Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/25 for details.
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/25 for details.
Options
Comments
It was easy to set up and seems to be very responsive and accurate. So far I'm very pleased with it.
I'll be near there next weekend. My work retreat is in Cambridge, MD, on the 15-17, and then I will spend that following weekend on Ocean City.
Say hi to the wild ponies. :shades:
This is basically the Google phone, which runs Android, an open operating system that basically lets anyone develop their own applications for it.
The one I played with had Google maps and knew exactly where I was, accurate to about 5 feet or so (good enough for street mapping).
Google earth was pretty cool. I saw the satellite view.
The T-Mobile rep told me it could do directions, but the default program did not include audio instructions. That's something I'm sure an application will solve if it hasn't already.
The screen was a pretty good size, though not as big as my Nuvi 200W (about 4.4" on that one). It's also not nearly as easy to use, though the Nuvi is purpose-built and does only one thing - Navigate.
I liked it, but didn't fall in love. I think I'm going to wait-and-see. To be honest I'm not getting it for different reasons (no enterprise e-mail yet, no flat-fee international data plan), but I will follow developments to see if someone writes a killer GPS app for it.
The device uploaded some YouTube clips amazingly well, about as quickly as my PC does (using a wi-fi connection). Wow.
The out-of-box NAV application needs work, though.
Rhode Island to West Hartford CT for instance. It wants me to take Route 6 all the way. Despite what Google and GPS say, this would take about another hour because this is a street, average speed limit 45 and traffic lights. I went this way once and I'd never do it again. It was horrible. I take Route 6 to 395 to Route 2 and I'm there in about an hour and 45 minutes/80 miles. GPS and Google claim that I would save 10 miles by taking the road..which isn't significant enough for me to care especially when I know it adds on about an hour in time.
Another problem I have in bigger cities like Boston or Hartford and "downtown" like areas are that the streets are so close together that by the time it tells you which turn to take, it's too late. And the WORST and biggest problem I have when this happens is by the time it reroutes to tell you which turn to take..AGAIN you are right in front of it and passing it and it's too late. And these are areas with one ways and congested streets and don't have enough parking lots for you to easily get into and turn around to get to that right street. And then have to do it again during the next screw up.
I've resorted to keeping my laptop in my car (Google Earth) and also having the directions written because sometimes I can glance and read quicker than the GPS locates a street.
My Question - Is there a GPS that would be better in cities like that or is this a satelite issue and they'd all do it?
It's the first Android phone, so I would expect future versions to have improvements. My biggest gripe is that if you have every network/data type on, it really kills battery life. However, if you manually switch them off, it's better.
We also have the small Garmin units, and you certainly can't beat the portability of those units. But I have each of our autos set up so they can be mobile offices, and the laptop sits with it's screen right up by the dash, so the maps are actually much more visible with a glance than the small portable units (unless you have it mounted up on the windshield). When we do any road trips out of the local area, we always use the PC running S&Trips.
I find S&T much more 'custom configurable' than the portables.
Wonder how S&T would run on a netbook, assuming you could get it installed on one.
The Garmin has a feature where you can avoid local roads, highways, toll roads, etc. If you have it set to avoid local roads, it probably won't take you on Rt 6 as it did. I had that problem when I first used my older Garmin, and I have to agree that it made me frustrated until I learned otherwise.
Regarding the missing turns, one thing I try to do at the beginning of the ride: review the turn-by-turn directions. Also, do you have WAAS turned on or off? On is supposed to be more accurate, however it takes longer to get the satellite hook-up.
If you really want to improve the satellite accuracy, Garmin does sell an auxiliary antennae that you can add on. I had one for my old Street Pilot2610, but don't use it on my Nuvi370.
Mark
1. When it will tell me to get off and then get right back onto the highway. This will happen when I have it programed to "shortest distance" if it finds out the exit/on ramp is lest distance, or when I have it programmed to fastest time, it will have me do this in heavy traffic.
2. The City is not always correct. On a few occasions it has the wrong city for the correct address. Most often a "search all" rather than enter city will get around this problem.
But other than those two nuances, the nuvi works great, has really come in handy and is very portable, so if i were to use a valet parking, it easily can fit into a coat pocket.
And FWIW, it was about 60% less than what any factory installed GPS would have cost.
Has TTS and wide-screen..
Edmunds Price Checker
Edmunds Lease Calculator
Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!
Edmunds Moderator
Best Buy Streets Trips
I've been seeing more of the off brands that have text to speech for around $89 with a 3.5 inch screen... a 4.3 inch screen for about $20 more. Curious if the off brand do as well performance and reliability wise as the big brands like Garmin and Tom Tom.
I've found it better than expected at finding addresses; there's only been a couple of times I was on a road that wasn't on the map. The text to speech function is a must. The small screen lets it fit in front of my tach or temp gauge on the instrument panel, so it's visible but unobtrusive.
And I've been using the MP3 function around the house a bit.
Pretty happy with the deal. I haven't used any of the competing brands to really compare though.
That's what I got first, so for me it's also easier to copy all my locations from an old device to a new one.
I've sampled a Dash and it was so inferior it wasn't even funny. I was in the beta program and they said I could keep the device for FREE ($300 retail) if I paid for a one year subscription to their traffic data service, and I still turned it down. That's how much better the Garmin is.
$189 for the 260W is a deal, and I think I saw the 205W also at BB for $159.
I mean, map updates alone cost $75! That's like getting the device, charger, and stand for $84, plus it's a 4.4" widescreen.
I think the prices have come down to no-brainer levels, and we will soon see one of these in nearly every car on the road.
I may get a Miata PRHT and if I do I will soon purchase my 4th Garmin (sold the first to a co-worker).
For the off brands, there's a Navigon 2100 for $69.99 at Office Depot, a Sony NVU94T for $189 at Best Buy, a Sony Nav-U at Sears for $79.99, a TomTom One at 125 at Radio Shack for $99.99 and a Pharos PRD200 at Amazon for $99.
Usual disclaimers - that's just from skimming the recent deals at fatwallet.com and there are various restrictions with some of these deals, and some may have already expired.
But yeah, getting down to no-brainer levels, at least until the industry decides to consolidate. And why update the maps when you can buy a new unit for not much more money? The update prices need to crash to earth, especially on the factory OEM units.
That is for sure. If I spent $500 to upgrade the NAV in my Sequoia and it was no better than it is now, I would not be happy. I have gotten used to the poor routing. I would never pay the price for an OEM NAV in another vehicle.
Still can't mount them in the center of the dash where most people want them.
Here's another freebie way to mount your NAV in a cupholder:
GPS cup holder mount (Instructables)
One warning about the cup holder mount - you may not get a signal as quickly. I moved my Nuvi 200W from the windshield to a vent-mount and it is much easier to reach with my fingers but it does take a little longer to get a signal.
What I do is turn on the GPS before I turn on the car. It gets a signal sooner if it's not moving, for whatever reason.
The coupon is still out there for another couple of days, but the base price may have gone up. And some managers may not honor the coupon on a item on sale - it seems to vary store by store.
Crutchfield had it briefly for $114.99 and Ritz had it for $99.99 but they only had ~5 units per store. Some people got Staples to price match.
It's a lot of work getting that last buck off, but if you're in the market, the deal sites have them. If you're fast enough.
I gotta get my PRHT Miata first, then the GPS will come. Prices keep coming down so I'm not going to rush the purchase. Plus I may get one with traffic capability - not sure yet.
Like you say, no rush. There's a deal a day somewhere.
Juice?
Anyone?
Real-time updates? Great in concept, but....
I had that Dash device for a while, and that's how that was supposed to work. Real-time traffic as well.
Great concept.
Horrible execution.
Took FOREVER to boot up, crashed often, plenty of map errors, POI grossly incomplete (under schools they listed Colleges but no High Schools, Middle Schools, or Elementary? none?).
What they did was connect you to a wi-fi if there was one, and then Google search for POIs live on the internet, but that only worked if you had a wi-fi connection, which was seldom.
Horrible interface, less than useless traffic data did not seem real-time at all, likely because there were not enough subscribers willing to use such an awful GPS device.
So honestly, I'll stick with a tried-and-true and pay $65 every 18 months or so for a map update. Gas stations do change ownership often but until I see a reliable way for real-time updates to occur I'll definitely pass.
(Sorry if this has been discussed before)
What were they thinking? How many hotspots would there be out on the Interstates?! Maybe if they utilized a GPRS/HSPA connection....
I think the 255W is a newer unit... but, I'm not familiar with it..
Paid $300 in June for my 260W.. They've been under $200 at BB, as recently as last month...
Edmunds Price Checker
Edmunds Lease Calculator
Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!
Edmunds Moderator
Could the 260 have a better GPS antennae than the 255, perhaps?
My wife's C340 definitely gets a signal more quickly than my Nuvi 205W.
http://garmin.blogs.com/my_weblog/2009/01/nmaps-lifetime.html
2009 Suzuki SX4 Long-Term Test
FBI Reports Theft of Portable Navigation Systems Up 700% in Two Years (Straightline)
It's like saying the Accord is the most stolen car - sure but it's also one of the most popular.
$119 for maps for life, eh? It would be worth it if you buy a high-end GPS, that you expect to keep for more than 2 years or so.
My dad just got a Nuvi 205 for a recent road trip we did from DC to Florida, and he liked it so much that he gave it to my sister and is getting himself a 205W.
I just paid $100 for Garmin's micro-SD card pre-loaded with maps of Brazil for my dad. I'm wondering if it has any details of smaller cities in the Northeast. I'm sure it has Rio and Sao Paulo but I'm wondering about Recife and Fortaleza.
I guess we'll see.
My concern is he's a GPS newbie and may not know how to evaluate how good the maps and POI databases are. I'll try them out there but not until July 2010 or so.
I haven't seen the maps of Brazil, or South America but when I went to Hungary in Sept07 the maps were fantastic. They were pretty up to date and worked well while walking around as well.
Mark
I told my dad not to expect too much, but it should at least have the major roads and most of the gas stations for him, so he shouldn't ever get completely lost.
Garmin-Asus Nuvifone Points the Direction Navigation is Heading
* Enterprise e-mail?
* what carrier(s)?
* wi-fi?
* 3G?
* bluetooth?
If it's on T-Mobile and has Enterprise e-mail I'm all over it, even if answers 3-5 are "no".
However, I did finally break down, leave the stone age and bought a GPS - Garmin Nuvi 255W. So far so good but haven't left town, tried to find a gas price (don't know if it does that) or any such thing. Am doing my one free map update now. As of yesterday it didn't recognize some places that have been around twenty years while noting ones that have been gone a couple. I'll see how it goes....
So far the verdict is it's fun but I'm glad I didn't buy when the things were way more expensive.
It's better than the 200/205 though because it has text-to-speech so it reads out street names. I miss that a little bit.