the US, biased magazines like PC Rag will always prefer it over a low advertising European brand. In Europe the TomTom is always picked as "editors choice" over the Garmin so clearly the European magazines do exactly the same back...

I love TomTom I got the PDA version for my imate PDA2K. Works great, I really like the 3D map part of it. One downside for the PDA one is when you leave a state, you got to load a new map.

I have used the TTG 300 for about 10 months now and I cannot say that I am happy with it. It does get me to where I want to get to eventually, but it has pointed me in wrong or non-existent directions many times. I live in Boston and the incorrect directions were for changes that have taken place a long time ago so I'm guessing it's not because the maps are old.

A couple of other irritating things: when approaching a turn onto a highway it will most times not tell you whether you should be going N or S (or E/W) so you have to look at the map. Also, when you approach your destination it doesnt tell you whether it's on the left or right. These are 2 basic issues that I would think are easy to fix.

I used a Holux Bluetooth unit with my PocketPC as I wanted portability. I "cheaped out" and went with Mapopolis over TomTom, but would have rather gotten TomTom in retrospect. IIRC they both use Navtec for their maps.

I love TomTom I got the PDA version for my imate PDA2K. Works great, I really like the 3D map part of it. One downside for the PDA one is when you leave a state, you got to load a new map.

That depends what map you have loaded on it; on my KJam I have a map with 12 states loaded...

That depends what map you have loaded on it; on my KJam I have a map with 12 states loaded...

time for me to buy a bigger SD card :)

A mate of mine has that. I borrowed it for two weeks and found that driving in larger cities with somewhat big buildings it looses the plot and takes you around in circles, or gives up completely.

Tomtom or Garmin is what I hear are the best ones.

/E

We love our Garmin (I think it's the C340) I've used it all across the country and haven't had any problems.

Garmin is a big advertiser in the US, biased magazines like PC Rag will always prefer it over a low advertising European brand. In Europe the TomTom is always picked as "editors choice" over the Garmin so clearly the European magazines do exactly the same back...

I'm gradually starting to infer that you prefer the TomTom. :)

We did check a variety of sources before buying, and I'd want to do a little more research before committing to the 910:

http://tinyurl.com/np3yd

over the Nuvi:

http://tinyurl.com/mp8qg

I used a Holux Bluetooth unit with my PocketPC as I wanted portability. I "cheaped out" and went with Mapopolis over TomTom, but would have rather gotten TomTom in retrospect. IIRC they both use Navtec for their maps.

I've got the Holux/Mapopolis combo as well for my Cingular 8125, and I've been happy with it, given that I've heard over at the xda-developers site that a lot of people have been having problems with TT5 and WM5. Plus, $99 beats $150, and if they do a map update before my 1-year is up, I get the update gratis.

Is it "mom-friendly"? Maybe not. But then again, I'm not my mom. :) I don't really need a 3D view or to have John Cleese tell me to turn left in 0.5 miles.

After looking at the prices of these things I'm now understanding why the rental companies charge so much for them. I was thinking of getting a PDA version for a trip to the US where I'll rent a car for a few days but rentals seem to be the way to go.

After looking at the prices of these things I'm now understanding why the rental companies charge so much for them. I was thinking of getting a PDA version for a trip to the US where I'll rent a car for a few days but rentals seem to be the way to go.

They are a little on the pricey side, but then again, think of all the technology TomTom/Tele Atlas has stuffed into these little boxes!
If you rent a lot, maybe you can try out both types of portable GPSs, a TomTom and whatever else you can get your hands on. That would be a great way to "try before you buy".

I own Garmin C550. Very good.

You might want to take a look at magellen's 6000T which is coming out in a couple of weeks. Pronounces the upcoming manuver as well as the street name (this sounds like auseless feature, but it allows you to keep your eyes on the road rather than the GPS, BlueTooth (for handsfree phone calls), MP3 player, Live Traffic, and Sirfstar3 chipset (quick lock on to position, and unlikely to lose lock even in downdown canyons)

of the three, I would get the latest tomtom.
it has a really nice new screen, wide screen, doubles as a bluetooth car kit, and interfaces with ones ipod.
the text to speach is the best I have heard in a portable unit.
and the mapping is very good.
real time traffic information enabeled it seems the one to beat right now.

all for about 700$


I was all in favor of Tom Tom, and specifically waited to purchase the new models. However, they have changed the mounting bracket for them which has flawed them in my experience.

On the x00 models the Tom Tom sits essentially on top of the mounting bracket. The connection is on the base and it swivels around there.

On the x10 models the bracket now "hooks" into the back of the Tom Tom and the connection is made there. It looks like a more elegant connection and I didn't expect any problems.

However, while driving down the road, I would notice the Tom Tom occasionally turning itself off on its own. I finally traced it down to that there is enough movement where the connections are made that it apparently occasionally senses a disconnect which causes the Tom Tom to power off. It doesn't require a really bumpy road, but just the right movement.

I tried 3 different units from Best Buy (910 models) before I finally threw in the towel on them. (As well as a blistering arguement with Best Buy that they were defective, as one Store Manager wanted to argue that the turning off on its own feature wasn't a defect, thus they should charge me the restocking fee :mad: )

So buyer beware... If anyone else has the 910, would be curious if you have experienced the same.

I was all in favor of Tom Tom, and specifically waited to purchase the new models. However, they have changed the mounting bracket for them which has flawed them in my experience.

On the x00 models the Tom Tom sits essentially on top of the mounting bracket. The connection is on the base and it swivels around there.

On the x10 models the bracket now "hooks" into the back of the Tom Tom and the connection is made there. It looks like a more elegant connection and I didn't expect any problems.

However, while driving down the road, I would notice the Tom Tom occasionally turning itself off on its own. I finally traced it down to that there is enough movement where the connections are made that it apparently occasionally senses a disconnect which causes the Tom Tom to power off. It doesn't require a really bumpy road, but just the right movement.

I tried 3 different units from Best Buy (910 models) before I finally threw in the towel on them. (As well as a blistering arguement with Best Buy that they were defective, as one Store Manager wanted to argue that the turning off on its own feature wasn't a defect, thus they should charge me the restocking fee :mad: )

So buyer beware... If anyone else has the 910, would be curious if you have experienced the same.


Have you tried calling TomTom's customer service? I'm sure they'd be interested to hear about that and may be able to lend a helping hand.

On a slightly different tack, I found out that you can make your 910 play movies, which I thought was pretty cool. I haven't quite found the hack, but I saw someone who post a movie about their TomTom being enabled to play movies!http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v728/barrytv/?action=view&current=12-06-06_2114.flv

I've had the Garmin 2720 for about a year. It was my first GPS and can't believe I waited that long to get one. The 2720 is fantastic.

Hopefully it's not against the rules to mention other sites but I found lots of useful comments from folks on amazon. I searched for various models I was considering and then looked at user reviews. All of them have some naysayers, but, there's some good nuggets of info. Here's my other comments about the 2720 from my review on that site:

I've used the 2720 for one cross country trip and lots of local navigation. Basically it's just fantastic. I take it whenever going to a new location. I occasionally override it's route but not often - and that's easy to do when needed.

It doesn't always pick the fastest route even though I request that. This happens when a high speed limit road has lots of stop lights compared to a slower or longer route with no stop lights. I don't downgrade it much for that - it's never failed to get me there. I don't think any other navigation aid would have maps with lights and programming to know how much time that would add.

It has found new routes to places I've gone to frequently that were better than what I'd chosen using MapQuest or poring over a printed map. And, I'm pretty handy with maps. That really impresses me. That offsets the occasional routes over roads with stop lights.

I was very reluctant to get one initially. Now that I've had it for awhile I can't imagine not having one. Perhaps other models would be OK, but, certainly this 2720 is fantastic.

I don't think any other navigation aid would have maps with lights and programming to know how much time that would add.I've never seen one of these with traffic lights listed. That's cool!

And, the 2720 doesn't show traffic lights either. Sorry I wasn't clear enough. I had said it chose some less than optimal routes when actual traffic lights it wasn't aware of (usually on fast roads) impeded my calculated route. That said, I don't think any other GPS system could figure out stop lights either, hence, I don't downgrade the 2720 for not handling that situation.

It will CHANGE your life.

The key advantage it has over Tom Tom is its portability. You would be hard-pressed to slip a Tom Tom in your pants pocket (at least without attracting attention). The Nuvi is about the size of a smartphone. I charge it in the hotel room each night and it runs on batteries all day. I just place it on the center console or in the cupholder when I get in the rental car and off I go. I'm zipping around cities I've never been to before like I'm a local.

Oh, yeah, it's also an mp3 player. But, isn't everything these days?

Only a couple of hitches in my Nuvi experience ...

- When you start up the unit in a different state than it was last used in (i.e., fly somewhere, get out, and power up the unit), it takes awhile to find the satellites (maybe 2 minutes)? I just factor this into my time and turn the unit on as soon as I get out of the terminal.

- I love that I can type in the name of a business (i.e., "Best Buy") and see the closest matches. But, every once in awhile, the Nuvi will lead me to a location that closed down, or never existed at all. Conveniently, it also has the phone number for these listings, so I just make sure to call before I press "Go." (There may be some sort of software update for this to download from the Garmin site, but I haven't figured it out yet.)

Best of luck in your search.

Get a Garmin Nuvi 350. I bought one when Costco had the deal on it a couple months ago. It's size makes it an ideal travel companion also. If you need/want the Bluetooth feature, then go for a 360, but you can save some good cash now and get a Nuvi 350.

This system beats the pants off the OEM navis we have in our Toyota and Benz.

I used a Holux Bluetooth unit with my PocketPC as I wanted portability. I "cheaped out" and went with Mapopolis over TomTom, but would have rather gotten TomTom in retrospect. IIRC they both use Navtec for their maps.

I love the Holux BT unit, but if I didn't have a PDA and I wanted a stand alone unit, I would probably go with the TomTom unit others mentioned before. Lots of cool features!

AJ

GPS aficionados, tidings of further "candy"- TomTom has entered an agreement to offer downloadable celebrity voices to add to the TomTom repetoire.

http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20060627005323&newsLang=en

GPS aficionados, tidings of further "candy"- TomTom has entered an agreement to offer downloadable celebrity voices to add to the TomTom repetoire.

One of the voices is Mr. T!
"I SAID TURN RIGHT, FOOL!!"

Check out today's Woot (but quickly)

http://www.woot.com

TomTom does not have a # you can call for service - the only way to do contact them is via email. I've contacted them twice so far. The first time the response was the same day, but it took them 8 days in total to respond to a follow up question. The 2nd time was just now, so let's see how soon they get back. Both times I got an automated response saying that the volume was very high and it would take a while to get back.

Have you tried calling TomTom's customer service? I'm sure they'd be interested to hear about that and may be able to lend a helping hand.

On a slightly different tack, I found out that you can make your 910 play movies, which I thought was pretty cool. I haven't quite found the hack, but I saw someone who post a movie about their TomTom being enabled to play movies!http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v728/barrytv/?action=view&current=12-06-06_2114.flv

TomTom does not have a # you can call for service - the only way to do contact them is via email. I've contacted them twice so far. The first time the response was the same day, but it took them 8 days in total to respond to a follow up question. The 2nd time was just now, so let's see how soon they get back. Both times I got an automated response saying that the volume was very high and it would take a while to get back.

If you prefer to talk to a TomTom Customer Support representative by phone, please call:
Phone Numbers Hours of Operation
1-866-486-6866 Monday - Friday: 9:00AM to 7:00PM EST
1-978-287-9555 Monday - Friday: 9:00AM to 7:00PM EST

Press 1 for Customer Service when prompted

Thanks Scott, I didnt know they had a # you could call.

If you prefer to talk to a TomTom Customer Support representative by phone, please call:
Phone Numbers Hours of Operation
1-866-486-6866 Monday - Friday: 9:00AM to 7:00PM EST
1-978-287-9555 Monday - Friday: 9:00AM to 7:00PM EST

Press 1 for Customer Service when prompted

Thanks Scott, I didnt know they had a # you could call.

Until recently I don't think they did...

One of the voices is Mr. T!
"I SAID TURN RIGHT, FOOL!!"

The different female voices in different languages on the TomTom 910 have names apparently- this author renamed the English voice Helga. Lots of funny gender quips in the article.

Opening line: Car navigation systems have reversed thousands of years of human behavior - now, thanks to GPS technology, males finally accept directions from a female voice.

And
Yes, male voices were available - but you know how arrogant they can be.

http://www.courant.com/technology/hc-hunt0707.artjul07,0,3824152.column?coll=hc-headlines-technology

I prefer the Garmin just for the remote, it makes it so much easier to flip between menus.

Prices on the Nuvi 350 appear to be dropping (about to be discontinued?). I picked one up a week or so ago from Amazon for a hair over $600.

that and the sony are all verions 1.0 products, and they are probably coming out with AT LEAST a software update/revision, or even a product revision.

and, well tomtom has set the bar pretty high now.

the sony can be had for 350$ now, I think the nuvi will be 450$ or so in the coming weeks, maybe for a refurb.

My hubby just took an old Dell Axim ( about $150 ) added a MS Streets and Trips receiver ($75) and some part he bought in compusa for $40

Works great :)

bump!

Do you mean the 910 or the 700?

Also is it worth getting the PDA version of TomTom?

-HF

I tried Tom Tom on my PDA (IPAQ hx2495) and was disappointed in the results. I found it hard to work with, and had BT gps issues (not alwaya connecting). I switched to INav and it is very good (same gps, no issues). If you are going the PDA route then I suggest INav. I like to use my PDA as it is 1 less item to carry as I have it with me anyway to keep my calendar and contacts handy.