Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Garmin nьvi 260 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
Garmin nьvi 260 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
I can't make any comparisons, since this is my first GPS. I purchased it from Amazon, which was a good experience. I ordered it on Sat and received it yesterday (Tues) I've probably read about 1,000 GPS reviews in the past 6 months, and I picked this model because of its price and TTS feature. I almost purchased the C550, because some comments said the Streetpilot is sturdier, but the Nuvi 260 isn't flimsy at all, and I don't need the Bluetooth or MP3 features. Actually, many of the reviews frightened me, but this is so easy to use, I can't imagine being able to operate a vehicle legally and needing instructions. Seriously, I am mechanically and technically challenged, but this is a touch & go product. For example, one review mentioned the lack of an external volume control and another said the voice was too soft or too loud. Changing the volume takes 2 seconds by tapping on the speaker icon. Another said there were no custom POIs and the first day I entered my home address, the supermarket, my bank, and more. One person wrote that it doesn't announce street names, but you just need to select a language/voice that indicates TTS next to it for that feature. None of this requires a manual, just common sense and a little patience. I'm sure there are many features I haven't yet discovered but will in time.
The signal - as soon as I plugged in the power it received a signal within a few seconds, not minutes. The TTS voice (English Jill) pronounces the street names clearly. Keep in mind this is not a human, so every pronunciation isn't perfect and neither are the directions, but they're close enough. For example, I asked how to get to Publix from my house. Although the directions were correct, I would have driven a little out of my way in the wrong direction and made a U-turn had I not known where to turn. So it apparently doesn't recognize traffic light turns into a mall or shopping center, maybe because there's no street name. (just guessing) Still, it's much better than using a paper map if you are in an unfamiliar area, and it will automatically recalculate the directions if you make a wrong turn. Sometimes that feature takes a few seconds. I tried to fool it by taking a back road, but it quickly found my location and recalculated the route. She even sounded annoyed at me!
This is my one BIG complaint. Maybe it's my ignorance, but the power cord is in such an awkward place that it's nearly impossible to place the unit in a good position without using a mount. Otherwise it would be very simple to put it in my cupholder or even sit it in the little change tray. For some reason, I thought a GPS needed to be facing the sky, but I can get a good signal when it's on the passenger seat or sitting in my center console. Last night I even had a signal inside my concrete block house! If the power cord was a little higher, it wouldn't bend so much and I'd be able to use it without a mount. Even with the included cradle & mount, it still bends and is always in the way!
Another minor complaint is that, although it seems inexpensive at $242 plus shipping, it doesn't even come with a cheap case - nothing! It also doesn't include an A/C cord or a decent instruction manual. I knew all of this before I bought it, but accessories add up quickly. So before you run out and spend more money, look around your house. I found at least 2 zippered cases in which the 260 fits comfortably. One held my mini binoculars which I haven't used in years and another is a small, zippered cosmetic case. Just make sure there are no rough edges that might scratch the touch screen. I lined the case with a microfiber cloth and it's perfect to stick in my pocketbook when I leave the car. I was going to spend another $30 on a bean bag mount, but last night I stuck the dashboard adhesive disk to the plastic cover that flips over the cup holder in my Camry. It's very secure and the suction cup sticks to it so tightly I have to pry it off. Since it's plastic, I "assume" any residue will come off with goo-gone.
I know this is already a long review, but I hope it will help by adding that I went a little crazy trying to get the plastic ball into the cradle. Just press firmly and don't worry about breaking it. I'm not strong and I was ready to give up. Now I can attach and remove it easily. I think it was just my fear of breaking it at first. Also, it's a lot easier to simply remove the cradle from the GPS when you take it with you than to take the mount apart.
The reason I was able to finally decide on spending the extra money for the 260 over the 200 or 250 model was by listening to a couple of demos on YouTube. People actually were nutty enough to drive around filming their GPS experiences, and I'm grateful to them! You can hear how much easier it is to follow instructions when street names are announced. Still, if you are on a tight budget, the GPS always shows the street name in large print at the top of the map, so it's easy to glance at it quickly. I feel the TTS is not only convenient, but adds a safety feature, since you're less likely to take your eyes off the road. Even if it's mounted in front of you on the dash or windshield, you still aren't concentrating on the road if you're reading a map.
In short, this seems to be a great little unit that's user friendly. So far it hasn't disappointed me, although it's only my 2nd day. I posted quickly so newbies like me would know that you don't have to be an expert or a gadget geek to use a GPS.
Garmin nьvi 260 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
BUY Now Garmin nьvi 260 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
Garmin nьvi 255 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
Garmin nьvi 255 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
I literally hooked this product up in my car right as I got in for a 6 day trip visiting new and old accounts in Salt Lake City/Ogden/Provo/Logan (I live in the Denver area). I had NEVER used a GPS before. Once I got used to how I needed to input adresses (took about 2 minutes with the funky grid system SLC uses inputting E/W/N/S for streets)I was guided to all the new accoutns by voice/map without a problem.....I will never travel to new places without one of these again. This was way easy to use, just glanced at the quick start and was on my way.
Garmin nьvi 255 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
BUY Now Garmin nьvi 255 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
Garmin Portable Friction Mount (Electronics)
Garmin Portable Friction Mount (Electronics)
I found this bean bag type mount very useful and igenious, though it does kind of remind you of War of the World (the non-Tom Cruise movie version) of the alien spaceship doesn't it? But seriously, it works great with the 4 bean bag ends that helps weight it down, plus the base material bottom is tacky as well so that helps to keep it from sliding off. I use it to hold my Nuvi 650 quite nicely. It looks somewhat big when you hold it in your hand out of the packaging/card it comes on, but once you place it on your dashboard, you hardly think anymore that its big. Realize it only comes with that ball joint end, you still have to pop easily on, the other part that comes with your Garmin windshield mount to it. When you leave your car, just put it on the passenger floor board out of sight to keep folks from breaking into your car to take your GPS as the windshield mount is a dead giveaway that the car has one. The only other concern you might have is, you probably need a bigger carrier to hold it if you are the type that takes it with you when you lock your car. I use those insulated plastic lunch bags with a carry strap, you know the type you see in the office break room refrigerator, for it with my garmin gps unit to carry it around as well at times. It fits quite nicely in that size carrier.
Garmin Portable Friction Mount (Electronics)
BUY Now Garmin Portable Friction Mount (Electronics)
Cobra Nav One 4500 5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
Cobra Nav One 4500 5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
This is my first GPS system so I did a lot of research online before I went ahead purchase it in March 2007. I wanted a large screen one and traffic system. 4500 seems to be the perfect match.
Pro: large screen, real-time traffic system saved me many times, and reasonable routing suggestions. I don't have the rerouting adaptation problem as the other reviewers and if I get into a side road, it'll recalculate immediately. Maybe they fixed it in the most current software batch. Their customer service is superb.
Cons: I had this unit for 5 months and have to return it now. As many reviewers said, this unit has slower routing calculation and I didn't realize it would be a problem until I was driving on a highway waiting for the exit.
Even though I have the most current database batch, I would see some not-so-new highways disappeared suddenly during the drive. It would come back eventually but it doesn't feel good to see yourself driving on a blank space for several miles, especially if you travel to a unknown place at night.
Road side of a destination seems to be wrong 80% of the time. We all know after 1 month of usage to ignore the final destination instruction.
After 2 months, the address book, all travel location information, and user settings were wiped out automatically and I have to reset everything. After it happened so many times, I called Cobra and they gave me another software patch. It seemed to fix the problem.
When used in big cities with a lot of traffics, its routing instruction can be so wrong. It usually gives me the worst routing suggestion, i.e. chose the busiest road, or a longer route, or use local highways with a lot of construction going on instead of an interstate highways that are much less congested, etc. This unit's routing logic seems to work better with mid-size to small-size towns.
The mounting is cumbersome. After taking it off and putting it back on whenever I have to park somewhere, the V12 cord connected to the car broke. I had to call the customer service and they sent me another cord immediately. Did I mention that their customer service is very good?
The final flaw which makes me wanted to return it is, one day the beautiful female voice was gone. Never come back again.
I feel sorry to have to put a bad review on a product. I hope it would help others to avoid the frustrations I have gone through.
Cobra Nav One 4500 5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
BUY Now Cobra Nav One 4500 5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx Handheld GPS Navigator (Electronics)
Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx Handheld GPS Navigator (Electronics)
I cut my GPS teeth on an eTrex Vista (a great little handheld in its own right) for a couple of years before stepping up to the 60CSx. After five months of use, I have only positive things to say about my latest purchase. I was aware of some owners' early concerns about "wandering" and the seeming inability to enable WAAS, but figured Garmin would eventually address such firmware issues, and so decided to take the plunge. The first thing I did (the first thing any purchaser should do) was to download all of the available updates from Garmin's website, and my 60CSx performed flawlessly from the get-go. So yes, I can enable WAAS, but I don't bother to use it because for me the slight increase in accuracy isn't enough to justify the additional battery drain. Consistently getting within ten feet or less of a waypoint is good enough for me. I'm not doing cadastral surveys, after all.
I replaced the supplied 64mb micro SD with a 1 gb card and have installed selected maps from both City Navigator and US Topo 24K Western National Parks (both relatively pricey extras). I recently used the former to navigate a familiar route all the way from western Colorado to Cincinnati and back, and the directions it generated differed from the route I've long been accustomed to in only one minor way: it chose a different bridge (the MLK) across the Mississippi River at St. Louis than I usually use. That switch obliged me to exit the interstate and wait at one traffic light for a minute or so, but also saved me a couple of miles, so I guess the net effect was zero. On the return trip, I was unable to make a necessary lane change due to heavy rush hour traffic and was forced onto an exit from the Interstate at Louisville. The 60CSx and City Navigator automatically recalculated and got me back on course in a jiffy via a route through the downtown area that would otherwise have been anything but intuitive. The I-70 route through the Colorado Rockies features numerous tunnels, and only in the longest of them did I lose my satellite signal. In those few instances, the unit promptly reacquired the signal upon exiting the tunnels.
I am a retired National Park Service ranger and now volunteer at Colorado National Monument, where I spend a lot of time in the backcountry identifying and plotting the location of cultural sites. The 60CSx and US Topo 24K are incredibly useful for that. I particularly like the unit's ability to average satellite fixes for increased accuracy over whatever interval I choose. I'm regularly able to mark waypoints to within 3 meters, even in forested areas and in the depths of the area's many canyons. The MapSource software that came with the 60CSx lets me print topo maps of the Monument with those waypoints clearly delineated and labeled.
In the early fall, I carried my 60CSx on a recreational climb to the summit of 14,048-foot Handies Peak in Colorado's San Juan Range. Once on top, I photographed the display to document the precise location and elevation of the summit for my records. Since then, I've learned that it's also possible to transfer a bitmap image of any 60CSx display screen directly to my computer using the xImage application available as a free download on Garmin's website. That's a neat way to build a file of memorable waypoints and to share them graphically with others.
I've found the Garmin 60CSx to be a most capable unit. Teamed with an accesssory 12V cable and City Navigator software, it works well as a vehicle navigator at relatively low cost. Used by itself, with or without US Topo 24K, it's a great hiking companion. It has a great color display, commendable acquisition and refresh speeds, myriad useful functions, a long battery life (months, if you don't leave it on continuously to mark tracks), decent ergonomics and superb accuracy. Finally, the additional storage afforded by removable memory cards is a definite plus with this sophisticated unit. The only change I'd urge Garmin to consider would be to add a temperature sensor.
If you can afford it, and even if you can't, get a Garmin 60CSx.
Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx Handheld GPS Navigator (Electronics)
BUY Now Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx Handheld GPS Navigator (Electronics)
Cobra Nav One 4500 5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
Cobra Nav One 4500 5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
I bought this but I have found several flaws. First let me mention that the unit that made me decide I needed GPS was an option in the 2006 Honda Odyssey that happens to be made by alpine.
My first problem with it was the altimeter; although most won't use it, it was a feature that I liked. Unfortunately it was completely worthless, my parking space in front of my house ranged from 120Ft one day to 0 feet 2 days later. I know my house or parking space did not move so that fault is on the unit. Also when driving the unit would claim you climbed 200 feet when you drove less than 50 feet forward sometimes.
My next problem was direction; it would take me on back roads rather than highways even though I said I prefer highways. And as you drove the screen did not flow, instead it would reload taking a second or two to reload the map and the icons. Both the Honda and my friends G35 flowed without this, and the graphics between the 3 the cobra clearly loses out. The graphics are substandard. Also the unit only calls out numbers for roads, if the road is not a road with numbers (IE a highway) it just says turn left or right, which when driving in the city can be frustrating as you cannot be looking at it constantly. Finally the house number portion was off quite a bit (1/10 of a mile or so).
Next was traffic, this was rarely right, not sure if any other GPS units are right, but this would say there was an accident at one place and it would end up being off 1 or 2 miles (This was in the Baltimore/Washington area), I ended up using the radio traffic people more times than not.
Next was the Points of interest function. On the Honda it showed signs for an Exxon, or BP. The Cobra does not, it shows an icon for Gas or Food, and while trying to drive you have to touch the area on the screen you are looking at, than press the screen at the top to get a listing of what was there. While driving in the city, and looking for a McDonalds this is not an option.
Last was the suction cup mounting bracket, for a unit of this weight it is under engineered to hold it. The first 5 minutes I drove with it, it fell. Agreeable it was right after I cleaned the windshield so it was not completely dry. The next time was the last time I did not take it off before leaving my vehicle. It was after a snow storm came through and the condensation that occurred between the windshield and the suction cup was enough to make it lose contact and fall again. For a unit that costs 800+ bucks this is unacceptable, if it were to break it would be on me due to a poor design. And I am not the only one who had problems like this, I have read of others with the same issue.
Needless to say I took it back, it's not a horrible unit but for the price there are better answers.
Cobra Nav One 4500 5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
BUY Now Cobra Nav One 4500 5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
Mio C230 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
Mio C230 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
Great price. Easy to use. Very accurate directions. Can't find anything in this price range that speaks the street names. Have used it in CA and TX and works fine. The only reason this gets a 4star is because the user manual sucks. There are bunch of icons that could be explained upfront rather than finding out by trial and error. Overall a great value for money.
Mio C230 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
BUY Now Mio C230 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
JL AUDIO 12W6v2 - Car subwoofer driver - 12" (Electronics)
JL AUDIO 12W6v2 - Car subwoofer driver - 12" (Electronics)
have a couple sealed in my '07 mazda 6 getting only 325w a piece. absolutely the most accurate bass i've ever had and this is my 6 or 7th set up. Also, if need be they get incredibly loud while sounding amazing. Highly recommend!!
JL AUDIO 12W6v2 - Car subwoofer driver - 12" (Electronics)
BUY Now JL AUDIO 12W6v2 - Car subwoofer driver - 12" (Electronics)
Garmin Forerunner 405CX GPS Sport Watch with Heart Rate Monitor (Blue) (Electronics)
Garmin Forerunner 405CX GPS Sport Watch with Heart Rate Monitor (Blue) (Electronics)
Buy this monitor now. Easy to use and small enough so you dont feel like you have a laptop on your wrist. The bezel touch menu navigation can be sensitive to bumps but the lock feature solves most of your problems. Great product.
Garmin Forerunner 405CX GPS Sport Watch with Heart Rate Monitor (Blue) (Electronics)
BUY Now Garmin Forerunner 405CX GPS Sport Watch with Heart Rate Monitor (Blue) (Electronics)
DeLorme Earthmate PN-40 Waterproof Hiking GPS (Electronics)
DeLorme Earthmate PN-40 Waterproof Hiking GPS (Electronics)
I wrote a review on Amazon about the Oregon 400t. In short I really liked the feature set but found fault with the compass, issues with the battery, and the screen was HORRBLE in direct/indirect sunlight. I returned it because at the price I paid it was not worth it.
So I bought the Delorme PN-40 because the screen was said to be better and it also had a 3-axis compass (the 400t doesn't but the 450t and 550t do but are much higher priced than the PN-40).
Though the screen is somewhat smaller it looks so MUCH better in direct/indirect sunlight. I can turn the backlight completely off and it looks great. The backlight is also much brighter when you need to turn it up. No problems there.
The compass works better than the Oregon 400t being that it is a 3 axis compass. I've been out with the PN-40 four times now and one time the compass got a little 'nutty'. I did a quick calibration and it worked fine after that. The Oregon 400t went nutty on me multiple times and I simply could not trust it. Bottom line though is if you need a compass... take a real compass and only trust these things if necessary.
It comes with some coppertop batteries but I put in energizer lithium 8x batteries. The documentation says that the GPS can determine between alkaline and lithium but when I went to the battery page it said the were alkaline so I manually changed that. They worked great and I highly recommend them. I hiked 8 miles with them and it is still reporting they are full. I had issues with batteries with the Oregon 400t though most people say they work fine. I had problems within 40 minutes with coppertops and the batteries were FINE (multimeter doesn't lie).
Both GPS's have great features and this is where Garmin has something very unique. I raved in my other review over being able to put your own trail maps onto the garmin and use it for hiking. It is a cool feature and if you make it correctly can be a real benefit. You 'can' do the same thing with the PN-40 but you need to purchase their GIS software XMAP. It isn't cheap and isn't worth it just to put trail maps in.
While that is a downer, you can download a large number of map layers from Delorme such as USGS Topo, Aerial and Sat photos. I've done this and while it is probbly very useful I haven't had to resort to using it yet. I think I need to take it somewhere I am not familiar with yet to gauge its usefulness.
Geocaching: Both support geocaching and downloading GPX's from Geocaching.com out of the box. The download of individual GPX files using the Send To GPS function worked faster (or so it seemed) with the PN-40 than the Oregon. And... IF you are a paid member of Geocaching.com you can buy ($9.99) Delorme's Cache Register software. Basically this app manages your Pocket Queries (query search that contains large number of geocaches). You can download from Geocaching.com HUNDREDS of Caches into the GPS at once. It took about 2 minutes to download 500 caches from the website and put them into the PN-40. Quite nice and might be worth the $9.99 if you are a hard core into geocaching. The Cache Register software also will sync up all caches you marked as 'found' to your Geocaching.com account. The PN-40 allows you to mark a Geocache found and also allows field notes. Those too get uploaded to your account and it seems to work as advertised so far.
The user interface for the GPS isn't hard to use. Matter of fact it works like some of my older Garmins (Page goes forward, quit goes backwards). If you read the manual (and who does that?) you can find useful button/keyboard shortcuts when entering in text for Geocaching.
One neat feature the Garmin 400t had was it could show you a graph in how your hike changed in elevation on the GPS itself. The PN-40 cannot do this but you can get the exact same thing if you import your track into the included Topo software (now comes with version 8).
Speaking of the included Topo program, it actually IS a very good program but its user interface isn't the most intuitive thing to learn. If you ever used Delorme's Street Atlas it basically works the same way. I 'think' it is because Delorme makes a lot of GIS apps (like XMAP) and the interface comes from that software. GIS people think 'differently' about geospatial data and so the interface is tailored more to their liking.
DeLorme Earthmate PN-40 Waterproof Hiking GPS (Electronics)
BUY Now DeLorme Earthmate PN-40 Waterproof Hiking GPS (Electronics)
Navigon 2100 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
Navigon 2100 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
I bought this GPS on the blackfriday sale and have used for couple of vacations. This is my first own GPS and I have used couple of GPS's earlier(Tom Tom,Garmin etc). The reality view is very helpful in complicated intersections and I was surprised when it started showing in Turnpike and Highways intersections of Florida during one of my trip. The accuracy is very great, as most of the times it gives directions starting from a mile, .5 mile and .1 mile and some times just before the exit and turn.
The re-calculation is pretty fast(compared to the similar lower priced GPS's). It is little difficult to punch in the address, but if you use a stylus or the tip of a pencil, it will do the job.
Regarding the POI's as some of the reviewers said it will not list out the retailers. But again on vacations how much you will use it compared to restuarants, hotels, tourist attractions etc.
Overall I am very much satisfied with the price I paid my ROI is made. I am enjoying the bonus on the equipment now. I would recommend buying these product under $150( above that it may not be worth).
Part-II
This is in continuation with my earlier review. I have used navigon for couple more trips and it never let me down in any time. With the latest updates, I think it is in par with any high cost GPS's(except bluetooth, photo view and MP3). Real traffic show the "REAL" re-routing when ever required and had experienced in one of my recent trips where there was alternative routes taken.This is highly recommended for people who are looking for a GPS just for navigation and under $150. I cannot comment on the customer service as till now, I don't have an opportunity to call them(it is a compliment to the product). When I bought this price was the factor, but now i am really satisfied with the features also.It captures the satellite signals less than a minute and the hibernate mode does not loose any power even if it is left for weeks together.
Part-III
The product died after 2 years successfully serving for more than 50+ trips. Worth the money paid and will buy these type of products again.
Navigon 2100 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
BUY Now Navigon 2100 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
Navigon 7100 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
Navigon 7100 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
I've been using the 7100 for 3 weeks and have been very pleased with the functionality to date. Mine is version 6.5, build 77.
My main complaint HAD been short battery life, similar to many comments I had seen here. Upon calling Tech Support , I found out that I'd been unknowingly putting the the unit in standby mode rather than shutting it off. Turns out that one must press the power button for 10-15 seconds to shut off. Anything short of that blacks the screen but you are only in standby. When powering back on, the power button must be held for six seconds. Quirky, but at least now I understand it. I was needlessly charging the unit every day or two because in the first 10 days I had never completely shut it off!
Now, with THAT out the way here are my pros & cons. I have been using this so far on routine driving on the Seattle Eastside, so performance may vary elsewhere.
PRO:
Elegant appearance, nicely designed case. Similar in size/style to Magellan 4250.
Beautiful screen, clear images, nice interface, intuitive to use. Option for day or night view, and 2D or 3D.
Clear, pleasant voice quality.
Charger indicator light changes from orange to green when fully charged.
Ability to key in zip code rather than city name. Possible matches appear as you type, so 5 digit often not required.
When searching for nearby POIs, starts inside one mile, and allows to you manually expand radius - great when searching for restaurants.
Free traffic reporting for life! (text; must hit icon to display). Extensive detail on nature of incident--accident vs. construction--along with length (miles) of slowdown. Thus far, I've not used the supplied antenna, but it does take several minutes for the icon to appear when starting up. Perhaps the antenna would speed it up, but want to avoid the clutter.
Extensive settings menu re: visual options, type of detail on screen, choice of route profile (I find "fast" works better than "optimal" or "short". There's even an option for "scenic".
Can choose to be warned when exceeding speed limits, 5, 10, or 15 mph over.
Very fast reaction/recalc time when choosing different route.
Seems to have some level of intuition based on travel signals: it selects a commute route for me that is 1 mile longer (on a 9-mile commute) than google maps, but due to fewer signals, this route is faster most of the time.
Ability to factor in current traffic when plotting route. (applies to major highways)
Good POI detail - includes many "mom & pop" restaurants & small retail that I hadn't expected.
Easy handling of interim stops or itinerary changes (**need to select this option in settings menu)
Three modes - car, bicycle, pedestrian.
Canada and Alaska included. Canada is part of US map, no need to switch when crossing border.
CON:
Comes with only a soft felt pouch as protection. I ordered the "hard case" for $20 which really isn't that "hard", but is adequate.
No printed user guide.
Lengthy shut down. Standby is nice option for brief stops, but a separate standby button would have made more sense.
When unit hits low battery warning, map freezes behind warning icon. Verbal routing continues. Only way to restore live map is to completely power down & reboot after connecting charger. Tech support says this is due to deliberate trickle charge requiring time to build power back.
I'd like to note that I was VERY impressed with Navigon's Tech support. Short prompt menu, no nagging troubleshooting suggestions, live person right away. Rep was very articulate, conversational, and professional; really interested in being helpful. Felt like I was talking to Management rather than some bored low-level "tech". Tech support located in Indiana.
This is my first GPS, so I don't have anything to compare it to, but I'm very pleased thus far and cannot think of anything lacking in the 7100. The routing is occasionally a little off what I might choose, but not unreasonable. Did a wonderful job on a recent trip to Alaska, even in remote Kenai peninsula.
Update 3/29/08: Having used the 1.1 software update for about a month, it seems response times are a little faster.
Navigon 7100 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
BUY Now Navigon 7100 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
TomTom One 130S 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Factory Refurbished) (Electronics)
TomTom One 130S 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Factory Refurbished) (Electronics)
Dear READER--- At first, I purchased the TOMTOM ONE 130 for [...]Tried it out JUST ONCE, but returned it... It did NOT have the text-to-speech function... It would say, for example, "turn right in 300 yards", but then I would have to actually take my eye off of my driving and look at the GPS unit, itself, to see the name of the street it was telling me to turn on to... Then, I ordered the TOM TOM ONE 130 "S" model (for ONLY $17 more), WITH text-to-speech, and came to realize that, not only is this model way more convenient to use, but it is also way more SAFE to use... If you are planning on buying a GPS, G E T T E X T - T O - S P E E C H ! ! !... I can't say it enough... If you order one of the plain models, and then have the opportunity to use TTS, you will regret NOT having spent the extra few dollars to get TTS... Anyway, my GPS is a refurbished unit (can't tell at all--it looks perfectly brand new to me). Saved a bit by buying it that way. It seems to be well made and very sturdy... The first thing I did, though, was to cover the screen with cling film (available from any art supply store) to protect it from scratches. Then, I went on-line to find a "silicone skin" (it's like a rubberized, form fitting case) for the unit. Now, it is protected... The mounting system gets 5 stars... You simply hold the round knob against the windshield and rotate it 1/4 turn... DONE!... The on-button has to be held down for 2 seconds before the unit powers up. Another reviewer said that their on-button was not working properly, but maybe they did not know about this 2 second thing... Anyway, I think they made it this way so that the unit would not accidently turn on if it was, say, in you pocket and the on-button was briefly pressed... The on-screen icons and menus are SUPER EASY to follow. In fact, this unit is so easy to use, that it only comes with a bare-bones owners manual... If you want to go deeper into the intricacies of the unit, you have to go on-line... I (having an art and architecture background) LOVE the colorful and simple maps. Nice, bright primary colors, with bold graphics, and not a lot of map clutter... It is just the perfect GPS for me... And, if this unit is not big enough for you, may I suggest getting a new pair of glasses?... This is small enough to fit in the pocket of your jeans, yet is plenty big enough to read easily. Some people disliked the fact that there is only one voice (Samantha's) that can be used for the TTS mode... Well, I LIKE Samantha's voice, thankyou, very much... Some of her pronunciations can be off, at times ("ta-hundred", for one hundred), and she likes to say "semi-colon" a lot ("highway 32--semi-colon, Maple avenue"), but, I think it just adds to the charm of this unit... This was probably one of the least inexpensive GPS units that I have seen that gets good ratings. It pulls in the satellite signals strongly and quickly, and has all of the most used/needed functions covered successfully... If you need to impress yourself with how many functions your GPS unit has, then spend more... If you want to impress yourself with how wisely you spent your money, then buy this TOMTOM ONE 130 "S"... I, for one am VERY SATISFIED with my purchase... Thank you for your time... Don
TomTom One 130S 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Factory Refurbished) (Electronics)
BUY Now TomTom One 130S 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Factory Refurbished) (Electronics)
Garmin GPSMAP 60Cx Handheld GPS Navigator (Electronics)
Garmin GPSMAP 60Cx Handheld GPS Navigator (Electronics)
I am commenting again after a few months of use.This is a great device if you want to use it to replace an Etrex. It is costly because you have to buy the maps and they are used on a single garmin-software-computer tuple. You apparently need another if you want to use another computer. The computer is required to replace the touch screen on a nuvi. (BTW the nuvi is great except the annoying "recalculating" the voice repeats each time you deviate from their path." Thus this is quite expensive. However the maps are great and the device allows you to load up and down and set marks. I have used this for laying out fiber routes and it is much better than the old Etrex, yet still quite costly. I have not tried the topo maps. Reception is fantastic as well.
Now for the old bad news. I first gave this one star but returning to it have given it 3. Garmin seems to be a bit too greedy and the software you need for a great device really is horrible. Here is what I said after my first few times and it still holds. The problem is that to really get the most out of this you need the software and thus they should be considered as one which is what is reflected below.
I purchased this for two purposes. First it replaced an old Garmin ETREX which I used for plotting out telecom systems in NH, VT, and MA. The old system allowed recording way points and then loading them into the old TOPO maps. It then allowed easy printing of maps and way points. This unit does that function well.
I also thought that having a GPS for travel was useful. That meant buying the $100+ Garmin software package. That package is clearly, in my personal opinion, the worst software I have ever seen in my life.
1. To enter an address you must enter the number of the location, then when you try to enter the street you must choose from a list of predetermined streets and half the time the street you want is NOT on their list! What moron did this interface.
3. Then you enter the town. You must use caps and spell it just the way they have entered it. I have not seen this trick in decades!
4. The state then must be entered from a pull down menu and you cannot abbreviate it in any way. So just do what they tell you to do they way they tell you!
You then do this several times until you have your route. It then selects the worst possible route possible. For example from New Jersey to New Hampshire it sends you across the Cross Bronx Expressway. For any New Yorker no one in their right mind ever goes near that road! You cannot alter your route as you can in Google.
Then you must upload to your unit. Hopefully it eventually works. Each route takes 30 minutes to do!
Now the worst part is security. It demands the key from the SW and the number from the Garmin unit. That number is inside the unit which you were told to connect to the PC. You must open it, remove the batteries, find the small letter number write it down replace the batteries, reboot the unit, enter the data and at no point are you ever told your activation was completed.
They try to move the software to another PC. Your Garmin unit is now wed to this PC and no other! Microsoft in its worst days could never have imagined such a cumbersome security system. It is as if they never heard of the Internet.
Finally, when you buy the unit they apparently ship from Taiwan via DHL first then a hand off to the Postal Service. I think in my personal opinion that it comes by boat, it takes weeks.
My suggestion if you have the same difficulties as I have had, than just use Google maps, it does everything you need and prints pretty pictures with great directions. And it is free. Frankly, again in my personal opinion based upon my experience, this is truly the worst product I have ever seen, for traveling.
Since I have used this a bit, I have found that it works well for understanding where you are, for establishing and recording specific points on the maps, and for uploading and downloading data. I have tried to use this in my car but it is awkward. The reception is superb but the integration with the Garmin purchased software is the problem, especially if you are trying to do maps.
Garmin GPSMAP 60Cx Handheld GPS Navigator (Electronics)
BUY Now Garmin GPSMAP 60Cx Handheld GPS Navigator (Electronics)
Garmin nьvi 260 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
Garmin nьvi 260 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
The Garmin 260 is a useful feature-rich GPS device without all those marginally useful features that do little more than jack-up the price.
I have a friend who has a more expensive Garmin and I was impressed with what I saw while riding around with him in his vehicles. GPS technology has really come of age over the last decade since I last owned a GPS device.
This unit locks on to the the requisite number of satellites in short order and the maps are quite accurate. One drawback is that sometimes the unit will direct you in some weird routes, but on the whole it will get you where you need to go when you don't have a clue yourself. The main thing to remember is that you can't disconnect your brain when using it.
Even when I'm just driving around town going places I'm familiar with, I like to have the unit on, because it tells me exactly where I am and lists the cross streets as I approach them. Sometimes when I'm lost in my own thoughts, it's nice to just look at the device to determine exactly where I am on my route.
The unit provides a wealth of information at a glance, including direction, speed, maximum speed, elapsed time (moving and not moving), estimated time of arrival, miles traveled, miles to go, coordinates, and elevation. Of course, the turn-by-turn directions and the text-to-speech features are what this device and others like it are really known for.
The points of interest feature is very useful I have found, not only while I'm driving, but for planning my errands. It's like having a compact yellow pages. Of course, it's not comprehensive, but it is a good, quick resource.
I bought this unit after spending hours on Amazon researching the various models. I bought my unit at WalMart just as I was leaving for a long trip during which I was going to traverse Dallas/Fort Worth, which is one of the most challenging drives I've ever experienced. Even though I was skeptical of the route offered by the device, it got me through the Dallas/Fort Worth maze of freeways better than I have ever done it before. That alone made the unit worth the price.
The Garmin 260 wasn't the exact unit I wanted, but it was the closest that WalMart had, so I went with it. I could have saved a significant amount if I had planned my trip a little better and purchased my unit from Amazon in advance, but as I said, I feel I got my money's worth.
I had wanted to get one of the wide units, but now that I have this one and realize that it is plenty legible and easily fits into the front pocket of my jeans, I'm more than pleased with it.
I felt that the unit should have come with a USB connector, since in order to upgrade the unit and even to register the device, it must be connected to a computer.
The instruction manual is the very model of minimalism, but being a gadget freak, I enjoyed teaching myself how to navigate the software. Regardless, it is true that you can get this thing mounted and plugged in in short order and be on your way, even if you are only marginally competent in its use.
I don't think that an AC adapter is necessary, although I might buy one later. It runs fine plugged into one of the DC outlets in the car and it seems to me that it charged even while I was using it. During my trip, power was never an issue. I have a battery jumper that I plug the unit into at home, so I don't have to plug in while driving around town.
I think that the Garmin 260 is a fine instrument for use while traveling or just puttering around town. It has some quirks, but a sentient driver should have no problem dealing with them. The 260 has just the features I like, without a bunch that I'd never use.
The 2009 map upgrade was free of charge, by the way.
It's a keeper, for sure.
Garmin nьvi 260 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
BUY Now Garmin nьvi 260 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)