Here's the scenario:

Father-in-law is flying in from Sweden for the holidays. He wants to buy a new GPS unit to use back in Europe (he drives a lot). When GPS units advertise free lifetime map updates, can he apply said-lifetime updates towards European maps instead of the pre-loaded North American maps?

Garmin also sells a NA/EU lifetime map code for $120, which might be worth it.

Thanks in advance.

Stand-alone GPS unit or something in conjunction with a smart phone device?

Garmin's iPhone Navigon GPS apps -- I bought Navigon for use in Europe (Sweden and Denmark in the main but also all the rest of Europe) -- initially had it that there would be free lifetime map updates, but after Garmin acquired Navigon, there's been some criticism about limitations being applied to the lifetime map updates. Not sure what to make of all that, but it is something to keep in mind since it seems like Garmin's Navigon unit didn't exactly keep its update promises in ways that pleased customers en masse.

Navigon has the Green and Red Michelin Guide as an in-app purchase option for its iPhone app. Could be of some use if doing a lot of driving in Europe.

I see lifetime maps as a gimmick. For me the lifespan of most tech products is about 4 years max before it is time to upgrade. 4 years is an eternity in tech time, there has been 5 generations of iPhones released in the last 4 years. I don't know about Sweden, but where I live there is very little as far as actual new roads being built over the course of 4 years. Even if there is a new road the GPS will still get you there by an alternate route. You are not going to actually use this for your lifetime or even for 10 years so the "lifetime" in lifetime maps is really just a few years.

I would be more worried about traffic functions.

TomTom GPS units sold in the US limits lifetime updates to North America maps only, even if they originally included European or other maps

I have a Garmin 1390 with lifetime Traffic & Maps...I think the lifetime maps (in the US) is fairly worthwhile. I live in NYC & would be completely lost without it as I don't drive that often here. I always take it with me when I travel & have gotten the use out of it.

Although my phone has GPS (and MP3), I prefer having a true GPS vs. a phone GPS - same as I prefer to carry my iPod rather than load music on my blackberry. I prefer the multiple devices as I don't like to burn the battery on my phone while flying, etc...

I think the Lifetime map updates that comes with it is usually only for North America - unless it's a Lifetime map one that's bought in EU - in which case it's probably EU maps.

Keep in mind that there are garmin hacked map sites out there - for example, I'm heading to Costa Rica in March & was able to download a copy of Costa Rica maps for free online & put it on a mini-SD card that goes into the SD slot on the GPS - this may be a solution.

I've never had a GPS that outlasted the usefullness of it's maps. The display dies, the battery dies, etc. I don't think maps need updating every three months, I've never had the need for maps updated that frequently. I've never been someplace where it really matters, and I'm certainly not going to turn the wrong way down a one way street because the GPS said to do so.

Garmin for example in their lifetime maps state

This map update only can be used to update the preloaded maps that came installed on your Garmin device.� For example, a device preloaded with North America maps cannot be updated with n�Maps Lifetime Europe, and vice versa.

Great points.

The roads in Sweden aren't changing that much with the exception of side streets created for new housing development areas in places that were hitherto either farms, forests or otherwise undeveloped ground. Much the same holds true for a lot of Europe.

My first GPS, a Garmin 2610 is still alive, though I never use it anymore.

I forgot it one trip and finally bought a new one to replace that brick of a device. It was a great product for its time. It was very slow to acquire the sat signals, and didn't have things like lane guidance, but it pretty much had everything else (necessary) that the modern units have.

But at their current prices, you can get a decent mid-range product, even with the so-called lifetime map updates (which I find useful on garmin, but didn't find that useful on a cheap tom tom one I keep in the car on Hawaii to find local street addresses) and traffic for around $150 - $200. Lifetime doesn't really mean your lifetime, it means the lifetime of the unit.

If your unit last you more than a couple of years, your going to have new neighborhoods, new roads, new interchanges, reconfigured highways that will be updated if you get the updates and the map service is decent.

Sure, it's a personal choice if you think its worth it or not, but they don't really charge that much of a premium for the lifetime map updates like they used to. They come out with new models every year and usually there isn't that much difference between similar models from the current crop and and the previous model year, so that's how you can save money on this stuff. They used to charge a large premium for the map updates and perhaps they still do if you buy the update service unbundled but if you buy the unit with the updates, it's not that much of a premium.

-David

From the Garmin "Map Updates" page:
http://www8.garmin.com/updatemaps/
"The updates you receive under the subscription will be updates to the same geographic map data originally included with your Garmin product when originally purchased."
Suggest that the question be presented to the companies he might be interested in.

This is not true, I got the TomTom XXL 540TM World Traveler (Lifetime Traffic & Maps Edition) and the map updates work for both US and Europe. Note that the unit only has enough memory to hold US or Europe, you have to load the Europe map before you can update that map (and same for US).

However, I am happier now using TomTom on my iPhone. Not clear what the map updates will be there, I think they define lifetime as three years?

I'm looking at buying one of these in the U.S. (it'll work out almost as cheap as buying an used 540 XXL locally and adding in European maps). The lifetime map update only applies to the N. American maps and not Europe.

http://www.tomtom.com/en_us/products.../#tab:benefits

The regular 540s only have 2 GB internal memory while the 540TMs have 4 GB. Are the maps that big that it's only either or (or does the device just need enough working space for 2 maps while it updates?)

I think the more useful part of lifetime updates is getting newer points of interest data. Even the latest update often won't reflect the most recent openings/closings of stores/restaurants/gas stations/etc. but it can help.

I completely disagree. I faithfully update my maps quarterly -- not only does the unit catch new construction, roundabouts (of which we have a lot here), and the like, but as someone else said, the POIs get updated, too.

My iPhone's GPS accuracy is poor when the WiFi is turned off. I did some tests yesterday and it showed me almost 1/2 mile away from my true location but with the WiFi turned on the accuracy was within 100 feet. The WiFi did not have to be connected to any network but the mere act of turning it on improved the GPS accuracy with the built in Google maps. I then read an article in an Apple support forum that confirmed this condition as reported by others.

For those of you with Lifetime Maps: have you had trouble applying your updates due to a lack of space available in the internal memory of the unit?

I have a 1.5-year-old nuvi 1450. The device came with lifetime maps...I know it's questionable whether lifetime maps are worthwhile for a built-out part of the world like the U.S./Canada, but on Black Friday all of the Garmins were pretty much the same price (read: cheap) so I took it.

Anyway, now I'm trying to apply updates since we're headed out to Phoenix this week and that is one part of the country where I can see a new road or two having been built since late 2011.

But...it won't let me update all of U.S./Canada due to space limitations!

Since, at a macro level, the size of a U.S./Canada roadmap shouldn't significantly change in that time (maybe by a percent or two max), I'm guessing this is because of how the data is stored in the unit? I unchecked the "backup" option, thinking maybe that was causing the device to retain two full sets of maps. Didn't work.

For now I'm updating the western maps. Good enough for the time being, but this summer we'll head back east and if we encounter a new road somewhere it'd be nice if our Garmin was aware of it.

I know I can acquire SD cards to add all sorts of maps to a Garmin, but it seems like internal memory of a U.S./Canada product in 2011 should be able to handle U.S./Canada maps in 2013. It's not like we've annexed all of Mexico or something...