anyone kno anything about GPS?

[Pete]

hey guys and gals....thinkin of puttin GPS into my volvo. Ive heard bad things about TomTom in Canada. Anyon have any other alternatives without completely blowing the bank!!! thanks!

Pete

[montecristo]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=U...&creative=9325

Lots of great reviews on this one.

[Pete]

Originally Posted by montecristo

http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=U...&creative=9325

Lots of great reviews on this one.

thanks!

Pete

[Launch Mini]

The Sony sucks.
I have a Garmin portable ( C60). With the downloaded maps from Mapquest, it is amazing.
No voice commands (unless you connect to laptop). BUt it hasn't let me down yet.
Not so hot in the city with the tall buildings.
My only complaint, is the slow start up speed.
Next you will need to learn about www.geocaching.com
Another fun, and not too expensive hobby.

[JJ Irani]

Hey Pete,

Your signature sucks!!

[astcell]

I got the Garmin 496. It works in a car, boat or plane.

[Rockrolex]

I have TomTom downloaded to my Treo 700w. It's not the greatest but it sure is convenient and nice to have in rental cars. It just requires an external receiver that rests on the dash; the phone rests in a holder that suction cups to the windshield; or you can rest the phone on the console and listen to the voice commands.

[montecristo]

Originally Posted by Rockrolex

I have TomTom downloaded to my Treo 700w. It's not the greatest but it sure is convenient and nice to have in rental cars. It just requires an external receiver that rests on the dash; the phone rests in a holder that suction cups to the windshield; or you can rest the phone on the console and listen to the voice commands.

TomTom sucks on my dell axim

[SLRdude]

I use TeleNav and I love it.

Always works, it is fast, accurate, and the maps are streamed down to you so you never have to worry about updating your maps, or buying new ones. Heck... it even knows if there is a wreck and it guides you around it.

All for 9.99/month for unlimited maps, or 5.99 for 10 routes.

[Uncle-AJ]

I tried Tom Tom, Garmin and Sony when I was home last. In the end I prefered the Sony because when it told you to turn, it told you the road number to turn onto. e.g the voice would say "In half a mile turn left onto the A661" then "In 100 yards turn left onto the A661." then at the turn "Turn left." I found with the others the message was just "Turn left in 100 yards." etc. With the Sony, there was no doubt which turning to take which was very handy at roundabouts etc. The Sony is critiscised because it is said you can't load speed camera locations into it. This is not true as a third party have brought out a facility to do this, unfortunately I can't remember their name.

[montecristo]

Originally Posted by Uncle-AJ

I tried Tom Tom, Garmin and Sony when I was home last. In the end I prefered the Sony because when it told you to turn, it told you the road number to turn onto. e.g the voice would say "In half a mile turn left onto the A661" then "In 100 yards turn left onto the A661." then at the turn "Turn left." I found with the others the message was just "Turn left in 100 yards." etc. With the Sony, there was no doubt which turning to take which was very handy at roundabouts etc. The Sony is critiscised because it is said you can't load speed camera locations into it. This is not true as a third party have brought out a facility to do this, unfortunately I can't remember their name.

Are you talking about the NV-U70? I didn't quite like it, but than again it could have been because that I wasn't used to it. Problem with the U70, it doesn't have any memory expansion slot, thus kinda limited itself to its 1GB on board memory.

[Southern Jessie]

I use a Garmin Streetpilot i3 - it's really small and was quite inexpensive. I really like it as my sense of direction (lack of) is legendary!

[Uncle-AJ]

Originally Posted by montecristo

Are you talking about the NV-U70? I didn't quite like it, but than again it could have been because that I wasn't used to it. Problem with the U70, it doesn't have any memory expansion slot, thus kinda limited itself to its 1GB on board memory.

I think that may have been the one I tried. The memory seemed big enough for my use but the UK and Europe may not need as much memory as the States and Canada. In the end it was so close to my returning to Saudi, that I didn't buy one. I'll wait until my next trip home in February.

[montecristo]

Originally Posted by Uncle-AJ

I think that may have been the one I tried. The memory seemed big enough for my use but the UK and Europe may not need as much memory as the States and Canada. In the end it was so close to my returning to Saudi, that I didn't buy one. I'll wait until my next trip home in February.

Well, people like the idea of memory expandability for just in case.

That and you can load music and movies on some of these.

[Pete]

i started lookin into microsoft Streets and Trips with the GPS locator.....problem is that it needs to be hooked up to a laptop. kinda a hassle but HUGE database of restaurants etc......and its only like 70 bucks....

Pete

[montecristo]

Originally Posted by Pete

i started lookin into microsoft Streets and Trips with the GPS locator.....problem is that it needs to be hooked up to a laptop. kinda a hassle but HUGE database of restaurants etc......and its only like 70 bucks....

Pete

Part of the beauty of a mounted GPS is that there are no wires sticking everywhere and you can slap that thing on a dash easily without having to turn on your laptop.

The antenna on that Microsoft street and trips is garbage, don't listen to what they say by plugging it directly into a laptop, it won't work, use the cable and stick it somewhere on your dashboard or behind the rear view mirror.

Problem with the MS one, if you make a wrong turn, it does not automatically re-route for you. (sometimes you might see street closing, and want to take the next block for the turn, this thing won't reroute for you like other GPS) No touch screen unless you are one of the few that owns a tablet PC (meaning you need to use the touchpad and keyboard, not the best idea when you are driving), it doesn't read out the street names so if you are in an area where there are 10 turns within half a mile, you need to guess which one to turn, if your laptop's speaker isn't loud enough, you might not be able to hear what it says.

Its not practical, cheap but not practical. I'd spend a few hundred more so I don't have to take out my laptop everytime I need direction.

[Pete]

ya that makes total sense!! hmmmm im tryin to figure this one out lol...something good but that doesnt cost me $2k

Pete

[hutchman]

Originally Posted by Pete

hey guys and gals....thinkin of puttin GPS into my volvo. Ive heard bad things about TomTom in Canada. Anyon have any other alternatives without completely blowing the bank!!! thanks!

Pete

Hey Pete

I use a Garmin iQUE PDA gps from gpscity.ca with detailed Canadian maps. I have travelled all over Ontario, Quebec, NY, and Michigan and find the detail outstanding. I live outside of London, ON and I can't find a side street or gravel road not on the GPS. Routing is always 100% IMO.

[montecristo]

Originally Posted by Pete

ya that makes total sense!! hmmmm im tryin to figure this one out lol...something good but that doesnt cost me $2k

Pete

The Magellan RoadMate 6000T is pretty much the best bang for your buck IMO. The garmin Nuvi systems are nice but cost more.

Shop around a bit, sometimes might be cheaper to order a unit from the states than in canada. Just make sure they have canadian maps

Originally Posted by Pete

hey guys and gals....thinkin of puttin GPS into my volvo. Ive heard bad things about TomTom in Canada. Anyon have any other alternatives without completely blowing the bank!!! thanks!

Pete

Geez, there's only three paved roads in Canada... why do you need a GPS system?

[SLRdude]

Just used TeleNav to get me from Atlanta Hartsfield Airport to my Mariott 26 miles away. No problem whatsoever. Even told me about toll road.

And after half hr, it was nice to hear "Your destination is to your right". and there is was.

[Launch Mini]

I use mine for quadding too.
The Mapsource data base has a ton of the old logging roads in the area around our cabin. I have "discovered" a few of these roads, that have long since been forgotten about. They no longer connect to the "main gravel roads", but are great for quadding & exploring small lakes, views etc, that one would not normally nor easily find without the GPS.